bmat essay question examples

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BMAT Past Paper Compilations with Free Worked Solutions

Unsure how much to revise for bmat physics looking for free explanations for official bmat past papers struggling to find bmat section 3 essay plans.

Welcome to our BMAT Past Paper Bank with BMAT Past Paper Compilations for BMAT Section 1 and 2 along with detailed explanations and worked solutions. We also have BMAT Section 3 Essay Plans - your golden BMAT resource.

We cover every BMAT Past Paper Question

S1: critical thinking.

We go through BMAT Past Papers from 2003 for Critical Thinking and teach you evidence-based methods to help you answer BMAT Section 1 Questions and do well in the BMAT in 2024.

• Lesson 1 Introduction
• Lesson 2 Conclusions: Theory
• Lesson 3 Conclusions: Questions
• Lesson 4 Assumptions: Theory
• Lesson 5 Assumptions: Questions
• Lesson 6 Flaws: Theory
• Lesson 7 Flaws: Questions
• Lesson 8 Evidence: Theory
• Lesson 9 Evidence: Questions
• Lesson 10 Inferences: Theory
• Lesson 11 Inferences: Questions
• Lesson 12 Principles: Theory
• Lesson 13 Principles: Questions
• Lesson 14 Parallels: Theory
• Lesson 15 Parallels: Questions

Introduction

Here will introduce what critical thinking question types are most common and look at BMAT trends from BMAT past papers over the past 5 years and beyond.

Conclusions: Theory

Here we tackle the easier Conclusion questions. We’ll discuss what these questions involve, and practice some questions together from BMAT Past Papers

Conclusions: Questions

Hopefully by now you have understood the theory and we will apply it to BMAT Past Paper questions to see if you can show us that you have! If you are struggling, we will delve deeper and go into theory more.

Assumptions: Theory

In this tutorial, we tackle the more difficult Assumption questions, discussing a range of techniques for time-saving and efficient working. We work through BMAT Past Paper Worked Solutions

Assumptions: Questions

To make sure you’re 100% confident, we’ll test you on a few questions from BMAT Past Papers ensure you’ve fully grasped the content we have taught you

Flaws: Theory

Flaw Questions often trick BMAT students up – even after doing lots of BMAT Past Papers. We’ll teach you how to spot them and answer them well in a limited amount of time.

Flaws: Questions

You will then apply the knowledge gained from the previous tutorial and become confident in knowing how to approach spatial reasoning questions. We’ll have plenty of BMAT Questions for you to use.

Evidence: Theory

Here, we teach you how to apply our Critical Thinking techniques on the most difficult and long-winded questions in the BMAT – Evidence Questions. Our BMAT Past Papers will be absolutely vital here in securing your grade

Evidence: Questions

In this BMAT tutorial we put the theory of evidence into practice and allow you to bring in examples of questions you are struggling with too.

Inferences: Theory

In this tutorial, we teach you how to successfully tackle the more complicated, passages where you have to make inferences rather than extracting info quickly.

Inferences: Questions

Now we will go through BMAT questions that present you with this sort of information and produce a strategy that works for you.

Principles: Theory

We will apply the principles of reasoning and look at how questions around principles come up in the BMAT exam and help you develop effective techniques.

Principles: Questions

You should be getting into the swing of things by now! Tackle the hardest BMAT questions you could get to make you confident for test day.

Parallels: Theory

We have compiled every parallels question that has come up and we can use this to our advantage in tackling these question types for BMAT!

Parallels: Questions

We will apply this theory through Section 1 BMAT questions which we will cover together with you and help you advance further.

S1: Problem Solving

We approach Problem Solving by systematically working through the various question types you can expect to face in the exam and teach you shortcuts to save you time.

• Lesson 2 Date & Time: Theory
• Lesson 3 Date & Time: Examples
• Lesson 4 Pin Codes: Theory
• Lesson 5 Pin Codes: Questions
• Lesson 6 Speed + Distance: Theory
• Lesson 7 Speed + Distance: Qs
• Lesson 8 Tabular Data: Theory
• Lesson 9 Tabular Data: Questions
• Lesson 10 Mathematical Qs
• Lesson 11 Mathematical Qs
• Lesson 12 Spatial Reasoning I
• Lesson 13 Spatial Reasoning II
• Lesson 14 Cubes: Theory
• Lesson 15 Cubes: Questions
• Lesson 16 Graphical Data: Theory
• Lesson 17 Graphical Data Qs
• Lesson 18 Data Analysis: Theory
• Lesson 19 Data Analysis: Questions

Here will introduce what problem solving question types are most common and look at trends in question types over the past 5 years and beyond.

Date & Time: Theory

Date and Time questions involve you knowing how many minutes there are in a year, seconds in a week and more! We help you memorise the important information making your life a lot easier.

Date & Time: Examples

We will put the theory from this section into practice by doing interactive questions together and give you a walkthrough so you are prepared.

Pin Codes: Theory

These come up every year! We’ll show you hidden secrets that help you do well in Section 1 Problem Solving questions and become Sherlock Holmes in disguise!

Pin Codes: Questions

Speed + Distance: Theory

Speed, Distance & Time is an important part of the exam to test your mathematical nous. We help you understand how to convert units and answer questions.

Speed + Distance: Qs

Tabular Data: Theory

BMAT questions often present you with data in confusing tables so we strategise and allow you to see common pitfalls students face.

Tabular Data: Questions

Mathematical Qs

We brush up on your mathematical reasoning and help you work out how to answer these questions by condensing the information down into an understandable format.

In this BMAT tutorial we put the theory of mathematical reasoning into practice and allow you to bring in examples of questions you are struggling with too.

Spatial Reasoning I

Spatial Reasoning is almost guaranteed to come up in BMAT! We teach you a unique, super fast method for questions involving both 2-D and 3-D shapes

Spatial Reasoning II

You will then apply the knowledge gained from the previous tutorial and become confident in knowing how to approach spatial reasoning questions.

Cubes: Theory

Here we will introduce one of our most effective Problem Solving Resoning techniques – answering cube questions. We’ll discuss shortcuts if you struggle to visualise information as many do!

Cubes: Questions

To make sure you’re 100% confident, we’ll test you on a few questions to ensure you’ve fully grasped the content we have taught you.

Graphical Data: Theory

It’s easy to forget the basics of graphical data that is presented and while it is hard to prepare for all of these questions, we teach you a method you can apply to all of these BMAT questions.

Graphical Data Qs

Hopefully by now you have understood the theory and we will apply it to see if you can show us that you have! If you are struggling, we will delve deeper and go into theory more.

Data Analysis: Theory

Coming to the end of this section now, we will cover the last element of the course which we think is necessary to do well.

Data Analysis: Questions

The final hurdle to completing BMAT Section 1 Problem Solving! We will apply the techniques with interactive questions and real past paper question compilations.

S2: Biology + Chemistry

We’ve broken down Section 2 into the most commonly tested topics as well as giving you a refresher of the topics you’re least familiar with like GCSE Physics! Our statistical analysis will aid your revision plan and help you achieve above 7 in S2!

• Lesson 1 Inheritance & Genes
• Lesson 2 Homeostasis
• Lesson 3 Digestion
• Lesson 4 Respiration
• Lesson 5 Nervous System
• Lesson 6 Natural Selection
• Lesson 7 Genetic Engineering
• Lesson 8 Cell Structure
• Lesson 9 Cell Division
• Lesson 10 Heart and Circulation
• Lesson 11 Atomic Structure
• Lesson 12 Calculations I
• Lesson 13 Calculations II
• Lesson 14 Calculations: % Yield
• Lesson 15 Structure and Bonding
• Lesson 16 Balancing Equations
• Lesson 17 Separation Techniques

Inheritance & Genes

There have been 14 BMAT Past Paper Questions on Inheritance. It is the most commonly tested topic, so we will discuss inheritance maps, genes, alleles, DNA and more!

Homeostasis

There have been 13 BMAT Past Paper Questions on Homeostasis. We will discuss realistic BMAT questions on osmoregulation, thermoregulation, negative feedback and more.

There have been 4 BMAT Past Paper Questions on Digestion. We will discuss realistic BMAT questions on osmoregulation, thermoregulation, negative feedback and more.

Respiration

There have been 6 BMAT Past Paper Questions on Respiration. We will discuss topics such as aerobic respiration, anaerobic respiration, energy and more.

Nervous System

There have been 6 BMAT Questions on the Nervous System. We will discuss realistic BMAT Past Paper Questions on neurone structure, impulses, reflexes and more.

Natural Selection

There have been 3 BMAT Questions on Natural Selection. We will discuss realistic BMAT Past Paper Questions on speciation, evolution, adaptation and more.

Genetic Engineering

There have been 5 BMAT Questions on Genetic Engineering. We will discuss realistic BMAT Past Paper Questions on gene engineering, production and biotechnology.

Cell Structure

There have been 2 BMAT Questions on Cell Structure. We will discuss realistic BMAT Past Paper Questions on organelles, cell functions and more.

Cell Division

There have been 5 BMAT Questions on Cell Division. We will discuss realistic BMAT Past Paper Questions on mitosis, meiosis, inheritance and more.

Heart and Circulation

There have been 2 BMAT Questions on the Heart. We will discuss realistic BMAT Past Paper Questions on heart function, the circulatory system, blood vessels and more.

Atomic Structure

There have been 4 BMAT Questions on Atomic Structure. We will discuss realistic BMAT Past Paper Questions on RAM, RMM, atomic number, isotopes, mass number, electron shells and more.

Calculations I

There have been 14 BMAT Questions on Chemistry Calculations. We will discuss realistic BMAT Past Paper Questions on moles, molar mass, gas volumes, reacting masses, concentration and more.

Calculations II

There have been 14 BMAT Questions on Chemistry Calculations. We will discuss realistic BMAT Past Paper Questions on RAM, RFM, RMM and more.

Calculations: % Yield

There have been 14 BMAT Questions on Chemistry Calculations. We will discuss realistic BMAT Past Paper Questions on calculating percentage yield and percentage composition.

Structure and Bonding

There have been 5 BMAT Questions on Structure and Bonding. We will discuss realistic BMAT Past Paper Questions on giant ionic, giant covalent, simple molecular and metallic structures.

Balancing Equations

There have been 9 BMAT Questions on Balancing Equations. We will discuss realistic BMAT Past Paper Questions on balancing equations.

Separation Techniques

There have been 3 BMAT Questions on Separating Techniques. We will discuss realistic BMAT Past Paper Questions on simple distillation, filtration, fractional distillation, chromatography and more.

S2: Physics + Maths

• Lesson 1 Waves I: Properties
• Lesson 2 Waves II: Light
• Lesson 3 Waves III: Sound
• Lesson 4 Waves IV: EM Waves
• Lesson 5 Electricity I: Charge
• Lesson 6 Electricity II: Circuits
• Lesson 7 Electricity III: Power
• Lesson 8 Energy I: Work Done
• Lesson 9 Energy II: KE & GPE
• Lesson 10 Density
• Lesson 11 Radioactivity
• Lesson 12 Algebra: Rearranging
• Lesson 13 Algebra: Index laws
• Lesson 14 Algebra: Inequalities
• Lesson 15 Algebra: Area & Length
• Lesson 16 Trigonometry
• Lesson 17 Probabilities
• Lesson 18 Ratios
• Lesson 19 Graphs and Gradients
• Lesson 20 Means

Waves I: Properties

There have been 12 BMAT Questions on Waves. We will discuss realistic BMAT Past Paper Questions on the speed, frequency, wavelength and amplitude of waves.

Waves II: Light

There have been 12 BMAT Questions on Waves. We will discuss realistic BMAT Past Paper Questions on the properties of light, including reflection, refraction and more.

Waves III: Sound

There have been 12 BMAT Questions on Waves. We will discuss realistic BMAT Past Paper Questions on the properties of sound, including speed, reflection and echoes.

Waves IV: EM Waves

There have been 12 BMAT Questions on Waves. We will discuss realistic BMAT Past Paper Questions on the electromagnetic spectrum and its different components.

Electricity I: Charge

There have been 11 BMAT Questions on Electricity. We will discuss realistic BMAT Past Paper Questions on the properties, uses and hazards of static electricity.

Electricity II: Circuits

There have been 11 BMAT Questions on Electricity. We will discuss realistic BMAT Past Paper Questions on circuit diagrams, voltage, current, charge and resistance.

Electricity III: Power

There have been 11 BMAT Questions on Electricity. We will discuss realistic BMAT Past Paper Questions on power, work done, voltage and different electrical appliances.

Energy I: Work Done

There have been 7 BMAT Questions on Energy. We will discuss realistic BMAT Past Paper Questions on energy transferred, work done, force and distance.

Energy II: KE & GPE

There have been 7 BMAT Questions on Energy. We will discuss realistic BMAT Past Paper Questions on kinetic energy, gravitational potential energy and energy changes in different scenarios.

There have been 2 BMAT Questions on Density. We will discuss realistic BMAT Past Paper Questions on calculating density of solids, liquids and gases in different experiments.

Radioactivity

There have been 9 BMAT Questions on Radioactivity. We will discuss realistic BMAT Past Paper Questions on types of radioactivity, half-life, uses and hazards of radioactivity and more.

Algebra: Rearranging

There have been 19 BMAT Questions on Algebra. We will discuss realistic BMAT Past Paper Questions on rearranging and simplifying algebraic formulae

Algebra: Index laws

There have been 19 BMAT Questions on Algebra. We will discuss realistic BMAT Past Paper Questions on standard form, index rules and more.

Algebra: Inequalities

There have been 19 BMAT Questions on Algebra. We will discuss realistic BMAT Past Paper Questions on inequalities signs and solving inequalities algebraically

Algebra: Area & Length

There have been 19 BMAT Questions on Algebra. We will discuss realistic BMAT Past Paper Questions on areas, lengths, BMAT formulae and more

Trigonometry

There have been 4 BMAT Questions on Trigonometry. We will discuss realistic BMAT Past Paper Questions on Pythagoras, sin, cos, tan, 3D applications and more

Probabilities

There have been 8 BMAT Questions on Probabilities. We will discuss realistic BMAT Past Paper Questions on estimating frequency of an event, double probabilities, mutually exclusive events and more

There have been 2 BMAT Questions on Ratios. We will discuss realistic BMAT Past Paper Questions on simplifying and using ratios in different scenarios

Graphs and Gradients

There have been 2 BMAT Questions on Graphs. We will discuss realistic BMAT Past Paper Questions on graphical data, y = mx + c, intersections of straight lines and more

There have been 3 BMAT Questions on Means. We will discuss realistic BMAT Past Paper Questions on mean, median, mode, modal class, range, quartiles and more

For many, writing a scientific essay is a big challenge. That’s made harder by being restricted to one side of A4 only. We’ll show you how to plan an essay, good/bad examples and give our top tips for succeeding.

• Lesson 2 Marking Section 3
• Lesson 3 Choosing Your Question
• Lesson 4 Planning Your Essay
• Lesson 5 Essay Content
• Lesson 6 Writing Your Essay
• Lesson 7 Proofing Your Essay
• Lesson 8 Essay Tips 1-5
• Lesson 9 Essay Tips 6-10
• Lesson 10 Essay Tips 11-15
• Lesson 11 Essay Plans 2003-2006
• Lesson 12 Essay Plans 2007-2010
• Lesson 13 Essay Plans 2011-2014
• Lesson 14 Essay Plans 2015-2019
• Lesson 15 Example Essays 1-4
• Lesson 16 Example Essays 5-9
• Lesson 17 Example Essays 10-15

To begin with, we give you a short overview of Section 3, discussing the various question styles and introduce the challenges that come with it.

