Which exam should I take?
Many students will end up taking both exams
Some universities require you to take UCAT, some require BMAT, but none will require both. So before you register for an exam, look at which medical schools require which exam. It may be that you apply to all UCAT universities or all BMAT universities, in which case you will probably only take one or the other.
However, only taking one exam is like putting all your eggs in one basket - if you are confident that you will perform well, then that's great, but if for whatever reason you don't do as well as you hoped, you can't retake the exam in the same year, and you may not be able to register for the other one. Then, you're in a pickle.
Having said that, most students will take UCAT before they take BMAT - if your UCAT score is enough for the universities you are interested in, then you may wish not to take BMAT - or you may see your UCAT score and choose to also take BMAT and apply to a BMAT university to be on the safe side (as you will be taking the exam AFTER you have submitted your UCAS Application).
There are many more UCAT universities than there are BMAT, so the vast majority of students will at least take UCAT.
Both tests are very different in format and style as well. UCAT is much more aptitude-y and you can't exactly revise content for it - it tests essential skills which you exhibit, which you can develop and train through practice. BMAT Section 1 is similar to UCAT, however Section 2 can be thoroughly revised for as it is Science. BMAT Section 3 is a short essay based on a chosen title, which once again, you can't revise for but you can practice essay technique.
University Clinical Aptitude Test - UCAT
Structure
It is a 2 hour online test with 5 different timed sections:
Verbal Reasoning: 44 Questions, 21 Mins
Decision Making: 29 Questions, 31 Mins
Quantitative Reasoning: 36 Questions, 24 Mins
Abstract Reasoning: 55 Questions, 13 Mins
Situational Judgement: 69 Questions, 26 Mins
Before each section, you have 1 min to read the instructions.
For full details visit: https://www.ucat.ac.uk/
Marking
The first 4 sections are given a scaled score between 300-900
For Situational Judgement you are put into a Band from 1 -4 (1 being the highest) based on the appropriateness of your answers.
Overall, you will be given a cumulative score between 1200 - 3600 and a Band 1-5.
Verbal Reasoning
Assesses the ability to critically evaluate information presented in a written form.
This section will include a short-long passage followed by a few questions based on it. Your job is to read the question and efficiently extract the necessary information from the text, but this is not always explicit - you may need to read between the lines or find implications.
Time management can be difficult in this section as you need to read what can be long passages and also answer the related questions. The key is to read FAST and read the question beforehand, this way, you know what you are looking for and can extract the information quickly - but be careful as you may miss something vital.
Decision Making
Assesses the ability to make sound decisions and judgements using complex information.
Each question is standalone in this section. Some questions will require you to follow a path of logic, determine whether certain statements are true or not based on the introduction, working out seating plans, interpreting data, Venn diagrams, sequences.
Problem-solving skills are vital for this section, so tailor your practice to the different types of questions, and get used to doing the questions quickly as you may fall short of time.
Quantitative Reasoning
Assesses the ability to critically evaluate information presented in a numerical form.
You will have to interpret and analyse various forms of numerical data such as graphs, tables, charts and solve problems based on these.
This will require you to do some maths - like calculating differences, extrapolating data based on trends, working out totals and costs, for which you are provided a whiteboard and pen to do working out, and also a simple on-screen calculator.
When revising for this section, make sure to use a similar setup and use the on-screen calculator on the UCAT Practice tests as it can be quite fiddly and time-consuming. The more you use it, the more quickly you'll be able work during the exam and you'll be able to save from crucial seconds.
Learn some tips and tricks to do simple calculations in your head, such as estimation, rounding, multiplying, dividing.
Abstract Reasoning
Assesses the use of convergent and divergent thinking to infer relationships from information.
Recognising patterns, tracking changes and how sequences develop is extremely important in this section. Your task will be to choose which shape/image belongs to a certain set of images, determine the next response in a series.
It can be hard to identify patterns in these questions - some may be very obvious and visible to the eye while others may be more subtle and require more thought to discern. Coming up with a way to remember what to look out for when finding patterns is useful, and is used by some of the resources which are suggested below.
