critical thinking bmat questions

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BMAT Past Paper Compilations with Free Worked Solutions

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

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

BMAT S1 Past Papers

| BMAT Past Paper 2023 Section 1

| BMAT Past Paper 2019 Section 1

| BMAT Past Paper 2018 Section 1

| BMAT Past Paper 2017 Section 1

| BMAT Past Paper 2016 Section 1

| BMAT Past Paper 2015 Section 1

| BMAT Past Paper 2014 Section 1

| BMAT Past Paper 2013 Section 1

| BMAT Past Paper 2012 Section 1

| BMAT Past Paper 2011 Section 1

| BMAT Past Paper 2010 Section 1

| BMAT Past Paper 2009 Section 1

| BMAT Past Paper 2008 Section 1

| BMAT Past Paper 2007 Section 1

| BMAT Past Paper 2006 Section 1

| BMAT Past Paper 2005 Section 1

| BMAT Past Paper 2004 Section 1

| BMAT Past Paper 2003 Section 1

BMAT S2 Past Papers

| BMAT Past Paper 2023 Section 2

| BMAT Past Paper 2019 Section 2

| BMAT Past Paper 2018 Section 2

| BMAT Past Paper 2017 Section 2

| BMAT Past Paper 2016 Section 2

| BMAT Past Paper 2015 Section 2

| BMAT Past Paper 2014 Section 2

| BMAT Past Paper 2013 Section 2

| BMAT Past Paper 2012 Section 2

| BMAT Past Paper 2011 Section 2

| BMAT Past Paper 2010 Section 2

| BMAT Past Paper 2009 Section 2

| BMAT Past Paper 2008 Section 2

| BMAT Past Paper 2007 Section 2

| BMAT Past Paper 2006 Section 2

| BMAT Past Paper 2005 Section 2

| BMAT Past Paper 2004 Section 2

| BMAT Past Paper 2003 Section 2

Biology BMAT Past Papers

12 | Inheritance and Genetics

11 | Homeostasis

4 | Digestion

6 | Respiration

5 | Cell Division

6 | Nervous System

3 | Natural Selection

5 | Genetic Engineering

2 | Cell Structure

1 | Heart and Circulation

3 | Kidneys

1 | Carbon Cycle

Physics BMAT Past Papers

10 | Electricity

3 | Speed, Distance, Time

1 | S.I. Units

9 | Energy and Work Done

2 | Density

2 | Electromagnetism

9 | Radioactivity

Chemistry BMAT Past Papers

4 | Atomic Structure

3 | Separation

14 | Calculations

1 | Electrolysis

5 | Structure and Bonding

1 | Equilibria

9 | Balancing Equations

3 | Reactions & Elements

3 | Organic

Maths BMAT Past Papers

18 | Algebra

1 | Transformations

2 | Calculations

5 | Area & Length

4 | Trigonometry

6 | Probabilities

2 | Graphs and Gradients

Critical Thinking BMAT Past Papers

1 | Assumptions

2 | Conclusions

4 | Inferences

5 | Strengthening Evidence

6 | Weakening Evidence

8 | Conclusions (IMAT)

9 | Conclusions 2 (IMAT)

10 | Assumptions (IMAT)

11 | Flaws (IMAT)

12 | Effect of Evidence (IMAT)

13 | Applying Principles (IMAT)

14 | Matching Arguments (IMAT)

BMAT Section 3 Essay Plans

1 | BMAT 2016 Q1

2 | BMAT 2016 Q2

3 | BMAT 2016 Q3

4 | BMAT 2017 Q1

5 | BMAT 2017 Q2

6 | BMAT 2017 Q3

7 | BMAT 2018 Q1

8 | BMAT 2018 Q2

9 | BMAT 2018 Q3

BMAT S3 Past Papers

| BMAT Past Paper 2019 Section 3

| BMAT Past Paper 2018 Section 3

| BMAT Past Paper 2017 Section 3

| BMAT Past Paper 2016 Section 3

| BMAT Past Paper 2015 Section 3

| BMAT Past Paper 2014 Section 3

| BMAT Past Paper 2013 Section 3

| BMAT Past Paper 2012 Section 3

| BMAT Past Paper 2011 Section 3

| BMAT Past Paper 2010 Section 3

| BMAT Past Paper 2009 Section 3

| BMAT Past Paper 2008 Section 3

| BMAT Past Paper 2007 Section 3

| BMAT Past Paper 2006 Section 3

| BMAT Past Paper 2005 Section 3

| BMAT Past Paper 2004 Section 3

| BMAT Past Paper 2003 Section 3

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We cover every BMAT Past Paper Question

S1: critical thinking.

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

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

Introduction

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

Conclusions: Theory

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

Conclusions: Questions

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

Assumptions: Theory

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

Assumptions: Questions

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

Flaws: Theory

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

Flaws: Questions

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

Evidence: Theory

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

Evidence: Questions

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

Inferences: Theory

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

Inferences: Questions

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

Principles: Theory

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

Principles: Questions

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

Parallels: Theory

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

Parallels: Questions

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

S1: Problem Solving

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

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

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

Date & Time: Theory

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

Date & Time: Examples

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

Pin Codes: Theory

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

Pin Codes: Questions

Speed + Distance: Theory

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

Speed + Distance: Qs

Tabular Data: Theory

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

Tabular Data: Questions

Mathematical Qs

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

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

Spatial Reasoning I

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

Spatial Reasoning II

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

Cubes: Theory

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

Cubes: Questions

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

Graphical Data: Theory

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

Graphical Data Qs

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

Data Analysis: Theory

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

Data Analysis: Questions

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

S2: Biology + Chemistry

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

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

Inheritance & Genes

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

Homeostasis

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

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

Respiration

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

Nervous System

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

Natural Selection

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

Genetic Engineering

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

Cell Structure

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

Cell Division

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

Heart and Circulation

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

Atomic Structure

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

Calculations I

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

Calculations II

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

Calculations: % Yield

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

Structure and Bonding

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

Balancing Equations

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

Separation Techniques

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

S2: Physics + Maths

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

Waves I: Properties

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

Waves II: Light

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

Waves III: Sound

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

Waves IV: EM Waves

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

Electricity I: Charge

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

Electricity II: Circuits

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

Electricity III: Power

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

Energy I: Work Done

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

Energy II: KE & GPE

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

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

Radioactivity

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

Algebra: Rearranging

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

Algebra: Index laws

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

Algebra: Inequalities

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

Algebra: Area & Length

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

Trigonometry

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

Probabilities

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

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

Graphs and Gradients

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

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

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

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

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

Marking Section 3

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

Choosing Your Question

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

Planning Your Essay

Essay Content

Writing Your Essay

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

Proofing Your Essay

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

Essay Tips 1-5

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

Essay Tips 6-10

Essay Tips 11-15

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

Essay Plans 2003-2006

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

Essay Plans 2007-2010

Essay Plans 2011-2014

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

Essay Plans 2015-2019

Example Essays 1-4

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

Example Essays 5-9

Example Essays 10-15

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

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

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

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

→How many BMAT Past Papers are there?

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

→How hard is the BMAT Exam?

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

→What is a good BMAT score?

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

→What is in the BMAT Test?

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

→When should I start preparing for BMAT?

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

→Is BMAT harder than UCAT?

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

→How long should you revise for BMAT?

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

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

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

→Where can I access free BMAT Questions?

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

→Where can I access free BMAT resources?

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

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BMAT Section 1 Guide – Critical Thinking and Problem Solving

Home » Application Guide » BMAT Section 1 Guide – Critical Thinking and Problem Solving

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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.

Section 1 of the BMAT is, of course, your first step into the medicine admissions assessment. This section is all about Thinking Skills which, unlike Sections 2 and 3, you should be familiar with from the UCAT. They’re not identical though, so let’s take a look at everything you need to know to ace the first section of the BMAT!

The Basics of the BMAT

Since this guide is about Section 1, this might be your staring point for the BMAT entirely! We would highly recommend checking our BMAT Introductory Guide before going further here, but we’ll just go over the basics here as well.  

The BMAT is an admissions exam you sit if you’re applying to study Medicine, Biomedical Sciences or Dentistry at some universities. There are far fewer universities in the UK that require this exam compared to the UCAT (although there is a wide variety of international medical schools which require it). Therefore, depending on your medical school choices, you may not need to sit the BMAT if you are only applying to UCAT universities . Below you can find the full list of UK Medical Schools which require the BMAT:

As you can see, some of the top medical schools in the UK use the BMAT, including Oxford , Cambridge and UCL , so this clearly isn’t going to be an easy admissions test. You can learn more about how these universities use your BMAT score in our BMAT University Guide .  

