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BMAT: Section 3 [The Definitive Guide]

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

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The BMAT has now been discontinued. All applicants for undergraduate medicine in the UK will be required to sit the University Clinical Aptitude Test (UCAT) for their application. Check out our wide selection of Free UCAT Guides to get started with your preparation.

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 the 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. You can get access to both, along with 5 x Section 3 essay edits with our BMAT Bundle (our best value BMAT support).

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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How to Prepare for the BMAT: The Ultimate Guide

The BMAT is a university admissions test required for entry to NTU Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine and several UK medical schools (only four of which are recognised in Singapore – Oxford, Cambridge, Imperial and UCL).

In a separate article on university admissions tests , I explicitly state that you can DIY your way through the preparation without spending a single cent. This is especially true for the BMAT, where everything you need, from exact details of the test format to seventeen years’ worth of past papers, can be found on the official BMAT website .

I agree wholeheartedly with Oxford when they advised, quite bluntly:

Companies and individuals offering help with BMAT do not have a special insight into the nature of the test. While an applicant’s performance at any test will improve with some familiarisation or practice, anyone thinking of paying for such help should consider very carefully whether they would be wasting their money. University of Oxford, Medical Sciences Division

So with that, let’s go ahead and discover how you can prepare well for the BMAT and attain your desired results without wasting any money at all.

Step 1: Get to know the BMAT test format

Take a look at this helpful overview of the test format, based on the official BMAT website :

Then, save and scan through the BMAT test specification (PDF). That’s it. Everything else you’ll be able to glean from looking through and attempting the practice papers.

Step 2: Brush up on key concepts tested in BMAT

How can i identify what i need to revise.

That’s where the BMAT test specification document comes in handy. The important part to look through in greater detail is really “BMAT Section 2: Assumed Subject Knowledge” from page 7 onwards.

All the content required should have been covered in school for Chemistry and Mathematics. So really what you need to pay special attention to is only the Biology (page 8) and Physics (page 25) sections.

If you did not take Physics in Junior College (e.g. BCMX)

Generally, for BMAT Physics, everything should have been covered in secondary school, except P3.3: Force and extension , P3.6: Momentum , and the whole of P7: Radioactivity .

Here are extremely useful PDF documents where I’ve clearly highlighted the content that you need to learn or revise:

Insider’s advice: Take note that there’s quite a sizeable portion in BMAT Biology (mainly B9.2 Organ systems) that is not touched in JC at all. I realised I had forgotten most of the details and had to revisit those topics.

Insider’s advice: Despite having learnt Physics in secondary school I went over every topic again just to be safe (and to refresh my memory).

If you did not take Biology in Junior College (e.g. PCMX)

Generally, for BMAT Biology, everything should have been covered in secondary school, except B1.2 Prokaryotic cells , B6.2 Stem cells , and B9.5a Communicable diseases .

Insider’s advice: Do not attempt to read through two years’ worth of JC Biology lecture notes. You do not have the time, nor is it necessary. The bulk of what BMAT tests is secondary school knowledge anyway. Read on to find out what resources you should use instead.

How can I revise all the content as efficiently and effectively as possible?

When I just started my BMAT preparation, I spent ages digging up my old secondary school notes and downloading past notes and documents. I downloaded an eBook and tried to read through the Physics section. I even borrowed JC Physics lecture notes from my friend. In the end, I used none of those.

That’s because I discovered that there’s an amazing resource on the BMAT website itself that will give you all the content knowledge you need to study.

BMAT Section 2 Guide – The best and only resource you’ll need

To access the BMAT Section 2 guide :

• Click on the link above (or on the BMAT website: Preparing for BMAT > Section 2 preparation ).
• Click on Access the guide .
• Click on Create new account at the bottom of the page.
• Enter your username, password, and details, and click on Create my new account .
• Click on the link sent to your email to confirm your account.
• Sign in at the login page .
• (Optional: Bookmark the course page for quick access in the future.)

You will get access to texts that cover every point in the BMAT test specification for Biology, Chemistry, Physics, and Mathematics. This resource is good enough. In fact, it’s the best and you can rely solely on it.

Some reasons why I like this resource so much (and why it was the only one I used):

• It is not overly lengthy unlike typical textbooks. This makes it easy to read and digest. Furthermore, it contains just the right amount of information, considering that all the questions will be MCQs i.e. you do not have to be able to write any explanations with exact phrasing.
• It is organised exactly according to the BMAT test specification. It covers every item on the list, in that sequence. That makes it so easy to find the part(s) you need and target your revision to certain sections. It also makes it superior to your own notes (since none of your secondary school or JC notes were based on the BMAT specification).
• It is published by UCLES – the examination board that sets the BMAT test. Not only does this mean that the content is tailored to the BMAT, you can expect reliable and accurate information. With other online sources or notes, you can never be 100% sure of their credibility. (Quote Oxford: “ Companies and individuals offering help with BMAT do not have a special insight into the nature of the test. ”)

TLM Biology Notes – Relevant sections for BMAT

The A-Level H2 Biology notes on this site are condensed into the main points for each topic, complemented by a wealth of useful diagrams. Same for the O-Level Biology notes.

• BMAT Physics Formula Sheet

Insider’s advice: Answering BMAT Physics questions is simply about knowing when to apply the right formulae. As long as you have a basic understanding of the concepts and commit all the required formulae to memory, you’re good to go.

Generally, your approach to any BMAT Physics question is:

• Write out the values given in the question.
• Work out which formula to use based on the variables given.
• Rearrange the formula and solve the equation.

Step 3: Do (tons of) BMAT practice papers

Start from earlier years and work towards the most recent ones.

Past papers are available from 2019 going all the way back to 2003. Explained answers are provided for the specimen paper and 2014 paper only.

I recommend starting from the earlier years (e.g. 2012) and working your way to 2019. (Ignore 2003 to 2008 first in case you don’t have time to finish that many.) This is so that you’ll be doing the most recent years’ papers close to the date of the actual test.

Plan everything out before you start

Have a calendar or a simple list of dates where you can plan out exactly which papers you’ll do on which day. You can integrate it with your A-Level revision timetable. (This initial planning step basically ensures that you’ll be able to finish the number of papers you set out to do.)

I began my BMAT revision proper only after Prelims. I started with one BMAT paper a day (alternating between Section 1 and Section 2), while going through a few sections of the BMAT Section 2 guide every day. Only six days before the test date did I bump it up to two papers (Section 1 + Section 2) a day.  

Always time and score yourself

Timing is so important, especially for BMAT in which the main challenge is finishing the paper on time. Not once did I finish a practice paper within the time limit. (I remember taking roughly 1.5 h for Section 1 and 45-50 min for Section 2.)

Scoring gives you an idea of where you stand. With every practice paper, therefore, aim to improve both your timing and your score.

Recommended course of action for every BMAT practice paper

• Set a timer (1 h for Section 1, 30 min for Section 2) and start doing the paper.
• Stop doing the paper once time is up and mark out which questions were not attempted. Start a stopwatch and complete all remaining questions.
• Add up the total time taken and record this on your paper.
• Mark your paper. Use the score conversion provided with the answer key to obtain your BMAT score (leaving out all questions not attempted within the time limit). Record this together with your raw score on your paper.
• Review your mistakes and any questions you were unsure of.

Step 4: Familiarise with BMAT Section 3

Section 3: Writing Task is the where preparation may seem the most futile. You can, however, take concrete steps towards improving your score. The first is to get a good idea of what the task demands.

Read through the Section 3 marking criteria

Reading the Section 3 marking criteria gives you a general idea of how you’re being graded. You should be getting A for “quality of English”, although 5 for “quality of content” is much harder to attain.

Read sample BMAT essays

I didn’t find the sample responses given on the BMAT website extremely helpful. (They give three samples with examiner comments, graded 3.5A, 2.5A, and 3A – not exactly the scores you should be aiming for.)

You can read those, taking note of the examiner comments. But also try sourcing for “model essays” that you can emulate. (You may want to borrow books from seniors or the library to ensure quality and not waste any money.)

Step 5: Try writing a few BMAT essays

Confession: I think I only wrote one complete BMAT essay for practice. This is because I half-thought it a waste of time and effort since the questions we’re getting will be entirely different anyway.