This section is one of the most time-constrained ones, which makes it vital not to dwindle on questions for too long, or you may miss out on questions which you are able to answer quickly.
Situational Judgement
Measures the capacity to understand real world situations and to identify critical factors and appropriate behaviour in dealing with them.
The questions do not require you to have any prior medical or clinical knowledge, so don't worry about knowing exactly what to do in each scenario.
You will be provided with some actions based on the scenario, which you will need to consider the appropriateness or the importance of, or you will need to rank the actions from most to least appropriate.
Common sense is very useful in SJT. Knowing what's right and what's wrong in each situation is enough to get you a few points, however, in a clinical setting you need to consider many other factors such as patient safety, regulations, avoiding conflict. Looking up what a medical student can and can't do would also be useful, as you will be aware of the scope of your actions .
General Tips
- Time is everything in UCAT, so one of the focuses of your preparation should be to finish as much of the exam within the given time.
- Use the Number Lock and Numbers on the right hand side of the keyboard during your practice and in the exam, you will find it's much easier and faster to use these, including some of the shortcuts for addition, subtraction, multiplication and division.
- Do as many practice questions as possible - you'll be more familiar with the question styles and exactly what they want you to do. It'll also develop your skills in each of the sections and you'll find that you improve over time.
- Regularly complete full practice tests - getting used to sitting down and using the computer for 2hrs straight will make you more comfortable and used to the actual format of the test.
- Practice on the computer whenever possible
Useful Resources
Click on the links below to find some useful resources for UCAT preparation:
The Ultimate UCAT Collection: 3 Books In One, 2,650 Practice Questions, Fully Worked Solutions, Includes 6 Mock Papers: purchase on Amazon here
Get into Medical School - 1250 UKCAT Practice Questions. Includes Full Mock Exam Paperback: purchase on Amazon here
Medify - online practice questions, timed practices, worked solutions and mock tests + useful tips and strategies
6med - UCAT Online Crash Course, UCAT Ninja - timed questions, mocks and worked solutions, UCAT workbook
Kaplan Test Prep - online practice questions, practice tests, study guide, eBook
UCAT Consortium - candidate guides, tutorials, question banks and practice tests
UCAT Universities
- University of Aberdeen
- Anglia Ruskin University
- Aston University
- University of Birmingham
- University of Bristol
- Cardiff University
- University of Dundee
- University of East Anglia
- Edge Hill University
- University of Exeter
- University of Glasgow
- Hull York Medical School
- Keele University
- Kent and Medway Medical School
- King's College London
- University of Leicester
- University of Liverpool
- University of Manchester
- University of Newcastle
- University of Nottingham
- Plymouth University
- Queen Mary University of London
- Queen's University Belfast
- University of Sheffield
- University of Southampton
- University of St. Andrews
- St. George's, University of London
- University of Sunderland
- University of Warwick
UCAT Logo from - https://www.ucat.ac.uk/
Biomedical Admissions Test - BMAT
Section 1 - Thinking Skills, 60mins
Assesses generic skills needed for most undergraduate education. Questions are Multiple-Choice.
Problem Solving: Solve problems using simple numerical methods
Question Types: Selecting relevant information, identifying similarity, determining and applying appropriate procedures
Skills needed: Calculations, Fractions, Estimation, Data Analysis, identifying Repeating Patterns, Spatial Reasoning, Logic
16 Questions
Tips
- Read the question first, find the information and do the required calculations, discard wrong answers and decide which is most appropriate
- Make rough estimations where possible
- Use fractions where possible - easier to compare than using percentages
- Fully understand the labels, axes headings and titles of data charts and units, convert where necessary
Critical Thinking: Choose answers based on logical arguments
Question Types: summarising conclusions, drawing conclusions, identifying assumptions, assessing the impact of additional evidence, detecting reasoning errors, matching arguments, applying principles
Tips
- Look for conclusions and opinions in the passages
- Avoid over-generalisation, being too specific, confusing correlation and causation, confusing cause and effect
- Assumptions are something the author must believe to be true for the conclusion to hold
- Inferences are conclusions that logically follow from the reasons given in the argument
16 Questions
Section 2 - Scientific Knowledge and Applications, 30mins
Tests the level of core scientific knowledge and the ability to apply it. The level of the science is generally that of GCSE, non-specialist. Questions are Multiple-Choice and calculators are not allowed.
