BMAT FAQs

What is the BMAT?

The BioMedical Admissions Test (BMAT) is a two hour pen and paper test consisting of three sections.

  • Section 1: Aptitude and Skills (60 minutes - 35 multiple choice questions)
  • Section 2: Scientific Knowledge and Applications (30 minutes - 27 multiple choice questions)
  • Section 3: Writing Task (30 minutes - 1 essay question from a choice of 4)

About the BMAT
BMAT Specificiation
Sample Papers

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Who needs to take the BMAT?

All candidates applying to the following institutions/courses are required to take BMAT:

The Royal Veterinary College: D100, D101, D102
Imperial College London: A100, B900, B9N2
University College London: A100
University of Cambridge*: A100, A101, D100
University of Oxford: A100, A101, BC98
Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine: Courses to be confirmed

* Please note that it is not essential for applicants to the Cambridge Graduate course in Medicine (A101) to sit the BMAT, although applicants could use a successful result as part of their pre-medical requirements.

The University of Bristol's Veterinary Science (D100) course will have access to candidates' BMAT scores FOR RESEARCH PURPOSES ONLY in 2011-12. The BMAT will NOT form part of the course entry requirements. For those candidates who are applying to the University of Bristol Veterinary Science (D100) course only, BUT NOT to any of the other BMAT-using institutions and courses, the BMAT will not be compulsory.

Failure to sit the BMAT could result in an unsuccessful application to a candidate’s chosen institution, it is important that candidates refer to university websites, prospectuses, and UCAS for a definitive list of entry requirements.

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When is the BMAT taken?

The BMAT will take place on 7th November 2012 at 9.00am GMT.

International candidates should check with their centre to confirm the start time.

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Where can the BMAT be taken?

Typically, candidates sit the BMAT at their school or college.  Candidates who do not attend a school or college will need to find an open centre where they can take the test.

Candidates who cannot find a centre should contact the BMAT Support Team.

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How much does the BMAT cost?

The EU (including UK) standard entry fee will be £42.50 and the Rest of the World fee will be £72.50 for those entered between 1st September and 1st October 2012. Late entry fees will apply for anyone entered between 2nd and 15th October 2012.

Some open centres may charge an administrative fee for organising and administering the BMAT on behalf of external candidates.

BMAT Costs

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Can I withdraw from taking the test?

Please note that candidates who decide to withdraw from taking BMAT can do so by 15th October. Candidates that were registered between 1st September and 1st October will be refunded their standard entry fee. Candidates that were registered in the late entry phase, between 2nd and 15th October will only have their standard entry fee refunded, and not their late entry fee. It is not possible to withdraw from taking the test after 15th October.

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Can BMAT fees be reimbursed?

If you’re a UK student in receipt of: the full Adult Learning Grant (ALG), or full Maintenance Grant, or Income-Based Job Seeker’s Allowance, or Income Support, you can apply for the BMAT standard entry fee to be reimbursed. EU candidates in receipt of equivalent allowances or grants in their home country may be entitled to reimbursement. Please contact the BMAT Support Team for more information.

Candidates registered at a closed centre, should speak to their Exams Officer, Head of Sixth Form or Careers Officer and ask them to contact us. Candidates registered through an open centre may contact us directly by writing to:

The BMAT Support Team
1 Hills Road
Cambridge
CB1 2EU
United Kingdom

Standard entry fees will be reimbursed to candidates who have taken BMAT and applied to a BMAT university. Late entry fees and administration fees will not be reimbursed.

A copy of a candidate’s entitlement for benefits should be enclosed with the request for reimbursement of fees.

All requests for reimbursement of fees should reach the BMAT Support Team by Monday, 15th October 2012.

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As a candidate how do I register for BMAT?

Candidates cannot register themselves for BMAT; they must be registered by an approved BMAT centre.

If you are currently attending a school or college you should approach your Examinations Officer to discuss whether or not your school can accommodate for you to sit the BMAT there; other candidates should find an open centre where they can sit the BMAT.

If you cannot find a centre near you to take the BMAT you should contact the BMAT Support Team.

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As an Examinations Officer how do I register my candidate?

Candidates must be registered by their Examinations Officer through our Entries Extranet. If your centre has not offered Cambridge Assessment Admissions Tests before you will need to register with us.

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Where does the BMAT candidate number need to be entered?

BMAT candidate numbers begin with a “B” followed by five numbers. Candidate numbers must be entered on all examinations scripts on the day of the test, candidates will be provided on a Statement of Entry on the day of the test.

Candidates applying to the University of Cambridge entering their candidate number onto their Cambridge Application Form should only enter the five numbers from their candidate number.