But if you do try, time yourself (30 min) and print out the single-page Section 3 answer sheet to simulate the actual test. Also, I’ve compiled all the BMAT Section 3 questions available on the BMAT website (2004 to 2020, and Specimen) into one document for easy reference.

Insider’s advice: There is usually one “medical” question. It might be a good idea, therefore, to target that question specifically. That is to say, read up on medical issues or some recent medical news so that you’ll have some ideas for points to write, plus evidence to substantiate – no matter what question comes out. Don’t try to “prepare” content for anything else; the questions can be about anything.

P.S. I was sort of going with the above approach. I did try to read up before the test. In the end, the 2019 “medical” question turned out to be: “ Teamwork is more important for surgical innovation than the skills of an individual surgeon .” Well. So another piece of advice: just use common sense and prior knowledge (e.g. content you remember from GP).

List of free downloads on this page

• BMAT Biology Specification – Not in O-Level Syllabus
• BMAT Biology Specification – Not in A-Level H2 Syllabus
• BMAT Physics Specification – Not in O-Level Syllabus
• BMAT Physics Specification – Not in A-Level H2 Syllabus
• TLM Biology Notes Relevant Sections for BMAT
• BMAT Section 3 Past Papers

List of recommended resources for BMAT preparation

Free online resources.

• BMAT | Cambridge Assessment Admissions Testing – the official BMAT website
• BMAT practice papers | Cambridge Assessment Admissions Testing – 17 past papers from 2019 to 2003 and one Specimen paper (explained answers provided for 2014 and Specimen)
• BMAT Section 1 guide | Cambridge Assessment Admissions Testing – 7 example questions for Section 1 which you can work through to familiarise with the types of questions that can be asked, before doing the practice papers
• BMAT Section 2 guide | Cambridge Assessment Admissions Testing – the amazing ‘textbook’ (notes) covering all the required content knowledge for Section 2

(Almost no other resources are offered for free. Neither are they half as good as those you can access for free from the official BMAT website, as listed above.)

Books (completely optional)

• How to Master the BMAT by Chris Tyreman and Christopher See
• Mastering the BMAT by Christopher Nordstrom, George Rendel, and Luke Baxter

(Books are not necessary. However, if you want to get any books then just stick to one of these two. You don’t have to get “700 BMAT questions” or any books of the sort since you won’t even finish all the practice papers on the BMAT website anyway.)

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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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UK Medical School Admissions Experts

The Ultimate Guide to the BMAT Essay (BMAT Section 3) 2022

Section 3 of the BMAT requires you to write a short essay that covers a maximum of one side of A4 paper. You are given a choice of three essay titles that are usually in the form of a statement or a direct quote.

Normally, you’ll be asked to explain the reasoning behind the statement, argue to the contrary and then make a conclusion, although the sub questions can vary.

The quality of your content is scored from 1 to 5 (5 being the highest) and the quality of your English is scored from A-E (A being the highest).

So how should you prepare for this? Here are our top tips on preparing for BMAT Section 3!

Every Sentence Needs a Purpose

In the BMAT, you need to make sure every sentence has a purpose and adds to your argument/counterargument.

You need to make sure nothing is “fluffy” and each sentence makes a standalone point that could not be taken out of the essay. In some ways, this is like a scientific paper, where you want to skip any unneeded adjectives and storytelling to give the most coherent writing style possible.

Remember, you also only have one side of A4 so your space is precious!

Planning is Key!

A big chunk of your essay time should be spent making a plan. Depending on your writing speed, this can be anywhere between 10 and 15 minutes. Every sentence must have a purpose. If you plan in bullet points, you can cover each of your bullet points sentence by sentence.

Make your essay really structured, answering every subquestion individually. Some students use paragraphs to split this up; however, it may be wise to use small indents, as this gives you a little more space on the paper to write more.

It is most logical to follow the structure given in the sub-questions, which is usually:

Explain the reasoning behind the statement

Argue to the contrary

To give a conclusion

When asking your point, you need to give examples. This could be a specific scenario that you think the quote relates to or it could be an example from the news, public figures, a book, or a particular case.

Examples don’t need to be completely unique to score you highly, but they should be entirely relevant to the point of the essay. Don’t try to fit the essay around the example, instead, fit the example to the essay.

Practice as Though it were the Real Thing

You need to make sure that you are practising in the most realistic way possible. It’s really tempting to skip the plan and head straight into the essay; however, it’s going to be more effective if you time yourself the full 30 minutes and force yourself to use 10-15 minutes of this time to adequately plan.

If the BMAT is on pen and paper, download and print some section 3 answer sheets, so you know exactly how much space you have.

Have Fun With It!

I know this is really easy to say and hard in practice but, your application journey is an exciting period of your life. You get to decide on your own future and decide where you’re going to spend the next 5 or 6 years. The BMAT, although tricky, is a part of this and it may open up some really exciting doors for you!

If you would like further help, BMAT tutors can guide you.

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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.

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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• BMAT Preparation Tips: The Complete Guide

Last Updated: 3rd April 2015

Author: Rohan Agarwal

Table of Contents

As of 2024, the BMAT will no longer operate for Medicine applicants. Applicants for all UK medical schools will be required to sit the University Clinical Aptitude Test (UCAT) for 2025 Entry. Find out more in our BMAT/UCAT 2025 Guide .

The BMAT is a tricky exam that requires excellent academic knowledge and problem-solving skills. The test may also determine whether you get onto the university course of your choice.

With that in mind, it’s not difficult to understand why BMAT preparation is essential. Thankfully, we have a wealth of top tips on the different sections of the test to help you achieve the highest score possible, so let’s get started:

Where to start with your BMAT preparation

It’s much easier to prepare for the BMAT if you practice little and often. We recommend starting your preparation well in advance, ideally by July with the test due to be sat on the 18th of October. This will give you plenty of time to complete as many past papers as you wish to make you feel comfortable and confident about succeeding.

Here are a few steps you can take when beginning your BMAT preparation: 

Start off by creating a preparation plan that includes a timetable of what you hope to achieve each week. Monitoring your progress is important for both the effectiveness of your preparation and your own morale throughout the process. 

Gather your preparation resources ahead of time to ensure you have plenty of past/mock papers and practice questions. 

Sections 1 and 3 are difficult to revise in a traditional sense, but Section 2 contains a lot of subject knowledge so you will need to make sure you brush up on it before taking on practice questions.

Be ready for the UCAT now that the BMAT has been removed. 

With the BMAT being removed, it is more important than ever to be prepared for the UCAT. At UniAdmissions, we are experts at boosting your UCAT score and maximising your chances of gaining a place to study Medicine.

Discover our  UCAT Tuition Programme  by clicking the button below to  enrol and triple your chances of success.

Preparing for each BMAT section

The BMAT has three sections, each focusing on a different subject/skillset:

Keep in mind that if you’re aiming to attend Oxbridge, admissions tutors look for above 6 and a 5A in your scoring. An example overall BMAT score could look like this — 6.6, 6.3, 5A. Other universities may accept slightly lower scores, but these scores are still the ones to aim for. 

• BMAT Scoring and Results Explained

Each of these three sections tests vastly different skills, so it’s important to prepare for each in a different way.

Section 1 – Thinking Skills

Section 1 tests your ability to solve problems and think critically with 32 multiple-choice questions that don’t require any subject knowledge. You have 60 minutes to complete them.

Section 1 has two different question types – Critical Thinking and Problem Solving. However, there are various sub-categories within these questions, so you need to be prepared to understand a variety of disciplines and skill sets within this section. Find out more about the question types in our BMAT Section 1 Guide . 

As there is no subject-specific knowledge required here, you won’t be able to spend time revising in textbooks (although learning about question techniques will certainly help). Therefore, your primary method of preparation will be through practice papers and mock exams with past papers. 

If you have given yourself enough preparation time, you should start off slow and get to grips with the styles of questions in the test. Remember to monitor your progress and gradually increase your preparation time as you become more confident. After a while, you shouldn’t have any issues with all but the hardest of questions in the test. Here are some other small tips to remember: 

Calculators aren’t allowed in the BMAT, but all of the Problem-Solving questions can be easily answered with basic arithmetic, so be sure to sharpen your skills.