BMAT Structure

The BMAT lasts a total of 2 hours and is split into three separate sections:

• Section 1 : Aptitude and Skills (32 questions, 1 hour)
• Section 2 : Scientific Knowledge and Applications (27 questions, 30 minutes)
• Section 3 : Writing Task (1 essay, 30 minutes)

Each Section is sat ‘separately’, so you do Section 1, and at the end of the hour, you hand in your paper. Then you get given Section 2 to do and so on. Calculators aren’t allowed during any part of the exam.

BMAT Time Pressure

The biggest challenge in the BMAT is the time pressure. The questions themselves are tough but certainly do-able if you had all the time you wanted. However, in the exam, you only get 112 seconds per question in Section 1.

That means you’ve got to be really ruthless with how you approach the exam. If a question looks tough, skip it and come back. If you’ve spent a minute barking up the wrong tree, just make the best guess and move on. There’s no negative marking, so you don’t need to spend ages on the first few questions only to run out of time and miss a load of easy ones at the end.

This change of mindset is something loads of students find really tough because it’s very different from exams you’ve done in the past. It goes against the natural instinct to want to try and get every question right. Those students who can appreciate it and change will be the ones who do better, so it’s important to get used to this.

How is the BMAT Scored?

The BMAT uses 2 separate marking methods; one for Sections 1 and 2 and one for Section 3. This is due to the different question types, as the first two sections are multiple-choice and Section 3 is an essay.  

BMAT Sections 1 & 2

These questions are initially marked based on the number of answers you get correct, creating your raw mark. There is no negative marking, so incorrect answers do not affect your score.  

Your raw marks are then converted into a BMAT score that sits on a scale between 1.0 and 9.0. Each section is marked separately, so you will have a seperate score for each (although some universities will combine these scores or convert these scores into their own ranking method). Also note that each section will have a different conversion table that changes from year to year.  

BMAT Section 3

As this is an essay, the marking isn’t as simple as counting the amount of correct answers. For the BMAT, a scoring format was create to rank both the quality of content and the quality of language:

When marking essays, two examiners are required to mark each one in order to avoid bias. If their scores differ by 1 point, the average of the two will be used (which is why you will see scores like 3.5A)  

All universities will consider Section 3 in some form, although some will not take the language ranking into account.  

To learn more about how the BMAT is scored, including how scores are converted and what would be considered a “Good BMAT Score”, check out our BMAT Scoring Guide.  

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What is BMAT Section 1?

We’ve briefly touched upon what you can expect from Section 1 of the BMAT, so now it’s time to go deeper!

What do we know already? Section 1 of the BMAT is a one-hour long test of thinking skills which sees you answering 32 multiple-choice questions. What do we mean by thinking skills though?  

  BMAT Section 1 is further split up into two parts focusing on two different skillsets. These are:

Critical Thinking

Problem solving.

These two question types will test you on very general skills that will be incredibly important in all aspects of the medical field. They cover verbal, logical and mathematical abilities which aren’t specific to any subject, meaning this section isn’t going to require any content knowledge.

BMAT Section 1 Scoring

Section 1 of the BMAT is scored out of 32 total marks which are converted to a scale from 1.0 to 9.0. This isn’t a linear scale and will change slightly from year to year based on a few different factors.

Take a look at the results from 2020 and 2021:

BMAT Section 1 Score Distribution Chart 2021

Bmat section 1 score distribution chart 2020.

In Section 1, 25% of test-takers scored between 5.0 and 6.1 and 10% of applicants scored over 6.2 in 2020 . Meanwhile, 2021 had a much narrower window of record scores, with ~63% achieving a score between 3.5 and 5.5. It’s uncommon to get higher than 6.0 in either section of the BMAT, but achieving a score on that level will be extremely valuable to your application.  

So, we’ve discussed just about everything in Section 1 of the BMAT, except the actual questions! So now it’s time to move onto what you need to study and prepare for, starting with critical thinking.  

BMAT Critical Thinking

Critical Thinking is an important skill for doctors and scientists. A lot of things in science are not known for sure, so the ability to understand and evaluate arguments is critical for you to form your own viewpoints. Therefore, admissions teams want to see applicants demonstrate these skills, hence it’s inclusion in the BMAT.

How do these questions work exactly? You’ll be given a block of text to read (usually 4-5 lines), making an argument for or against something. The topic could be anything, and while this can be a bit off-putting, everything you need to answer the question is in the passage, you don’t need your own knowledge. On that same note, even if you happen to be an expert on the topic, don’t bring in your own knowledge – the passage is all that matters and any external information will have no relevance to the question!

The topics can be on anything, but there are only 6 overall question types that you actually need to be prepared for. They are as follows:  

• [1] What is the main conclusion of the passage?

[2] What conclusion can be drawn from the passage?

[3] identify an assumption., [4] identify a flaw in an argument., [5] which statement strengthens/weakens the argument, [6] which option parallels the reasoning used in the above argument/best illustrates the principle underlying the argument (logic)..

The best way to effectively explain how these work is to look at some practice questions and worked solutions, so let’s get straight into it!  

BMAT Critical Thinking Practice Questions and Worked Solutions

[1] what is the main conclusion.

The conclusion here is given to you at the end of the passage. ‘Social media…has undermined democracy’ is analogous to ‘democracy has been made weaker by the use of social media’.

It won’t always be as clear cut, and sometimes the conclusion will be embedded in the middle of the passage.

The most common incorrect answer students put here is B, and this shows how you really need to pick out the information in the passage and be specific.

Yes, social media is technological development, but the passage states that the internet helped democracy by empowering people, and there’s no way from the passage to tell the relative impacts.

This is a common theme that will come up time and time again. Look for the most specific conclusions, rather than grand sweeping statements. The bigger the statement, the more likely an assumption or a flaw is undermining it.

Let’s look at what we’ve been told.

• cVJD is a brain disease caused by eating infected beef
• Infected cows aren’t around anymore
• The gene to do with cVJD has three combinations
• Everyone who died of cVJD had MM until last year -> so this is going to be the bad variant
• One person with MV died
• 38% of the population has MM and 51% has MV variants

Now let’s look at the options.

Taking it right back to basics, what is an assumption?

An assumption is something that, although unstated, needs to be true for an argument to be valid. Looking at the passage, there are two parts to the argument for police body cameras.

First is that cameras encourage better police behaviour to the public. Statement 1 would be an assumption underlying this – if you read it through, the level of force the police use must sometimes be excessive, or else they wouldn’t need to be filmed.

Likewise, with the second part which states body cameras are better because officers must warn everyone that they are being filmed, this would only be necessary if the public weren’t aware bystanders were filming them, making statement 3 a true assumption.

The correct answer is C.

Often these questions look a bit intimidating, but simplicity is key. This is a classic example where one experience is used to justify a viewpoint.

Often, the flaws are things we talk about in science all the time – not doing repeats to ensure reliable results and saying something is true or false all the time (which is really hard to prove).

There are two parts to these questions, but hopefully, they’re reasonably straightforward.

First, you need to understand what the passage is arguing. In this case, rugby and other contact sports allow young people to channel their aggression, so that they aren’t going to be violent in the community/outside sport.

Then go through the statements and decide if they would strengthen or weaken the argument, as the question demands. Often the options will provide more information or clear up an assumption.

Statement 1 supports the argument, as it says rugby is the only form of controlled aggressive sport you could play in school.

Statement 2 also supports the argument, as it gives more weight to the point that without rugby, young people will be violent in the street.

Statement 3 weakens the argument as it says that rugby is the only school sport where head or spinal cord injuries are possible, so there must be better ways for children to be active.

The key sentences in this passage are the last two: If the prince’s whereabouts had remained a secret, the level of risk could have been managed.

But since his whereabouts were not a secret, risk management was not possible’. There’s a couple of ways you could run with this.

One would be to try and draw parallels between the options.

Here, the tide is analogous to the prince, and the island is the risk. The tide being out is like the prince’s whereabouts being known, and if the tide is out the island can be reached (aka the prince is at risk).

So therefore, if the tide isn’t out, the prince’s whereabouts aren’t known, and the island and the prince can’t be reached.

This might not work for you, and that’s OK, find what works for you!

