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.
Compared to the UCAT, very few universities in the UK require the BMAT in your medicine application. There may be only 6 universities that use it, but among those unis are some of the top medical schools in the UK. If you’re planning on applying to Oxford, Cambridge, UCL or more, the BMAT is going to be one of the most important things to prepare for. It’s a tough exam that tests a lot of different types of knowledge and skills.
With that being said though, you aren’t going to need to get perfect marks (barely anyone ever has anyway!) These medical schools have high standards for your BMAT score, but some are more forgiving than others. Universities can use your BMAT scores in a variety of ways, with different weighting for different sections of the exam or compared to the rest of your application. So in this guide, we’re going to take a look at each BMAT University and see what they do with your BMAT scores, as well as which ones consider Good, Average and Lower scores.
BMAT Scoring
Before we get to the universities, let’s take a quick look at how the BMAT is scored.
There are three sections of the BMAT, with the first two covering multiple-choice questions and Section 3 requiring an essay to be written. Of course, these two question types are going to have very different marking schemes, so let’s take a look at each.
BMAT Sections 1 and 2
These sections consist of 32 and 27 multiple-choice questions respectively. Section 1 covers thinking skills while Section 2 deals with scientific knowledge and applications. In these questions, you’ll get 1 mark for every question you get correct. Marks aren’t deducted for incorrect answers, so you’re always encouraged to answer every question in the paper.
For each section, your raw marks are converted into a final BMAT score on a scale between 1.0 and 9.0. Be sure to check out previous year’s conversion tables for this to get a better idea of what to aim for this year. Also be aware that you’ll sometimes see these scores combined together in data, so don’t panic if you’ve seen a University with an average BMAT score of 14.0!
BMAT Section 3
Essay’s are generally more difficult to mark and score than multiple choice questions, so the marking scheme for Section 3 may seem a bit confusing at first. Essentially, your essay is marked by two different criteria; Quality of English and Quality of Content. Each of these metrics have an alphabetical or numerical scoring system, which you can see below:
| Quality Of English | Quality Of Content | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Band A | Good use of English – clear, fluent, good use of grammar and vocabulary | Score 1 | The essay has some bearing on the question but does not address it fully |
| Band C | Reasonably clear use of English – reasonably fluent, some errors | Score 2 | Addresses most of the question, but has significant elements of confusion |
| Band E | Rather weak use of English – not easy to follow, faulty grammar | Score 3 | Reasonably well-argued, may have weakness in the argument |
| Score 4 | Good answer with few weaknesses, all aspects of the question are addressed | ||
| Score 5 | Excellent answer with no significant weaknesses | ||
Your final score is a combination of both scores (e.g. 5A), although some universities do not consider the quality of English in their marking. Also be aware that two separate examiner’s mark each essay to avoid unfair bias. This can lead to some applicants getting an average between two different scores (e.g 3.5B).
Results for the BMAT are released on November 25th and can be accessed via the Metritests system online. If you want to find out more about BMAT marking, be sure to check out our BMAT Scoring and Results Guide.
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BMAT Universities
Now it’s time to look at all of the universities in the UK that require the BMAT. We’ll be categorising these universities by their scoring statistics into High, Average and Low scoring universities. What are the values for these rankings?
Good BMAT Score
6.0+
Average BMAT Score
4.0 – 6.0
Low BMAT Score
-4.0
The data provided isn’t a reflection on the quality of each medical school, but simply shows which ones will consider applicants with lower or higher BMAT scores. The 6 BMAT Universities are as follows:
For international students, you should also be aware that the University of Manchester currently requires some non-UK applicants to sit the BMAT. However, details of how they use your results are currently unavailable.
Which Unis Require a Good BMAT Score?
From the statistics available, these universities require the highest BMAT scores in order to comfortably get an interview. As mentioned before, this doesn’t mean that these are the best medical schools, but they will require a more competitive score. Let’s take a look:
(All dates listed are the year of entry, not the year the exam was sat).
Brighton and Sussex Medical School
BSMS is unique, as they score the BMAT out of 37, with 9 marks for Section 1, 18 marks for Section 2 and 5 marks for each element of Section 3. All applicants are then ranked according to their score and invited to interview according to how many spaces are available.
An overall cut-off score is put in place which varies from year to year. Additionally, there is a cut-off for each individual sections (ie you must fulfil ALL of these requirements) unless there are extenuating circumstances:
- Section 1: a score of at least 3 or higher
- Section 2: a score of at least 6 or higher
- Section 3: a score of at least 2.5 C or higher
Previous BSMS BMAT Cut-Off Scores (UK)
2023 – 21.4
2022 – 17.3
2021 – 17.8
Previous BSMS BMAT Cut-Off Scores (International)
2023 – 24
2022 – 19.5
2021 – 18.8
University of Cambridge
As the highest rated medical school in the UK, it’s not surprising to see in this category. The BMAT is used holistically alongside the personal statement and grades to decide who to invite to interview, and who should be offered a place.