Marking Section 3

We want to get into the Examiner’s head and understand what they are looking for in an ideal candidate to give you the best shot at succeeding.

Choosing Your Question

This is a big dilemma for many – You might find you’re better at some BMAT Essay questions compared to others so we help you pick what works for you.

Planning Your Essay

Essay Content

Writing Your Essay

This will take up the bulk of your time and it’s important to stick to your plan and not waffle or write unnecessary information.

Proofing Your Essay

This is the fourth stage of the BMAT essay but the most important as you need to ensure you have secured that “A” for Grammar and Communication.

Essay Tips 1-5

Learn Tips from BMAT Essay Experts who scored above 4.5A in their BMAT Exam and become confident when it comes to your BMAT Test Day.

Essay Tips 6-10

Essay Tips 11-15

Learn Tips from BMAT Essay Experts who scored above 4.5A in their BMAT Exam and become confident when it comes to your BMAT Test Day. Ace your BMAT today with Medic Mind

Essay Plans 2003-2006

We have written detailed essay plans for EVERY BMAT Essay that has ever come up from past BMAT Papers 2003-2019 so use these to either help you plan an essay or mark one you’ve done!

Essay Plans 2007-2010

Essay Plans 2011-2014

We have written detailed essay plans for EVERY BMAT Essay that has ever come up from past BMAT Papers in 2003-2019 so use these to either help you plan an essay or mark one you’ve done!

Essay Plans 2015-2019

Example Essays 1-4

Here we go through some more essays both good and bad and show you areas students go wrong but also give you key techniques to take away. This will be based on previous BMAT Past Papers and BMAT Past Essays.

Example Essays 5-9

Example Essays 10-15

Free BMAT Textbook

• Free Guide on Acing BMAT
• 50+ Practice Questions
• Learn effective techniques

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BMAT S1 Past Papers

| BMAT Past Paper 2023 Section 1

| BMAT Past Paper 2019 Section 1

| BMAT Past Paper 2018 Section 1

| BMAT Past Paper 2017 Section 1

| BMAT Past Paper 2016 Section 1

| BMAT Past Paper 2015 Section 1

| BMAT Past Paper 2014 Section 1

| BMAT Past Paper 2013 Section 1

| BMAT Past Paper 2012 Section 1

| BMAT Past Paper 2011 Section 1

| BMAT Past Paper 2010 Section 1

| BMAT Past Paper 2009 Section 1

| BMAT Past Paper 2008 Section 1

| BMAT Past Paper 2007 Section 1

| BMAT Past Paper 2006 Section 1

| BMAT Past Paper 2005 Section 1

| BMAT Past Paper 2004 Section 1

| BMAT Past Paper 2003 Section 1

BMAT S2 Past Papers

| BMAT Past Paper 2023 Section 2

| BMAT Past Paper 2019 Section 2

| BMAT Past Paper 2018 Section 2

| BMAT Past Paper 2017 Section 2

| BMAT Past Paper 2016 Section 2

| BMAT Past Paper 2015 Section 2

| BMAT Past Paper 2014 Section 2

| BMAT Past Paper 2013 Section 2

| BMAT Past Paper 2012 Section 2

| BMAT Past Paper 2011 Section 2

| BMAT Past Paper 2010 Section 2

| BMAT Past Paper 2009 Section 2

| BMAT Past Paper 2008 Section 2

| BMAT Past Paper 2007 Section 2

| BMAT Past Paper 2006 Section 2

| BMAT Past Paper 2005 Section 2

| BMAT Past Paper 2004 Section 2

| BMAT Past Paper 2003 Section 2

Biology BMAT Past Papers

12 | Inheritance and Genetics

11 | Homeostasis

4 | Digestion

6 | Respiration

5 | Cell Division

6 | Nervous System

3 | Natural Selection

5 | Genetic Engineering

2 | Cell Structure

1 | Heart and Circulation

3 | Kidneys

1 | Carbon Cycle

Physics BMAT Past Papers

10 | Electricity

3 | Speed, Distance, Time

1 | S.I. Units

9 | Energy and Work Done

2 | Density

2 | Electromagnetism

9 | Radioactivity

Chemistry BMAT Past Papers

4 | Atomic Structure

3 | Separation

14 | Calculations

1 | Electrolysis

5 | Structure and Bonding

1 | Equilibria

9 | Balancing Equations

3 | Reactions & Elements

3 | Organic

Maths BMAT Past Papers

18 | Algebra

1 | Transformations

2 | Calculations

5 | Area & Length

4 | Trigonometry

6 | Probabilities

2 | Graphs and Gradients

Critical Thinking BMAT Past Papers

1 | Assumptions

2 | Conclusions

4 | Inferences

5 | Strengthening Evidence

6 | Weakening Evidence

8 | Conclusions (IMAT)

9 | Conclusions 2 (IMAT)

10 | Assumptions (IMAT)

11 | Flaws (IMAT)

12 | Effect of Evidence (IMAT)

13 | Applying Principles (IMAT)

14 | Matching Arguments (IMAT)

BMAT Section 3 Essay Plans

1 | BMAT 2016 Q1

2 | BMAT 2016 Q2

3 | BMAT 2016 Q3

4 | BMAT 2017 Q1

5 | BMAT 2017 Q2

6 | BMAT 2017 Q3

7 | BMAT 2018 Q1

8 | BMAT 2018 Q2

9 | BMAT 2018 Q3

BMAT S3 Past Papers

| BMAT Past Paper 2019 Section 3

| BMAT Past Paper 2018 Section 3

| BMAT Past Paper 2017 Section 3

| BMAT Past Paper 2016 Section 3

| BMAT Past Paper 2015 Section 3

| BMAT Past Paper 2014 Section 3

| BMAT Past Paper 2013 Section 3

| BMAT Past Paper 2012 Section 3

| BMAT Past Paper 2011 Section 3

| BMAT Past Paper 2010 Section 3

| BMAT Past Paper 2009 Section 3

| BMAT Past Paper 2008 Section 3

| BMAT Past Paper 2007 Section 3

| BMAT Past Paper 2006 Section 3

| BMAT Past Paper 2005 Section 3

| BMAT Past Paper 2004 Section 3

| BMAT Past Paper 2003 Section 3

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Are you aiming for the best BMAT score possible? Well, if you are, we really recommend having some BMAT 1-to-1 lessons with our experts. Our BMAT lessons are all personal and specific to you; we break down your thinking process, and continuously improve and perfect your BMAT technique. On average, our 1-to-1 students score above 13.5A in the BMAT.

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Your tutor will develop a personalised BMAT lesson plan for you based on the time until your test, the BMAT scores you are getting and your weak areas.

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Book your medic mind consultation, start your medic mind journey, still got questions don’t worry, we’ve got you covered., →what is the bmat.

The BMAT stands for the Biomedical Admissions Test. It is an exam which is used for medical, dental and veterinary school in the UK and abroad. It is used by the following UK Medical Schools: Oxford, Cambridge, UCL, Imperial, Brighton & Sussex, Leeds and Lancaster.

→How many BMAT Past Papers are there?

In total, there are over 16 years of BMAT Past Papers as well as the specimen paper so that makes 17 BMAT Past Papers! That should give you lots of free BMAT preparation materials and free BMAT questions.

→How hard is the BMAT Exam?

No one can deny that the BMAT is a tricky exam however preparing well and using the right BMAT resources e.g. the Official BMAT Past Papers can put you in good stead to do well in the exam.

→What is a good BMAT score?

It's difficult to say as it varies year on year but we usually say you should aim for a score of above 5.7 in Section 1, 5.5 in Section 2 and 3A in Section 3. This tends to be above the threshold for most universities.

→What is in the BMAT Test?

The BMAT Test has 3 sections. Section 1 is made up of problem solving and critical thinking (data analysis no longer tested from 2020). Section 2 contains questions based on GCSE Biology, Chemistry, Maths and Physics. BMAT Section 3 is a scientific essay you have to write on an A4 page.

→When should I start preparing for BMAT?

You should aim to start preparing for BMAT at least 8 weeks beforehand. You should aim to do 2 to 3 hours a week for the first 3 weeks and then increase to 6 to 7 hours a week. This means if you are doing the BMAT in November, you should start in September and if you are doing the BMAT in September you should start in July.

→Is BMAT harder than UCAT?

The BMAT is very different to the UCAT but that doesn't mean it is harder. If you like essay writing, science or problem solving then BMAT is the exam for you. Otherwise, most people tend to find the UCAT easier.

→How long should you revise for BMAT?

You should revise for BMAT at least 2 to 3 times a week for up to 8 weeks to get the best possible preparation. It can be hard if you have school work too, but try and find some time to do some BMAT Past Papers, watch free BMAT videos on YouTube and kickstart your BMAT preparation.

→Do you take the BMAT in Year 12 or Year 13?

The BMAT usually takes place in Year 13 however if you're keen and want to get a trial run you can sit it in Year 12 and then sit it again in Year 13 to give you a flavour of the exam a year before.

→Where can I access free BMAT Questions?

For the BMAT, thankfully there are many free BMAT questions floating around! The free official BMAT past papers should be your main BMAT question resource. On this page we have free BMAT past paper explanations, which is helpful as the BMAT consortium sadly don't provide answer explanations. We've also compiled the free BMAT official questions by topic, so you can address each common S2 BMAT question type one by one.

→Where can I access free BMAT resources?

On our YouTube channel we've uploaded some free BMAT videos and a free mini BMAT course! On this web page, we have lots of free BMAT questions too.

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BMAT Past Paper Compilations with Free Worked Solutions

Unsure how much to revise for BMAT? Looking for free explanations for Official BMAT Past Papers? Struggling to find BMAT Section 3 Essay Plans? Welcome to Study mind's BMAT Past Paper Bank with BMAT Past Paper Compilations for BMAT Sections 1 and 2 along with detailed explanations and worked solutions. We also have BMAT Section 3 Essay Plans - your golden BMAT resource.

BMAT S1 Past Papers

• | BMAT Past Paper 2020 Section 1 Question Paper Mark Scheme
• | BMAT Past Paper 2019 Section 1 Question Paper Mark Scheme
• | BMAT Past Paper 2018 Section 1 Question Paper Mark Scheme
• | BMAT Past Paper 2017 Section 1 Question Paper Mark Scheme
• | BMAT Past Paper 2016 Section 1 Question Paper Mark Scheme
• | BMAT Past Paper 2015 Section 1 Question Paper Mark Scheme
• | BMAT Past Paper 2014 Section 1 Question Paper Mark Scheme
• | BMAT Past Paper 2013 Section 1 Question Paper Mark Scheme
• | BMAT Past Paper 2012 Section 1 Question Paper Mark Scheme
• | BMAT Past Paper 2011 Section 1 Question Paper Mark Scheme
• | BMAT Past Paper 2010 Section 1 Question Paper Mark Scheme
• | BMAT Past Paper 2009 Section 1 Question Paper Mark Scheme
• | BMAT Past Paper 2008 Section 1 Question Paper Mark Scheme
• | BMAT Past Paper 2007 Section 1 Question Paper Mark Scheme
• | BMAT Past Paper 2006 Section 1 Question Paper Mark Scheme
• | BMAT Past Paper 2005 Section 1 Question Paper Mark Scheme
• | BMAT Past Paper 2004 Section 1 Question Paper Mark Scheme
• | BMAT Past Paper 2003 Section 1 Question Paper Mark Scheme

BMAT S2 Past Papers

• | BMAT Past Paper 2020 Section 2 Question Paper Mark Scheme
• | BMAT Past Paper 2019 Section 2 Question Paper Mark Scheme
• | BMAT Past Paper 2018 Section 2BMAT Past Paper 2018 Section 2 Question Paper Mark Scheme
• | BMAT Past Paper 2017 Section 2 Question Paper Mark Scheme
• | BMAT Past Paper 2016 Section 2 Question Paper Mark Scheme
• | BMAT Past Paper 2015 Section 2 Question Paper Mark Scheme
• | BMAT Past Paper 2014 Section 2 Question Paper Mark Scheme
• | BMAT Past Paper 2013 Section 2 Question Paper Mark Scheme
• | BMAT Past Paper 2012 Section 2 Question Paper Mark Scheme
• | BMAT Past Paper 2011 Section 2 Question Paper Mark Scheme
• | BMAT Past Paper 2010 Section 2 Question Paper Mark Scheme
• | BMAT Past Paper 2009 Section 2 Question Paper Mark Scheme
• | BMAT Past Paper 2008 Section 2 Question Paper Mark Scheme
• | BMAT Past Paper 2007 Section 2 Question Paper Mark Scheme
• | BMAT Past Paper 2006 Section 2 Question Paper Mark Scheme
• | BMAT Past Paper 2005 Section 2 Question Paper Mark Scheme
• | BMAT Past Paper 2004 Section 2 Question Paper Mark Scheme
• | BMAT Past Paper 2003 Section 2 Question Paper Mark Scheme

Biology BMAT Past Papers

• 12 | Inheritance and Genetics Question Paper Mark Scheme
• 11 | Homeostasis Question Paper Mark Scheme
• 4 | Digestion Question Paper Mark Scheme
• 6 | Respiration Question Paper Mark Scheme
• 5 | Cell Division Question Paper Mark Scheme
• 6 | Nervous System Question Paper Mark Scheme
• 3 | Natural Selection Question Paper Mark Scheme
• 5 | Genetic Engineering Question Paper Mark Scheme
• 2 | Cell Structure Question Paper Mark Scheme
• 1 | Heart and Circulation Question Paper Mark Scheme
• 3 | Kidneys Question Paper Mark Scheme
• 1 | Carbon Cycle Question Paper Mark Scheme

Physics BMAT Past Papers

• 11 | Waves Question Paper Mark Scheme
• 10 | Electricity Question Paper Mark Scheme
• 3 | Speed, Distance, Time Question Paper Mark Scheme
• 1 | S.I. Units Question Paper Mark Scheme
• 9 | Energy and Work Done Question Paper Mark Scheme
• 6 | Forces Question Paper Mark Scheme
• 2 | Dentistry Question Paper Mark Scheme
• 2 | Electromagnetism Question Paper Mark Scheme
• 9 | Radioactivity Question Paper Mark Scheme

Chemistry BMAT Past Papers

• 4 | Atomic Structure Question Paper Mark Scheme
• 3 | Separation Question Paper Mark Scheme
• 14 | Calculations Question Paper Mark Scheme
• 1 | Electrolysis Question Paper Mark Scheme
• 5 | Structure and Bonding Question Paper Mark Scheme
• 1 | Equilibria Question Paper Mark Scheme
• 9 | Balancing Equations Question Paper Mark Scheme
• 3 | Reactions & Elements Question Paper Mark Scheme
• 4 | Rates Question Paper Mark Scheme
• 3 | Organic Question Paper Mark Scheme

Maths BMAT Past Papers

• 18 | Algebra Question Paper Mark Scheme
• 1 | Transformations Question Paper Mark Scheme
• 2 | Calculations Question Paper Mark Scheme
• 5 | Area & Length Question Paper Mark Scheme
• 4 | Trigonometry Question Paper Mark Scheme
• 6 | Probabilities Question Paper Mark Scheme
• 1 | Ratios Question Paper Mark Scheme
• 2 | Graphs and Gradients Question Paper Mark Scheme
• 1 | Means Question Paper Mark Scheme

Critical Thinking BMAT Past Papers

• | Assumptions Question Paper Mark Scheme
• | Conclusions Question Paper Mark Scheme
• | Flaws Question Paper Mark Scheme
• | Inferences Question Paper Mark Scheme
• | Strengthening Evidence Question Paper Mark Scheme
• | Weakening Evidence Question Paper Mark Scheme
• | Other Question Paper Mark Scheme
• | Conclusions (IMAT) Question Paper Mark Scheme
• | Conclusions 2 (IMAT) Question Paper Mark Scheme
• | Assumptions (IMAT) Question Paper Mark Scheme
• | Flaws (IMAT) Question Paper Mark Scheme
• | Effect of Evidence (IMAT) Question Paper Mark Scheme
• | Applying Principles (IMAT) Question Paper Mark Scheme
• | Matching Arguments (IMAT) Question Paper Mark Scheme

BMAT Section 3 Essay Plans

• | BMAT 2016 Q1 Question Paper Mark Scheme
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BMAT S3 Past Papers

• | BMAT Past Paper 2019 Section 3 Question Paper Mark Scheme
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• | BMAT Past Paper 2017 Section 3 Question Paper Mark Scheme
• | BMAT Past Paper 2016 Section 3 Question Paper Mark Scheme
• | BMAT Past Paper 2015 Section 3 Question Paper Mark Scheme
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• | BMAT Past Paper 2010 Section 3 Question Paper Mark Scheme
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• | BMAT Past Paper 2007 Section 3 Question Paper Mark Scheme
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• | BMAT Past Paper 2003 Section 3 Question Paper Mark Scheme

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→ What is BMAT?