If you’ve got a bit of time before the exam, it’s worth having a look at some logic stuff, it’s really interesting and it’s quite handy to know some when you debate mates studying philosophy!

Otherwise, just go through the past papers and find a way that works for you, and again remember we aren’t aiming for full marks. Think tactically, if it doesn’t seem obvious just guess and move on. You lose nothing and the time you gain might help you answer the rest of the questions.

This last question type is a bit more uncommon than the other 5, as from time to time the examiners like to chuck in a more out-there logic puzzle.

Don’t worry if you’ve never studied philosophy or logic formally before, you can still work it out your own way, just have a think and remember if you aren’t getting anywhere after a minute or so just guess and move on.

BMAT Critical Thinking Tips

Here are a few tips to help you in your during Critical Thinking questions:

• Always read the question first. In some exams similar to this, advice is to not read the passage at all and go straight to the question. The passages in the BMAT aren’t long, so it’s still worth going through them, but it’s always best to read the question first, as you will then be able to look for anything relevant when reading the passage.
• Stick to what the question asks. If the question is asking about the conclusion to be taken from the passage, you’re more than likely going to find this at the end, so focus on analysing there.
• Use process of elimination. Be sure you understand all of the options in the answer key, and rule out options as you analyse the passage to make the final decision easier.
• Don’t spend too much time. Remember, you don’t have too much time per question here, so don’t spend ages trying to decide between two options. If you really can’t figure out which is correct, just make a guess to give yourself a chance of gaining the mark.

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BMAT Problem Solving

This is generally regarded as the second part of the BMAT, although there isn’t any actual order or separation to the question in the exam paper, so neither part is first or second!  

Problem Solving sounds like an incredibly generic category that could cover almost anything, but thankfully it’s not that broad. Problem Solving questions in the BMAT are essentially numerical based questions that require some form of mathematics or spacial reasoning to solve. This isn’t pure mathematics that your would see in a typical maths exam, as each problem is scenario based and requires situational context in order to answer correctly.  

But how does this relate to medicine? Being a doctor is all about solving problems. A patient comes to you with a variety of signs and symptoms, and from this limited information, it’s up to you to come to a diagnosis. Whilst in the BMAT, they can’t get you to diagnose patients but they can test your ability to solve problems where the information isn’t all there and the approach to the problem is hidden.

The question types are generally much more varied than the Critical Thinking questions, but they can be separated into three broad categories:

• ‘Classic’ Problem Solving
• Interpreting data from tables and graphs
• Spatial reasoning

An important thing to note is they’ve removed a question style. Previously, you could get given a large block of text with some figures and be asked a set of questions on the data. Keep an eye out for this when you do past papers.

As with Critical Thinking Questions, it’s best to discuss these in the context of actual questions and solutions.

BMAT Problem Solving Practice Questions and Worked Solutions

Let’s start with the “classic” Problem Solving questions you may face in the BMAT. What does this mean exactly? Essentially they are questions that will require you to use verbal and numerical information to work out some form of quantity or sum. This could relate to anything from time to money to something random like ‘bins’, as you’ll see in the first question!

[1] "Classic" Problem Solving Worked Question

The biggest tip for Problem Solving is diagrams are your best friend!

The questions in the BMAT are written to be confusing, to hide the information you need, and to put everything in the wrong order that you need.

Trying to arrange all the information in your head, and solve the question is basically impossible and you’ll likely get into a muddle and use up your 100 seconds.

Make diagrams and arrange the information in a way you can use it. For example, a diagram for this question might look like this:

We are told that there are two bins by each seat, so starting from the seat at the start of the walk there are 5 bins in the 400m until the next seat. If the walk is 3.2km long, then there will be 8 lots of 5 bins, plus 2 bins for the seat at the end of the walk, giving a total of 42 bins.

You may be thinking “do I really need to draw a diagram of that, won’t it take too long and it seems a pretty straightforward question”, but the key to the BMAT is exam technique, more so than any exam you’ll have sat before.

The more you practise these questions, the quicker you’ll become at spotting the patterns they use and drawing suitable diagrams. If you just start by drawing a diagram, you won’t waste time deciding whether you need to draw a diagram.

[2] "Classic" Problem Solving Worked Question

It’s for questions like this that drawing diagrams becomes essential. There’s a lot of information to take in here. The key bits to me are the floors on the list, the direction of travel and the time taken.

A good diagram looks like this:

First, the floors have been written in order, so it becomes clear which way the lift will move.

Next, the travel times between floors have been added.

From floor 11, the lift is going to go first to floor 15, as it’s the closest floor.

From 15, floors 6 and 24 are both 9 floors away, however, the lift will continue up to 24 because it is in the direction the lift was previously travelling.

Then the lift will go down to 6, then to 4.

The question wants to know the total time elapsed to travel from floor 11 to floor 4. It takes 3 seconds to travel up or down one floor, so from floor 11 to floor 14 it will take 12 seconds. The lift will stop each floor for 9 seconds.

Totalling up all the time, we get 12 + 9 + 27 + 9 + 54 + 9 + 6 = 126 seconds

Next there are Table and Graph questions. This one is pretty self-explanatory; you’re going to need to use data from a table or graph to answer a question relating to situation the data is based on.  

[1] Tables And Graphs Worked Question

Starting with the table, the headings show 5 people and the times they enter and leave the office.

Draw a table showing the time each person was in the office between the hours of 10 and 12, and you’ll see Sanna is clearly ahead.

It’ll look something like this:

But an even quicker way would be to look at the time each person was not in the office.

Sanna is not in the office for just 16 minutes, and then working down the list you can see each person has a spell longer than 16 minutes out of the office, so without doing any calculations you can see Sanna is in the office the most.

This is another great trick as there’s often a shortcut you can use – the purpose of these questions is to test your ability to come up with novel calculations and solutions, so be aware that there’s often a better, less obvious way to do these questions.

[2] Tables And Graphs Worked Question

The key here is to not get bogged down reading all the data in the table.

Read the headings, to understand what data you’ve been given, and then read the question to find out what you need to know.

Here, the headings are mobile phone use, a list of people and time spent. The question wants you to pick the person whose mobile phone use matches the pie chart.

By eye, you can see the pie chart splits into 2 1/3rds, 1 1/6th and 2 1/12ths, so the minutes need to be 2 lots of x, 1 lot of 2x and 2 lots of 4x.

Going back to the table, Dolly would fit this (2 lots of 20, 1 lot of 40, 2 lots of 80).

[3] Tables And Graphs Worked Question

This is another question with a lot of information.

Skimming through highlighting the key points, we have the cost of pizzas, details of promotional discounts, a clarifying statement, and a pizza order.

The question asks for the cheapest possible cost of the pizza, so work backwards through the data.

Add another column to the table with the final cost of each pizza including toppings.

There are 7 pizzas, so from the promotions, you can get 1 free and 1 half price.

There are no restrictions, so the best way to save money is to make the most expensive pizza free and the second most expensive pizza half price.

This means the final cost is $5 + $8 + $6 + $8 + $9 + $5 = $41.

Lastly there are Spacial Reasoning questions. These ones require a slightly different outlook, as you’re going to be solving problems based on visuals elements. Typically, you’re going to need to provide the correct interpretation of a shape or visual element based on the examples provided to you. Let’s take a look at a question:

[1] Spatial Reasoning Worked Question

The first thing to do is work out what you’re looking at, and which dice is which.

• We are told that on one dice the faces add to 5 and on the other, the faces add to 9.
• We can see 3 and 2 are not opposite each other on the left dice, so that must be the one adding to 9
• Likewise, we can see 5 and 4 are not opposite each other on the right dice so that must be the one adding to 5.

Now we can work through the options, first working out which dice it is and then whether it’s a possible view.

A and B both have the same arrangement of 3 and 2, so are the 9 dice.

We can also immediately eliminate them as options because we know that the 3 and 2 make an arrow towards 5.

C must be the 5 dice, as it has a 1. This view does match up with the dice, so C is the correct answer.

D must be the 9 dice and is incorrect as the 6 should be a 3. E must be the 5 dice and is incorrect because the 3 should be a 2.

Another trick you could use here is to draw out nets.

It’s really common for them to give you cubes or tetrahedrons to interpret, so if you can quickly draw out a net that can really help you visualise the problem.

You might feel silly ripping up a piece of paper in the exam, but nothing is stopping you and if it means you get that extra mark it’s definitely worth it!