They state that there is no ‘pass’ mark, and those who achieve a higher BMAT score are more likely to be interviewed. As they interview over 70% of applicants, it probably plays less of a part here, and more in the final decision.
One aspect of Cambridge’s admissions process that makes ranking it more difficult is the college system. Some colleges give more weighting to the BMAT in their selection process (unlike Oxford, whose process is central), meaning it’s some colleges will have higher averages than others. Be sure to ask the admissions office/people you know at the colleges if you’re interested to know more.
The University of Cambridge does not operate a BMAT Cut-Off Score.
Lowest Offer-Holder BMAT Score (2020)
Section 1: 3.5
Section 2: 1.6
Section 3: 1.5
Average Offer-Holder BMAT Score (2020)
Section 1: 6.5
Section 2: 6.5
Section 3: 3.5
University of Oxford
Oxbridge Universities are highly-known for their incredibly selective admissions process, so much like Cambridge, it’s no surprise seeing Oxford in this category.
At Oxford, BMAT results are used alongside GCSE performance (alongside other factors) to determine short-listing and who to call to interview. For the numerical ranking using the GCSE and BMAT scores, both are evenly weighted.
Each BMAT section is not given equal weighting – as far as we know, Section 1 and Section 2 are weighted at 40% each, whereas Section 3 is weighted at 20%.
The University of Oxford does not operate a BMAT Cut-Off Score.
However, they have suggested in the past that a 6.0 in Sections 1 and 2 are recommended to be considered competitive.
Lowest Offer-Holder BMAT Score (2020)
Section 1: 3.9
Section 2: 3.2
Section 3: 2
Average International Offer-Holder BMAT Score (2020)
Section 1: 7.28
Section 2: 6.9
Section 3: 3.67
Average Offer-Holder BMAT Score (2021)
68.9%
So three med schools fit into this category according the commonly used metric for “Good” BMAT Scores. In terms of the universities that are here, Oxford seems to objectively be the most demanding university in terms of their averages, with Cambridge not too far behind. BSMS has a more complicated marking scheme, which means we can’t rank it in the same way as we do the other universities here. However, the difficulty there is the consistency you need to maintain, as each section has an individual cut-off score to meet. Oxford and Cambridge are much more conventional in their marking, which shows us that the average applicant is going to need to be scoring in the 6.0s to stand a good chance.
With so few unis in this category, the good news is that applicants are going to have more choices and more of a safety net in the event that the BMAT doesn’t go well for them.
However, it’s important to be clear that these higher scores are the scores you should be working towards. Every applicant that sits the BMAT shouldn’t be aiming for a score that’s “good enough”. The higher you’re able to score in this exam, the more competitive your application will be and the more likely you’ll be to get your spot on your dream course!
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Which Unis Accept an Average BMAT Score?
These unis sit in the middle of the spectrum with fairly standard cut-off scores and results statistics. As said before, you will stand a decent chance at these universities with a 5.0 – 6.0 score.
Imperial College London
At Imperial, a cut-off score is calculated using the ranked candidate BMAT scores vs number of interview sessions. This means the cut-off changes each year, but previous years may be used as guide. (Note that Imperial have confirmed they will move to the UCAT in 2024 for 2025 Entry).
Previous ICL BMAT Cut-Off Scores (UK)
2021 – 10.9 (Sections 1 & 2)
2.5C (Section 3)
2020 – 10.9 (Sections 1 & 2)
2.5C (Section 3)
Previous ICL BMAT Cut-Off Scores (International)
2021 – 12.3 (Sections 1 & 2)
3C (Section 3)
2020 – 13.3 (Sections 1 & 2)
3C (Section 3)
Average Offer-Holder BMAT Score (2021)
Section 1: 5.9
Section 2: 5.9
Average Offer-Holder BMAT Score (2020)
Section 1: 5.4
Section 2: 5.0
University College London
There is no cut-off as BMAT scores are used alongside the UCAS application. High scores in each Section will strengthen an application. Candidates with scores that are below the average for their cohort are less likely to be successful.
Note: as of 2020, they no longer discuss Section 3 at interview.
University College London does not operate a BMAT Cut-Off Score.