BMAT stands for BioMedical Admissions Test. It is an aptitude test used for admission to undergraduate biomedical courses at certain universities in the United Kingdom.

→ What are BMAT past paper compilations?

BMAT past paper compilations are collections of previous years' BMAT papers that have been made available to students for practice and preparation. These papers provide an opportunity for candidates to familiarize themselves with the format and types of questions that they might encounter in the actual BMAT test.

→ Why are BMAT past paper compilations useful?

BMAT past paper compilations are useful because they provide candidates with an opportunity to practice and hone their skills before taking the actual test. By familiarizing themselves with the types of questions and format of the test, candidates can improve their performance and increase their chances of success.

→ What are free worked solutions?

Free worked solutions are explanations of the correct answers to questions that are provided with BMAT past paper compilations. These solutions help students understand the reasoning behind the correct answer and can aid in their understanding of the subject matter.

→ Are there any free BMAT past paper compilations with worked solutions available?

Yes, there are several websites that offer free BMAT past paper compilations with worked solutions. These resources are helpful for students who want to prepare for the BMAT test without incurring any additional costs.

→ How can I access free BMAT past paper compilations with worked solutions?

You can access free BMAT past paper compilations with worked solutions by searching online. There are several websites that offer these resources for free, including BMAT Ninja, The Medic Portal, and UniAdmissions.

→ How should I use BMAT past paper compilations with worked solutions?

To make the most of BMAT past paper compilations with worked solutions, you should start by taking a full-length practice test under test conditions. Once you have completed the test, you can use the worked solutions to check your answers and identify any areas where you may need to improve. You can then use this information to guide your study and preparation for the actual BMAT test.

→ Can using BMAT past paper compilations with worked solutions guarantee success in the BMAT test?

While using BMAT past paper compilations with worked solutions can be helpful, it is important to remember that there is no guarantee of success in the BMAT test. Success in the test depends on a variety of factors, including your overall preparation, knowledge of the subject matter, and test-taking skills. However, using these resources can certainly increase your chances of success and help you feel more confident and prepared on test day.

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BMAT: Section 3 [The Definitive Guide]

Home » Application Guide » BMAT: Section 3 [The Definitive Guide]

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Welcome to our guide on the final section of the BMAT – the essay Section 3.

Section 3 of the BMAT is where the test really shows its differences from the other medicine admissions test, the UCAT. Unlike every other section of both exams, this section is NOT multiple choice but a short writing task.

Let’s see how you can prepare your writing skills in time for the big test!

What is BMAT Section 3 and why is it tested?

Section 3 tests your ability to develop and organise ideas and to communicate them concisely and effectively in writing.

It is more commonly known as the dreaded essay section, and many candidates often find themselves questioning its relevance during revision frustration. However, the skills needed to do well in Section 3 are vital for a career in medicine.

The ability to formulate your own arguments and communicate your ideas clearly is crucial for a successful academic or clinical career. The university needs to be able to see a demonstration of these skills in order to be sure that a candidate will be the right fit for the course.

What will Section 3 look like in the BMAT?

The BMAT is a two-hour exam. You have 30 minutes to spend on Section 3. Here’s a quick refresher of the format of the BMAT exam:

The exam paper will offer a choice of three different essay questions, and you must choose one essay to answer. Each essay question will be followed by three prompts and you must address all three parts of this in your essay. For example:

BMAT Section 3 Example Questions (2019 Paper)

• People are often motivated to deny the existence of problems if they disagree with the solutions to those problems.

Explain what you think is meant by the statement. Present a counter-argument. To what extent do you agree with the statement?

2. ‘In science, there are no universal truths, just views of the world that have yet to be shown to be false.’ (Brian Cox and Jeff Forshaw)

Explain what you think is meant by the statement. Argue that scientists need to accept some things as ‘truths’ to advance their understanding. To what extent do you agree with the statement?

3. Teamwork is more important for surgical innovation than the skills of an individual surgeon.

Explain the reasoning behind this statement. Argue that the skills of individual surgeons are more important for surgical innovation or progress. To what extent do you agree with the statement?

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You are given a single page of A4 as an answer sheet, and your essay must fit into this space. Only what is contained on the single A4 page will be scanned, sent to the examiner, and marked.  

How Can I prepare for BMAT Section 3?

The BMAT essays, like medical interviews, will cover a range of social and medical issues. To prepare for the BMAT, it is recommended you keep up to date with current medical, social, and political issues.

Newspapers, medical journals, and medical blogs are good resources, with the Health and Science sections of BBC News being particularly useful. Reading these articles will not only arm you with points to use in your essays but will also show you how to argue these ideas articulately and concisely.

It is vital you practice formulating and communicating your ideas about a topic. Get together with other students who are preparing their medical applications and practice debating health and social topics with each other. This will not only increase your chances of getting a good Section 3 score but will also improve your medical interview skills.

The most vital preparation for all BMAT sections is practice. Download our official past papers here   and get used to planning and writing essays under timed conditions. Print off the official answer sheet and use this for writing your essay; it is key you get used to writing in the limited space available.

Of course, we’d also recommend our own resources to help your prepare for the BMAT. We run the best crash courses in the world for the BMAT, as well as having an intuitive online platform in BMAT Ninja. 

BMAT Essay Planning

To make the most of your limited answer space, it is incredibly important you spend at least 5-10 minutes planning your essay.

Take a spare piece of paper (there is usually a blank page in the question paper earmarked for this purpose) and plan your essay point by point before you think about touching the answer sheet.

The planning stage can be split into two clear parts.

Get everything down on paper.

Write down everything you know about the subject and all your ideas on the topic.

Organise these ideas.

Create clear subsections, which can be derived from the three prompts listed in the essay question, and structure your ideas into bullet points beneath each heading.

Before moving onto writing your essay make sure:

• The ideas conveyed in your bullet points flow smoothly from one to the next
• Your essay is well balanced , with points covering both sides of the argument
• You have not included any points that are outside the scope of the essay question
• You have only included your most relevant and most important points to make best use of the limited space
• Every part of the essay question and subsequent prompts have been addressed by your ideas

Writing Your Essay

The essay should be divided into three main parts: an Introduction, a Main Body, and a Conclusion. Let’s go into each section in a little more depth starting with the introduction.

THE INTRODUCTION

Your introduction should clearly set out the aims of what you are about to write.

You should state what the essay will try to achieve, and briefly mention some of the main points you will consider, both for and against the essay question.

The introduction is a brief overview of your argument and should not go into any great detail.

Your introduction is successful if it tells the reader:

• What is the topic of the essay?
• What is the essay planning to answer?
• What are the main points for and against?

The introduction is usually where you will tackle the first prompt of the essay question, which usually asks you to explain the reasoning behind a statement or to define a principle.

THE MAIN BODY

The main body of your essay is where you should address your key points in detail.

This should be the longest part of your essay and should be split up into 2-4 paragraphs. Most candidates will write at least one paragraph per each of the three prompts included in the essay question.

It is crucial that the main body of your essay includes points both for and against the essay question. The marking scheme mandates that the essay must communicate a balanced argument to secure a minimum content score of 3.

You should start a new paragraph for each major new idea in your essay, in order to clearly indicate to the examiner the structure of your argument. Each paragraph should start with a sentence that signposts the main point you are going to explore in that section. The rest of the paragraph will then expand and back up your main point in greater detail and with relevant examples.

In each paragraph, only include sentences that are directly related to the issue set out in the signposting sentence.  Quoting sources and statistics can lend an air of professionalism and credibility to your essay. However, if you do not know any, do not make these up – the BMAT examiners are paid by the hour and therefore have the time to fact-check any claim you may make.

THE CONCLUSION

Your conclusion should summarise the main points of your essay, and if appropriate, draw a final judgement on the topic you have been discussing.

There should be no new evidence in your conclusion, it is simply a summary of what you have already stated in the main body of the essay.

In the next section, we will go through examples of successful essay plans so you can see how the entire process works. Read on to check it out.

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Examples of Successful Essay Plans

First, we’ll start by presenting the question that we want to answer. Then we’ll go into the kind of notes you should be writing when planning your essay.

An important part to consider is the wording within the question – this will give you an indication of what the examiners are wanting to see and should direct your essay plan.

Fully Worked Essay Question [1]

As a physician, you have a duty to consider the wider society when treating an individual patient.

Explain the reasoning behind this statement. Argue that a doctor’s main priority should always be the patient he is currently treating. With respect to medical treatment, to what extent can a patient’s interests differ from those of the wider population?

Fully Worked Essay Plan [1]

Explain the statement..

• The four principles of medical ethics, as described by Beauchamps and Childress (2008) are autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence, and justice.
• This statement is clearly addressing the principle of justice: the duty to share and allocate treatment equally across all patients.

Argue that a doctor’s main priority should always be the patient he is currently treating.

• Medical treatment should be individualised where possible. Each patient may respond differently to the same treatment, depending on their individual characteristics and co-morbidities. Therefore while general guidelines may be useful, we should tailor our treatments to best benefit the patient we are currently treating.
• While utilitarianism holds its place in medical ethics, it is important we do not use ‘considering the wider society’ as an excuse to provide subpar care.

With respect to medical treatment, to what extent can a patient’s interests differ from those of the wider population?

• Resources are finite; we must allocate treatments where it will be the most effective and provide the most benefit. For example, a specific drug may provide little or no benefit to a terminal cancer patient but may be curative to those with early stage cancer. Therefore we should prioritise the treatment for the latter group.
• We must consider the cost-effectiveness of each drug. We cannot in good conscience supply an extremely expensive drug that treats only a small number of patients when this comes at the cost of several cheaper treatments that benefit the entire population.
• Certain medical diagnoses are notifiable and Public Health England must be informed, even if the patient does not wish the condition to be disclosed. This is because in some scenarios (e.g. potential spread of a highly contagious disease) protecting the public is deemed more important than an individual’s right to confidentiality. A similar situation arises if a patient refuses to disclose certain diagnoses to official bodies as required by law (e.g. epilepsy to the DVLA). In this case, the doctor is required to override the patient’s wishes and inform the body themselves.

Fully Worked Essay Question [2]

2. Publishing surgeons’ mortality rates may lead to surgeons declining to perform high risk cases and only operating on safer, more routine patients.

Explain what this statement means. Argue that the publication of such statistics is necessary. To what extent do you believe league tables will change surgeons’ behaviour to benefit patients?

Fully Worked Essay Plan [2]

Explain what this statement means..

• Publishing a ‘league table’ of surgeons by their mortality rates may cause physicians to avoid operating on high-risk cases risk to avoid lowering their personal statistics. This will lead to an overall decline in the ability of surgeons and also a dearth of doctors willing to treat difficult cases.

Argue that the publication of such statistics is necessary.

• Publication of such data is needed for clinical governance, namely to produce audits comparing individual surgeon performance to national and regional averages to ensure competency.
• Transparent mortality rates could highlight discrepancies in surgical teaching and education between regions
• By comparing one surgeon to another, surgeons will be incentivised to improve the quality of care they are delivering
• The NHS ‘Choose and Book’ system was introduced to allow patients greater autonomy over who they are treated by. Publication of surgeons’ mortality rates would help patients make an informed decision when choosing a doctor.

To what extent do you believe league tables will change surgeons’ behaviour to benefit patients?

• It would be hoped that publication of league tables would incentivise surgeons to perform better, seek continual training, and strive for optimal performance.
• In medical ethics, beneficence describes a doctor’s duty to perform actions that will benefit patients. It is likely the fear of a poor mortality rate would supersede a surgeon’s duty to abide by this principle; resulting in surgeons avoiding high-risk cases. This would result in an overall detriment, not benefit, to patients.

How will you be marked?

For Section 3, you are graded on both the quality of your content and the quality of your English.

Content quality is graded on a scale from 1-5.

English quality is graded from A-E . 

Therefore the best possible mark you can gain from this section is 5A, however, the average mark achieved is 3A, with only the top 5% of students achieving 4A and above.

Each essay is double marked. For the quality of content, the scores given by each examiner are averaged if they are the same or one point away from each other. So if you are awarded a 3 by Examiner 1 and a 4 by Examiner 2, you will be awarded a 3.5.

However, if the two examiners disagree by more than one point in their marking (e.g. if you are awarded a 2 and a 4) the essay will be sent to a third examiner, with the final mark will be checked by the BMAT Assessment Manager.

For the quality of English, each examiner awards a score of either A, C, or E. The two scores are then combined in the following ways to give the final result: AA = A, AC = B, CC = C, CE = D, EE = E

What do I need to do to get the top mark?

To achieve a 5 for quality of content, you need to produce an essay that:

• Has no significant weaknesses
• Addresses all aspects of the question
• Has an argument that is clear, logical, and well-reasoned
• Covers a wide range of relevant points
• Has a clear and compelling conclusion

To achieve an A for quality of English, your writing must have:

• Good sentence structure
• Good use of vocabulary
• Good spelling, punctuation, and grammar

Does the essay section even matter?

You may hear people say that Section 3 isn’t as important as Section 1 or Section 2. There is an element of truth to this; Oxford and Leeds place a higher weight on Section 1 and 2 (40% each) compared to Section 3 (20%).

However other universities, such as Cambridge, take all marks for the BMAT score into consideration alongside a number of other factors, such as your A-level grades and interview scores.

Therefore, to be an attractive medical candidate to as many universities as possible, it is important to prepare well for every part of your medical application, including Section 3 of the BMAT.

Top Tips For BMAT Section 3

Download the official practice and past paper examinations.

This will make sure you have familiarised yourself with the question format.

Don’t slack when you’re practicing!

Even when practicing, make sure you plan your essays well: this is the most important part of writing your essay.

Use the official answer sheet.

Practice writing essays using the official answer sheet to get used to the space given.

Only practice under timed conditions.

There is little point in writing a perfect essay if it has taken longer than you will have in the exam.