BMAT Problem Solving Tips

Here are a few tips to help you solve these BMAT problems:

• You won’t have a calculator, so be sure to practice your mental arithmetic. Look out for numbers that multiply or divide easily, often that’s a hint you need to use them.
• For questions with graphs and tables, start with the headings. This will help you hone in what you need to look out for in the data.
• Cubes and tetrahedrons come up all the time for spatial reasoning, so make sure you’re comfortable in your understanding of them in this context.

That covers all the questions you can expect to see in Section 1 of the BMAT! Exams like these can either be somewhat easy or very difficult depending on the type learner you are. Some people are going to be able to click with this logical manner of thinking pretty quickly, while others may require more practice. It’s not a topic that can be revised for in the traditional sense that you’re likely used to, as their’s no facts to learn or formulas to memorise; it’s all about your method of thinking.

• The majority of your preparation is going to be practice questions and past papers, so do as many of these as you can. You’ll find over 6,000 practice questions available at BMAT.Ninja to try!
• Don’t be afraid to make notes and draw diagrams, as this will allow you to make better sense of the information in the question. Practice doing this quickly so you don’t use up too much time.
• The best way to solve a question may not be immediately obvious, keep an open mind when you’re reading the question.
• To do really well at the BMAT you don’t need full marks, play the game and you’ll do fine!

That’s a lot of stuff to go through in one go! But that’s only 1/3rd of the exam, so be sure to check out our other BMAT Section guides to get a better understand of the whole thing:

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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
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• | BMAT Past Paper 2010 Section 1 Question Paper Mark Scheme
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• | 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
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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

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→ What is BMAT?

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

→ What are BMAT past paper compilations?

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

→ Why are BMAT past paper compilations useful?

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

→ What are free worked solutions?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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BMAT Section 1

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.

BMAT Section 1 Explained

• Understand Section 1 of the BMAT
• Learn more about the key skills being tested
• Get the best Section 1 tips

Jump to Section

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

Section 1 of the BMAT uses multiple-choice questions to assess your problem solving and critical thinking skills. You’ll be given either a passage of text or piece of information in the form of a diagram, data set or graph. You’ll then be asked a question and you have to pick from five potential answers.

You’ll have one hour to answer 32 questions in BMAT Section 1. You won’t be penalised for getting a question wrong, so you should attempt to answer every question.

This section is divided into 16 problem-solving questions and 16 critical thinking questions. The types are mixed together in the test, with questions presented in order of difficulty.

Boost Your BMAT Section 1 Score

Get Doctor-designed strategies trusted by top schools

Key Skill: Problem-Solving

There are no pure mathematical questions in BMAT Section 1. Instead, these BMAT questions are designed to test problem-solving abilities using basic mathematical skills. You are not allowed a calculator so the questions rely on you using mental arithmetic, pen & paper and problem-solving to get around the need for complex calculations!

You will be required to solve problems using simple numerical and algebraic operations.

Problem-solving questions might cover:

• Speed, distance and time calculations
• Logical reasoning
• Spatial reasoning
• Deductive reasoning
• Partial table questions
• And more…

Key Skill: Critical Thinking

The verbal questions in BMAT Section 1 are designed to assess your critical thinking and your ability to understand arguments. The BMAT test will ask you to identify conclusions, assumptions and flaws in arguments presented in short passages of text, as well as identify which options might strengthen or weaken the argument.

This got updated in 2020, when all questions became ‘single answer’ format. The structure of critical thinking questions is:

• 100 – 150 word argument
• Five answer options to choose from

Previously there were combination answer options, which meant you’d see the argument and the question, followed by three different statements and you could choose from five to seven answers.

With critical thinking, you’ll need to identify things like:

• Conclusions
• Assumptions
• Argument flaws
• Strengthening points
• Weakening points
• Reasoning or structural errors

Section 1 Tips

• Prepare your mental maths. Practise with past GCSE maths papers and try to build your speed with calculations.
• Read widely to boost your comprehension. Practise until you can quickly identify unreliable or ambiguous information in data.
• Treat Section 1 like the UCAT Verbal Reasoning section. Read the question, look out for trick words, don’t make assumptions.
• Practise with past papers. Use our BMAT Question Bank and read our detailed guide on how to use BMAT past papers .

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

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Mastering BMAT Section 1: Critical Thinking Skills

The Biomedical Admissions Test (BMAT) is a rigorous exam required for applicants to study Medicine, Biomedical Science, and Dentistry at several universities in the UK and worldwide. It consists of three sections: Section 1 - Aptitude and Skills, Section 2 - Scientific Knowledge and Application, and Section 3 - Writing Task. Here we'll focus on mastering Section 1, which assesses your critical thinking, problem-solving, and data analysis skills. Here's how to excel in BMAT Section 1:

Understanding the Test Format:

- Section 1 has 32 multiple-choice questions.

- Questions are divided into three types: Problem-Solving (nine questions), Critical Thinking (nine questions), and Data Analysis (14 questions).

- Each question is worth one mark. There is no penalty for incorrect answers.

 Tips for Problem-Solving Questions:

1. Read the Question Carefully: Understand what's being asked. Often, the problem-solving questions are worded in a way that requires you to think beyond the obvious.

2. Use the Given Information: Every piece of information provided in the question is there for a reason. Use it to your advantage.

3. Stay Logical: Use your reasoning skills. Eliminate unrealistic or impossible scenarios.

 Tips for Critical Thinking Questions:

1. Evaluate Arguments: These questions often present a scenario with an argument for or against a particular situation. Assess the validity of the argument and the evidence provided.

2. Consider Different Perspectives: Often, there's more than one way to look at a situation. Consider the implications from different viewpoints.

3. Identify Logical Flaws: Be on the lookout for common logical fallacies, such as circular reasoning or false cause and effect.

 Tips for Data Analysis Questions:

1. Understand the Data: Take your time to read and understand the data provided in tables, graphs, or charts.

2. Identify Trends: Look for patterns or trends within the data. This can help you answer questions that require inference or prediction.

3. Be Careful with Extrapolation: While you can make reasonable predictions based on data, be cautious when extrapolating beyond the provided information.

 Overall Strategies:

1. Practice Regularly: Familiarize yourself with the types of questions and the format. The more you practice, the more comfortable you'll become.

2. Time Management: Section 1 is timed, so use your time wisely. Some questions may take longer to answer than others, so don't spend too much time on a single question.

3. Review Your Answers: If you have time at the end, review your answers. Sometimes, you'll notice a mistake or realize a better way to answer a question

Remember, the BMAT is designed to assess your skills and abilities, not just your knowledge. Practicing these skills regularly will not only help you excel in the BMAT but also in your future studies and career.

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• The Complete BMAT Section 1 Guide

Last Updated: 25th May 2018

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 .

BMAT Section 1 is renowned for being difficult to prepare for, but there are powerful shortcuts and time-savers you can use.

This section is considered difficult to prepare for because it does not feature traditional required knowledge as you would find in the majority of tests taken during your education. Instead, it tests you on a variety of general Thinking Skills, hence the name, which do not specifically relate to medicine or science. 

However, while revising through textbooks is mostly unhelpful here, there is still plenty you can do to practice and prepare for the test. This guide will explain the basics of Section 1 and provide you with tips on how to succeed. Let’s get started: 

BMAT Section 1: Thinking Skills Overview

Bmat section 1 timings.

32 questions | 60 minutes

You have approximately 112.5 seconds per question; this may sound like a lot but given that you’re often required to read and analyse passages or graphs – it can often not be enough. Nevertheless, this section is not as time-pressured as Section 2 so most students usually finish the majority of questions in time. The people who fail to complete Section 1 are those who get bogged down on a particular question and waste time.

Here’s an example of a typical BMAT Section 1 Thinking Skills question taken from our Medicine Programme , where you can get access to thousands of practice questions, solutions and much more. The worked answer can be found at the bottom of this guide, attempt it and see how you do!

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 Programme  by clicking the button below to  enrol and triple your chances of success.

BMAT Critical Thinking

BMAT Critical Thinking questions require you to understand the constituents of a good argument and be able to pick them apart. The majority of BMAT Critical Thinking questions tend to fall into 3 major categories, which we will now explain in-depth.

Identifying Conclusions

What is a conclusion?

A conclusion is a summary of the arguments being made and is usually explicitly stated or heavily implied. It’s common for students to mix a conclusion up with a premise.

What is a premise?

A premise is a statement from which another statement can be inferred or follows as a conclusion.

