Background to BMAT

The Problem

Universities face a range of challenges. There are those that need to differentiate between an over-supply of ostensibly good quality candidates and those that seek to find more candidates to fill their places. It is by no means unusual to have a faculty that differentiates but is located within an institution that, in general, recruits as many candidates as it can. The challenge of broadening access whilst having to select can really only be said to apply to those HEIs and faculties requiring differentiation.

Tackling the Problem

Academics asked Cambridge Assessment to research, and construct an assessment solution that:
  1. Enabled them to differentiate between candidates who appear to be equally well qualified and suited to be offered places.
  2. Provided a way of assessing the potential of students whose ability might not be reflected in their grades.
  3. Gives students without a tradition of HE the confidence to aim for a place.

The Broad Solution

We believe that the best way of answering the questions lies in some form of aptitude testing that supplies different, additional, data that can be used alongside current mainstream examinations and interviews to deliver transparency and fairness.
The question then is what aptitudes should be assessed?
Cambridge Assessment researched the aptitude known as Thinking Skills. Sometimes described as a capability akin to reading and writing, Thinking Skills are becoming recognised as a key means of assessing academic potential. By assessing Thinking Skills it is possible to find out if a student has the potential to benefit from higher study, more so than may be the case in respect of content-based exams.

Our Analysis

The analysis which we have conducted to date is quite clear, and we believe, posits answers to the questions posed.
  • It is a better predictor than anything else available of performance at year one.
  • It is certainly possible to screen out those unlikely to really take advantage of the best of Higher Education, thereby ensuring that the UK is taking advantage of the real talents of its population.
  • It is also possible for the test to demonstrate that those without the best of A-levels (for various reasons) have the potential to take advantage of the best of HE – which can then be factored into the interview and offer process.

Related Research

John Bell, of the Cambridge Assessment Research Division, has produced a response to a paper in the September 2005 issue of the BMJ by McManus et al. that was described in The Guardian as placing aptitude tests for medical admissions under withering academic fire. This response can be downloaded here.

Frequently asked questions

Q. Why do we need these tests?
A. There are many highly selective faculties in UK Higher Education that get very large numbers of very well qualified applicants. In many cases the great majority of these all have or are predicted to get three Grade A’s. We consider that Thinking Skills tests such as those within BMAT can provide useful additional information to help make fairer admissions decisions.
Q. Does that mean that A-Levels are failing?
A. No. A-Levels do an excellent job. If you look at the 200,000 candidates who typically take 3 A-Levels each year, their grades are spread quite widely over the range. The vast majority of university entrants will still use A levels and vocational qualifications to enter Higher Education. The Thinking Skills Tests we use for admissions purposes are designed to discriminate between applicants who are getting the highest grades at A level.
Q. How do Thinking Skills Tests like BMAT differ from IQ tests? What do the tests measure?
A.
Exactly what is an “IQ test”? It’s a rather vague concept. BMAT is clearly defined in a published and freely available document, with the specification available on the website. It measures two specific thinking skills, Problem Solving, and Critical Thinking. There is a clear link between these skills and the demands of a typical course in Higher Education.
Critical Thinking questions test the ability to understand another person’s argument or reasoned opinion, and then analyse and evaluate it for logical consistency. These are useful skills for anyone to learn or improve.
Q. Can you be coached or “crammed” for the BMAT?
A.
An approach to Critical Thinking can be taught, and the skills will improve with familiarity and practice.
We encourage this because we think these skills are really worthwhile: they are useful skills in many walks of life, and very important for success in higher education. It is possible for anyone to do this with the help of freely and publicly available materials like the ones on the Cambridge Assessment websites.
What you cannot do is to be taught to answer as if you were a performing seal. There are no simple short cuts – you really do have to think the answers through.
Q. How does BMAT differ from A-Level?
A.
A-Levels do require an element of thinking skills, of course, but they measure a broad mix of other things, including knowledge, subject-related skills, and how hard you work.
BMAT is designed to focus on particular aptitudes that are important in Higher Education. Indeed they are essential if a student is to be successful in a course, and we think they are skills worth learning in their own right for many everyday purposes.
Q. How do you know the tests are any good?
A.
Our Thinking Skills tests were originally devised by a researcher at the University of East Anglia, and they have evolved over at least 10 years, so this type of test is not new. Cambridge Assessment has full confidence in the quality and consistency of these tests, which are set and marked to the highest standards as you would expect from Cambridge Assessment, the UKs global assessment organisation.
Experience of teaching in Higher Education strongly suggests that the Thinking Skills we measure are important for successful study. We have found a positive link between the scores that applicants get for Thinking Skills tests and their subsequent marks in University Examinations, and this is helping to confirm the usefulness of the tests. We are also encouraged by the fact that they are being used increasingly by staff responsible for University admissions.
Q. Aren’t there enough/too many tests?
A.
Anything that tells applicants more about their suitability for courses must surely be to everyone’s advantage. Any test that provides extra information that is useful in making decisions on admissions will increase the fairness and openness of the system and again must surely be to everyone’s advantage.
These tests are currently taken well away from the peak A-Level examination period and so there’s no reason for them to interfere with A-Level studies.
Q. Aren’t they just being used for a piece of social engineering?
A.
The important thing is to admit the most suitable candidates as fairly as possible. The specifications for our tests are freely and publicly available. Everyone can familiarise themselves, and practice and improve their thinking skills. It is hard to think of a more level playing field; the tests are as fair as we know how to make them.
Also, we are gathering data on how applicants from different sectors of education perform in the tests, and we’ll use this data to provide feedback to make the tests even fairer in the future.