Write neatly, and in the smallest font that is still clearly legible to the examiner.

For an examiner faced with hundreds of essay papers to mark, a well-presented and tidy essay will be a delightful change and they will be more likely to award higher marks.

Keep up to date with the latest medical, social, and political issues.

You can do this by reading news articles and medical journals. This will allow you to provide an educated argument and bring in fresh viewpoints.

Discuss recent medical and political issues with friends & family.

This will help you to shape your ability to formulate and effectively communicate an argument.

Revising for Section 3 of the BMAT is as essential as any other part of your medical application preparation. The knowledge and skills needed to write a good BMAT essay will serve you well in medicine, and more short-term, in your medical interviews.

The key to achieving a competitive score BMAT sections is to familiarise yourself with past papers, practice under timed conditions, and start prepping early!

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For all the specimen and past papers including extra materials, we’ve provided links to the official BMAT website (For access to 2003-2008 BMAT past papers, email  [email protected] )

Specimen BMAT Papers

• BMAT Specimen Section 1
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2011 BMAT Past Papers

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• BMAT 2011 Section 3 Answer Sheet
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2012 BMAT Past Papers

• BMAT 2012 Section 1
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• BMAT 2012 Section 3
• BMAT 2012 Section 3 Answer Sheet
• BMAT 2012 Section 1 & 2 Worked Solutions, Section 3 Essay Plans (Available to Intensive/Bespoke BMAT Course Attendees)

2013 BMAT Past Papers

• BMAT 2013 Section 1
• BMAT 2013 Section 1 Answers
• BMAT 2013 Section 2
• BMAT 2013 Section 2 Answers
• BMAT 2013 Section 3 ​
• BMAT 2013 Section 3 Answer Sheet
• BMAT 2013 Section 1 & 2 Worked Solutions, Section 3 Essay Plans (Available to Intensive/Bespoke BMAT Course Attendees)

2014 BMAT Past Papers

• BMAT 2014 Section 1
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• BMAT 2014 Section 3 Answer Sheet

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2015 bmat past papers.

• ​​ BMAT 2015 Section 1
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2016 BMAT Past Papers

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2017 BMAT Past Papers

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2018 BMAT Past Papers

• BMAT 2018 Section 1
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• BMAT 2018 Section 3 Answer Sheet​​
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2019 BMAT Past Papers

BMAT 2019 Section 1 BMAT 2019 Section 1 Answers​

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​​​BMAT 2019 Section 3

BMAT 2019 Section 1 & 2 Worked Solutions, Section 3 Essay Plans (Available to Intensive/Bespoke BMAT Course Attendees)

2020 BMAT Past Papers

BMAT 2020 Section 1 BMAT 2020 Section 1 Answers​

BMAT 2020 Section 2 BMAT 2020 Section 2 Answers

​​​BMAT 2020 Section 3

BMAT 2020 Section 1 & 2 Worked Solutions, Section 3 Essay Plans (Available to Intensive/Bespoke BMAT Course Attendees)

2021 BMAT Past Papers

BMAT 2021 Section 1 BMAT 2021 Section 1 Answers​

BMAT 2021 Section 2 BMAT 2021 Section 2 Answers

BMAT 2021 Section 3

BMAT 2021 Section 1 & 2 Worked Solutions, Section 3 Essay Plans (Available to Intensive/Bespoke BMAT Course Attendees)

2022 BMAT Past Papers

BMAT 2022 Section 1 BMAT 2022 Section 1 Answers ​

BMAT 2022 Section 2 BMAT 2022 Section 2 Answers

BMAT 2022 Section 3

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• BlackStone Tutors BMAT Section 2 (with answers)

Official 2020 BMAT Content

• Official BMAT Section 1 Question Guide
• Official BMAT 2020 Specification

Looking for additional BMAT practice questions? Candidates attending our  Intensive ,  Bespoke  or In-School BMAT courses will receive full access to our database of  practice questions, past paper worked explanations and invaluable tips .

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BMAT Timetable

• 10:00 - 11:00: BMAT Section 1 Techniques & Practice Questions
• 11:00 - 11:15: BMAT Section 1 Mock Exam
• 11:15 - 11:30: BMAT Section 1 Feedback
• 11:30 - 11:45: Morning Break
• 11:45 - 12:45: BMAT Section 2 Key Content & Practice Questions
• 12:45 - 13:00: BMAT Section 2 Mock Exam
• 13:00 - 13:15: BMAT Section 2 Feedback
• 13:15 - 14:00: Lunch Break
• 14:00 - 15:00: BMAT Section 3 Techniques & Implementation
• 15:00 - 16:00: BMAT Section 3 Mock Exam, Feedback & Further Discussion
• 16:00 - 16:30: Exclusive Interview Insight

The BMAT Course

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BMAT practice papers

Use the practice and past papers below to get a good understanding of the test format, different question types and skills BMAT assesses.

• Work through some practice papers and then look at the explained answers to help you review your work.
• Download a few past papers and practise under timed conditions – this is really important.
• If you are taking BMAT in computer-based format, use the computer-based demonstration test to familiarise yourself with the test functionality.

Practice papers with explained answers

The specimen and 2020 question papers below are in the new format for Section 1: Thinking Skills, now consisting of 32 Problem Solving and Critical Thinking questions.

Specimen Section 1   Specimen Section 1 answer sheet   Specimen Section 1 answer key   Specimen Section 1 explained answers  

Past Paper November 2020 Section 1 Past Paper November 2020 Section 1 answer key Past Paper November 2020 Section 1 explained answers

You can still use Section 1 past papers to practise, but note that Section 1 no longer contains Data Analysis and Inference questions, in which a longer text is followed by a set of related questions.

Past Paper 2014 Section 1 Past Paper 2014 Section 1 answer sheet Past Paper 2014 Section 1 answer key Past Paper 2014 Section 1 explained answers

Specimen Section 2 Specimen Section 2 answer sheet Specimen Section 2 answer key Specimen Section 2 explained answers

Past Paper November 2020 Section 2 Past Paper November 2020 Section 2 answer key Past Paper November 2020 Section 2 explained answers

Past Paper 2014 Section 2 Past Paper 2014 Section 2 answer sheet Past Paper 2014 Section 2 answer key Past Paper 2014 Section 2 explained answers

Specimen Section 3 Specimen Section 3 answer sheet Specimen Section 3 sample responses with examiner comments

Past Paper November 2020 Section 3 Past Paper November 2020 Section 3 sample responses and examiner comments

Past Paper 2014 Section 3 Past Paper 2014 Section 3 sample responses with examiner comments

Section 3 marking criteria

Section 3 essay tips

Past papers

Thinking Skills

Past Paper November 2020 Section 1 Past Paper November 2020 Section 1 answer sheet Past Paper November 2020 Section 1 answer key

Scientific Knowledge and Applications

Past Paper November 2020 Section 2 Past Paper November 2020 Section 2 answer sheet Past Paper November 2020 Section 2 answer key

Writing Task

Past Paper November 2020 Section 3

Aptitude and Skills

Past Paper October 2019 Section 1 Past Paper October 2019 Section 1 answer sheet Past Paper October 2019 Section 1 answer key

Past Paper October 2019 Section 2 Past Paper October 2019 Section 2 answer sheet Past Paper October 2019 Section 2 answer key

Past Paper October 2019 Section 3

Past Paper October 2018 Section 1 Past Paper October 2018 Section 1 answer sheet Past Paper October 2018 Section 1 answer key

Past Paper October 2018 Section 2 Past Paper October 2018 Section 2 answer sheet Past Paper October 2018 Section 2 answer key

Past Paper October 2018 Section 3

Past Paper November 2017 Section 1 Past Paper November 2017 Section 1 answer sheet Past Paper November 2017 Section 1 answer key

Past Paper November 2017 Section 2 Past Paper November 2017 Section 2 answer sheet Past Paper November 2017 Section 2 answer key

Past Paper November 2017 Section 3

Past Paper 2016 Section 1 Past Paper 2016 Section 1 answer sheet Past Paper 2016 Section 1 answer key

Past Paper 2016 Section 2 Past Paper 2016 Section 2 answer sheet Past Paper 2016 Section 2 answer key

Past Paper 2016 Section 3

Past Paper 2015 Section 1 Past Paper 2015 Section 1 answer sheet Past Paper 2015 Section 1 answer key

Past Paper 2015 Section 2 Past Paper 2015 Section 2 answer sheet Past Paper 2015 Section 2 answer key

Past Paper 2015 Section 3

Past Paper 2014 Section 1 Past Paper 2014 Section 1 answer sheet Past Paper 2014 Section 1 answer key

Past Paper 2014 Section 2 Past Paper 2014 Section 2 answer sheet Past Paper 2014 Section 2 answer key

Past Paper 2014 Section 3

Past Paper 2013 Section 1 Past Paper 2013 Section 1 answer sheet Past Paper 2013 Section 1 answer key

Past Paper 2013 Section 2   Past Paper 2013 Section 2 answer sheet   Past Paper 2013 Section 2 answer key  

Past Paper 2013 Section 3  

Past Paper 2012 Section 1 Past Paper 2012 Section 1 answer key  

Past Paper 2012 Section 2   Past Paper 2012 Section 2 answer key  

Past Paper 2012 Section 3  

Past Paper 2011 Section 1 Past Paper 2011 Section 1 answer key

Past Paper 2011 Section 2       Past Paper 2011 Section 2 answer key  

Past Paper 2011 Section 3  

Past Paper 2010 Section 1 Past Paper 2010 Section 1 answer key

Past Paper 2010 Section 2      Past Paper 2010 Section 2 answer key  

Past Paper 2010 Section 3  

Past Paper 2009 Section 1 Past Paper 2009 Section 1 answer key

Past Paper 2009 Section 2      Past Paper 2009 Section 2 answer key  

Past Paper 2009 Section 3  

Past Papers from 2003 to 2008 with Answer Keys

Past Papers from 2003 to 2008

BMAT conversion tables from 2003 - 2008

This document shows how BMAT tests taken between 2003-2008 convert to the new BMAT score.

Computer-based demonstration test

• BMAT computer-based demonstration test
• Computer-Based Demo Instructions

Please use this demonstration test and the instructions to familiarise yourself with the functionality of BMAT in computer-based format.

Please note, however, that you will not be provided with a score. You can find practice tests in paper-based format, with answer keys and explanations, to help you evaluate your progress.

The demonstration test is intended to be viewed on a desktop computer, rather than a mobile device, to accurately reflect the test-day experience.

Section 1 tests problem solving and critical thinking.

Please note Section 1 has been updated for 2020 and will no longer include questions that test data analysis and inference.

The sample papers below are in the new format for Section 1: Thinking Skills, now consisting of 32 Problem Solving and Critical Thinking questions. You will also find a further paper in the new format in the section above called Practice papers with explained answers.

Sample A - BMAT Section 1 Sample A - BMAT Section 1 answer key

Sample B - BMAT Section 1 Sample B - BMAT Section 1 answer key

Section 2 is based on the knowledge typically included in non-specialist school Science and Mathematics courses. It tests your ability to apply this knowledge – possibly in unfamiliar contexts.

Please note that as curriculums have changed over time, so has the Science and Mathematics content of BMAT Section 2. The BMAT Section 2 content specification has been revised for testing from August 2019 onwards. Questions in the practice papers marked with an asterisk assume knowledge that is not currently on the specification.

Further information on Section 2 is available in the BMAT test specification which can be found in Further resources , and in the BMAT Section 2: Assumed Subject Knowledge guide, which can be found in Section 2 preparation .

Section 3 tests the capacity to develop ideas and to communicate them effectively in writing. It is not a test of knowledge. From 2010-2016, Section 3 had four writing tasks. From 2017, it has a choice of three writing tasks.

medmentor ®

How to write a bmat essay (section 3) [bmat series], what is bmat section 3 how to prepare for it and some of our top tips.

The third section of the BMAT exam is the “essay” writing section. I say “essay” (in quotations) as it is really nothing to be afraid of. This section of the BMAT assesses your essay writing skills by asking you to write a short piece of text that answers a question selected from several options provided to you. These skills include your ability to form clear and concise arguments, provide examples to support these and tie these together to form a logical conclusion in which your opinion is outlined.  Read on to find out more…

What is BMAT Section 3 composed of?

In this section you will be given the choice of three essay titles and you will have 30 minutes to answer the associated question. You are only given 1 A4 piece of paper, with some of the top being used to input candidate details (so it’s not even a whole page!).Therefore, it is not your typical essay – you will only have room to write around 3 paragraphs in total and therefore it will end up being a relatively short piece of writing.

The nature of each question varies. It will take the form of an opinionated statement that gives one point of view or sometimes as a quote, with three accompanying prompts. These prompts will be quite similar for each question: they often ask you to expand on the statement, provide arguments against it, and end with a conclusion. Whilst there is no specific content you need to learn for the essay, the questions are typically divided into the following themes (there is sometimes some variation): one healthcare related, one covering science more generally, and one that is unrelated to science or medicine – sometimes about politics, sociology, philosophy etc.

You may not be studying essay-based subjects, but please do not worry about this. With practice and adequate preparation, you will score well in this section! When choosing an essay question, it is always good to choose a topic you fully understand and have sufficient related knowledge of. Having an opinion on the matter might also be useful when forming a conclusion (although this is not required). In terms of the conclusion though, the examiner is less interested in what your opinion is (ie. whether it is considered right or wrong) but is more concerned with your ability to form logical ideas/arguments and provide evidence and examples to support these.

How is BMAT Section 3 scored?

Two examiners mark your essay. Their scores are then averaged and an overall score is given. If the scores given are very different, a third examiner might mark your essay. There are two parts to the score you are given. The first is a number between 1 and 5. Scores increase in increments of 0.5 and relate to the quality of the content of your essay. This considers how well you have explained your ideas, answered the questions and used the prompts, the structure of your answer and the quality of examples used to support your case. The other score goes from A-E and assesses the quality of English used. This includes grammar and spelling, fluency, and sentence structure.

How to prepare for BMAT Section 3?

As with the other sections of BMAT, hands-down, the best way to prepare for this section is practice. Use past questions and specimen questions to perfect your essay-writing skills. As you only have access to that one page for this section, you have to try and make your case in that space. It may be worth writing essay plans instead if you are running out of time, in order to try as many questions as possible. It is often recommended to spend 1/3 of your time during the exam (so 10 minutes) writing a plan so this will definitely be valuable revision (see below for reasoning why). However, saying this, it is still important to try to get as many proper timed practices in as possible when preparing.

What are some tips for BMAT Section 3?

1. answer all parts of the question..

‍ Make sure to answer all parts of a question, addressing all the prompts given. If you do not do this, you cannot get a high score – the criteria for a 3 is to address all the prompts so please make sure you take care to do this and make it clear you are doing so.

Regarding the questions, always plan your answers before starting. By generating a framework, you are much more able to form a strong structure for your response to the question you select. This will help you remain on the correct path and to ensure you don’t forget any points you make. Planning should take around 5-10 minutes and should include your points for each of your 3 or 4 paragraphs. You should also try to list your selected examples in your plan.

3. Useful knowledge.

It is a good idea to go over medical ethics as this is often relevant to the questions in Section 3. Make sure you know the four pillars of medical ethics and can explain them well enough to illustrate a point.

Also, ensuring you can explore politics and philosophy to answer questions is a great way to tackle Section 3 questions. To do this, it might be useful to read journals and blogs, particularly BBC health articles for examples and points to use. Staying on top of medical news can play to your advantage. Consider debating issues with friends to practise formulating opinions and arguments to answer a question/prompt.