Hence a conclusion is shown/implied/proven by a premise. Similarly, a premise shows/indicates/establishes a conclusion.

For example: My mom, being a woman, is clever as all women are clever.

Premise 1: My mom is a woman + Premise 2: Women are clever = Conclusion: My mom is clever.

Identifying Assumptions + Flaws

An assumption is a reasonable assertion that can be made on the basis of the available evidence.

 A flaw is an element of an argument that is inconsistent with the rest of the available evidence. It undermines the crucial components of the overall argument being made.

Consider for example: My mom is clever because all doctors are clever.

Premise 1: Doctors are clever. Assumption: My mom is a doctor. Conclusion: My mom is clever.

What if the mother was not actually a doctor? This argument would break down because the assumption is incorrect or flawed.

• How Do Universities Use the BMAT?

Strengthening and Weakening arguments

You may be asked to identify an answer option that would most strengthen or weaken the argument being made in the passage. Normally, you’ll also be told to assume that each answer option is true. A good argument has three components:

Evidence | Logic | Balance

In order to strengthen or weaken an argument, look for points that tip the scales on any of these components. These questions are arguably the hardest to prepare for but there are useful techniques you can employ to solve questions more quickly. Two favourites are:

Construct Equations

This is essentially turning writing into numerical data. For example “Mark is twice as old as Jon” could be written as M=2J.

Drawing Diagrams

When a question asks about timetables, directions or sequences, you should draw a diagram. Look at the example below: the information is much easier to decipher when drawn out.

Tips and Tricks for BMAT Critical Thinking

• Don’t get confused between premises and assumptions. A premise is a statement that is explicitly stated in the passage. An assumption is an inference that is made from the passage.
• Though it initially sounds counter-intuitive, it is often best to read the question before reading the passage. Then you’ll have a much better idea of what you’re looking for and are therefore more likely to find it quicker.
• In some cases, you may not even need to read the passage in full. Usually they are fairly short, so reading through the whole thing doesn't take much time. But, if you're running low on time or find a longer passage with a lot of filler, it may be better to skim through it quickly to find the important details. Always assess this carefully though, and read through the passage in full if you aren't able to figure out the answer the first time.

BMAT Problem Solving

This is the second question type within Section 1 of the BMAT and can seem pretty generic on first impressions. In actuality, Problem Solving essentially means questions linking to mathematics, data interpretation and spatial awareness skills, the kind of things you would see in a typical maths test. These three skills actually make up the three categories of questions you will find in the paper, although the actual questions will be much more varied than the categories imply. 

Traditional Problem Solving

The first type of question here is the closest to a traditional mathematics question, although it doesn’t cover more complex topics such as Algebra or Geometry. 

Essentially, these questions will provide you with a selection of information and figures which you must use in order to determine a sum or quantity. The catch is that these questions are almost always scenario-based, meaning all the information you will be using is contextualised into a real-world situation rather than a basic equation. The answers will typically be presented in a real-world measure as well, be it time, currency, weight, etc. 

The issue you may find when working through these questions is finding the relevant information. These questions will usually provide more information than is necessary to find the answer, whether it be by adding extra people to the scenario or including red herrings in the figures provided. Part of the challenge of these questions is to determine what is important and what is not in order to get the questions right. 

Not every question will be a purely mathematical problem, as some will be more logic-based, requiring the process of elimination to determine the true or false statement or organise a selection of samples based on their requirements. 

Here’s an example question:

Michael, a taxi driver, charges a call our rate and a rate per mile for taxi rides. For a 4-mile ride, he charges £11 and for a 5-mile ride, £13. How much does he charge for a 9-mile ride?

The correct answer is E. 

Working algebraically, using the call out rate as C, and rate per mile as m.

So, C + 4m = 11

C + 5m = 13

Hence; (C + 5m) – (C + 4m) = £13 – £11

Substituting this back into C + 4m = 11

C + (4 x 2) = 11

Hence, C = £3

Thus, a ride of 9 mile will cost £3 + (9 x £2) = £21.

Tables and Graphs

As the name suggests, these questions are all about interpreting data from tables and graphs. Although the actual content of these won’t be too complicated, the challenge comes from the sheer amount of data you may have to work through and the limited amount of time you have to do so. 

If the Traditional Problem Solving questions sometimes provide you with unnecessary information, these questions always will. You are never going to need to use all of the data in the table for these questions, so you will need to read the question thoroughly in order to ensure yu understand exactly what you are looking for. 

The actual questions are usually written in a similar manner to the first kind, with the major difference being the larger amount of data you now need to sort through. You will also need to use basic arithmetic most of the time.  

Sarah has a jar of spare buttons that are a mix of colours and sizes. The jat contains the following assortment of buttons:

Sarah wants to use a 25mm diameter button but doesn’t mind if it is cream or yellow. What is the maximum number of buttons she will have to remove in order to guarantee picking a suitable button on the next attempt? 

E) None of the Above

The correct answer is A. 

The total number of buttons is 71 + 86 + 83 = 240. The total number of suitable buttons is 22 + 8 = 30. Thus, she will have to remove a maximum of 210 buttons in order to guarantee picking a suitable button on the next attempt.  

Spatial Reasoning Questions

These last questions are the most different out of the three as they are more dependent on visual capabilities compared to mathematical skill.

Essentially, these questions will task you with answering a question relating to an image or images of a shape. One common example of this is determining the correct image of a die based on example images. In this case, you would need to look at the numbers displayed on the side of the die to see which of the potential answers matches with the example. 

While mathematics can be involved in the questions sometimes, these are much more dependent on your ability to visualise a shape in order to determine a transformation or alternate view. You won’t be measuring angles or diameters here, you simply need to determine the correct answer based on the image you are provided. 

How many different positions can you place an additional tile to make a straight line of three tiles? 

The correct answer is C. 

Tiles can be added at either end of the 3 lines of 2 tiles horizontally or at either end of the 2 lines of 2 tiles vertically. This is a total of 10, but in two cases these positions are the same (at the bottom of the left-hand vertical line and the top of the right-hand vertical line). So, the answer is 10 – 2 = 8.  

Tips and Tricks for BMAT Problem Solving

• Calculators aren't allowed in the BMAT, so you will be limited to your own mental arithmetic. You're not going to need to calculate complex equations in your head, but poor mental arithmetic and really slow you down unnecessarily.
• You will often have to deal with three-dimensional shapes such as cubes during the spatial awareness questions, so make sure you revise the concepts behind these.
• When a question includes a graph or table, take a look at the heading first in order to help you understand exactly what you're looking at before analysis.

Finally, the worked solution to the example question at the start – how did you do?

Now that you know more about BMAT Section 1, it’s time to move on to Section 2 and Section 3 , so be sure to check out our expert guides for both. If you want to find out how you can triple your chances of BMAT success,  discover our BMAT Tuition Programme today and book a free consultation session. You can also view our collection of past papers for the BMAT to help you in preparation for upcoming admissions tests.

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BMAT Subject Guide

The bmat past papers are great, however this excellent resource breaks down the official content by subject and question category allowing you to target your revision and break down your preparation into manageable topics. ​.

BMAT Section 2 Assumed Knowledge Guide

BMAT Section 1 Question Guide

This online resource represents a good introduction into bmat section one, although lacks the detail of the bmat section 2 assumed knowledge guide. ​​.

Official BMAT Specification

The official specification offers a useful list against which you can monitor and cross reference your preparation. ensure that you do not omit any important bmat topic by crossing off essential bmat topics as and when you cover them.  .

BMAT Past Paper Worked Solutions

So you've completed all of the official BMAT content and you are keen on additional BMAT Section 1 practice; attempt the following free practice questions which are written by the same examiners as BMAT.

YouTube -> BMAT

A simple bmat search on youtube and you will have access to tens of bmat tutorials.

Check out our page which is packed with free BMAT questions and Mini Mock Exams. ​

OCR Critical Thinking (Unit 2)

So you've completed all of the official bmat content, and you've even finished the tsa oxford papers. looking for additional bmat section 1 critical thinking practice make the most of the (now retired) ocr critical thinking unit 2 a-level past papers..

More important than what resources you have, is how you use those resources. Keep in mind that the purpose of practice questions is not so that you learn the right answers, or to get an idea of what score you might get in the actual exam.....the purpose of practice questions is to teach you the techniques required to succeed in each BMAT question type. Whilst the BMAT questions will change year on year, the techniques required remain exactly the same. Repeated practice of BMAT resources will affirm and embed these techniques, allowing you to succeed in this vitally important examination. ​

Guides & Info

BMAT Section 1: Practice Questions and 16 Expert Tips

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.