Biology: 7 Questions
Chemistry : 7 Questions
Physics: 7 Questions
Maths: 6 Questions
Total 27 Questions
The Assumed Subject Knowledge can be found here: https://www.admissionstesting.org/images/535824-bmat-test-specification.pdf
Tips
- This section may feel a little time pressured, as you will need to recall and apply information in a very short time, so make sure you are comfortable with all the subject content.
- Swiftly move on if you get stuck on a question, as you may be able to answer the next ones easily. However, come back to the ones you miss out at the end.
- Know scientific formulas well, and carry out simple calculations using estimation and rounding to save time.
Section 3 - Writing Task, 30mins
You will get to choose from 3 essay titles which will be of general, scientific or medical interest.
You will need to consider only one of the tasks and argue for and against the proposition.
The limit for writing is an A4 page which is provided for you - you can find the exact format by googling 'BMAT Section 3 Answer Sheet'.
The general outline of your response should be:
- Explanation of the proposition
- Generate a counter-argument
- Conclusion & reconcile the two sides of the argument
Make sure to spend a few minutes planning your response and come up with 2-3 points both for and against.
General Tips
- Do timed practice to get used to completing questions in a short amount of time.
- Practice on paper where possible with the multiple choice answer sheets for mock exams to simulate the actual exam.
- Get used to carrying out simple calculations on paper and mentally as you won't have a calculator.
- Familiarise yourself with the Section 2 content as much as possible, this way you can think on your feet during the exam and save time.
- Look up how to tackle each of the questions types in Section 1, the resources below may help.
- Swiftly move on if you can't think of an answer, or make an educated guess for now and come back to it later.
- Use formulas where possible.
- Choose the Section 3 question you want to answer very carefully - this does not have to be the medical option, but should be the one you can confidently argue for and against and provide evidence to back up your points.
- Plan your essay and choose the points which are the most relevant to the question.
- Provide a range of evidence to support your arguments where possible
- Link your points logically so that your paragraphs flow.
- Look up the pillars of medical ethics to increase your knowledge, as you may wish to use some if they are relevant to the question.
- Look up practice essay titles and do them under timed conditions to get used to planning, writing and proofreading in the given time, as this can be initially challenging.
Scoring
Raw marks in Sections 1 and 2 are converted to a score from 1 - 9 (9 being the highest)
Section 3 will be marked in two ways: a number from 0-5 (5 being the highest) for quality of content, and a letter for quality of written English (on the scale of A, C, E)
More information on scoring can be found here: https://www.admissionstesting.org/for-test-takers/bmat/bmat-november/scoring-and-results/
Useful Resources
Click on the links below to find some useful resources for BMAT preparation:
The Ultimate BMAT Collection: 5 Books In One, Over 2500 Practice Questions & Solutions, Includes 8 Mock Papers, Detailed Essay Plans: purchase on Amazon here
Medify - online practice questions, timed practices, worked solutions and mock tests + useful tips and strategies, essay plan
6med - BMAT Online Crash Course, BMAT Ninja - timed questions, mocks and worked solutions, BMAT workbook, BMAT essay edits
Kaplan Test Prep - BMAT Online Course, BMAT Question Bank, Topic Specific Workshops, Essay Reviews, Classroom Courses
BMAT Universities
- Brighton and Sussex Medical School
- Imperial College London
- Lancaster University
- University College London
- University of Cambridge
- University of Manchester Medical School (for some groups of International Applicants only)
- University of Leeds
- University of Oxford
- Keele University (only 'overseas for fees Applicants)
Logo from - https://www.admissionstesting.org/