UCAS advise that candidates should enter their candidate number onto their UCAS form, more information can be found on the UCAS website.

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What are access arrangements?

Access arrangements is the term given to any pre-examination adjustments based on history of need and provision. That is to say that a candidate may have dyslexia, dyspraxia, dysgraphia, dysorthographia, or working memory deficit and require extra time, the use of a laptop or some other physical requirement.

It is important for candidates to consult with their centre notifying them of any access arrangements the candidate may have and the candidate should be prepared to provide clinical evidence as requested.

Where a candidate requires a laptop he/she must be accommodated in such a way that other candidates are not disturbed and cannot read the screen. Where a candidate using a laptop is accommodated separately, a separate invigilator must be provided.

Where a candidate has been granted the use of a word processor/laptop, at the end of the test they should be present when the response is printed off to verify that the work printed is his or her own. The candidate’s name, candidate number, candidate initials and centre number should be clearly written on the printed writing task.

For candidates using a laptop it is important to note that the responses should be completed using the Arial font, size 11 and single spacing. The word limit for each writing task is 550 words for BMAT.

Failure to comply with the word limit could disadvantage candidates. Automatic spell checkers and grammar checkers must be disabled.

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What evidence should an Examinations Officer submit for candidates with access arrangements?

Examinations Officers do not need to submit any evidence to Cambridge Assessment but candidates may be asked to provide evidence of any need for access arrangements at interview.

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Is extra time allowed for candidates without English as their first language?

Extra time is not allowed for candidates without English as their first language.  A decision was taken by the BMAT universities that candidates applying to courses requiring the BMAT are expected to have a good command of English.  The level of English required for courses can be found on each institution's website.

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Where should requests for special considerations be sent?

Special considerations are used to indicate to institutions that a candidate suffered temporary illness, injury or disposition at the time of the assessment. All special considerations will be passed onto any BMAT university to which the candidate has applied. The University will be asked to take the special consideration into account when considering applications. No adjustment will be made to candidates' results.

Requests for special considerations should be completed on the form below and sent with an accompanying letter on school headed notepaper within seven days of the test date to:

Admissions Tests Team
1 Hills Road
Cambridge
CB1 2EU
United Kingdom

Special Considerations Form

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What preparation materials are available for BMAT?

Preparation Materials for BMAT.

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When will BMAT exam materials arrive at the centre?

BMAT exam materials will arrive with the examination centre approximately a week to ten days before the date of the exam marked with a sticker stating “Admissions Tests Materials Enclosed”.

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What writing equipment should be used for BMAT?

Candidates should use a soft pencil for Sections 1 and 2 of the BMAT. It would also be helpful if you have an eraser available should you need to erase and fill in another answer.

For Section 3 of the BMAT you must use a black ink pen.

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Are dictionaries allowed for BMAT?

No, dictionaries and bi-lingual dictionaries may not be used for BMAT.

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Are calculators allowed for BMAT?

No, calculators may not be used.

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When will BMAT results be published?

BMAT results will be released from 00:00hrs GMT via our Results Online System on 21st November 2012.
Online Results - Candidates
Online Results - Centres

Results Online User Guide - Candidates (PDF, 888 KB)
Results Online User Guide - Centres (PDF, 486 KB)

Please note: Results Online only supports Internet Explorer and Firefox browsers, if you are using any other browser you may not be able to use the Results Online system. Internet Explorer and Firefox can both be downloaded for free from www.microsoft.com or www.getfirefox.com

 

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Can previous BMAT results be used as part of a new application?

BMAT results are only accepted by universities in the year candidates apply for university. Candidates should sit the BMAT in November 2012 if they are applying to start university in 2013 or for a deferred place in 2014.

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Can BMAT results be queried?

Yes, you can submit a Results Enquiry or an Appeal. See FAQs below for more details.

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In what circumstances should I submit a Results Enquiry?

You should submit a Results Enquiry if you think that there has been an error in the processing or reporting of your BMAT results and this does not reflect your performance on the day of the test.

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In what circumstances should I submit an Appeal?

You should submit an Appeal if either: you are not satisfied with an aspect of the administration of the test, which is not covered by a request for Special Consideration or by a Results Enquiry or: you are not satisfied with the outcome of your initial Results Enquiry.

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How do I submit the Results Enquiry or Appeal?