BMAT Section 1 is known as 'Thinking Skills' and tests your critical thinking and problem solving skills against the clock.

To understand the whole exam, read this BMAT overview .

Here's a breakdown of BMAT Section 1.

Section 1 is often compared to the Verbal Reasoning and Quantitative Reasoning sections of the UCAT . You need considerable practice to master the timing. Practising for one of these exams will help you with the other.

This section requires excellent command of the English language and sharp mental maths skills, but does not generally exceed GCSE level.

Learn more about the differences between the UCAT and the BMAT.

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

32 multiple choice questions in 60 minutes. 

The questions are a mixture of critical thinking and problem solving (a 50:50 split). There are five options for each question.

Timing differs between the sections, so learn about timing for BMAT Section 2 and BMAT Section 3 to ensure you're aware of the different sub-skills and specifications.

Problem solving questions

These are designed to assess your ability to select relevant information, identify similarity, and determine and apply appropriate procedures.

They require the use of basic maths operations:

• Simple fractions
• Percentages operations
• The four rules of number 
• Everyday calculations 
• Time and the calendar
• Basic measures

Tables and graphs

Types of problem solving questions

There are three main types of problem solving questions: relevant selection, finding procedures, and identifying similarity.

1. Relevant selection

You’ll be presented with lots of information and you have to work out the answer by picking out the relevant information.

2. Finding procedures

Sometimes all the information you have will be relevant to the question but you still can’t find the answer. 

For this type of question, you’ll have to work out what mathematical operations you need to perform to get your answer.

3. Identifying similarity

For this type of question, you’ll normally be given some information or data in the form of a table or a graph and you have to identify patterns and similarity in the data.  

Critical thinking questions

Critical thinking is a lot like UCAT Verbal Reasoning. You are given a large amount of text and have to reach a conclusion in a short amount of time. It’s important not to consider any prior knowledge of the topic you may have.

There are seven types of critical thinking questions:

1. Identifying the main conclusion

You’ll be given an argument and you have to identify which, out of the five options, is the main conclusion.

‍ 2. Drawing a conclusion  

You’ll be given a passage and then five conclusions. You need to identify which conclusion is best followed by the passage. This is different to identifying the main conclusion because the conclusion won’t be written in the passage.

‍ 3. Identifying assumptions 

You’ll be given an argument and you have to identify the assumption that has been made.

4. Assessing the impact of additional evidence 

You’ll be given an argument and you have to decide which out of the five options would strengthen or weaken the argument if it were true.

‍ 5. Detecting reasoning errors 

For this type of question, you need to find the flaw in the argument. 

6. Matching arguments

You need to choose an argument that matches the pattern or structure of the first argument.

7. Applying principles

You’ll be given an argument and you have to choose which of five statements best summarises the argument’s underlying principle.

How is BMAT Section 1 marked?

You’ll get a raw score out of 32, which will then be scaled into a score out of 9, with 9 being the maximum. Typically a good score is above 6 and exceptional students will get above 7.

To find out more, check out our article: What is a good BMAT score?

16 tips to prepare for BMAT Section 1

1. read the testing guide.

The testing guide has a lot of useful information about BMAT section 1. You’ll be able to use this information to improve your understanding of the section and of the style of questions. The testing guide also comes with worked examples. Use the worked examples to get an understanding of what examiners are looking for and how an examiner would approach the section.

2. Have a strategy

Critical thinking questions tend to be quite similar from year to year in the sense that there are only seven types of questions, as mentioned above, and there isn’t much variation within the question types. If you have strategies to nail each style of question, you’ll be in an excellent position to ace this section. 

3. Use the practice papers

The official BMAT website releases past papers from previous years to help guide your preparation. Doing the past papers will allow you to measure your progress. They’ll help you to see what kind of questions you need to focus on and how to tailor your plan. There are around 18 years worth of practice papers available to you on their site.

You could also do Section 1 practice papers of the TSA (Thinking Skills Assessment) . The questions for this section are very similar to questions in Section 1 of the BMAT. Doing these practice questions will mean that you have access to an even wider range of questions. 

4.  Be careful about which past papers you use

The content and style of exam questions have changed over the years. To get the most realistic understanding of how you’re doing, use the most recent papers. They’ll be closer to what you’ll face.

There are some specific changes to BMAT Section 1 from 2020:

• The number of questions has been lowered from 35 to 32 multiple choice questions. The length of time to answer them has not changed, so you get a bit longer to spend on each question.
• There will no longer be any long passages followed by four questions. It will still be multiple choice but with five options to choose from.
• Section 1 no longer includes the use of data analysis or inference questions.

5. Nail the maths

These are the maths skills you’ll need for the problem solving section.

Number concepts 

• Basic fractions 
• Place value 
• Percentages 

Numerical operations

• Subtraction 
• Multiplication 
• Percentage calculations
• Calculating means

Quantities 

• Times and dates 

- 1 km = 1000 m 

- 1 m = 100 cm 

- 1 cm = 10 mm 

- 1 kg = 1000 g

Space and spatial reasoning

• Working out information from graphs
• Working out information from tables

You won’t have a calculator in the BMAT so it’s important to be confident in your mental maths. This will help you save valuable time. Doing mental maths quizzes will help you work on your speed. 

6.  Estimation

To help speed up your mental maths, use estimation. If there are big differences between the answer options, then round the numbers you need to use to make the calculations easier.

Be careful how you are rounding. If you round all your answers up, then you might have a larger answer than the actual answer. If the differences between answer options aren’t that big, then don’t use estimation. For example, if the answer options are:

A) 1,000,000

B) 2,000,000

C) 3,000,000

D) 4,000,000

You can use estimation. But if the answer options are:

Then the differences are too small for you to use estimation.

7.  Know when to move on

It’s okay to not know the answer. The BMAT is supposed to be challenging and this section is no different. You don’t need to get every question right to do well in the BMAT. Some questions are there to slow you down. Don’t let them do their job. 

If you realise that the question is difficult, guess an answer, note the question number, and move on. This will make sure you can get through the whole paper. Once you’ve finished the section, you can then come back and use all the time you have remaining on the questions you’ve guessed.

8. Don’t use prior knowledge

If you see a passage on something you know really well, it can be tempting to use your own knowledge. You need to focus on what’s in the passage and the arguments in the passage.

For example, if a passage is discussing a scientific topic like sound waves, you need to make sure you set aside all the knowledge you have about sound waves and focus purely on the passage.

9. Question first, then passage

Read the question first and then read the passage. If you read the passage first, it’s likely you’ll have to read the passage again once you’ve read the question. This is just a waste of time. Reading the question first will keep you focussed on what you actually need to find.

Look for keywords in the question and scan for them in the passage. Once you’ve found the keyword in the passage, read a little above and below to understand the context.

10. Know your keywords

Although you won’t be tested on your knowledge of these words, knowing what they mean will help you to answer critical reasoning questions. 

• Conclusion: This is the summary of the argument that is being made.
• Premise: Statements that support or give a reason for the conclusion.
• Assumption: An idea that’s not stated in the passage that’s required for the conclusion to follow.

11. Don’t let the data scare you

It’s likely that you’ll be given a lot of information and a lot of data. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by it all. Remember, some problem solving questions are assessing your ability to pick out relevant information, so not all the information before you is relevant.

Quickly skim through the information. Reading the headings of graphs and tables will give you a good idea about what is involved in the data. 

12. Educated guesses

You don’t lose marks for incorrect answers, so it’s always worth guessing if you’re not entirely sure about the answer.

If possible, use the process of elimination to narrow down your answer options before guessing.

13. Read newspaper and magazine articles 

Reading newspaper and magazine articles will help you to familiarise yourself with the style of passages in the BMAT. You can use the articles to practise your skim-reading technique. You can also use them to practise critical thinking. While reading, ask yourself:

• What are the conclusions in this?
• What are the premises?
• What assumptions are being made?

You could also use A-level critical thinking textbooks. These textbooks have a range of exercises on reading passages critically.

14. Underline the conclusion

When you’re reading the passage, underline the conclusion in the argument. This will act as a reminder when you’re trying to work out assumptions or reasoning errors. 

15.  Draw diagrams

Some problem solving questions will involve spatial reasoning. Drawing diagrams will help you visualise the problem and make it easier to solve. Practise drawing diagrams during your preparation so you can draw them quickly in the exam. 