How should you structure your BMAT essay?

You should organise your essay into 3 main parts: an introduction, main body (which can be subdivided further) and a conclusion.

Your introduction should always state what your essay is about and should briefly outline the points you are going to make ie. those for and against the statement. This is a reason why you need to plan - so you have these points ready from the get-go.

After this, you have the main body of the essay. Most will write a paragraph to address each prompt given. What is crucial here is presenting a balanced argument. The marking criteria states you cannot get higher than a 3 if you don’t do this. Use examples to support your points and make sure to start a new paragraph for every major point you make. I would personally recommend a PEEL structure – make your point, then explain it. Back up your explanation with examples, and finally link back to your point and the question to explain why your explanation is relevant.

Your conclusion should summarise the rest of the essay. You shouldn’t make any new points or give any new examples here, instead you should try to form a judgement on the question (if appropriate) and round off the essay.

Make sure to leave a few minutes to check your work after finishing your essay. Remember, you are marked on the quality of English used so ensure this is at a high standard. Being concise, clear and avoiding repetition are all crucial to scoring well in section 3.

How long should you spend preparing for BMAT Section 3?

How long you should spend preparing for this section will depend on the individual (as it does for the other sections). Consider your current ability to write clear and (importantly) concise essays. I would recommend spending 1-2 weeks writing essay plans and scattering a few times practices in the mix too – this will help you work on time management and structuring your essays well. It will also help you get used to the nature of the titles that tend to appear, helping you feel more prepared for the final exam. Try to go through every past paper and practice question you can find and write at least a plan for it. For the ones you struggle with most, challenge yourself to write a full essay - this will help you get used to answering difficult questions.

To Summarise…

This section is nothing to be afraid of. Using your current knowledge and reasoning skills to draw valid conclusions will serve you well in the exam. Make sure to practice, and if you have access to anyone who can mark your essays please make the most of this. Feedback is a goldmine in this instance. Focus on having a clear structure and please, please, please get into the habit of planning everything – you will thank me later! Best of luck to you all - you can do it!

Author: Chandan Sekhon

Editor: Allegra Wisking

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BMAT Past Papers and Revision Plan

BMAT will be withdrawn from 2024. Keep an eye on our TikTok channel and live updates article to find out what's happening with BMAT universities after next year.

Table of contents

Where can i find bmat past papers, why are past papers important for bmat preparation, how to use past papers for bmat preparation, marking your bmat past paper, tips for bmat past papers, changes to the bmat, where to get more bmat practice questions.

Past papers are the main means of preparation for the BMAT. Getting to grips with the nuances of each section and perfecting your writing technique is also critical.

We recommend going through BMAT past papers in a strategic and informed way as part of your BMAT preparation.

If you're just starting your BMAT preparation, make sure you read our BMAT FAQ ‍ which covers the exam format, which universities require the BMAT, and other important topics.

NOTE: BMAT will take place on 18 October 2023 and will be a pen-and-paper test.

You can find all the papers from 2003 on the official BMAT website .

Not ready for a full past paper? Check out our free BMAT Section 1 practice questions and BMAT Section 2 practice questions with expert guidance to help you navigate each section

Familiarise yourself with the style of questions and exam format

There are a range of different question types in the BMAT, which could differ from what you’ve learnt at school. Doing past papers familiarises you with the style of the questions and their relative difficulty. 

Having a solid understanding of the style of questions and the answer format means that you won’t have any nasty surprises on test day. 

An example of this is the answer paper for Section 3. You don’t get extra paper and your answer space is very small. Practising with past papers can help you overcome this.

Get to know all three BMAT sections

Doing past papers helps you learn the nuances of each section.

If you haven't already, take a look at our free resources and expert tips for BMAT Section 1 , Section 2 , and Section 3 .

Simulate the BMAT

The BMAT is a two-hour long exam. It’s difficult to focus continuously during this time if you haven’t done it before. Every BMAT question requires the same amount of focus as the last. 

Past papers give you an opportunity to simulate test day conditions and build your stamina so that a challenging two-hour exam won’t tire you out, once you’re ready. 

Master BMAT timing 

Timing can be tough in the BMAT. It’s important that you're comfortable with the timing so that you have the best chance of finishing the paper. Doing past papers will allow you to get used to the time constraints of the exam and try out different time management strategies.

Note: If you have a disability or a special requirement, you may be eligible for extra timing. Contact your test centre about access arrangements.

1. As a diagnostic

You should do one past paper at the very start of your preparation. This will help you find out your strengths and weaknesses. Once you do the diagnostic, you can use the results to focus your revision on the topics you’re struggling with the most. Giving all sections equal weighting during preparation will waste your time. 

You should do the most recent paper as your diagnostic as it will most closely reflect the style and content of the paper you’ll do. 

2. Answer individual questions

Use past papers to practise the specific topics that you’re struggling with. Initially, focus on consolidating your understanding of the topic by doing the individual questions without time constraints. For this, use older papers as you’ll be able to save the newer papers for later.

Once you can get the majority of questions correct untimed, you will become confident in your understanding of the topic. You can now focus on doing a group of questions under timed conditions. This will develop your stamina. 

3. Mini-test

To further build your stamina, try past papers focusing on one section only. 

For example, you could sit Section 1 of the 2015 paper on Monday and then Section 2 on Tuesday and then Section 3 on Wednesday. This is an opportunity for you to increase your concentration span. 

You can also sit mini-tests to iron out any practical issues of doing a whole section. For example, you might realise that you’re struggling to keep all your workings on one page, or that you’re taking up more than one page in the writing task. Regularly sitting mini-tests will give you an opportunity to sort out any long-term issues.

Mini-tests allow for BMAT strategies like triaging i.e. solving the easier questions first and coming back to the more challenging ones. 

Marking your paper can be hugely rewarding and motivating, as it gives you the chance to see what you did well. This will be an indication that you no longer need to focus on this area as much, so upgrade your revision plan as you go.

All BMAT past papers come with a mark scheme, but there are no worked solutions (with the exception of the 2014 paper ). You’ll only know whether your answer is right or wrong, not why it’s right or wrong. 

Learn how the BMAT is scored

Read our article on how each BMAT section is scored and what a good score is . It's important to know what success looks like.

Write down what you get wrong

Make a list of the topics you get wrong each time you do past papers to see if there are any topics you’re consistently getting wrong. You’ll then know to focus heavily on that area. 

Analyse your essay

Analyse your essay sentence by sentence to see how you could make each sentence more concise. You also need to check if your writing is coherent and makes sense. Getting other people like your parents, English teachers, or friends to read your work is a great idea too. 

For more information and tips for writing your essay, read BMAT Section 3 tips .

Space out past papers

Space out your past papers so you don’t run out. Take one diagnostic mock at the very start and then do thorough revision on all topics in the BMAT. Start with the topics you are least comfortable with. 

Use some of the older papers to practise individual questions and then move on to doing mini-tests and work your way up to doing full mocks. Make sure you do revision and work on your weaker topics in between practice papers.

As with all exams, the BMAT has changed over time. You’ll find that the paper from 2003 is quite different to the paper in 2020. The style and format of questions will change as well as the content. 

For example, BMAT Section 1 now has 32 questions instead of 35. 

Do the Section 1 practice papers of the TSA (Thinking Skills Assessment) . The questions for this section are very similar to actual BMAT. This gives you access to an even wider range of questions. 

Section 1 of the BMAT also relates closely to the UCAT, so make sure you read our UCAT and BMAT comparison article .

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BMAT Past Paper Compilations with Free Worked Solutions

Unsure how much to revise for bmat physics looking for free explanations for official bmat past papers struggling to find bmat section 3 essay plans.

Welcome to our BMAT Past Paper Bank with BMAT Past Paper Compilations for BMAT Section 1 and 2 along with detailed explanations and worked solutions. We also have BMAT Section 3 Essay Plans - your golden BMAT resource.

BMAT S1 Past Papers

| BMAT Past Paper 2019 Section 1

| BMAT Past Paper 2018 Section 1

| BMAT Past Paper 2017 Section 1

| BMAT Past Paper 2016 Section 1

| BMAT Past Paper 2015 Section 1

| BMAT Past Paper 2014 Section 1

| BMAT Past Paper 2013 Section 1

| BMAT Past Paper 2012 Section 1

| BMAT Past Paper 2011 Section 1

| BMAT Past Paper 2010 Section 1

| BMAT Past Paper 2009 Section 1

| BMAT Past Paper 2008 Section 1

| BMAT Past Paper 2007 Section 1

| BMAT Past Paper 2006 Section 1

| BMAT Past Paper 2005 Section 1

| BMAT Past Paper 2004 Section 1

| BMAT Past Paper 2003 Section 1

BMAT S2 Past Papers

| BMAT Past Paper 2019 Section 2

| BMAT Past Paper 2018 Section 2

| BMAT Past Paper 2017 Section 2

| BMAT Past Paper 2016 Section 2

| BMAT Past Paper 2015 Section 2

| BMAT Past Paper 2014 Section 2

| BMAT Past Paper 2013 Section 2

| BMAT Past Paper 2012 Section 2

| BMAT Past Paper 2011 Section 2

| BMAT Past Paper 2010 Section 2

| BMAT Past Paper 2009 Section 2

| BMAT Past Paper 2008 Section 2

| BMAT Past Paper 2007 Section 2

| BMAT Past Paper 2006 Section 2

| BMAT Past Paper 2005 Section 2

| BMAT Past Paper 2004 Section 2

| BMAT Past Paper 2003 Section 2

Biology BMAT Past Papers

12 | Inheritance and Genetics

11 | Homeostasis

4 | Digestion

6 | Respiration

5 | Cell Division

6 | Nervous System

3 | Natural Selection

5 | Genetic Engineering

2 | Cell Structure

1 | Heart and Circulation

3 | Kidneys

1 | Carbon Cycle

Physics BMAT Past Papers

10 | Electricity

3 | Speed, Distance, Time

1 | S.I. Units

9 | Energy and Work Done

2 | Density

2 | Electromagnetism

9 | Radioactivity

Chemistry BMAT Past Papers

4 | Atomic Structure

3 | Separation

14 | Calculations

1 | Electrolysis

5 | Structure and Bonding

1 | Equilibria

9 | Balancing Equations

3 | Reactions & Elements

3 | Organic

Maths BMAT Past Papers

18 | Algebra

1 | Transformations

2 | Calculations

5 | Area & Length

4 | Trigonometry

6 | Probabilities

2 | Graphs and Gradients

Critical Thinking BMAT Past Papers

1 | Assumptions

2 | Conclusions

4 | Inferences

5 | Strengthening Evidence

6 | Weakening Evidence

8 | Conclusions (IMAT)

9 | Conclusions 2 (IMAT)

10 | Assumptions (IMAT)

11 | Flaws (IMAT)

12 | Effect of Evidence (IMAT)

13 | Applying Principles (IMAT)

14 | Matching Arguments (IMAT)

BMAT Section 3 Essay Plans

1 | BMAT 2016 Q1

2 | BMAT 2016 Q2

3 | BMAT 2016 Q3

4 | BMAT 2017 Q1

5 | BMAT 2017 Q2

6 | BMAT 2017 Q3

7 | BMAT 2018 Q1

8 | BMAT 2018 Q2

9 | BMAT 2018 Q3

BMAT S3 Past Papers

| BMAT Past Paper 2019 Section 3

| BMAT Past Paper 2018 Section 3

| BMAT Past Paper 2017 Section 3

| BMAT Past Paper 2016 Section 3

| BMAT Past Paper 2015 Section 3

| BMAT Past Paper 2014 Section 3

| BMAT Past Paper 2013 Section 3

| BMAT Past Paper 2012 Section 3

| BMAT Past Paper 2011 Section 3

| BMAT Past Paper 2010 Section 3

| BMAT Past Paper 2009 Section 3

| BMAT Past Paper 2008 Section 3

| BMAT Past Paper 2007 Section 3

| BMAT Past Paper 2006 Section 3

| BMAT Past Paper 2005 Section 3

| BMAT Past Paper 2004 Section 3

| BMAT Past Paper 2003 Section 3

Number of BMAT Questions since 2009

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We cover every BMAT Past Paper Question

S1: critical thinking, s1: problem solving, s2: biology + chemistry, s2: physics + maths.

We go through BMAT Past Papers from 2003 for Critical Thinking and teach you evidence-based methods to help you answer BMAT Section 1 Questions and do well in the BMAT in 2020.

• Lesson 1 Introduction
• Lesson 2 Conclusions: Theory
• Lesson 3 Conclusions: Questions
• Lesson 4 Assumptions: Theory
• Lesson 5 Assumptions: Questions
• Lesson 6 Flaws: Theory
• Lesson 7 Flaws: Questions
• Lesson 8 Evidence: Theory
• Lesson 9 Evidence: Questions
• Lesson 10 Inferences: Theory
• Lesson 11 Inferences: Questions
• Lesson 12 Principles: Theory
• Lesson 13 Principles: Questions
• Lesson 14 Parallels: Theory
• Lesson 15 Parallels: Questions

Introduction

Here will introduce what critical thinking question types are most common and look at BMAT trends from BMAT past papers over the past 5 years and beyond.

Conclusions: Theory

Here we tackle the easier Conclusion questions. We’ll discuss what these questions involve, and practice some questions together from BMAT Past Papers

Conclusions: Questions

Hopefully by now you have understood the theory and we will apply it to BMAT Past Paper questions to see if you can show us that you have! If you are struggling, we will delve deeper and go into theory more.

Assumptions: Theory

In this tutorial, we tackle the more difficult Assumption questions, discussing a range of techniques for time-saving and efficient working. We work through BMAT Past Paper Worked Solutions

Assumptions: Questions

To make sure you're 100% confident, we'll test you on a few questions from BMAT Past Papers ensure you've fully grasped the content we have taught you

Flaws: Theory

Flaw Questions often trick BMAT students up - even after doing lots of BMAT Past Papers. We’ll teach you how to spot them and answer them well in a limited amount of time.

Flaws: Questions

You will then apply the knowledge gained from the previous tutorial and become confident in knowing how to approach spatial reasoning questions. We'll have plenty of BMAT Questions for you to use.

Evidence: Theory

Here, we teach you how to apply our Critical Thinking techniques on the most difficult and long-winded questions in the BMAT - Evidence Questions. Our BMAT Past Papers will be absolutely vital here in securing your grade

Evidence: Questions

In this BMAT tutorial we put the theory of evidence into practice and allow you to bring in examples of questions you are struggling with too.

Inferences: Theory

In this tutorial, we teach you how to successfully tackle the more complicated, passages where you have to make inferences rather than extracting info quickly.

Inferences: Questions

Now we will go through BMAT questions that present you with this sort of information and produce a strategy that works for you.

Principles: Theory

We will apply the principles of reasoning and look at how questions around principles come up in the BMAT exam and help you develop effective techniques.

Principles: Questions

You should be getting into the swing of things by now! Tackle the hardest BMAT questions you could get to make you confident for test day.

Parallels: Theory

We have compiled every parallels question that has come up and we can use this to our advantage in tackling these question types for BMAT!

Parallels: Questions

We will apply this theory through Section 1 BMAT questions which we will cover together with you and help you advance further.

We approach Problem Solving by systematically working through the various question types you can expect to face in the exam and teach you shortcuts to save you time.

