Frequently Asked Questions - Centres



Q. What is BMAT?
A. The BioMedical Admissions Test (BMAT) is a two hour pen and paper test consisting of three sections.
  • Section 1: Aptitude and Skills (60 minutes - 35 multiple choice questions)
  • Section 2: Scientific Knowledge and Applications (30 minutes - 27 multiple choice questions)
  • Section 3: Writing Task (30 minutes - 1 essay question from a choice of 3)
For details on the purpose of the test, test format, qualities to be assessed and the structure of the test scoring and the test format please refer to the BMAT Test Specification (113Kb).

The BMAT should be invigilated as any other public examination.

Return to top
Q. When should a candidate take the BMAT?
A. A candidate should take the BMAT in the admissions cycle in which they are applying to university, so this year, applicants applying in the 08/09 admissions cycle will be required to register for and sit the BMAT this November.

We ask that centres refrain from entering candidates for practice purposes as it is a timely process to identify candidates who are genuinely applying to an institution and to ensure that their results are released to universities.

Both Cambridge Assessment and the BMAT universities take a dim view of candidates taking the test if they are not applying to study at the institution. Entries are monitored on a yearly basis to identify centres that are putting forward candidates who genuinely do not need to take the BMAT.

Return to top
Q. What is the date and time of the BMAT?
A. The date of the BMAT is Wednesday 5th November 2008. We ask that you start the test at 9.30am GMT.

For international centres, where there is a substantial time difference, please contact the BMAT Support Team at admissionstests@cambridgeassessment.org.uk or phone +44 (0)1223 553366 to confirm the test start time.

Return to top
Q. What are the key dates for the 2008 BMAT session?
A. The key dates are:

Requests for modified question papers - 19 September 2008
Standard entry closing date - 30 September 2008
Late entry closing date - 15 October 2008
Test date - 5 November 2008

Return to top
Q. How much is the BMAT entry fee?
A. The standard BMAT fee for a UK candidate is £31.00 Sterling and £54.00 Sterling for an International candidate up until midnight on Tuesday 30 September 2008.

You may, at your discretion, accept late entries between Wednesday 1 October and Wednesday 15 October 2008 but these will incur a late entry fee. UK candidates will be charged £62.00 Sterling and International Candidates will be charged £108.00 Sterling.

'Open' centres may also add a reasonable administrative fee to cover costs relating to invigilation, administration tasks, despatch costs etc.

International centres wishing to advertise the cost of the BMAT in Euros or US Dollars should contact the BMAT Support Team for the conversion rate as set by Cambridge Assessment.

'Open' centres may wish to ask candidates for payment before they sit the test. 'Closed' centres should make their own arrangements with their candidates about payment.

All centres will be invoiced by 10 November 2008.

Return to top
Q. If I know that paying a BMAT entry fee is going to cause a financial difficulty to a family/candidate, what can I do?
A. If the entry fee is going to cause a candidate financial difficulty and they are a candidates from within the E.U in receipt of full Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA), or the equivalent, you may apply for their BMAT fees to be reimbursed.
Candidates registered at a 'Closed' centre, should apply to Cambridge Assessment via their exams officer, head of sixth form or careers officer. Candidates at an 'Open' centre may contact us directly by writing to:

The BMAT Team
1 Hills Road
Cambridge
CB1 2EU
United Kingdom

outlining their circumstances. Candidates should be aware that proof of financial difficulty will be asked for where it is felt applicable.

Standard entry fees will be reimbursed to candidates who have taken BMAT and applied to a BMAT university. Late entry penalties and administration fees will not be reimbursed.

No requests for reimbursement of the BMAT entry fee will be considered after Monday 1st December.

Return to top
Q. Where can I find out more about the test specification for BMAT?
A. For the specification of the BMAT, please refer to the PDF 'Specification - what is tested by BMAT' which can be found on the Practice the test section of this site.

Return to top
Q. Does Cambridge Assessment recommend any study guides or courses in preparation for the BMAT?
A. We do not endorse any study guides or courses.