The ‘Application for Results Enquiry’ or ‘Application for An Appeal’ form can be submitted by fax, post (Special Delivery or equivalent) or as a scanned email attachment, to arrive no later than 5 working days after the day that the test results are released. Therefore the latest date that BMAT Results Enquiries or Appeals forms can be submitted is Wednesday 28th November 2012, by 5pm GMT. (* see also ‘What if I am not happy with the outcome of the Results Enquiry and wish to submit an Appeal?’ below)

Candidates who took the test at their school or college: once you have completed the appropriate form, you should ask your Examinations Officer to send the Results Enquiry or Appeal form to Cambridge Assessment, accompanied by a covering letter or fax on headed notepaper.

Candidates who took the test at an open centre can submit the Results Enquiry or Appeal form directly to Cambridge Assessment without an accompanying covering letter.

Candidates should be aware that their results can go down as well as up and that this could affect their university application.

The Results Enquiry or Appeal CANNOT proceed without the candidate’s written consent, as given on the Results Enquiry or Appeal form. Once this form has been received by Cambridge Assessment, the process will be instigated and the appropriate institution(s) informed.

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How long does a Results Enquiry take?

A response will be made within 5 working days of Cambridge Assessment receiving the Results Enquiry form (and covering letter on headed notepaper, where applicable).

If you sat the test at your school / college: Cambridge Assessment will then notify you via your centre of the outcome of the Results Enquiry and also notify the institution(s) to which you have applied, within 5 working days of the receipt of the enquiry.

If you sat the test at an open centre: Cambridge Assessment will then notify you directly of the outcome of the Results Enquiry and also notify the institution(s) to which you have applied, within 5 working days of the receipt of the enquiry.

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What if I am not happy with the outcome of the Results Enquiry and wish to submit an Appeal?

If you are not happy with the outcome of the Results Enquiry, you can submit an Appeal using the ‘Application for An Appeal’ form.

(*) Applications for an Appeal following on from a Results Enquiry can be received after the advertised deadline of Wednesday 28th November 2011, but no later than 5 working days following the outcome of the Results Enquiry. Therefore the latest date an Appeal following on from a Results Enquiry can be received, is by 5pm GMT on Wednesday 12th December 2012.

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How long does the Appeals process take?

Your Appeal will be considered by a panel largely made up of representatives from the institutions that use the BMAT. The duration of the Appeal process will depend upon the nature of the Appeal. However, the panel will aim to resolve the Appeal in time for the outcome to be taken into account during the current university admissions round.

If your Appeal is concerning the outcome of a Results Enquiry: candidates should be aware that their results can go down as well as up and that this could affect their university application.

The Appeal CANNOT proceed without the candidate’s written consent, as given on the Appeal form. Once this form has been received by Cambridge Assessment, the process will be instigated and the appropriate institution(s) informed.

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Where do I send the Results Enquiry or Appeal form to?

The Results Enquiry or Appeal form (and covering letter on headed notepaper, where applicable) can be submitted by fax, post (Special Delivery or equivalent) or as a scanned email attachment, to the BMAT Support Team. The postal address, fax number and email address for the BMAT Support Team can be found on the Results Enquiry or Appeal application form.

Please note: you DO NOT need to inform the relevant institution(s) to which you have applied of the Results Enquiry or Appeal. Cambridge Assessment is responsible for informing the institution(s) to which you have applied that use the BMAT, that a Results Enquiry or Appeal is taking place. Cambridge Assessment is also responsible for informing the same institution(s) of the outcome of the Results Enquiry or Appeal.

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What are the fees for submitting a Results Enquiry or Appeal?

The current fees for a BMAT Results Enquiry or Appeal can be found under ‘BMAT Costs 2012’ here.

If you sat the test at your school / college: your school or college will be invoiced for the fee, following the outcome of the Results Enquiry or Appeal. Please check with your school or college if this fee will be passed on to you.

If you sat the test at an open centre: you will need to pay Cambridge Assessment directly by credit card, when you make your application for a Results Enquiry or Appeal.

NB: The fee charged will be refunded if your results are revised.

If you are a UK student in receipt of: Adult Learning Grant (ALG), or full Maintenance Grant, or Income-Based Job Seeker’s Allowance, or Income Support, you can apply for the Results Enquiry or Appeal fee to be waived. EU candidates in receipt of equivalent allowances or grants in their home country may be entitled to the fee being waived.

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Need More Information?
Email: BMAT Support Team
Call: +44 (0)1223 55 33 66
Opening Hours: 0900 - 1700 GMT


About the Test
Details about the format, content, timing, scoring, delivery and results of the BMAT


Dates & Costs
Find out when tests are taking place and how much they cost


Test Preparation
BMAT resources for candidates and teachers, including past papers, recommended reading lists and specifications.


Registration
Information for candidates and teachers about the BMAT registration process