• Lesson 2 Date & Time: Theory
• Lesson 3 Date & Time: Examples
• Lesson 4 Pin Codes: Theory
• Lesson 5 Pin Codes: Questions
• Lesson 6 Speed + Distance: Theory
• Lesson 7 Speed + Distance: Qs
• Lesson 8 Tabular Data: Theory
• Lesson 9 Tabular Data: Questions
• Lesson 10 Mathematical Qs
• Lesson 11 Mathematical Qs
• Lesson 12 Spatial Reasoning I
• Lesson 13 Spatial Reasoning II
• Lesson 14 Cubes: Theory
• Lesson 15 Cubes: Questions
• Lesson 16 Graphical Data: Theory
• Lesson 17 Graphical Data Qs
• Lesson 18 Data Analysis: Theory
• Lesson 19 Data Analysis: Questions

Here will introduce what problem solving question types are most common and look at trends in question types over the past 5 years and beyond.

Date & Time: Theory

Date and Time questions involve you knowing how many minutes there are in a year, seconds in a week and more! We help you memorise the important information making your life a lot easier.

Date & Time: Examples

We will put the theory from this section into practice by doing interactive questions together and give you a walkthrough so you are prepared.

Pin Codes: Theory

These come up every year! We'll show you hidden secrets that help you do well in Section 1 Problem Solving questions and become Sherlock Holmes in disguise!

Pin Codes: Questions

Speed + Distance: Theory

Speed, Distance & Time is an important part of the exam to test your mathematical nous. We help you understand how to convert units and answer questions.

Speed + Distance: Qs

Tabular Data: Theory

BMAT questions often present you with data in confusing tables so we strategise and allow you to see common pitfalls students face.

Tabular Data: Questions

Mathematical Qs

We brush up on your mathematical reasoning and help you work out how to answer these questions by condensing the information down into an understandable format.

In this BMAT tutorial we put the theory of mathematical reasoning into practice and allow you to bring in examples of questions you are struggling with too.

Spatial Reasoning I

Spatial Reasoning is almost guaranteed to come up in BMAT! We teach you a unique, super fast method for questions involving both 2-D and 3-D shapes

Spatial Reasoning II

You will then apply the knowledge gained from the previous tutorial and become confident in knowing how to approach spatial reasoning questions.

Cubes: Theory

Here we will introduce one of our most effective Problem Solving Resoning techniques - answering cube questions. We’ll discuss shortcuts if you struggle to visualise information as many do!

Cubes: Questions

To make sure you're 100% confident, we'll test you on a few questions to ensure you've fully grasped the content we have taught you.

Graphical Data: Theory

It's easy to forget the basics of graphical data that is presented and while it is hard to prepare for all of these questions, we teach you a method you can apply to all of these BMAT questions.

Graphical Data Qs

Hopefully by now you have understood the theory and we will apply it to see if you can show us that you have! If you are struggling, we will delve deeper and go into theory more.

Data Analysis: Theory

Coming to the end of this section now, we will cover the last element of the course which we think is necessary to do well.

Data Analysis: Questions

The final hurdle to completing BMAT Section 1 Problem Solving! We will apply the techniques with interactive questions and real past paper question compilations.

We've broken down Section 2 into the most commonly tested topics as well as giving you a refresher of the topics you're least familiar with like GCSE Physics! Our statistical analysis will aid your revision plan and help you achieve above 7 in S2!

• Lesson 1 Inheritance & Genes
• Lesson 2 Homeostasis
• Lesson 3 Digestion
• Lesson 4 Respiration
• Lesson 5 Nervous System
• Lesson 6 Natural Selection
• Lesson 7 Genetic Engineering
• Lesson 8 Cell Structure
• Lesson 9 Cell Division
• Lesson 10 Heart and Circulation
• Lesson 11 Atomic Structure
• Lesson 12 Calculations I
• Lesson 13 Calculations II
• Lesson 14 Calculations: % Yield
• Lesson 15 Structure and Bonding
• Lesson 16 Balancing Equations
• Lesson 17 Separation Techniques

Inheritance & Genes

There have been 14 BMAT Past Paper Questions on Inheritance. It is the most commonly tested topic, so we will discuss inheritance maps, genes, alleles, DNA and more!

Homeostasis

There have been 13 BMAT Past Paper Questions on Homeostasis. We will discuss realistic BMAT questions on osmoregulation, thermoregulation, negative feedback and more.

There have been 4 BMAT Past Paper Questions on Digestion. We will discuss realistic BMAT questions on osmoregulation, thermoregulation, negative feedback and more.

Respiration

There have been 6 BMAT Past Paper Questions on Respiration. We will discuss topics such as aerobic respiration, anaerobic respiration, energy and more.

Nervous System

There have been 6 BMAT Questions on the Nervous System. We will discuss realistic BMAT Past Paper Questions on neurone structure, impulses, reflexes and more.

Natural Selection

There have been 3 BMAT Questions on Natural Selection. We will discuss realistic BMAT Past Paper Questions on speciation, evolution, adaptation and more.

Genetic Engineering

There have been 5 BMAT Questions on Genetic Engineering. We will discuss realistic BMAT Past Paper Questions on gene engineering, production and biotechnology.

Cell Structure

There have been 2 BMAT Questions on Cell Structure. We will discuss realistic BMAT Past Paper Questions on organelles, cell functions and more.

Cell Division

There have been 5 BMAT Questions on Cell Division. We will discuss realistic BMAT Past Paper Questions on mitosis, meiosis, inheritance and more.

Heart and Circulation

There have been 2 BMAT Questions on the Heart. We will discuss realistic BMAT Past Paper Questions on heart function, the circulatory system, blood vessels and more.

Atomic Structure

There have been 4 BMAT Questions on Atomic Structure. We will discuss realistic BMAT Past Paper Questions on RAM, RMM, atomic number, isotopes, mass number, electron shells and more.

Calculations I

There have been 14 BMAT Questions on Chemistry Calculations. We will discuss realistic BMAT Past Paper Questions on moles, molar mass, gas volumes, reacting masses, concentration and more.

Calculations II

There have been 14 BMAT Questions on Chemistry Calculations. We will discuss realistic BMAT Past Paper Questions on RAM, RFM, RMM and more.

Calculations: % Yield

There have been 14 BMAT Questions on Chemistry Calculations. We will discuss realistic BMAT Past Paper Questions on calculating percentage yield and percentage composition.

Structure and Bonding

There have been 5 BMAT Questions on Structure and Bonding. We will discuss realistic BMAT Past Paper Questions on giant ionic, giant covalent, simple molecular and metallic structures.

Balancing Equations

There have been 9 BMAT Questions on Balancing Equations. We will discuss realistic BMAT Past Paper Questions on balancing equations.

Separation Techniques

There have been 3 BMAT Questions on Separating Techniques. We will discuss realistic BMAT Past Paper Questions on simple distillation, filtration, fractional distillation, chromatography and more.

• Lesson 1 Waves I: Properties
• Lesson 2 Waves II: Light
• Lesson 3 Waves III: Sound
• Lesson 4 Waves IV: EM Waves
• Lesson 5 Electricity I: Charge
• Lesson 6 Electricity II: Circuits
• Lesson 7 Electricity III: Power
• Lesson 8 Energy I: Work Done
• Lesson 9 Energy II: KE & GPE
• Lesson 10 Density
• Lesson 11 Radioactivity
• Lesson 12 Algebra: Rearranging
• Lesson 13 Algebra: Index laws
• Lesson 14 Algebra: Inequalities
• Lesson 15 Algebra: Area & Length
• Lesson 16 Trigonometry
• Lesson 17 Probabilities
• Lesson 18 Ratios
• Lesson 19 Graphs and Gradients
• Lesson 20 Means

Waves I: Properties

There have been 12 BMAT Questions on Waves. We will discuss realistic BMAT Past Paper Questions on the speed, frequency, wavelength and amplitude of waves.

Waves II: Light

There have been 12 BMAT Questions on Waves. We will discuss realistic BMAT Past Paper Questions on the properties of light, including reflection, refraction and more.

Waves III: Sound

There have been 12 BMAT Questions on Waves. We will discuss realistic BMAT Past Paper Questions on the properties of sound, including speed, reflection and echoes.

Waves IV: EM Waves

There have been 12 BMAT Questions on Waves. We will discuss realistic BMAT Past Paper Questions on the electromagnetic spectrum and its different components.

Electricity I: Charge

There have been 11 BMAT Questions on Electricity. We will discuss realistic BMAT Past Paper Questions on the properties, uses and hazards of static electricity.

Electricity II: Circuits

There have been 11 BMAT Questions on Electricity. We will discuss realistic BMAT Past Paper Questions on circuit diagrams, voltage, current, charge and resistance.

Electricity III: Power

There have been 11 BMAT Questions on Electricity. We will discuss realistic BMAT Past Paper Questions on power, work done, voltage and different electrical appliances.

Energy I: Work Done

There have been 7 BMAT Questions on Energy. We will discuss realistic BMAT Past Paper Questions on energy transferred, work done, force and distance.

Energy II: KE & GPE

There have been 7 BMAT Questions on Energy. We will discuss realistic BMAT Past Paper Questions on kinetic energy, gravitational potential energy and energy changes in different scenarios.

There have been 2 BMAT Questions on Density. We will discuss realistic BMAT Past Paper Questions on calculating density of solids, liquids and gases in different experiments.

Radioactivity

There have been 9 BMAT Questions on Radioactivity. We will discuss realistic BMAT Past Paper Questions on types of radioactivity, half-life, uses and hazards of radioactivity and more.

Algebra: Rearranging

There have been 19 BMAT Questions on Algebra. We will discuss realistic BMAT Past Paper Questions on rearranging and simplifying algebraic formulae

Algebra: Index laws

There have been 19 BMAT Questions on Algebra. We will discuss realistic BMAT Past Paper Questions on standard form, index rules and more.

Algebra: Inequalities

There have been 19 BMAT Questions on Algebra. We will discuss realistic BMAT Past Paper Questions on inequalities signs and solving inequalities algebraically

Algebra: Area & Length

There have been 19 BMAT Questions on Algebra. We will discuss realistic BMAT Past Paper Questions on areas, lengths, BMAT formulae and more

Trigonometry

There have been 4 BMAT Questions on Trigonometry. We will discuss realistic BMAT Past Paper Questions on Pythagoras, sin, cos, tan, 3D applications and more

Probabilities

There have been 8 BMAT Questions on Probabilities. We will discuss realistic BMAT Past Paper Questions on estimating frequency of an event, double probabilities, mutually exclusive events and more

There have been 2 BMAT Questions on Ratios. We will discuss realistic BMAT Past Paper Questions on simplifying and using ratios in different scenarios

Graphs and Gradients

There have been 2 BMAT Questions on Graphs. We will discuss realistic BMAT Past Paper Questions on graphical data, y = mx + c, intersections of straight lines and more

There have been 3 BMAT Questions on Means. We will discuss realistic BMAT Past Paper Questions on mean, median, mode, modal class, range, quartiles and more

For many, writing a scientific essay is a big challenge. That's made harder by being restricted to one side of A4 only. We'll show you how to plan an essay, good/bad examples and give our top tips for succeeding.

• Lesson 2 Marking Section 3
• Lesson 3 Choosing Your Question
• Lesson 4 Planning Your Essay
• Lesson 5 Essay Content
• Lesson 6 Writing Your Essay
• Lesson 7 Proofing Your Essay
• Lesson 8 Essay Tips 1-5
• Lesson 9 Essay Tips 6-10
• Lesson 10 Essay Tips 11-15
• Lesson 11 Essay Plans 2003-2006
• Lesson 12 Essay Plans 2007-2010
• Lesson 13 Essay Plans 2011-2014
• Lesson 14 Essay Plans 2015-2019
• Lesson 15 Example Essays 1-4
• Lesson 16 Example Essays 5-9
• Lesson 17 Example Essays 10-15

To begin with, we give you a short overview of Section 3, discussing the various question styles and introduce the challenges that come with it.

Marking Section 3

We want to get into the Examiner's head and understand what they are looking for in an ideal candidate to give you the best shot at succeeding.

Choosing Your Question

This is a big dilemma for many - You might find you're better at some BMAT Essay questions compared to others so we help you pick what works for you.

Planning Your Essay

Essay Content

Writing Your Essay

This will take up the bulk of your time and it's important to stick to your plan and not waffle or write unnecessary information.

Proofing Your Essay

This is the fourth stage of the BMAT essay but the most important as you need to ensure you have secured that "A" for Grammar and Communication.

Essay Tips 1-5

Learn Tips from BMAT Essay Experts who scored above 4.5A in their BMAT Exam and become confident when it comes to your BMAT Test Day.

Essay Tips 6-10

Essay Tips 11-15

Learn Tips from BMAT Essay Experts who scored above 4.5A in their BMAT Exam and become confident when it comes to your BMAT Test Day. Ace your BMAT today with Medic Mind

Essay Plans 2003-2006

We have written detailed essay plans for EVERY BMAT Essay that has ever come up from past BMAT Papers 2003-2019 so use these to either help you plan an essay or mark one you've done!

Essay Plans 2007-2010

Essay Plans 2011-2014

We have written detailed essay plans for EVERY BMAT Essay that has ever come up from past BMAT Papers in 2003-2019 so use these to either help you plan an essay or mark one you've done!

Essay Plans 2015-2019

Example Essays 1-4

Here we go through some more essays both good and bad and show you areas students go wrong but also give you key techniques to take away. This will be based on previous BMAT Past Papers and BMAT Past Essays.

Example Essays 5-9

Example Essays 10-15

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Book your medic mind consultation, start your medic mind journey, still got questions don’t worry, we’ve got you covered., frequently asked questions, what is the bmat.

The BMAT stands for the Biomedical Admissions Test. It is an exam which is used for medical, dental and veterinary school in the UK and abroad. It is used by the following UK Medical Schools: Oxford, Cambridge, UCL, Imperial, Brighton & Sussex, Leeds and Lancaster.

How many BMAT Past Papers are there?

In total, there are over 16 years of BMAT Past Papers as well as the specimen paper so that makes 17 BMAT Past Papers! That should give you lots of free BMAT preparation materials and free BMAT questions.

How hard is the BMAT Exam?

No one can deny that the BMAT is a tricky exam however preparing well and using the right BMAT resources e.g. the Official BMAT Past Papers can put you in good stead to do well in the exam.

What is a good BMAT score?

It's difficult to say as it varies year on year but we usually say you should aim for a score of above 5.7 in Section 1, 5.5 in Section 2 and 3A in Section 3. This tends to be above the threshold for most universities.

What is in the BMAT Test?

The BMAT Test has 3 sections. Section 1 is made up of problem solving and critical thinking (data analysis no longer tested from 2020). Section 2 contains questions based on GCSE Biology, Chemistry, Maths and Physics. BMAT Section 3 is a scientific essay you have to write on an A4 page.

When should I start preparing for BMAT?

You should aim to start preparing for BMAT at least 8 weeks beforehand. You should aim to do 2 to 3 hours a week for the first 3 weeks and then increase to 6 to 7 hours a week. This means if you are doing the BMAT in November, you should start in September and if you are doing the BMAT in September you should start in July.

Is BMAT harder than UCAT?

The BMAT is very different to the UCAT but that doesn't mean it is harder. If you like essay writing, science or problem solving then BMAT is the exam for you. Otherwise, most people tend to find the UCAT easier.

How long should you revise for BMAT?

