Important
The BMAT is no longer held. It was last sat in October 2023, and Cambridge University Press & Assessment did not offer it from the 2024 application cycle onwards. UK medical schools that used it, including Cambridge, now ask for the UCAT (University Clinical Aptitude Test) instead. Do not prepare for the BMAT: check each university's current admissions test requirement.
Overview
The BioMedical Admissions Test (BMAT) was an admissions test for medicine, biomedical science and dentistry courses. It was run by Cambridge Assessment (later Cambridge University Press & Assessment) from 2001 until its last sitting in October 2023.
It was used by universities in the UK and abroad, including Oxford, Cambridge, Imperial College London and Brighton and Sussex Medical School, with other users in countries such as Singapore, Spain, Malaysia, Thailand, Hungary, Croatia and the Netherlands.
In January 2024 the University of Cambridge confirmed that the BMAT, along with several other Cambridge-run admissions tests, was being withdrawn, and that it would use the UCAT for medicine from 2024, taken at Pearson VUE test centres. The exam body's own BMAT pages are no longer online, so the details below come from secondary reports and describe the test as it was.
Exam pattern
The BMAT was a 2-hour pen-and-paper test in three sections:
| Section | Content | Questions | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Thinking Skills | Problem solving and critical thinking | 32 | 60 minutes |
| 2. Scientific Knowledge and Applications | School-level biology, chemistry, physics and maths | 27 | 30 minutes |
| 3. Writing Task | One essay chosen from three prompts | 1 | 30 minutes |
Marking and results
Sections 1 and 2 were each reported on a scale from 1.0 to 9.0, to one decimal place.
Section 3 got two marks combined into one result: a quality-of-content score from 1 to 5, and a quality-of-English grade of A, C or E. Results therefore ran from 1E to 5A.
There was no pass mark. Reports put a typical interview candidate's score at around 5.0 in Sections 1 and 2, with roughly the top 10% scoring 6.0 or more.
Important dates
In its later years the BMAT was offered at several points in the year, including late August or early September and late October or early November. The final sitting was in October 2023.
What replaced it
UCAT: the University Clinical Aptitude Test, a computer-based test, is now used for medicine at the former BMAT universities, including Cambridge from 2024.
ESAT and TMUA: for science, engineering, economics and computer science courses at Cambridge, the BMAT's sister tests were replaced by the Engineering and Science Admissions Test (ESAT) and a computer-based TMUA from October 2024.
FAQs
Is the BMAT still held?
No. The last BMAT was sat in October 2023. From the 2024 application cycle, medical schools that used it switched to the UCAT.
Which test do I take instead of the BMAT?
For UK medicine, usually the UCAT. Cambridge confirmed in January 2024 that it would use the UCAT for medicine from 2024. Check each university's admissions page, as requirements differ.