When a question includes longer passages or data sets (which is fairly common in the BMAT), read the question before investigating the additional information as it will help you determine what your are looking for. 

Try to look at real-world scenarios or texts that you have read (such as in a newspaper) with the same though-process you would use in a BMAT question. Making this style of thinking seem natural will help ease the pressure in the actual exam.

Section 2 – Scientific questions

This section focuses on what you’ve learned in non-specialist science and mathematics by the age of 16 (GCSE level or equivalent). As you would expect, the four subjects covered at Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry and Biology. There are 27 multiple-choice questions and you have 30 minutes to finish them.

You need to demonstrate your understanding by applying your knowledge to scientific problems. To prepare for section 2, head back to school and revise your science and mathematics. The BMAT specification lists all the potential topics you may be tested on, so be sure to check for any topics you may not be familiar with or are less confident in . These should be your primary focus when preparing. 

Although you need to revise these topics through reading and remembering, it is equally important to work through actual questions as well. This will cement both your subject knowledge and exam technique, ensuring you will be able to perform well in the BMAT. 

Most of the tips and techniques you’ve learnt for Section 1 can be applied here, although the mathematics involved will be far more complicated and require in-depth working out. Our BMAT Section 2 Guide provides more details on what to expect from the questions in the paper.

Some people question whether you need to take certain A-Levels (or equivalent) to increase your chances of doing well in the BMAT. Specifically, some think that A-Level Physics should be taken if you are due to sit the test, as most applicants will already be required to sit Biology, Chemistry or both. 

Although there may be some very minor benefits to doing this, you should generally not choose A-Levels based on any future admissions test. These tests are one-off events whereas these qualifications are with you for life. 

If you choose something you have no interest in pursuing, it will not only take up a subject that could have been better for you but can also affect your performance as a whole as you may begin to burn out from the stress or lack of engagement felt in that subject. 

Section 3 – Essay based paper

This section is fairly different in structure and skill requirements. It tests your ability to communicate effectively in an essay format, organise ideas coherently, and present them clearly and concisely while supporting your argument with evidence. There are three questions to choose from and you have 30 minutes to write your answer on one A4 page.

Preparing for the BMAT essay question is more challenging as answers are much more subjective and open-ended. The best approach is to consider both sides of the argument and analyse various opinions for and against different viewpoints. Some of the skills developed in Section 1, such as strengthening an argument, coming to conclusions, and finding flaws in opposing opinions will be useful.

You should practice to find out how long it takes you to write your answer to ensure you don’t run out of time in the real exam. 30 minutes is a very short amount of time to both plan and write a quality essay, so you should aim to build the quality of your work first and then start to reduce your time limit until you can answer the question within exam conditions. 

By the later stages of your preparation, you should try to write an essay every day or 5-6 per week until the actual testing date to ensure your skills are sharp. If you need help with how to effectively use your 30 minutes, our Section 3 Guide provides an in-depth analysis of how you should tackle the time limit.  

For this section, you’ll receive a number between 1.0 and 5.0, with 5 being the highest and a letter grade. The number is related to the quality of the argument written in your essay answer, and the letter refers to the quality of your language. This is marked by two examiners so you’ll receive two scores which are averaged into your final score.

Extra Tips for BMAT preparation

Bmat resources.

As we mentioned before, you’re going to need to round up a collection of resources to aid you in your preparation. But what should you be using and where can you find the best options? 

Firstly, for Section 2 you’re going to need some revision materials for GCSE Level Science and Maths. Your textbooks should serve you well here, although you may also find it useful to seek out some more BMAT-specific guides, as these will have the most relevant information to the BMAT specification and will present things in the same context to the actual exam.

Study guides for Sections 1 and 3 are also helpful, but these will mainly focus on exam techniques and tips. You will find guides covering each section free online, but these will typically only cover surface-level knowledge. More in-depth materials can be found in the form of workbooks, online courses and even live intensive courses , which include guidance from expert BMAT tutors that will provide tested advice. 

Beyond learning, you’re also going to need to gather plenty of practice materials. First of all, are the official BMAT Past Papers. These are the papers that were sat in previous years and contain hundreds of questions for your to try out. These papers are most effective when you sit them in exam conditions, as they let you truly get into the headspace you will be in when sitting the exam. 

Before trying serious mock exams, you will to build up your skills with practice BMAT questions which are very easily found. There are a number of question banks available featuring thousands of questions. Some of these banks are free to start, although most will require payment for access to all features. When looking for a question bank, ensure that worked solutions are available, as seeing a break down of the solution is the most effective way to learn from practice questions.

Lastly, if you are looking for comprehensive support for whatever reason, you will be able to find a variety of courses and bundles of support. These can include everything mentioned above as well as other features like one-to-one tuition and Section 3 essay marking. UniAdmisssions’ BMAT Tuition Programme is one example of all-inclusive BMAT support available, but be sure t consider what you believe you need in terms of your resources and support.

We’ve mentioned before that mock exams are important for your revision, but the build-up to sitting them regularly can’t be immediate. 

This mainly relates to the time limits imposed on applicants, as this is the most difficult aspect of the test for many. When you first start your revision, taking mock exams under exam conditions is still very beneficial as it helps you adapt to the exam format and restrictions. However, we would recommend ignoring the time limit for the first few weeks and focussing on finishing the paper. 

As you progress, your completion time for a past paper will continue to decrease to the point that you can start taking timed mock exams. As you become more confident with the questions you will naturally become faster at answering them, making mock exams a little bit easier. 

The important thing to remember about BMAT preparation is that learning to answer the questions comes before answering them within the time limit. Both elements are essential, but the learning process is much easier when taken one step at a time.   

How to prepare in the lead up to your BMAT exam date

You’ve likely been preparing for your BMAT for a few months by this point, and the day of your exam has come around quickly. Now, it’s very easy to become overwhelmed about completing it or feel worried about the results, however, if you’ve done the prep, there’s no reason for you to be concerned.

To ensure you perform to your fullest potential:

• Get a good night’s sleep before the exam.
• Have a nutritious and filling breakfast so you’ll have the energy to tackle the test.
• Avoid cramming any last bits of information in. You’ve already worked hard to prepare, and you most likely won’t retain any new information now.
• Write down key information prior to the test so you can have a quick glance and remind yourself before heading into the exam hall.

Remember that you will need to bring your own black pen, a pencil and an eraser. You are not allowed to use a calculator, dictionary or correction fluid in the exam. Rough paper is also not allowed, but you can write on the question papers to mark key information, write notes, and draw diagrams if necessary.

If you want to carry on your research in BMAT preparation, check out our other free BMAT resources now, or discover how you can triple your chances of success with our BMAT Tuition Programme. 

Our BMAT Tuition Programme provides all the support you’ll need to pass the test, including guidance from our expert tutors who are high achievers and know what is required for success in the BMAT. If you’re hoping to study Medicine at Oxbridge, our Oxbridge Medicine Programme includes one-to-one tuition for the test as well as interview prep, the BMAT intensive course, the BMAT online course, and past papers and fully-worked solutions.

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BMAT Section 3​: The Complete Guide

Advice & Insight From BMAT Specialists

​Maximum Score: 5A 1 Essay (Choice of 3) 30 Minutes

​BMAT Section 3 requires you to choose from a choice of three essay titles, completing a structured answer on an official BMAT Section 3 Answer Sheet, within a 30 minute timescale.

​BMAT Section 3 Essay Types

​Historically, each of the BMAT Section 3 essays will fall into one of the following categories, although this can vary from year to year: Historical Quote/ Philosophy (eg. Voltaire, Darwin etc.) Medicine/Science Ethics The majority of prospective medical students select Medicine/Science or Ethics based questions, and this is completely understandable. It is important to select the question that you feel most comfortable answering, rather than attempting to excel at a potentially more challenging question as what you may view as challenging, other candidates may regard as much more straightforward. We have divided the past BMAT Section 3 Questions by categories allowing you to trial questions from each grouping, in order to identify your strengths.

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​BMAT Section 3 Essay Structure

​Each essay will normally have three parts; these may be (although are not restricted to) the following: Explain what you think the statement means. Argue in favour of the statement. To what extent do you agree with the statement?