16. Use algebra

Some problems become much easier to solve when you turn them into an algebraic equation. Often simple algebra can be the key to solving a question. It’s important that you’re comfortable with algebra. Being able to convert information into algebraic equations will usually be the first step to solving some of the questions.

For example, 'David is three times older than Jane. Jane is 6 years younger than Alex' can be written as 'D=3J' and 'J=A-6'.

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IMAT Critical Thinking (Logic): Resources and Strategies

Ace the critical thinking section of the IMAT exam with our guide. Discover valuable resources and strategies to help you prepare and succeed.

Additional related resources

Ari Horesh University of Pavia, Italy

The IMAT Critical Thinking section examines students’ ability to think critically and apply logic to solve problems. It is crucial to master this section to achieve a high score on the exam. 7 types of logic are commonly tested in this section, and each requires a specific approach:

• Summarising the main conclusion: This type of question involves identifying the main conclusion of an argument or passage. To excel in this type of question, it is important to understand the key points of the argument and the relationship between them.
• Drawing a conclusion: This type of question involves drawing a logical conclusion based on the information provided. To excel in this type of question, it is important to understand the premises and the logical relationship between them.
• Identifying an assumption: This type of question involves identifying an implicit assumption that underlies an argument. To excel in this type of question, it is important to understand the argument and identify the unstated assumptions that are necessary for the argument to be valid.
• Assessing the impact of additional evidence: This type of question involves evaluating the impact of additional evidence on an argument. To excel in this type of question, it is important to understand the argument and how the additional evidence affects the conclusion.
• Detecting reasoning errors: This type of question involves identifying errors in reasoning, such as logical fallacies or false premises. To excel in this type of question, it is important to understand the types of errors in reasoning and how to identify them.
• Matching arguments: This type of question involves matching arguments with their corresponding conclusions or assumptions. To excel in this type of question, it is important to understand the arguments and the logical relationship between the premises and the conclusion or assumption.
• Applying principles: This type of question involves applying a principle or rule to a specific case. To excel in this type of question, it is important to understand the principle or rule and how to apply it to different cases.

Now that we’ve broken down each type of question, let’s look at some past questions and examples from similar exams to further illustrate the importance of mastering critical thinking skills. We will also discuss the best resources to use for this section and how to study for it. 

Content Quick Navigation

Imat critical thinking (logic) best resources.

One of the best ways to prepare for the IMAT Critical Thinking section is to practice as many questions as possible. It is important to use a variety of resources, including past papers from the BMAT Section 1, the TSA, and past IMAT exams.

However, before practicing any questions, it is important to develop a good strategy because each thinking skill has a specific set of steps that you must always use to solve the question. It is not enough to simply rely on intuition or guesswork.

I believe about 95% of IMAT takers follow their gut feeling instead of using a specific strategy to answer questions. This is a mistake and can lead to lower scores on the exam. It is important to have a structured approach to answering questions in the critical thinking section.

One of the best resources for studying the critical thinking section is the book “A Concise Introduction to Logic, 11th edition.” This book covers all the key concepts and thinking skills required for the exam. The first part of the book provides a comprehensive overview of the different types of logic, including deductive reasoning, inductive reasoning, and propositional logic. It also includes many practice questions to help you test your understanding and reinforce your learning.

Overall, using a variety of resources and developing a structured approach to answering questions are crucial for success in the IMAT Critical Thinking section. The book “A Concise Introduction to Logic” is an excellent resource that can help you prepare in the best way possible and make the exam questions look like a piece of cake.

The Most Important Type of Skills to Have

While all types of logic skills are important to master, some skills are more frequently tested on the IMAT Critical Thinking (Logic) section than others. The most important skill to have is the ability to draw valid conclusions based on given premises. This skill is tested in many different ways on the exam, including questions that ask you to draw a conclusion, identify the main conclusion, or match an argument with its corresponding conclusion.

Drawing valid conclusions is essential to succeeding in the critical thinking section because it is the foundation of logical reasoning. It requires you to carefully analyze the given premises, identify the logical relationship between them, and use that relationship to draw a logical and valid conclusion. This skill is also closely related to deductive reasoning, which is another important skill to have for the exam.

To master the skill of drawing valid conclusions, it is important to practice as many questions as possible, using the strategies and approaches we will discuss later in the article. It is also helpful to review past questions and learn from your mistakes to improve your understanding of the material. Additionally, using high-quality study resources like the “A Concise Introduction to Logic” book can provide a strong foundation in this critical thinking skill and help you succeed on the exam.

Summarizing Main Conclusion

The “Summarizing Main Conclusion” question is one of the most straightforward types of questions in the IMAT Critical Thinking (Logic) section. Its goal is to test your ability to summarize the message of the author in 1-2 sentences.

However, the hardest part about this type of question is sorting through the answer choices. Sometimes, there can be more than one answer that looks correct, but you must remember that you are looking for the MAIN conclusion, not just something that is said in the text that is true. So, how can you more easily find the main conclusion?

First, when you read the question, avoid jumping to the answers. Instead, read the text and formulate your own conclusion in your own words. Then, underline a matching sentence from the text. The conclusion is either directly stated in the text or there will be a sentence that acts as a stepping stone to it. After making your own conclusion, you can go through the possible answer choices and start the elimination process. Find the answer that best matches your own conclusion and compare it to your underlined sentence in the text.

However, be careful: the answer selection can often be vague or overreaching, meaning that they make sense and are true in real life but they are not explained by the text alone. If you are still having doubts after completing these steps, ask yourself: “Is this really a conclusion or is this just supporting the conclusion?” Remember that just because an answer matches something from the text, does not necessarily mean it is the conclusion.

Certain words or phrases can also be a giveaway of the conclusion. For example, words such as “Therefore”, “so”, “as a result”, “thus”, “hence”, and others can indicate the conclusion. These words may not always be obvious, but with practice, you will slowly recognize these identifiers more and more.

Here are the key steps to follow when answering a “Summarizing Main Conclusion” question:

• Read the question carefully. Do this for every question in the IMAT Critical Thinking (Logic) section.
• Read the passage carefully and thoroughly, making sure you understand the main idea.
• In your own words, make a conclusion for the passage. What is the author’s main idea? Be concise and precise.
• Find a sentence in the text that matches the conclusion you made, and underline it. This sentence should either directly state the conclusion or provide a stepping stone to it.
• Keep an eye out for giveaway words and phrases that can indicate the conclusion. Examples include “Therefore”, “so”, “as a result”, “thus”, “hence”, and others.
• Find an answer that matches the underlined sentence. Use the elimination method to narrow down the answer choices and select the one that best matches your conclusion.

By following these steps, you can improve your ability to summarize the main conclusion and avoid falling for answer choices that are not directly related to the main idea. With practice and attention to detail, you can excel in this type of question and boost your overall score on the IMAT Critical Thinking (Logic) section.

Drawing Conclusions

The “Drawing Conclusions” question is a more abstract type of question in the IMAT Critical Thinking (Logic) section because there is no conclusion clearly written in the passage. Your goal is to find supporting evidence in the text that can be used to make a generalized statement about the passage. Once you find the supporting evidence, try to connect the dots and ask yourself: “What is the author trying to prove?”

When answering this type of question, it is important to eliminate any previous knowledge you may have and rely solely on the information provided in the text. You may see an answer that you know is true based on what you have learned in daily life, but if it is not proven by the text, then it is irrelevant.

Something to keep in mind with this type of question is that the conclusion will not always be as clear as it would be for the “Summarizing Main Conclusion” question type. When drawing conclusions, they can be less obvious as long as they are proved by what is in the passage, i.e., supported by evidence. This is a very important question to use the process of elimination for. Once you eliminate the easy outliers, you can sort between what is additional evidence, what is irrelevant, and what can be concluded. Focus on the reasons/evidence in the text; they will answer WHY we can conclude an answer.

Here are some common types of wrong answers, or tricks, you need to look out for and avoid: contradictory conclusions, conclusions that are supporting evidence and not the conclusion on their own, and conclusions that are overgeneralized.

Contradictory conclusions are usually the most obvious to spot because you can find the opposite information in the text. For example, if the text says, “Rising earth temperatures due to human pollution have been shown to cause the ice caps to melt,” a contradictory conclusion would be “humans have not contributed to the loss of polar bear habitats in the ice caps.” Our example here directly states that human pollution causes rising temperatures and, therefore, causes the ice caps to melt. Since the polar bears live there, we can draw the real conclusion that humans are, in fact, destroying their habitat.