Average BMAT Score Interviewed (2021)
Section 1: 5.8
Section 2: 5.8
Section 3: 3.3A
Average Offer-Holders BMAT Score (2021)
Section 1: 5.7
Section 2: 5.8
Section 3: 3.4A
Average BMAT Score Interviewed (2020)
Section 1: 5.7
Section 2: 5.8
Section 3: 3.4A
Average Offer-Holders BMAT Score (2020)
Section 1: 5.9
Section 2: 5.8
Section 3: 3.4A
All of the universities here have very achievable score thresholds and averages, meaning an above average score is going to stand out more amongst the crowd! None of these unis have particularly complex marking schemes or rankings, although it’s worth remembering that UCL no longer discuss the Section 3 essay in your interview. This doesn’t mean the score isn’t considered, it just means you won’t have to remember everything you wrote when your interview comes around.
Which Uni Accepts a Low BMAT Score?
Based on figures that are publicly available, we have found that just one UK medical school could be described as accepting low BMAT scores:
Lancaster University
Applicants who meet the minimum academic entry requirements are ranked according to their total BMAT score. Lancaster University calculates the total BMAT score by combining the individual scores for Sections 1, 2 and 3. Section 1 is scored out of 9; Section 2 is scored out of 9, and Section 3 is scored out of 5.
Lancaster BMAT Cut-Off Score (2022)
8.9
Average BMAT Score Interviewed (2021)
11.8
Average Offer-Holders BMAT Score (2021)
12.1
Average BMAT Score Interviewed (2020)
11.7
Average Offer-Holders BMAT Score (2020)
11.8
Claiming that any medical schools accept a “low” BMAT score is somewhat misleading in reality, as it implies low entry standards. Every medical school in the UK hold very high standards for applicants, meaning the admissions process is never going to be easy or accepting of inadequate students. While some schools have lower thresholds or averages than others, each university will place greater importance on different areas of the admissions process.
In cases where applicant’s with lower BMAT scores are accepted for interview or offers, it’s almost always the case the other aspects of the application have carried them through to success. Every university is looking for higher BMAT Scores, but it’s never the only thing they consider. Sometimes, a personal statement or a large amount of work experience can make a major difference in the admissions team’s perception of you as an applicant.
So the key lesson to learn here is this: Always aim for a high BMAT score.
A lower BMAT score isn’t necessarily the death of your application, but your chances of success are much more uncertain as you’re going to be relying on the other aspects of your application. The applicants who show strength in every part of the admissions process are the most likely to get the place, so put the work in while you can to make sure you’re in the the best position you can be!
Of course, getting the best score will require preparation, so why not check out our BMAT Section Guides to learn more about everything you need to know in the BMAT:
International BMAT Universities
One thing that many people may not realise is that the BMAT is not just used in the UK. The exam is actually used in a whole variety of countries for medical university admissions. The two continents you’ll find it in are Europe and Asia, so let’s take a quick look at the universities outside of the UK that will require you to sit the BMAT.
It should be noted that most European universities will require the BMAT to be sat in February. In some cases it can also be sat in October alongside Asia and the UK, this will be pointed out when applicable.
BMAT Europe
*BMAT can be sat in February or October.
BMAT Netherlands
In 2023, the BMAT Netherlands will be sat on February 19th.
BMAT Malaysia
The BMAT Malaysia is identical to other versions of the BMAT but requires a different registration process. The exam is used exclusively by The University of Malaysia. You will need to visit their website in order to begin the registration process. Like the BMAT Netherlands, you will be sitting the test on February 19th.
BMAT Asia
Note that all of these universities will sit the BMAT in October.
BMAT Thailand
- Chiang Mai University
- Chulalongkorn University
- King Mongkut's Institute of Technology Ladkrabang
- Mahidol University Faculty of Medicine Ramathibodi Hospital Mahidol International Dental School
- Srinakharinwirot University
- Thammasat University: CICM and Dentistry
It is recommended that you explore the website of your chosen university in order to find the most up-to-date information on when and how the BMAT will be sat, as well as the registration process where it differs from standard BMAT registration.
Should I apply To 3 BMAT Universities?
This is a common question we hear a lot, so we thought it would be good to end on this topic. The answer isn’t a simple one, as it massively depends on what your aim is. This question is asked regularly, for example, we saw this question on a Student Room thread:
Here is what one of the replies read:
We fundamentally disagree with the advice. While the sentiment behind it is true, it depends on what the aim is. If the aim is ‘to get into medical school‘ then we fully agree with the reply – it’s silly to apply to lots of BMAT universities because it’s an unknown variable at the time of applying.
However, if the aim is to ‘get into Oxbridge, Imperial or UCL‘ (for example), then it makes perfect sense to apply to 3 BMAT universities and try to prepare ultra-hard for the exam.
Of course, one could argue that ‘all medical schools are the same, therefore, it’s stupid to want to go to Oxbridge/Imperial/UCL at the risk of missing out altogether’, but that’s a topic for another day.
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