Choosing Your BMAT Section 3 Essay

By completing a range of BMAT Section 3 practice essays, you will be obtain a better understanding of which of the three essay categories suits your strengths. Combining this background knowledge with a two minute assessment of the essay titles and importantly their sub-questions, should allow you to choose the most suitable BMAT essay within the first two minutes. ​ Further details BMAT Section 3 timings, and how to distribute the time effectively can be found in our BMAT Section 3 Tips.

Optimise Your BMAT Performance

Learn time-efficient BMAT strategies and practice with reflective BMAT questions & worked solutions.

BMAT Section 3 Answer Sheet

Answers to BMAT Section 3 need to be completed on an official BMAT Section 3 answer sheet, which is equivalent to approximately two-thirds of an A4 page. Importantly, text written outside of the answer sheet borders is not scored and hence it is essential that all key information is included within the specified area. ​ In order to better understand the space available, we would strongly recommend that all BMAT Section 3 practice is completed on official BMAT Section 3 answer sheets.

BMAT Section 3 Knowledge

Whilst BMAT Section 3 does not test specific knowledge or topics, an awareness of a range of medical topics such as medical ethics, consent and the Hippocratic Oath can considerably improve your score. We have created a dedicated page of important section 3 knowledge, and for more detailed content, attend an Intensive BMAT Course or subscribe to the Online BMAT Course

BMAT Section 3 And Medical School Interviews

BMAT Section 3 essays are sent to your chosen medical schools along with your BMAT scores. This allows medical schools to ask you questions on your BMAT Section 3 essay during your medical school interviews. This is commonly the case at UCL, with other medical schools using the BMAT essays more sporadically. As such, we would recommend that you write down all of your BMAT Section 3 Essay points after the BMAT exam, and prepare for questions that may arise from the points made. Common interview questions related to BMAT Section 3 include the following: Can you summarise your BMAT Section 3 essay? What changes would you make to your BMAT essay If you were allowed to make one additional point, what would you add to your BMAT essay? How would you explain…..to a lay individual

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Mastering the BMAT: Your Essential Guide to Oxford and Cambridge Medical Admissions

Importance of BMAT

Test structure and format.

How to Prepare for the BMAT

Are you looking to study biomedical sciences or medicine at Oxford or Cambridge? If so, sitting for the Biomedical Admissions Test (BMAT) is compulsory! The BMAT is a key component of the application process, providing a level playing field for applicants to distinguish themselves. In this blog post, the BMAT will be detailed, along with insights and tips to aid adequate preparation. Read on!

Who Needs to Take the BMAT?

The Biomedical Admissions Test (BMAT) is a critical requirement for those aspiring to enter certain medical, veterinary, and related health courses at a range of universities in the UK , including prestigious institutions like the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge . This standardised test is designed to assess fundamental skills and aptitudes crucial to succeeding in these demanding fields, such as problem-solving, critical thinking, and scientific knowledge application. Its objective nature ensures that all applicants, regardless of their educational background, are evaluated fairly, making it a key step for anyone targeting a career in these medical and health disciplines.

In the context of Oxford and Cambridge’s highly competitive medical school admissions, the significance of the BMAT cannot be overstated. As a standardised test, it plays a pivotal role in assessing the aptitude and skills essential for success in medical school.

The admissions team at Oxford and Cambridge utilises the BMAT to differentiate among the large pool of strong applicants they receive each year. Specifically, the BMAT focuses on evaluating candidates' abilities in problem-solving, critical thinking, and communication — all vital competencies for thriving in medical school.

A strong performance in the BMAT can substantially enhance an applicant’s likelihood of being called for an interview and ultimately receiving an offer . In this way, a candidate’s BMAT score becomes a crucial component of the selection process, serving as a key criterion for shortlisting candidates for the interview stage.

The BMAT is structured into three sections , each focusing on different skill sets and question types. The time allocated for each section varies, with 30 minutes for sections 2 and 3 and 60 minutes for section 1.

In terms of scoring, the BMAT uses a 9-point scale , with each section being scored separately. For Sections 1 and 2, candidates earn one mark for each correct answer and 0 for incorrect answers.

These scores are then placed on the 9-point BMAT scale. Section 3, however, is scored differently. It's initially scored out of 5, and these raw marks are later adjusted to fit the 1.0 to 9.0 scale, aligning with the scores of the other sections. The average BMAT score typically falls between 4.0 and 6.0, with 6.0 and above considered strong.

BMAT Test Structure and Format Summary Table

Breakdown of the bmat test sections: understanding the core components.

In the first section, candidates are assessed on their understanding of fundamental biological concepts and principles through multiple-choice questions. This section is similar to the UCAT Verbal Reasoning section, necessitating a careful and logical approach. To excel, candidates must practice diligently, focusing on developing a deep understanding of various concepts and applying them in diverse and increasingly complex scenarios.

The second section evaluates candidates’ ability to apply scientific knowledge and skills to problem-solving . Often familiar to many, this section is generally considered the easiest to prepare for among the three. It specifically assesses problem-solving, critical thinking, and communication skills. Success hinges on sufficient practice to gain familiarity with the questions and tackling each problem logically.

The final section focuses on communication and wider reading, requiring candidates to discuss different viewpoints on given subject areas . This section tests the ability to present arguments, consider various perspectives, and reach reasoned conclusions. Effective preparation can involve reviewing past essay topics, engaging in discussions with others, and practicing writing argumentative essays. Throughout the practice, it's important to develop the skill of dissecting the question, planning responses in advance, and forming concise yet well-supported arguments.

How to Prepare for the BMAT?

Preparing for the BMAT requires a strategic approach to ensure comprehensive coverage of all topics and skills assessed in the test. Here are some refined tips and strategies to help you prepare effectively:

1. Start Early: Building a Strong Foundation

• Importance of Time Management: Beginning your preparation early provides ample time to thoroughly understand each topic.
• Gradual Learning: This approach allows for a more effective absorption of information, avoiding the stress of cramming.

2. Create a Study Plan: Structuring Your Preparation

• Daily/Weekly Goals: Establish specific goals for each day or week to monitor progress and maintain focus.
• Tailored Focus: Allocate more time to weaker areas, ensuring a balanced and comprehensive understanding.
• Week 1-3: Focus on mastering each section with regular reviews.
• Week 4: Intensive revision of weaker areas.
• Week 5-7: Practice under timed conditions to improve speed and accuracy.

3. Get Disciplined and Practice: The Key to Mastery

• Consistent Practice: Regular practice is essential for familiarity with the exam's format and types of questions.
• Diverse Resources: Utilize a range of study materials, including past papers and online resources.

4. Seek Feedback and Assistance: Leveraging External Help

• Peer Review: Collaborate with peers for new perspectives and problem-solving methods.
• Professional Guidance: Seek advice from tutors or teachers, especially for complex topics or essay writing.

5. Work Sustainably: Balancing Rigor with Rest

• Avoid Burnout: Integrate adequate rest into your study plan to maintain mental well-being.
• Active Breaks: Engage in relaxing yet active breaks, such as sports or hobbies.

6. Take Practice Tests: Simulating the Exam Experience

• Realistic Simulation: Timed tests help adapt to the exam's pressure and time constraints.
• Identifying Patterns: Regular tests aid in recognizing common mistakes and challenging areas.

Check out Cambridge Assessment Admissions Testing’s free BMAT preparation materials

7. Stay Calm and Focused: Mental Preparedness on Test Day

• Mindfulness Techniques: Use techniques like deep breathing to stay calm during the exam.
• Time Management: Develop and adhere to a time allocation strategy for different test sections.

8. Book a Free Consultation: Seeking Expert Guidance from Crimson Education Advisors

• Expert Advice: Scheduling a free consultation with a Crimson Education advisor , especially one with experience at Oxford and/or Cambridge, can provide invaluable insights and practical steps for BMAT preparation.
• Tailored Strategies: These advisors can offer personalized advice to enhance your study methods and overall approach, significantly increasing your chances of success in the BMAT and your journey to gaining admission to Oxford or Cambridge.
• Comprehensive Support: They can help in identifying your strengths and weaknesses, providing targeted strategies that cater to your individual needs and aspirations.