We do recommend that you refer to 'Preparing for BMAT: the official guide to the BioMedical Admissions Test' (ISBN: 9780435280130), which is available from harcourt.co.uk or alternatively from amazon.co.uk and is written by the people who set the test.

Return to top
Q. What if a candidate is applying to more than one University that requires BMAT?
A. A candidate only needs to sit the BMAT once, regardless of how many BMAT universities s/he is applying to.

Please note that Cambridge Assessment abides by the invisibility rule whereby universities are released results for their applicants only.

It is important that when registering a candidate for the BMAT that they are entered under the name as submitted on their UCAS form - this helps to speed up matching candidate's results and ensures that there is no delay on the University receiving results.

Return to top
Q. How do I become a BMAT registered centre?
A. If you are a registered centre for OCR, CIE, ESOL or registered on the UK National Centre Network (NCN) then you are automatically a registered centre.

If you are unsure, please email the BMAT Support Team or telephone +44 (0)1223 553366 quoting your school/college name and address.

If you are not a registered centre, you may request to be set up as one, subject to satisfying certain criteria. Please email the BMAT Support Team with your school/name, email address and the position you hold at the school, briefly outlining your reasons for wishing to become a registered BMAT centre.

Return to top
Q. What is meant by the terms 'Closed' centre and 'Open' centre?
A. A 'Closed' centre is the term used for a centre that administers the BMAT to its own candidates only.

An 'Open' centre is the term used for a centre willing to administer the BMAT to external candidates. An external candidate is one which has no association with a registered BMAT centre.

As an 'Open' centre you are entitled to add a reasonable administrative fee to cover the additional administrative work involved. Candidates should be made aware of the administrative fee in advance or at the time of registration.

External candidates can find out where they can register to take the test by visiting the 'List of Open Centres' section of this website.

Return to top
Q. As a Centre, what are our obligations?
A. While it is the responsibility of the candidate to make sure that they are registered for the BMAT, it is your responsibility to make sure that the entry is made as a candidate cannot register themselves.

On registering a candidate, you undertake to:
  • enter the candidate on the Entries Extranet
  • inform the candidate what time the BMAT will start
  • give/email or send the candidate their BMAT candidate number (while it is not obligatory for the candidate to use it for their UCAS application, it is confirmation to a candidate that they have been registered).
  • make sure that any Access Arrangements are registered through the Entries Extranet
  • make sure that a candidate's Access Arrangements are applied on the day of the test
  • make sure that any Special Consideration(s) are written on centre letterheaded paper and sent to Cambridge Assessment within seven working days of the test being taken, to:

    BMAT Support Team
    Special Considerations
    1 Hills Road
    Cambridge
    CB1 2EU
    United Kingdom

  • make sure that procedures are in place for the candidate to be sent their results. These will take the form of a Statement of Results and an explanation of the results
  • modify any entries up until 15 October 2008
  • if an 'Open' centre you should check, before or on the day of the test, the candidate's proof of identity in the form of a photo driving licence or passport.

Return to top
Q. How do I register my candidates?
A. Whether you are an 'Open' or 'Closed' centre entries need to be made via the Entries Extranet. The Extranet is a secure online website that allows you to make, view, modify and withdraw entries.

The Extranet can be found at www.entries.cambridgeassessment.org which will begin accepting entries for BMAT from July 2008

If you are using the Extranet for the first time, you will need login details (username and password) to gain secure access to it. You can notify us that you need login details either by submitting a form online through the Centre Status section of this site or by emailing us directly at admissionstests@cambridgeassessment.org.uk.

You may need new login details if the person responsible for making BMAT entries at your centre has changed.

Please note that those centres with login details from previous BMAT sessions may still use them for the 2008 session.

If you do not receive your login details in the form of an email within 24 hours (or one working day) of your request being made, please email admissionstests@cambridgeassessment.org.uk as a matter of urgency.

The Entries Extranet has been redesigned for 2008 to allow centres to make entries for all admissions tests administered by Cambridge Assessment.