You should revise for BMAT at least 2 to 3 times a week for up to 8 weeks to get the best possible preparation. It can be hard if you have school work too, but try and find some time to do some BMAT Past Papers, watch free BMAT videos on YouTube and kickstart your BMAT preparation.

Do you take the BMAT in Year 12 or Year 13?

The BMAT usually takes place in Year 13 however if you're keen and want to get a trial run you can sit it in Year 12 and then sit it again in Year 13 to give you a flavour of the exam a year before.

Where can I access free BMAT Questions?

For the BMAT, thankfully there are many free BMAT questions floating around! The free official BMAT past papers should be your main BMAT question resource. On this page we have free BMAT past paper explanations, which is helpful as the BMAT consortium sadly don't provide answer explanations. We've also compiled the free BMAT official questions by topic, so you can address each common S2 BMAT question type one by one.

Where can I access free BMAT resources?

On our YouTube channel we've uploaded some free BMAT videos and a free mini BMAT course! On this web page, we have lots of free BMAT questions too.

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How to prepare for BMAT Section 3

UPDATE: Please note that CAAT have announced they will no longer be administering the BMAT in 2024, for 2025 entry. Cambridge University has announced that they will be using the UCAT as an admissions indicator. Oxford University are to announce admissions test changes in Spring 2024.

Table of Contents

BMAT Section 3: What is It?

In BMAT Section 3, you will be provided with three essay titles. You will then have to choose one out of the three titles to write an essay that is not longer than the length of more than one side of an A4 paper. 

Each essay title takes the following format: 

• A provocative sentence or opinion
• Three prompts (included in the question) to guide your writing

Here is a question from Section 3 of the 2020 BMAT paper as an example: 

‘Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.’

To what extent is it possible for someone to hold power without using it for their own personal gain? 

Explain the reasoning behind this statement. Argue that power does not necessarily degrade or weaken the morals of those who hold it.

As per the prompts in the question, you should explain the statement first and then offer an oppositional argument in your answer. After this, you will need to weigh both sides of the argument and come to your own conclusion. This is the most typical structure, and it serves as a general guide for answering the question, but there can be different variations. Hence, do not be startled if a question does not fit this structure exactly!

As you only have one side of an A4 piece of paper to work with, you would not be required to write a lot. Furthermore, you also have a time restriction of 30 minutes. Hence, when writing your essay, keep the time and space restriction in mind in case you run out of time or space.

What kinds of titles might I anticipate for BMAT Section 3 essays?

As stated on the BMAT website, Section 3 of the BMAT “measures the competence to create ideas and to present them effectively in writing”. This means that Section 3 of the BMAT is not a knowledge-based exam, and therefore there is no specific content that you will need  to revise or memorise. They could test anything under the sun, so do not make the mistake of trying to revise every topic that you come across in past papers as this would be a waste of valuable revision time! Instead, you can focus on revising general essay writing techniques such as how to structure your essay well or how to form a strong argument. 

With such varied possibilities, how can you anticipate what essay titles will come up in the exam? While there is no set syllabus for BMAT Section 3, you can get an idea of the style of questions by looking at past papers available online. You will notice that in each past paper, there is often one question related specifically to healthcare, one on science in general, and one that focuses on a topic completely unrelated to medicine, such as human nature, society, or politics.

In terms of choosing which topic to answer, your natural inclination may be to choose the question on medicine or science, since this topic would be more familiar to you. However, these questions could contain terminology that you might not be familiar with, or have aspects of the question that you do not understand. On the other hand, the non-medicine or scientific essay titles could be a lot broader. This could make these questions easier to answer, as you will have a wider range of examples to choose from. Hence, the tip is to not go into the exam expecting to answer a specific topic. Instead, you should try to be open-minded. This means to carefully read through all the questions, and choose your question based on what you think you can answer best. A good way of judging which question you can answer best is by quickly brainstorming points and examples for each question title. The question that you are able to come up with the most points and examples for will likely be your best choice. 

How is Section 3 of the BMAT scored?

Two examiners will grade your essay, and each will assign two scores. One score, from 0 to 5, is given for content, which includes your display of logic, how effectively you responded to the prompts, the way your argument is structured, and how you utilise examples to support your claims. The other grade, from A to E, is for your quality of English, including vocabulary, sentence structure, syntax, and spelling.

The marks from the examiners are then averaged. For an extreme example, 4A from one and 3C from the other would result in a 3.5B (Most examiners usually would give each essay a similar grade). The highest possible grade is a 5A. 

Less than 10% of applicants scored 4 or higher in 2020, with the average content score being 3. More than 70% of applicants received an A for English proficiency. A good score is generally a score of 3A or higher.

How can I get ready for the BMAT Section 3?

One of the best methods to get ready is to try previous examination papers or sample essay questions. You may wish to start your preparation without a time constraint, in order to familiarise yourself with your answering style and how you approach the question, but you should definitely practise writing under timed conditions closer to the exam date. You should also practise answering these questions in the sample response sheet, in order to get a sense of how much space you have available. This is because in the actual examination, you must fit whatever you wish to write onto the available one-sided A4 page of the test sheet as no extra pages would be given. After writing your essays, you should seek feedback by asking someone to read your essays, as they may point out any areas that need improvement that you might not have otherwise noticed on your own.

If you would like to learn case studies that you can use as examples in your essays, it would be useful for you to read more broadly about ethics, science, and current events. Using examples in your essay will improve your responses and consequently the grade that you would receive, but be careful to not use them excessively. Do not include every example that you can think of in your answer. A good general rule of thumb is to support every point that you have with only 1-2 examples and to cite these examples in a clear and succinct way such that it supports your point, instead of being your point.

A tip for memorising is to choose case studies that you are already aware of or would be memorable to you, for example case studies that are related to a personal interest or something you have studied at school. You can then summarise your chosen case studies on flash cards in a concise way, such as in bullet points, and memorise using these flashcards. Avoid trying to memorise too many case studies – quality is definitely better than quantity. If you can memorise a smaller number of case studies that you can apply to lots of different types of questions, such as a medical ethics case study that was in the news, this would be a more effective use of your revision time.

How will universities utilise my Section 3 score?

Each university that requires the BMAT uses BMAT scores differently. This is the case for Cambridge – they weigh your application as a whole, considering aspects of your interview, predicted or achieved grades, as well as your BMAT. That being said, having too low of a BMAT score could jeopardise an offer from Cambridge, but there is no specific cut-off that they use. 

On the other hand, Oxford is more straightforward with its usage of BMAT scores. They would calculate a composite BMAT score, with Section 3 making up a certain percentage of that score. After that, they set a cutoff below which candidates are not invited for an interview. Specifically, Section 3 makes up 20% of this composite BMAT Score, with quality of content being weighted twice as heavily as quality of english. Keep in mind that they also weigh GCSEs equally with your overall BMAT score when determining interview readiness!

It’s crucial to verify the website or prospectus of each BMAT medical school you’re thinking about applying to since these methods might also alter from year to year. The BMAT portion of our guide to medical schools includes information on how each score is used to choose applicants.

Essays from Section 3 may potentially be utilised as talking points during yout interview. Candidates at UCL, for instance, are frequently requested to examine and elaborate on their writings. On the BMAT examination day, you should take notes regarding the questions you answered and the things you wrote. Otherwise, you may not remember much by the time interview offers are sent out! 

BMAT Section 3: Top Tips

BMAT Section 3 essay writing represents an intimidating final hurdle for many BMAT takers. Given the time and space limitations (30 minutes, one side of A4), savvy exam techniques are essential to maximising your score.

1. Answer the question – all of it!

Do not, whatever you do, fail to answer the question in its entirety. This means more than just sticking to the title – it includes addressing all three prompts and giving proper attention to each. This is due to the marking criteria, which makes it challenging for an examiner to give a response of a score higher than 2 if it does not fully address the topic – even if it is an amazing essay! This is because it could be a good essay, but it is not an essay that answers the question. Hence, this means that even if you write a perfect essay but you do not cover all the prompts that they have asked, you would still get a low score.

2. Select the question that you can best answer

Although it may seem like a piece of obvious advice, applicants frequently remark that they struggle to select which title to choose. You should base your choice of question on your ability to answer the question – that is, choose the one for which you can offer the strongest justifications and arguments. Do not choose a title just because you have heard the statement before or because you can immediately think of one particular case. Furthermore, do not feel inclined to choose the science or medicine-related question. Examiners do not favour answers that are scientifically related, as they are marking based on your argumentation skills!

The most important thing to remember is to exercise caution if you are able to answer two of a question’s prompts but lack the ability to answer the final and third prompt, because you are unable to entirely grasp what it means or because you simply do not have anything to say about it. In such a case, be wary of this and do not choose that particular question, no matter how compelling your arguments for the first two prompts would be. This is because in order to thoroughly answer the question, it is crucial that you address all three prompts in your response.

3. Develop your planning skills

You have undoubtedly heard the advice to wait until you have a clear strategy before beginning to write before. This advice is crucial for Section 3, as if you do not plan well, you would find yourself struggling to think of examples mid-way through the examination, and may run out of time.

When planning, use the question sheet instead of the lined answer sheet for this – you need all the space available for your response! Your planning should take around 5-15 minutes. Some candidates prefer a longer planning time because they believe that with a solid framework in place, writing will be done more quickly. However, ultimately how much time you take should depend on you. Your decision on how much time you should allocate can be fine-tuned by doing past year papers and figuring out what works for you. However, take note to not exceed 15 minutes in planning, otherwise, you would run out of time to write your actual essay.

In your planning, you should plan for the structure of your essay. Divide it into the three or four paragraphs you will write, each of which will respond to one of the three questions. Each paragraph you have planned should represent a different part of your argument and be linked to the examples you intend to use.

4. Practice using realistic test circumstances

This is a wonderfully practical method for preventing terrible timing errors on the big day. Create a specific 30-minute timetable that suits you as much as possible, and make sure that this includes time for question selection, planning, writing, and editing. 

Afterwards, set up examination-like conditions where you would attempt the BMAT Section 3 questions in only 30 minutes. You can download past year papers from the official Cambridge Admissions Assessment Testing website, and it would be ideal for you to not look at the papers before your stimulated examination practice. You could also go one step further and try the BMAT examination as a whole, where you not only practise Section 3 on its own but with Sections 1 and 2 as well. This will simulate the nature of the actual exam.

It is recommended to print off blank sample answer sheets from the BMAT website because they give less space than an average side of A4.

5. Definitely include examples in your essay

The importance of using examples to support your claims in BMAT Section 3 essays is frequently stressed. This is because the use of examples is included in the marking scheme, hence this would directly improve your grade. However, simply including examples in your answer would not help you improve your score – you have to use them appropriately as well.

Your examples should only be used to support your arguments, and they should also be sufficiently detailed. Do not fall into the common pitfall of overly describing your example – this would cause your paragraph to detract from the main point, as well as take up valuable space and time. On the other extreme, you should also avoid using examples that do not add weight to your point or are not relevant. A good guide is that your example should only take up 1-2 lines, and only describe them in a way that is relevant to the point that you are explaining.

6. Dig deeper if you find yourself having too little or too much space

If you frequently run out of space to complete your essay, either your handwriting is too big or you are attempting to cram too much information into your essay. 

On the other hand, if you find it difficult to write a page’s worth of text and your handwriting is not too small, attempt to phrase your essay using an appropriate structure. For example, you can have an introduction and conclusion paragraph, along with 3 middle body paragraphs. Each body paragraph could answer each of the prompts in the question, and be of around 6-7 lines. You could even have a structure for your individual body paragraphs, such as starting it off with a point, followed by an example, before elaborating on that example and finally linking it back to your original point. Having a good structure helps you to avoid missing out on key details, and it also helps you to communicate your ideas in a succinct and readable manner. 

7. Have an opinion or conclusion in your essay.

A solid BMAT essay will always weigh the arguments in favour of and against the thesis and have an opinion in the conclusion. This is because the grading requirements for a score of 5 state that a good essay will “lead to a convincing synthesis or conclusion.”

This will require more depth than just declaring complete support for either side of the argument. Having a conclusion also does not mean simply restating your ideas from our earlier body paragraphs. Instead, you should try and give your opinion on which side of the argument you favour, and briefly explain why. Afterwards, it would be good to include exceptions or situations where you might not necessarily agree on that side. 

8. Always check your work

You should try and set aside 5-10 minutes at the end of your allocated time for Section 3 for final grammar and spelling checks. This is to avoid any simple grammatical or punctuation errors that would otherwise compromise the readability of your essay. Furthermore, you can also take this time to embellish your essay with any adverbs that can help strengthen your argument.

When attempting practice papers for BMAT, use this approach instead of only checking your essay on the actual examination itself. This is because practising it beforehand would allow you to identify and resolve any common grammatical or spelling mistakes. You will then need to check less on the day of the BMAT exam as you will hopefully make fewer errors and be quicker at checking for spelling and grammar mistakes. 

9. Ask for feedback on your practice essays

You should always ask someone to review your practice essays in order for them to point out any areas of suggestions that you would not otherwise be aware of. They could mark your Section 3 BMAT essays using the mark scheme that is available online, as well as comment on how well your ideas flow or how well they answer the question. If you do not have anyone that you are able to ask, look no further than Medic Mind for knowledgeable BMAT tutors who can provide you with precise score estimates! Otherwise, anybody who is familiar with the Section 3 marking standards would be a good place to start, and these could be your friends, family, instructors, and neighbours.

10. Understand the mark scheme

You should study the mark scheme for BMAT Section 3, which is available on the official Cambridge Admissions Assessment Testing website. This is to allow you to understand what is the best way to score. 

Furthermore, it would allow you to understand the expectations of the marker, which could allow you to relax as the standards might not be as high as you think! For example, the expectations for the English language are rather modest, and you would have more freedom to use simple language. Instead, you might realise that it would be more advantageous to focus on argumentation strategy rather than memorising vocabulary!

11. Be more flexible in taking into account other viewpoints

Your capacity to weigh numerous points of view and present them in a clear and cogent manner is what is being tested on the BMAT Section 3 exam. Hence, you should be able to consider how the subject could affect many groups of people, such as that of patients, physicians, and the general public. You can also further analyse the consequences to stakeholders in your essay by relating how a certain situation might benefit one group but harm another. This would allow you to have a wide range of information and perspectives to draw on.

12. Keep up to date with social and medical concerns

Generally speaking, the writing assignments in Section 3 have a broad scientific or medical focus. Hence, try to stay up to date on the news, paying special attention to stories on science and medicine. You can even incorporate this into your everyday life by talking about these articles with your loved ones so that you can learn other viewpoints and practice expressing yourself. Doing this will make it simpler for you to write down your views in an essay format, and pick up examples or perspectives you might not originally have thought of.

BMAT Section 3 is a written essay component of the BioMedical Admissions Test (BMAT) used by some universities as part of the admissions process for medical and veterinary schools. It assesses a candidate’s ability to articulate their thoughts and opinions on a given topic within a specified time limit.

To prepare for BMAT Section 3, it is important to practice writing essays within the time limit provided. You should also familiarize yourself with the structure and content of the test by reviewing past papers and sample questions. Additionally, you can improve your critical thinking and argumentation skills by reading widely and engaging in discussions or debates.

To write a successful BMAT Section 3 essay, it is important to read the question carefully and plan your response before beginning to write. You should also structure your essay in a clear and logical manner, using evidence and examples to support your arguments. It is also important to demonstrate a depth of understanding of the topic and to consider different perspectives and potential counterarguments.