Common Pitfalls to Avoid

1. insufficient practice: emphasizing regular preparation.

• Consistent Effort: Consistent and thorough practice is crucial for success in the BMAT.
• Varied Exercises: Engage in diverse practice exercises to cover all test aspects.

2. Poor Time Management: Mastering the Clock

• Strategic Approach: Avoid spending excessive time on challenging questions and allocate your time wisely.
• Pacing Techniques: Practice pacing like in a marathon, ensuring steady progress throughout the test.

3. Overlooking the Essay Section: Honing Writing Skills

• Equal Importance: Balance your preparation to include significant essay writing practice.
• Structured Responses: Focus on structuring essays effectively with clear arguments and concise conclusions.

4. Neglecting Weak Areas: Addressing All Topics

• Comprehensive Review: Identify and work on weaker areas, not just on strengths or familiar topics.
• Seek Help: If certain areas remain challenging, seek additional help or resources.

5. Stress and Anxiety: Maintaining Composure

• Mindfulness Practices: Use techniques like meditation or deep breathing to manage stress.
• Simulated Conditions: Regular practice under exam-like conditions can help reduce anxiety.

6. Underestimating the Test: Respect the BMAT's Complexity

• Realistic Expectations: Recognize the BMAT's challenge and approach it with dedication.
• In-depth Study: Aim for a deep understanding of each topic, beyond superficial knowledge.

These tips address the common pitfalls encountered by BMAT candidates, offering strategies to improve preparation and performance in the test.

Essential Strategies for BMAT Test Day Success

1. prepare and arrive early.

Ensure you comply with all instructions and bring the required identification materials on test day. Avoid unnecessary stress before the test by arriving 15-20 minutes early for check-in. This allows you some quiet time to calm your nerves. The last thing you want is to enter the exam venue feeling anxious and flustered from having rushed.

2. Read Questions Carefully

It's crucial to read each question carefully and with precision. Answering questions incorrectly due to a misreading can be easily avoided with this careful approach.

3. Time Management

You may encounter questions that momentarily stump you. Don't dwell on these longer than your allocated time per question. Move to secure marks from other questions first, then return to the challenging ones. In multiple-choice sections, like sections 1 and 2, it's wise to eliminate options, make an informed preliminary guess, and revisit the question later.

4. Stay Level-Headed

Find ways to quieten and calm your mind. This could be through meditation, prayer, or any routine that helps you stay composed. Experiment with different techniques during your timed practices and replicate them on the day. Remind yourself that you have prepared diligently for the test and that it's simply a matter of executing it like another practice test.

Final Thoughts

As you receive your BMAT scores and reflect on the journey thus far, the next phase of your journey to Oxford unfolds. Here's a structured approach to navigating the post-test steps effectively:

• Understand where your score positions you in the competitive landscape. A high score can be a significant advantage, but don't be discouraged if it's not as high as you hoped. Every part of your application matters.
• If your BMAT score aligns with the requirements of your chosen course at Oxbridge, prepare for the possibility of being shortlisted for interviews. These interviews are a critical component of the selection process and demand as much preparation as the BMAT itself.
• Regularly check the official Oxford and Cambridge website for updates on the application process, interview schedules, and any additional requirements specific to your course.
• Take the time to reflect on your BMAT experience. What went well? What could have been better? Use these insights to improve and prepare for the next stages.
• Consider booking a free consultation with an expert Crimson Education counselor. These counselors, especially those with experience in Oxbridge admissions, can provide tailored advice to maximize your chances of success. They can help refine your interview skills, polish your personal statement, and provide insights into the Oxbridge admissions process.
• Remember, the journey to Oxbridge is a marathon, not a sprint. Maintain a positive outlook and stay prepared for each step of the process.

The journey to a top UK University is challenging but immensely rewarding. With the right preparation, mindset, and guidance, you can enhance your prospects and make your dream a reality. Remember, the effort you put in now can open doors to a world of opportunities. Stay focused, stay motivated, and take the first step towards your future at Oxbridge.

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Key Resources & Further Reading

• Join our free webinars on US university applications
• Free eBooks and guides to help with the college application process
• How to Apply to UK Universities
• Oxford vs Cambridge: Which One is Right For You?
• How to get into Oxford?
• How to get into Cambridge?

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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.

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Guides & Info

BMAT Section 3: Style, Structure and Technique Expert Tips

BMAT Section 3 is a handwritten task with a choice of three essays and 30 minutes to write one A4 page. So how should you approach this section to maximise your score?

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

1. Learn about the whole BMAT

Unlike BMAT Section 1 and BMAT Section 2 , which are multiple choice tests, Section 3 is a test of your ability to communicate complex ideas clearly and concisely in writing.

This is more challenging for some than others. Read our BMAT FAQ to find out more about the test, but your end goal is to find which sections are most challenging for you. Do this as early as possible to help plan your preparation.

Our BMAT specification article takes you through what you need to know for each section. If you get a lot of 'that's obvious' for a certain section, prioritise one of the others.

2. Learn the question types

Explanation of the proposition

You could be asked to explain a proposition in the task or to explain a certain part of it. You may also be asked to explain the implications of the proposition.

Generation of a counterargument

This one is about seeing things from an alternative point of view and either proposing a counterargument or commenting on one.

Reconciliation of two sides

This involves suggesting a solution that addresses both the proposition and the counter-proposition, i.e. building bridges between ideas.

Giving your opinion 

It’s likely that you'll be asked ‘To what extent…’ – this question is asking you to give your judgement. 

The purpose of this section is to assess your ability to examine different sides of an argument and communicate clearly and concisely. This is a vital part of being a doctor.

The writing tasks generally relate to the following areas:

• Medicine or general science 
• Philosophy (e.g. historical quotes)

3. Learn how BMAT Section 3 is scored

You’ll get a score from 1 to 5 (with 5 being the highest) for the quality of content and a band between A to E (with A being the highest) for quality of English. 

To find out more about scoring and what candidates typically get, read our article: What is a good BMAT score?

4. Take time to choose your question

We recommend you spend at least a minute or two actively deciding which question to do, especially as Section 3 is not very time pressured. 

Choose your question wisely. Actively go through each of the essay titles thinking about what points you have to address. Pick the one you have the most thoughts on. 

Avoid ploughing in, only to realise you have two weak points!

5. Plan your work

Plan your essay carefully by spending up to ten minutes on it. Plan to the point where you know exactly what you are going to write.

Split the plan into two parts:

‍ This is the brain dump phase. Write down everything you know about the subject. 

‍ This is the organisation phase. Organise the dumped material into a coherent and logical structure.

If your prompt is ‘obese people shouldn't be treated under the NHS because it's a self-inflicted condition’, the subsections might be:

• Introduction to the issue
• Explaining reasons for treatment
• Explaining reasons against treatment
• Providing your own thoughts, showing a balanced understanding of the issue and ending with a clear and concise conclusion

In the brain dump phase, write as many points as you possibly can and add any examples or facts. For the organisation phase, pick one or two strong points from each section, then work out how they are going to flow together. 

6. Check your essay

If you have time left over, it's useful to proofread what you have written to make sure it all makes sense and is readable. Of course, you must also check that you have answered all parts of the question.

7. Remember it’s not really an 'essay'

Thinking of this section as an essay can make a lot of people worry. If you spend around 15 minutes choosing your question and planning, this leaves you with around 15 minutes to write your ‘essay’. In most circumstances, you don’t write an essay in 15 minutes and you usually write well over a page for an essay. 

Thinking of this as an essay means that you’re more likely to try to write elaborate and long winded sentences and fit in as many topics as possible. This section is about getting to the point quickly and elegantly.

Think of BMAT Section 3 as an 8 or 9 mark piece of writing in GCSE English. It’s not an essay, it’s a short writing task. This will help you get a better understanding of the amount of content you need to cover.

8. Address all parts of the question 

This is really important. Read the question and re-read it. You might even want to make a small checklist at the side. If you don’t address everything that you’re being asked, your score will be capped at a 2 no matter how good your work is. 

For example:

'That which can be asserted without evidence can be dismissed without evidence.' - Christopher Hitchens

Explain what you think Christopher Hitchens means. Argue to the contrary that some assertions do not require evidence. To what extent do you agree with the statement?