Return to top
Q. What information do I need to register a candidate?
A. You will need:
  • Full name (as it will appear on the candidate's UCAS application; this is important when it comes to matching up candidate results)
  • Date of Birth
  • Gender
  • Access arrangement requirements (and reasons) where applicable
  • Name of university or universities (if applying to more than one institution requiring BMAT) and course code(s).
If a candidate is thinking of applying to Cambridge or Oxford, they will need to let you know which College they wish to apply to. They can be entered under an 'open application' but if they do not choose a College, it is likely that the university will allocate a College to them. You can find the 'open application' option at the bottom of the drop down list of Colleges on the Entries Extranet candidate entry page. This option can be altered until the Final Entries Date, Wednesday 15 October 2008. No charge is made for amendments.

When entering a candidate, please do not randomly select/tick all institutions/course codes. Please ensure that you know which university or universities your candidate wishes to apply to and whether they wish to study medicine, veterinary science or physiological sciences. This will determine whether they are eligible to take BMAT.

Return to top
Q. The BMAT falls in our half term. What do we do?
A. We have checked the half term dates for a majority of the LEAs in the United Kingdom and have not identified any areas where the 2008 BMAT session falls in half term and thus do not anticipate any clashes. For centres that set their own term dates and are going to be on half term and therefore unable to host the test session, we will endeavour to have local open centres available for candidates to register at and sit the test.

Unfortunately, the date of the forthcoming BMAT session cannot be changed. The BMAT will take place on Wednesday 5 November 2008.

If your centre is not able to administer the test for your candidates then they are advised to find an Open Centre.

If your candidates attend an open centre you should not make their entries as they will need to be entered through the open centre at which they will sit the BMAT.

Return to top
Q. What if a candidate comes to see me who needed to have registered for and sat the BMAT but has not?
A. If a candidate forgets to register for the BMAT or did not realise that they needed to take the test and therefore misses the test date, s/he will need to approach the university admissions office requiring BMAT directly to explain their situation.

Candidates should be made aware that failure to sit the BMAT is likely to result in an unsuccessful application to the candidate's chosen university.

Return to top
Q. How do I make payment to Cambridge Assessment for my BMAT entries?
A. Please do not send a cheque for your BMAT fees until you have received an invoice from Cambridge Assessment. An invoice from UCLES (University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate) will be sent to you during the week beginning 20th October 2008. Cambridge Assessment does not currently accept credit card payments for BMAT entries.

Return to top
Q. I have a candidate(s) with learning or physical needs. Where do I report these?
A. There is an Access Arrangements section on the BMAT Entries Extranet to be filled in when entering a candidate for the BMAT.

You may, in some cases, ask for medical evidence particularly if you have an external candidate applying to sit the BMAT at an open centre.

Candidates requiring a lap-top will only need it for Section 3 (the 'Writing Task') since Sections 1 and 2 are multiple choice.

Return to top
Q. Can a candidate use a calculator?
A. No, calculators are not permitted.

Return to top
Q. What are the regulations regarding the use of dictionaries?
A. Dictionaries, electronic dictionaries, translators, wordlists or glossaries must not be used.

Return to top
Q. What are the regulations regarding the use of bi-lingual dictionaries and extra time for candidates without English as a first language?
A. Neither bi-lingual dictionaries nor extra time are permitted for candidates without English as a first language.

The BMAT universities feel that as a test for candidates wishing to study medicine/physiological sciences and veterinary science within the UK, it is not appropriate for a bi-lingual dictionary to be used.

Return to top
Q. How do we return test materials?
A. Test materials will be collected within the UK by DHL. A telephone number will be provided for you to arrange for the collection of test materials.

If you are sending BMAT materials from abroad, we suggest that you use DHL or an alternative courier service.

Return to top
Q. How do we receive the results?
A. BMAT results will be posted out to you for release on Monday 1 December. Results should NOT be released before this date. Each candidate will be issued with a Statement of Results and an explanation of the BMAT scores.

Results should NOT be distributed before 9am on Monday 1 December.

Return to top