The topics presented in BMAT Section 3 can vary widely, but generally relate to current events, scientific or ethical issues, or broader social or political issues. Candidates should be prepared to analyze and provide thoughtful opinions on these topics within the allotted time.

Yes, there are many resources available to help candidates prepare for BMAT Section 3, including past papers and sample questions, online courses or tutoring services, and study guides or textbooks. It is important to choose resources that are reputable and aligned with the content and format of the BMAT.

BMAT Section 3 is scored based on the quality of the written essay. The essay is marked by two independent examiners who are trained to assess the quality of writing and content. The examiners assess the essay on four criteria: quality of content, quality of written English, the ability to organize and present ideas in a clear and logical manner, and the ability to show insight and critical thinking skills. Each criterion is given a score from 0.5 to 5.0, with a total score ranging from 2.0 to 10.0. The two scores are then combined to provide an overall score for the essay. The score for BMAT Section 3 is not directly comparable to scores in other sections of the BMAT or to scores on other admission tests. The score is used by universities as one of the factors in their admission decisions.

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• Matt Green , medical careers consultant 1 ,
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• 2 Institute of Cell Signalling, School of Biomedical Sciences, Queen’s Medical Centre Nottingham

This article will cover the format of the Biomedical Admissions Test (BMAT) and explore the test in detail, examining the questions that will be asked and providing worked examples to show how to answer the questions.

Always bear in mind that the BMAT is not designed to trick you or to catch you out. You are being tested on ability rather than knowledge. Although some sections do test your knowledge, you will be questioned only on topics you should already know quite well.

Contents of the BMAT

The BMAT is a paper based assessment divided into three sections, each of which is designed to test specific knowledge and abilities. Unlike GCSE and A level exams, the BMAT will be testing you largely on basic skills and knowledge that you should already possess, rather than your academic ability. The test will examine a variety of qualities and abilities, including your ability to read formal English and follow written instructions, using different types of question throughout each section. You will have two hours to answer 63 questions from the following sections.

Aptitude and skills (1 hour)

During your degree, you will often face difficult problems which require you to assess a given set of information and draw conclusions based on your logic, reasoning, and understanding of raw quantitative data.

This problem solving section will test your ability to:

• Generalise or make logical deductions based on numerical or graphical data, or both

• Identify, extract, and understand meanings from long or complex texts

• Read and understand simple quantitative data, in numerical or graphic form, and produce simple graphs and diagrams based on these data.

It is important to note that each question in this section may test you on two or more of the above.

Section 1 will test your ability to analyse and reason through various mathematical, logical, and …

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Mastering the BMAT Test in 2024: General Preparation Tips And Section Strategies

N.B. The BMAT test will be discontinued for those applying for 2025 entry. Students will take the UCAT .

In this blog, we provide students with general BMAT preparation advice (how to structure your prep, adjust your mindset and gear up for the test), as well as specific guidance on each of the three sections, including an overview of question types and tips/ resources for preparation.

General preparation for the BMAT

Tip 1: adjust your mindset.

The Biomedical Admissions Test is a completely different style of exam to GCSEs and A-levels as the marks are generally awarded in a roughly normal distribution. This means that most candidates will score between 4-5 on sections 1 and 2. Aiming for an 8 or 9 is not the same as aiming for an A*, and beating yourself up over what seems like an average mark isn’t going to help. Most good candidates will score in the 5-6 bracket with excellent candidates scoring 6-7, so this should be your aim.

Source: https://www.admissionstesting.org/Images/563514-bmat-explanation-of-results-2019.PDF

BMAT score distribution 2019

Tip 2. Do dress rehearsals

Make sure you do a few full length mocks near the end of your revision for two reasons. Firstly, as with most exams, it’s a bit of a marathon and practising focussing for that long is important, as well as getting used to the conditions (we don’t know if the BMAT will stay online or go back to paper after COVID). Secondly, the BMAT is essentially three exams back to back as each section is taken away before the next begins. If you have only been revising one section at a time then it’s a new skill to be able to switch mindset from logic/critical thinking to science to essay writing.

Tip 3. Use your time well

The start of year 13 is very stressful for medicine applications. Not only is the pace of your subject studies increasing, but you potentially also have to prepare for UCAT (unless you did it over the summer), the BMAT, and send in your personal statement. Make a timetable of when you want to start beginning BMAT revision based on how much work you want to do. We recommend doing a little bit most days and starting earlier than anticipated. This is going to be much less stress-inducing than cramming in the final two weeks. Additionally , have a plan of what you are covering each day to maximise efficiency e.g practice questions, wider reading, or science revision.

Tip 4. Look after yourself

This follows on from the last point; application time is a tough period but you can get through it! Give yourself a day off each week from anything and everything medicine and focus on your wellbeing. Don’t burnout before you even get an interview.

Tip 1. Read the question stem first

The questions have a lot of information in them and it can become very time consuming to attempt to assimilate the information before reading the stem and going back to find the relevant bits. If you read the question stem first you’ll be able to filter out the less relevant bits as you read the extra information. After you have glanced over everything, read the question stem again to make sure you have interpreted it correctly.

Tip 2. Not all questions are the same

Some questions will stump you; this test is not designed for you to get 100% on. However, the questions are all worth the same number of marks. If you have read through everything and don’t know where to start then move on and come back to it later, you’ll be subconsciously processing it as you continue so you might have better luck second time round.

Tip 3. Brush up on your critical thinking

A big part of section 1 involves critical thinking and identifying the logic or flaws in arguments. If you haven’t done any critical thinking courses in the past then invest some of your initial revision on learning argument structure as well as basic flaws and common fallacies. You can get extra practice at identifying these by reading opinion columns or even social media comment threads (I wouldn’t count this as “official revision” though). U2 also have a number of medicine mentors who support students with BMAT, and can guide you through vital critical thinking strategies. Contact us for a free consultation to discuss.

Tip 4. Utilise additional exam resources

BMAT practice questions are the gold standard as they show you the exact style of questions that come up. However, you can get extra practice from some of the aspects of the UCAT examination. For this reason, try to time your UCAT exam with the start of your BMAT revision. This way the skills you’ve learnt can stay fresh. Additionally, you can always use TSA (thinking skills assessment) practice questions for extra content as well.

Extra BMAT questions:

https://www.medify.co.uk/bmat

Tip 1: Double check the content

The BMAT science questions aim to cover the GCSE syllabus. This means they cover the content from every syllabus, and they aren’t all the same. The knowledge expected is in an assumed knowledge guide. Read it and make sure you have at least covered everything on there; the worst thing that could happen is getting caught out by an obscure module that was not in your GCSE specification.

Tip 2. Know your formulas

Physics seems to be the science that catches people out as a lot of people haven’t looked at it since GCSE. A lot of the physics questions comes down to knowing formulas and, unlike in GCSE (for some anyway), you won’t have an equations page at the front of the exam. Know them inside and out. It’s a step up from GCSE as some questions will require you to use two equations; using the first to get an intermediate answer to put into the second equation.

Tip 3. Understand the material

Another difference from GCSE: past questions don’t come up, but concepts do . It isn’t just about learning random morsels of scientific fact, many of the questions rely on the application of knowledge learned in GCSE. I remember being outraged that one of the chemistry questions in my exam was covering a topic we had learnt in year 13 as opposed to in GCSE. However, applying the basics of science from GCSE will allow you to answer any of the questions regardless of if you continued it at A-level. 

Tip 4. Learn to love estimating

There is no calculator in the BMAT, despite some of the questions seemingly deserving one. Work on your mental maths to whittle down the time spent working through the maths answers but, ultimately, estimating saves the most time . A few of the questions will have stupid calculations involved that will take too long to get an exact answer for, and you will probably make an error anyway. The multiple choices reflect this uncertainty and are different enough that rounding and estimating will still guide you to the right answer.

Tip 1. Read up on medical principles

To gain top marks in the essay you need to add additional facts . The chances are that, unless you have absorbed a medical library, you won’t have a specific stat or fact for the topics that come up. Instead, focus on general reading such as ethical principles in medicine , healthcare structures in the UK and abroad, and current medical news. This broad knowledge is often applicable to many BMAT essay questions in some form or another. Not only will this be helpful in your essay, it will also aid you in upcoming medical interviews.

Medical ethics

https://ollieburton.com/feed-articles/2017/7/19/interview-preparation-four-pillars-of-medical-ethics

https://www.medstoriesblog.com/blog/the-four-pillars-of-medical-ethics

NHS structure

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8CSp6HsQVtw

Medical news

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health

N.B. Develop a mental library of ‘case study’ examples to work into your writing (rather than merely reading the news and hoping for the best)

Subscribe for free to our co-curricular division, Minds Underground™’s Curious Minds digest to be sent regular STEM resources (including Medicine)

MU Mind-Enhancing Articles Medicine section for blogs on the latest exciting medical developments written by our team of Oxbridge medics

We host a Medical Club every Saturday during term times, where you will discuss & critique the latest medical issues and news, hosted by our Oxbridge medics. The Club is a precursor to our Medicine Summer School , which takes place June-August, see PDF .

Tip 2. Don’t jump into writing

The essay questions are often quite vague or worded in a difficult way to understand. One point to include in your essay is usually to explain the statement/question and so people often let out a sigh of relief if they read a question that they actually understand (make sure not to just reword the statement though). However, there’s more to writing the essay than being able to understand what the question is about. Spend a minute or two sitting and reflecting on each option. It often quickly dawns on you what each question is asking and you may realise you can actually write a much better argument on the more abstract statements. Knowing you can write several solid points is better than being able to explain the question followed by floundering for content.

Tip 3. Plan out properly

Following on from the previous point, take the time to plan . Spend at least 5-10 minutes making a detailed plan. It does not take very long to write down an A4 page of work when you know exactly what you’re writing. The marks are partly awarded on the fluency of your argument and so taking a moment to narrow down your ideas to the best points will stop the examiner getting lost in mediocre waffle. Additionally, you only have one A4 page to write your points on, it’s way less than you think. You don’t want to be getting to your ground breaking conclusion to find you have one line to fit it onto.

Tip 4. Answer the whole question

When you choose your question, there will be guidance on what to include. If you include all of it then you have secured at least a mark of 3. This is nearly always enough to get an interview. Therefore, when you’re drawing up your plan, make sure it answers all aspects of the question. Even if you write university grade material, if you only answer 2 out of the 3 domains you will not satisfy the criteria for a 3 grade. Additionally, this criteria often includes choosing a side in your conclusion. Whilst you don’t have to go 100% in one direction, staying completely neutral does not score well.  

Finally, do not be disheartened, it is only natural that your scores in past papers will fluctuate. Practise, practise, practise and all will be okay! Remember that this is not the only part of the admissions process.

By Thomas (5th year medical student at Imperial College London performing in the top 5% of the year)

How can U2 help prepare you for the BMAT & wider medical application?

U2 offer admissions test preparation either as part of our wider Medical School / Oxbridge Mentoring programmes or as separate ad hoc tuition (book a free consultation to discuss options).

The Process:

1) We suggest a medicine graduate (Predominantly Oxbridge-educated, with experience of other top UK medical schools) as a mentor and send their full CV for review. Our mentors are deeply familiar with the admissions process to study Medicine at top UK Medical Schools and Oxbridge, and we have tutors who specifically specialise in BMAT admissions test preparation.

2) We typically suggest beginning with a 1.5 hour informal assessment/ taster session , where the mentor will informally assess the student’s current performance level for test (and interview if desired). Following this, we issue a report with feedback, and structure a plan to best prepare.

3) BMAT Session Components:

Our customisable BMAT (BioMedical Admissions Test) course is five sessions of two hours each. N.B. This can be customised to the student depending on the level of support required, but gives an indication of what preparation with a BMAT tutor can involve/ how it would be structured.

Frequency of sessions can be decided between student and tutor. Honing the skills necessary to succeed in the BMAT test can begin early in Year 12. When the student and mentor run out of past papers, they will work through similar questions curated by the tutor. We offer BMAT practice online or in-person in London.

Individual sessions from £70/h.

How to Approach the HAT Test in 2024: An Oxford History Graduate’s Top Tips

How to approach oxford’s language tests in 2024: the mlat, lat & olat.

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BMAT Section 3: Essay

Please note that the BMAT is now discontinued. Most universities that used the BMAT will use the UCAT from 2024 onwards. See our comprehensive UCAT guide.

• Discover how to stand out with your BMAT essay
• Find out how to prepare for Secion 3
• Get the best BMAT essay tips

Jump to Section

Please note that the BMAT is now discontinued, and most universities will switch to the UCAT admissions test from 2024 onwards. See  our comprehensive UCAT guide.

BMAT Section 3: The BMAT Essay

In BMAT Section 3, you’re required to write a short essay. This will cover one side of A4, but it can’t be any longer, so timing and technique are crucial.

Each essay option is based on a short quote or statement. These can be scientific or medically-related but often aren’t. Typical examples might include a quote from Voltaire or Charles Darwin.

Section 3 Scores

Your Section 3 BMAT score will be split into two.

You’ll score between one and five for the quality of the content of your essay. Five is the highest, and awarded to those who have addressed the question in the way demanded, organised their thoughts clearly, and used general knowledge and opinions appropriately.

You’ll also get a score from A to E for the quality of your written English . A is the best, and will be given to students who express themselves clearly using concise, compelling and competent English.

BMAT Section 3 Prep, Tailored To You

Get BMAT strategies from top tutors

Section 3 Essay Questions

You’ll get to choose from three essay questions in Section 3 of the BMAT. You must fill one sheet of A4 in the 30-minute timeframe.

Each question may seem totally different, but the reality is that you’ll do the same three things no matter what question you pick.

When writing your Section 3 essay, you will:

• Explain the proposition, part of it, or its implications
• Produce a counter-argument
• Reconcile the two sides

You may not be studying essay-based subjects for A-Level , which can lead to a degree of trepidation. However, we have designed a clear and repeatable strategy for success in this section that you’ll learn in our BMAT Course – and we can review your BMAT essay practice  too.

How To Tackle Your Question

When it comes to selecting the best question to answer, we recommend you choose the one that:

• Has a statement you understand fully
• Has a question that you understand fully
• Covers a topic that you have good arguments and good general knowledge of

Once you’ve decided on the question, you should follow these steps:

• Write a clear explanation of the statement in one or two sentences
• Prepare your arguments and note them down
• Think about your conclusion
• Start writing once you have the structure planned

Learn score-boosting strategies for producing a 5A essay every time in our BMAT Course.

Bmat Section 3 Essay Tips

• Plan essay questions. Outline the key points, plan contrasting arguments and list points to make in the conclusion.
• Practise writing concisely, with clearly articulated points.
• Ask others to review your work. Send your BMAT essays to us to review – they’ll get marked by an expert Medicine Tutor!
• Read widely, to understand different arguments.

BMAT Preparation

BMAT Course

Our BMAT Course has been created by Doctors and Oxbridge Science grads. It even includes a secret formula for Section 3 success. Secure your place in-person or online.

Online BMAT Course

Combine the very best of BMAT teaching, live courses, online practice and private tutoring. You'll save 20% on everything with our BMAT-boosting prep packages.

BMAT Questions

Our BMAT Question Bank allows you to answer and mark BMAT questions from every section of the test. See step-by-step solutions and discover your score for past papers.

BMAT Tutors

Give your BMAT performance a big boost with one-to-one BMAT Tutoring. Learn our proven pedagogy from Doctor-trained tutors.

Independent Reviews

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