It’s easy to overlook the final question when pushed for time. Make yourself a checklist like the one below and assign time for each section.

• Explain the meaning of the quote
• Counterargument 
• To what extent…

9. Write neatly using small handwriting

It’s important to write as neatly as possible. Scruffy handwriting makes life harder for examiners. This can obscure any excellent points that you make.

Making your writing small, while still keeping it legible, means you can fit more work in the space provided.

10. Practise writing concisely

That means short and sweet. You only have one page, so cut out any unnecessary commentary and irrelevant sentences. 

After you’ve written your answer under timed conditions, re-read it and trim the fat. Try to spot any areas where you’re waffling or repeating yourself and highlight them. This will make your writing crisp and succinct.  

Here are some ways you can make your writing more concise:

Remove redundancy

There are multiple ways of saying the same thing. Choose the shortest. Avoid phrases like 'first and foremost' or 'each and every'. Using multiple synonyms can also make your writing clunky.

Remove unnecessary qualifiers

Qualifiers such as 'basically', 'probably', 'definitely', 'somewhat', 'slightly' aren’t always necessary. 

Write actively

Passive writing, such as 'The ball was thrown by James', is usually wordier than active writing ('James threw the ball'). ‍

Use words instead of phrases

Use words that mean the same thing instead of phrases. For example, instead of 'due to the fact that', use 'because' or 'since'.

'Each and every individual in the medical and wider healthcare team plays an absolutely crucial and vital role in the delivery of high-quality care that ensures the wellbeing and overall safety of the patient that they’re associated with.' can be rewritten more concisely as 'The multidisciplinary team plays a crucial role in delivering quality care to ensure patient safety.'

Cutting out repetition of synonyms like 'crucial' and 'vital' and qualifiers like 'absolutely' allows you to convey the same meaning more elegantly. 

11. Do your reading

It’s likely that your question will be based on ethics or philosophy so read up on those topics. 

Familiarise yourself with different types of ethics, such as:

• 4 principle approach 
• Utilitarianism 
• Virtue-based ethics

Another strategy is to read books on philosophy or philosophical quotes and then try to think of counterarguments. The more you read, the more you can draw upon in your essay. 

No time for reading? Watch YouTube videos about philosophy or ethics. The School of Life has a great playlist that discusses various philosophers and their views. Wireless Philosophy has a really detailed playlist on ethics.

12. Debate medical topics and philosophical ideas with others

Ever heard of playing devil’s advocate?

Debating will help you create counterarguments. Debate with friends, family or teachers. Once you’ve got the hang of creating counterarguments, it’ll become second nature for you during the exam. 

13. Back your points up

Support your points with examples or statistics. Since there’s such a wide range of topics for BMAT Section 3, it’s unrealistic to learn statistics for every single thing. This is why it’s important to be well read. The more you read, the more likely you are to be able to use something you’ve seen. 

If you don’t have any statistics to quote, don’t be tempted to make things up. BMAT examiners may look up the things you quote, so don’t say anything that would make examiners question your credibility.

14. Ask for feedback

After writing your essay, get feedback from everyone you can think of. This will help achieve objectivity.

Use this checklist to assess your writing

BMAT Section 3 writing checklist

• How is your spelling and grammar?
• Do you use varied vocabulary?
• Do you give arguments for the statement?
• Do you give arguments against it?
• Do you explain the statement?
• Have you answered all parts of the question?
• Does the order you've written your points in make sense?
• Is what you’ve written logical?
• Did you include a conclusion?
• Do you back up your points with examples?

15. Stay up to date with medical news

It’s important to be aware of what’s going on in the medical world and in the wider scientific world. This will help you to draw upon real life examples in the exam.

Sources to check out:

• ‍ Medify’s Instagram page ‍
• Guardian Health | Society ‍
• The BMJ: Leading Medical Research, News, Education, Opinion ‍
• Independent: doctors - latest news ‍ ‍

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Bmat – october 2023, the ucat and bmat: what are their similarities and differences, bmat section 2: practice questions and 13 expert tips.

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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
• | BMAT 2016 Q2 Question Paper Mark Scheme
• | BMAT 2016 Q3 Question Paper Mark Scheme
• | BMAT 2017 Q1 Question Paper Mark Scheme
• | BMAT 2017 Q2 Question Paper Mark Scheme
• | BMAT 2017 Q3 Question Paper Mark Scheme
• | BMAT 2018 Q1 Question Paper Mark Scheme
• | BMAT 2018 Q2 Question Paper Mark Scheme
• | BMAT 2018 Q3 Question Paper Mark Scheme

BMAT S3 Past Papers

• | BMAT Past Paper 2019 Section 3 Question Paper Mark Scheme
• | BMAT Past Paper 2018 Section 3 Question Paper Mark Scheme
• | 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
• | BMAT Past Paper 2014 Section 3 Question Paper Mark Scheme
• | BMAT Past Paper 2013 Section 3 Question Paper Mark Scheme
• | BMAT Past Paper 2012 Section 3 Question Paper Mark Scheme
• | BMAT Past Paper 2011 Section 3 Question Paper Mark Scheme
• | BMAT Past Paper 2010 Section 3 Question Paper Mark Scheme
• | BMAT Past Paper 2009 Section 3 Question Paper Mark Scheme
• | BMAT Past Paper 2008 Section 3 Question Paper Mark Scheme
• | BMAT Past Paper 2007 Section 3 Question Paper Mark Scheme
• | BMAT Past Paper 2006 Section 3 Question Paper Mark Scheme
• | BMAT Past Paper 2005 Section 3 Question Paper Mark Scheme
• | BMAT Past Paper 2004 Section 3 Question Paper Mark Scheme
• | BMAT Past Paper 2003 Section 3 Question Paper Mark Scheme

FREE BMAT Textbook

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

→ 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: 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

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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.

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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.

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• jennifermedicapps
• Sep 30, 2022
• 13 min read

BMAT Section 3 The Ultimate Essay Guide: Plan for success

Updated: Oct 3, 2022

A lot of people can be daunted by the prospect of writing an essay in an exam, especially when they don’t have a book they can read on the topic. Worry not, these tips will help you develop the skills to produce a good essay.

The Questions

There will usually be three questions to choose from and you answer one of these. Usually you will have a question to do with some aspect of medicine, a science question and a social question. This broad spectrum of question means that there should be something everyone can answer.

How is the essay marked?

Marks go from 1-5 for the quality of your essay, with higher marks being more desirable, and A-E for the quality of your written English.

To get a 3.0, the essay must:

Answer ALL parts of the question (More information on this in the plan.)

The arguments should be relatively rational

The arguments should be reasonably well argued

Most people scoring under 3.0, have failed to answer all parts of the question. The information in ”The Plan” section will help with this.

What mark do I need?

This varies for each university, so check how the university you are applying to assesses you application, they should have a selection criteria published.

UCL add all the cores together to form a total. Oxford weight the sections, Section 1 and 2 are weighted at 40%, section 3 at 20%, so for Oxford, the essay is much less important, for UCL a higher score will help you gain an interview. In this case, if you have a weak section 1 or 2, it can help a little if you achieve a 4 or a 5. But as section 1 and two are scored out of nine, they can make a greater impact on your score if you score highly, if you average 5 on section 1 and 2, achieving a 4 can be a big boost to your overall score.

You don’t need a very high mark for most universities, scoring 3.0 A is usually fine.

Over all I would say, students spend far too much time ahhing and umming over what score they need. Put that energy into revision and practice, it will do a lot more good. There is also a factor you have no control over, and this is other students scores. What ever the criteria that particular university have, you will be measured against the other students sitting the BMAT that year and the rest of your application. So instead of being focussed on the score you need, focus on improving the score you have.

Pre-reading and Preparation

Looking at the GMC student can give you useful background information on what is expected of doctors and this is especially useful if you choose the medical question, there will be information on ethics, responsibilities, professionalism. It isn’t a riveting read, but it is an important one and if you want to study medicine, you should be familiar with it. If you are studying veterinary sciences, it may not be as important.

The news. This is a good source of current health topics, however, news articles are usually presented with an opinion or bias and so you should take care not to take on that opinion or bias as your own. Either research it further, or just note any facts you read about, or that X has been in the news with a lean towards [The opinion of the article]. Don’t just read the health items suggested by Apple News or Google, read New Scientist, or Scientific American, or search for articles on health issues you are curious about.

Journals. If you see a topic appearing in the news a lot, chances are there will be one or several journal papers about it. Try to find good journal papers which are transparent about their data and how they came by it and do not use emotive language.

Books. Most students have a list of books they are reading - Adam Kay “This is Going to Hurt”, “The Man who Thought his Wife was a Hat.” By Oliver Sacks, “The courage to care” and “The language of kindness” both by Christine Watson, “Do no harm” by Henry Marsh, “Your life in my hands” by Rachael Clarke and others. These are good books, some of which, you should read read as part of you application preparation process, but may or may not specifically help with the essay. Reading any non-fiction books is a good way to prepare for life, you never know when information will com in handy. But reading books as section 3 preparation, is time intensive, so do keep and eye on the news and read anything which will help you understand the structure and purpose of the NHS better.

Your clinical experience is a great source of information for the essay, if you are choosing a medical question. Understanding how the NHS works, roles and responsibilities, structure, funding, how the different arms of the NHS work together - such as MultiDisciplinary Meetings (MDT) where groups of specialists review complex cases and agree on management, they also learn in the process; or how doctors use pathology and the role of pathology in medicine.

Doing the Essay: Plan

In the exam room, once you have chosen your question you need to make a plan. This is a really important step which can dictate the success of your essay, so don’t get stressed about time and miss it out.

10 minutes to plan

15 minutes to write

5 minutes to check

Structure of the essay. Most essays will ask you to define the question, argue for, argue against and conclude with your own opinion, or a very close variation of this. This should be reflected in your plan. Sometimes the essay title is bias in a particular direction and you will be asked to explain what it means and this will be the ”Arguing for” section. However, if you get a question like this and if it is important to the essay, you should also define any terms in that section.

First define or deconstruct and words or phrases in the question. For example in the essay title:

In the age of modern healthcare, every time a patients dies after a routine operation, it is a case of medical error.

Define. Here you might consider what do we mean by “Modern healthcare” and “Medical error”, we might also define a “Routine operation”. Modern healthcare is very different in different countries, so this can open up a possible avenue of discussion. Is a medical error just the doctor or surgeon in charge? Is it the whole team in the theatre? Before a routine operation is performed in the NHS, there is a long process, where they are assessed by the consultant, histories are taken, pre-ops are done - which include blood tests, risk factors are considered, so is a medical error just something within the operating theatre, or does it include the admin and procedures leading up to the operation? What is a routine operation? Does it include operations performed under local and general anaesthetic? General anaesthetic always carries a risk, although attempts to mitigate it are taken, a small risk is still there.

Before you start building your arguments, it is important that you define for yourself what these terms are, for the purpose of a short 500 word essay and that you include these in your essay for a well structured argument. I would expect each essay to have 3 terms for you to define. As you define them, the relationship between them should become more obvious and this should be an essential part of building your arguments. There may be more than one definition and this may offer and answer to a difficult argument you are asked to make. There is an example essay at the end of this post, with annotations and a plan. The essay was done by a student who kindly offered to let me put it up here as a training tool for others.

For and against. Another mistake students often make, is not addressing the question asked,

Write argument as headings and underneath, jot down two or three points each. Why? In a Time pressured situation, giving yourself visual aids will make you faster and more accurate, don’t try to keep information in your head.

Make a note of any examples you can think of. Examples can make a big difference to your essay and the quality of your arguments. Your essay may not have full coherence, because at the end of a pressured exam, you may not perform your best and you have little preparation time. So using an example can move your essay from a generalised mish mash, to being reasonably well argued and having some strong points. The very act of finding examples helps you to make sure you address each part of the question and that is essential for obtaining the all important 3-3.5 mark.

Do plan your conclusion . Here, try to bring your points together without contradicting yourself, you can refer to points you have made or examples you have used to support your view. If your view is sitting on the fence, this is especially important. For example:

Although sometimes the surgical team maybe to blame for an error, such as an admin or procedural error; if a comorbidity which is a risk factor was not checked for, or the patient was not asked about allergies which can sometimes prove fatal. However, there are also circumstances where they cannot be blamed or be reasonably expected to predict a situation, as in the case of a patient reacting badly to an anaesthetic with no history of risk factors. Therefore I think we must be balanced and only attribute blame where the circumstance calls for it.

Writing the essay.

Find a balance between writing quickly enough and making sure your handwriting is legible. If it can’t be read it can’t be marked. Don’t use a clever words if you can’t spell them, simple words without mistakes are far better than interesting words with spelling mistakes, which cost marks. The same can be applied to sentence structure and grammar, don’t include long sentences with endless commas, make use of a full stop. Don’t use a semi colon if you might use it incorrectly.

Where you are asked to explain the statement, avoid starting ”The statement refers to…” or any other form of this. It just wastes words and adds no value. Instead go straight into the answer. For the essay title above we could begin: “If a patient passes following a routine operation, which we could define as a commonly practiced operation under local or general anaesthetic, for a non-life threatening pathology and being low risk, it must be due to an error by the surgical or pre-surgical team, either as part of the surgical proceedure, or the admin relating to the proceedure.”

Without using extra words to say “The statement means,” we have concisely answered the question and made use of definitions we made earlier. All our words have value and all the important words have been defined in the introductory paragraph and we have answered the “explain the statement” part of the question.

Practice doing this and it will come easily in the exam. Don’t worry if it is not perfect, if it is quite good and addresses the question that is enough. It should also help to order your thoughts for the remainder of the essay, which is essential in a time pressured exam.

After you write your essay

Use those five minutes to check and re-check your work. When you are under pressure you can easily make mistakes, miss a word, miss-spell a word. Read it through to make sure it makes sense and there are no glaring errors. Check you answered ALL parts of the question.

Improving your marks

Practice is the best way, but practice is no good if you are not able to learn from your errors, or if you have no suggestions on how to improve. You could swap essays with a friend and mark each other’s, but this can lead to you being too nice to each other and when it comes to useful comments….. it can be like the blind leading the blind.

You could ask a teacher, be sure to provide them with the marking criteria and let them know you had 30 minutes to write it. But also be aware that they already work hard and will spend their free time doing this, unpaid. So either ask different teachers, don’t ask too many times or offer to help them with something they need to do in exchange - that will be a pleasant surprise.

There are also people you can pay for this service, either companies or tutors. I do this for my students. Whomever you choose, make sure they seem trustworthy and reputable, if you use a paid service, look for reviews.

An example essay

This was written by a student and student, who has kindly agree that I can use this here as a learning tool. I have annotated this with feedback and suggestions, in a different colour for clarity. This particular essay is very difficult, because it asks you to argue that the skills of individual surgeons are more important for surgical innovation and usually the opposite is true. The argument I present is not the only one which can be made, but demonstrates, how using this method, you can find an argument even for a difficult essay.

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?

Example plan (Written by myself)

I have written this plan, to try and help the student see that, in defining terms, arguments almost present themselves and this would have helped to attain a higher mark.

Definitions : Teamwork – a group of skilled specialists essential for surgery – may include nurses, junior surgeons, anaesthetist, technicians, etc.

Individual surgeon – defined here as the lead surgeon in charge of the operation and who has overall responsibility.

Surgical innovation – new types of surgery such as craniotomy (Which was once a huge innovation), robotic procedures. A way to manage a non-typical case, or an issue not-seem before, such as a case where a gentleman had a lymphoma in his testicle causing the testicle to grow to about 18 inches, could also include unusual cancers, or a case of a tumor whose location affect several organs.

Note: As soon as we begin defining these things, a possible argument appears, where the argument for the individual surgeon being more important. This can be seen in a surgeons ability to manage these unusual cases, while the “Team” are involved as much as ever, their skills are not specialist to this situation and the skills of the surgeon are, even more so if he has experience in a similar situation. But you would need put the definition in your argument, for example: The skills of an individual surgeon are more important for innovation where it can be defined as the ability to plan and manage surgery for unusual and rare cases which may not have been seen before, for example the a case where [Example: ]. Although the surgical team are still essential, their skills contribute to the surgery going ahead, but not to the innovation. The skills of the surgeon are even more essential for this kind of innovation, if he has experience of similar situations.

Explain the reasoning behind the statement – Members of the team all contribute to the surgery,

innovative ideas could not proceed without them. For a craniotomy specialised anaesthesia was an innovation. The planning of innovative surgery is likely to be a team exercise with different surgeons

contributing ideas and suggestions, maybe other specialists too.

Argue the skills of the individual surgeon are most important – For planning and carrying out unusual

procedures, where his specific skill and experience make the difference and not requiring skills of the

larger team.

To what extend do you agree with the statement – Everyone has a role to play and sometimes particular skills make the difference, but usually it is more likely to be a team effort, consultant and junior surgeons, consultant surgeons conferring, especially where anatomical specialities converge.

Students essay

Comment 1: A plan would have helped you here.

The ability for the surgical team to co-operate and communicate with each other is a larger contributory factor in advancing surgery further rather than solely the surgeon’s skills. Each role in a surgical team is vital and no role can be undermined—for example without the anathesist then a patient can wake up during surgery, and without a surgical technician, whose role is to sterilise the operating theatre, the patient could acquire an infection. Both of these situations will result in an unsuccessful surgery. Surgical innovation has the ultimate goal of making each surgery as efficient as possible, and with patients interests at the heart of the innovation. Thus, surgical innovation cannot occur without the communication between all members of the team: each member will be needed to ensure that the patient is the safest when a new, innovate surgical procedure is implemented. For example, during robot-assisted surgery, an example of surgical innovation, the teamwork between the robot technicians and surgeon is the most important, as if an issue arises such as the robot malfunctioning, the first port of call would be the robot technicians. Thus, new innovative surgery can only be a collective effort.

Comment 2: This does address the aspect of the question "Explain what is meant", it is fairly well reasoned, lacks some force and coherence, but it is clear the student is saying all members of the team have an important role. This is enough for this paragraph to gain a 3.0

I like the description of surgical innovation being to make surgery as efficient for a patient as possible and the patients interests being at the heart of innovation. At this stage I would hope these would be picked up later in the essay. The example of the robot is good, not perfect but it demonstrates the point the student is trying to make.

My criticisms would be that it is far too long. This can be explained with fewer words, saving space for points in your following arguments.

However, ultimately the surgeon is the leader of the operating theatre, as they make the most important decisions concerning the patient’s health. Thus a surgeons’ experience and knowledge can only determine whether a patient should be operated using a new surgical innovative technique such as minimally invasive surgery or whether a traditional surgery would benefit them. When innovation is implemented in a surgery, there is a larger chance of errors during a new procedure, thus a larger emphasis will be placed on a surgeons’ focus and dexterity to ensure the surgery is successful. During a new procedure, the other members of the team will only have supporting role as the final outcome will only be determined by the incisions made.

Comment 3: The student doesn't really talk about surgical innovation and the individual surgeon being the most important person for this. This paragraph more discusses the application of innovations which have already been done. This could have been avoided by making a plan. This paragraph takes the essay down to a 2.0 as not all components of the question have been addressed.

In conclusion, since the end goal of surgical innovation is for the improvement of outcomes for the patient, I believe to a considerable extent that teamwork between members of the surgical team will be a larger contributory factor to the success of a surgical innovation. The success of a surgical innovation cannot solely depend on the surgeon. Without the technicians, the anaesthetists or assistant surgeons, a surgery simply cannot take place and these members are even more vital in ensuring the success of a surgical innovation.

Comment 4: The student has clearly indicated agreement with the original statement. But again is straying from surgical innovation, to surgery generally. This is not the subject of the essay and it is a very common mistake.

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• Each step of the order process allows you to check and amend any errors before submitting the Order. It is your responsibility to ensure that an order is carried out as intended by yourself.
• A legally-binding contract will be formed for the services ordered only when you receive an email from us confirming the order. You must ensure that the order confirmation is complete and accurate and inform us immediately of any errors. We are not responsible for any inaccuracies in the order placed by you. By placing an order, you agree to us giving you confirmation of the contract by means of an email with all information in it (ie the order confirmation). You will receive the order confirmation within a reasonable time after making the contract.
• No variation of the contract, whether about description of the services, or otherwise, can be made after it has been entered into unless the variation is agreed by the consumer and the supplier in writing.

Delivery of Goods and Services

• We aim to deliver all of our goods and services to you within a reasonable time frame, or as what is set out on our website. If we do not deliver the goods or services to you on time, you can contact us to request a cancellation of your order, should you wish.

Circumstances Beyond the Control of Either Party

• the party will advise the other party as soon as reasonably practicable; and
• the party’s obligations will be suspended so far as is reasonable, provided that that party will act reasonably, and the party will not be liable for any failure which it could not reasonably avoid, but this will not affect the Customer’s above rights relating to delivery (and the right to cancel below).

Right to Cancellation

• You are bound by the terms outlined in our  Returns and Refunds  policy when requesting a cancellation of contract or refund of a good or service.
• Your privacy is critical to us. We respect your privacy and comply with the General Data Protection Regulation with regards to your personal information.
• These Terms and Conditions should be read alongside, and are in addition to our policies, including our Privacy Policy .

Work Experience

• All users must be 16 years or older when starting a residential programme unless specifically agreed otherwise. Consent from a legal parent or guardian is necessary under the age of 18.  If 18 years of age or older, no parental consent is necessary.
• You and we are expected to show reasonable flexibility in arranging your hours of work. The nature of working in a hospital or university environment means sometimes it can be impractical to stick to a rigid pattern of fixed working hours. When you join a work experience programme you may be expected to work different hours depending on the working hours of the appointed healthcare professional. Your hours will typically be spread over a five-day working week, and should not normally exceed 8 hours a day. You should never be required to work for more than a maximum of six days a week.
• We must obtain permission from and register you with local Police and immigration authorities to enable you to stay in local accommodation during your placement. It is a condition of their permission that you should not invite guests (either local or foreign) to stay overnight at your accommodation without prior approval from the relevant authority. Failure to adhere to this condition will be a disciplinary matter and will be dealt with accordingly.
• Due to the extremely limited nature of work experience availability, the cancellation and amendment policy is strictly outlined.
• Our charge for an amendment is normally £45 plus any costs incurred by us. If the total cost is going to exceed £95, we will provide you with a quotation before proceeding.
• For residential events, the cancellation charge with more than 180 days notice is £395. Cancellation with less than 180 days notice results in no refund.
• For one-day events, the cancellation charge is £95 when requested, in writing, more than 30 days before the event date. You may potentially transfer your booking of a one-day event to a future date for a fee of £45 at our discretion and subject to availability.
• Occasionally, given the nature of our work, we may be forced to make a change to the advertised projects or elements within them. It is necessary for a flexible approach to be adopted by participants with regards to this as items such as activities, schedules, itineraries, facilities and modes of transport may be subject to change without prior notice due to local circumstances or Force Majeure. We reserve the right to make these changes for the benefit of the project, most of which will be very minor and we will advise you of these at the earliest opportunity.
• Except where expressly stated in these booking conditions, we will not be liable or pay you compensation if our contractual obligations to you are affected by any event which we or the supplier(s) of the service(s) in question could not, even with all due care, foresee or avoid. These events can include, but are not limited to war, threat of war, civil strife terrorist activity and its consequences or the threat of such activity, riot, the act of any government or other national or local authority, industrial dispute, natural or nuclear disaster, fire, chemical or biological disaster and all similar events outside our or the supplier(s) concerned’s control.
• Very rarely, we may be forced to terminate or suspend an activity forming part of a Placement or a Placement itself due to Force Majeure. In these circumstances, we may decide it is necessary to evacuate participants from the location of the activity or the placement Location, or take such other measures as it shall deem (in its sole discretion) necessary in order to ensure each participant and our staff’s safety and security.
• Dates, schedules, programme details and cost are given in good faith, based on information available and in force at the time they are given and are subject to change and revision in the event of a change of circumstances. In the event that we are unable to provide a suitable placement of the type requested, we will instead offer an alternative placement and will refund any difference between the price paid for the project placement and the price charged for the alternative placement in the country in question.

For any enquiries, please contact  [email protected] .

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