Some answer choices offered may not be a conclusion but rather more evidence to another conclusion. These are often more difficult to spot. However, if you cannot decide between two answers at the end, try to use one answer to strengthen another. If one answer can provide more evidence and strengthen another answer, then it is likely just evidence, and the other option is your real conclusion.

When a conclusion is overgeneralized, there is too big of an assumption we have to make. For example, if the text says, “Ari likes to eat fruits and vegetables,” a conclusion stating “Ari is a vegetarian” requires us to make too big of a jump between passage and conclusion. Just because you like fruits and vegetables does not mean you eat ONLY fruits and vegetables. It is possible Ari eats other things like meat (and, therefore, is not a vegetarian).

Here are the key steps to follow when answering a “Drawing Conclusions” question:

• Go through the text and underline evidence that supports a generalized statement.
• Read the answer choices and eliminate the outliers. It is usually easiest to eliminate contradictory conclusions first.
• Using the underlined evidence and examples, prove each conclusion. Ask yourself, “Is this another piece of evidence, or is this proved and strengthened by what’s in the text?”
• Remember to ignore bias and disregard answers that may be true in the real world but are not supported by the text.

Here’s a table of some key words and phrases to remember for the “Summarizing Main Conclusion” and “Drawing Conclusions” question types:

Strengthening/Weakening the Argument

Strengthening and weakening the argument is all about supporting evidence. The most important step is to find the conclusion or main idea of the argument. Without knowing what the author is trying to prove, you will not be able to find the answer, so this should be the first priority. Once you have found the conclusion or main idea of the argument, determine whether you are strengthening or weakening the argument. The answer choices will mix both types up, giving you an easy way to eliminate a few choices. Next, go through the text and find any evidence that supports or attacks the argument of the author. This supporting evidence is needed because an answer can either strengthen or weaken the argument by adding to or attacking the evidence in the passage.

So, how can we weaken an argument?

Deny an assumption: Assumptions are the pillars of the argument. Without them, the argument collapses.

Question evidence on which the conclusion relies: A strong argument must be supported by evidence. The weaker the evidence, the weaker the argument.

Add more evidence that weakens the conclusion: Adding a negative can easily weaken an argument. Conflicting evidence is often a sign of a weak argument.

Question a claim of causation when there is only correlation: Dissociate the relationship between the argument and evidence. Prove that they are not necessarily related but more coincidental.

To find what strengthens an argument, you can simply do the opposite of the strategies mentioned above. For example, you could ask yourself, “What reinforces an assumption?” or “What adds more evidence to strengthen the conclusion?”

It’s important to note that you should pick the answer that most strengthens or weakens the argument, not just one that weakens or strengthens it a little.

Here are the key steps to follow when answering a “Strengthening/Weakening the Argument” question:

• Find the argument: This is the most important step. Without knowing what the author is trying to prove, you will not be able to find the answer.
• Find supporting evidence in the text: This is needed before analyzing possible answers.
• Eliminate easy options: These will be the answers that are opposite to what you want (for example, “Strengthen” instead of “Weaken”).
• Determine whether the answer strengthens or weakens the argument: Focus on evidence that supports or attacks the argument of the author.
• Choose the answer that most strengthens or weakens the argument: Don’t just pick an answer that weakens or strengthens it a little.

And here are the key steps to follow when answering a “Strengthening/Weakening the Argument” question, and a shorter, easy to remember version:

• Find the conclusion/main idea of the argument.
• Find supporting evidence in the text.
• Eliminate easy options (opposite to what you want).
• Determine whether the answer weakens or strengthens the argument.
• Choose the answer that most weakens or strengthens the argument.

Flaw In the Argument

When searching for flaws in an argument, it is crucial to identify the assumption upon which the argument is based. The assumption is typically an obvious and fundamental concept that the author does not explicitly mention. Without the assumption, the conclusion of the argument would be false. For example, if we assume that a man only sleeps with the lights off, we can conclude that he is awake when the lights are on. However, if we remove this assumption, the conclusion is no longer valid.

Once we have identified the assumption, we need to examine each answer option to determine which one exposes the flaw in the argument. When analyzing each option, we should watch out for common flaws, such as mistaking correlation for causation, confusing absolute numbers with percentages, making illogical comparisons, projecting the qualities of a smaller group onto a larger group, and confusing necessary and sufficient conditions. We should also be aware of jumping to conclusions based on anecdotes.

To find the flaw in an argument, we should read the question and passage carefully, identify the conclusion and assumptions, and attack the assumptions with the answer options. By discarding invalid options, we can arrive at the correct answer.

here’s an explanation for each of the flaws:

• Correlation is not causation: This is a common flaw in arguments where two things are related, but it is not clear which one causes the other. Just because two things occur together, it does not mean that one causes the other. This mistake can be made by assuming that correlation is evidence of causation when there may be other factors at play.
• Absolute numbers vs percentages: This flaw involves confusing percentages with absolute numbers, which can be used to make a sample seem larger or smaller than it really is. For example, if a survey shows that 50% of people prefer a certain brand of soda, it is important to know how many people were surveyed to determine if this is a statistically significant result.
• Illogical comparisons: This flaw occurs when two things are compared in a way that doesn’t make sense logically. For instance, just because one group is increasing while another group is decreasing, it doesn’t necessarily mean that people are switching from one group to another. This flaw can also be seen when comparing different groups with different sizes or in different situations.
• Projecting: This flaw occurs when an author takes the qualities of a smaller group and applies them to a larger group without considering other factors. This can result in overgeneralizations and stereotypes, as well as ignoring other factors that may contribute to the behavior being observed.
• Confusing necessary and sufficient conditions: This flaw involves confusing a necessary condition with a sufficient condition or vice versa. A necessary condition is something that must happen for something else to occur, but it does not guarantee that the final outcome will happen. On the other hand, a sufficient condition always results in the same consequence, but there may be other ways to achieve the same outcome.
• Jumping to conclusions: This flaw involves making assumptions based on anecdotal evidence or hearsay without fully considering all the facts. Jumping to conclusions can lead to oversimplifications and inaccurate assumptions, and it’s important to take a more critical approach to evaluate the evidence and reasoning behind an argument.

here’s a table summarizing the most common flaws in arguments and their descriptions:

Solving Assumptions

An assumption is an unwritten connection between the evidence and the conclusion that the author must believe to be true for the conclusion to hold. It’s a crucial link that’s not explicitly stated, and without it, the conclusion is not valid.

One common mistake is choosing an answer that the author could believe but is not necessary for the conclusion to hold. To avoid this trap, look for a critical assumption that’s essential to the argument.

A helpful strategy to test if you’ve found the assumption is called the negation test. Reverse the answer, and if it contradicts the conclusion, you’ve likely found the assumption.

• Identify the question type – the question is asking for an assumption.
• Find the conclusion and the evidence that supports it.
• Identify the unwritten link between the evidence and the conclusion.
• Choose the answer that’s a critical assumption for the argument to hold.
• Use the negation test to verify your choice.
• Find the conclusion.
• Find the evidence.
• Identify the unwritten link.
• Choose a critical assumption.
• Use the negation test to verify your answer.

Parallel Reasoning

To solve parallel reasoning questions, you need to break down the argument into sequences or actions and assign a variable to each action. This helps to simplify the argument into its simplest form, and to identify similarities between answer options.

For example, let’s say the argument is: “My dad told me that if I learn 40 new words in German every week, he will give me 50 euros every month. Unfortunately, I am not able to learn more than 10 words per week.”

In this argument, the action is learning German words and the reaction is receiving 50 euros. To break it down using variables, let Y be the action of learning 40 new words in German every week, and R be the reaction of receiving 50 euros every month. Since the person in the argument is only able to learn 10 words per week (let G be the action of learning 10 words per week), the reaction of receiving 50 euros will not happen.

Simplify the expression with variables, and put each answer option into the same variable format to see which are the most similar. Then eliminate and solve.

Summary Steps:

• Break down the argument into actions and reactions.
• Assign a variable to each part.
• Simplify the expression with variables.
• Put each answer option into the same variable format and identify similarities.
• Eliminate and solve.

Final Recommendations for the Written Exam:

Instead of using colors, try using variables to simplify the argument. Assign a letter to each action and reaction to help you identify similarities between answer options. Remember that every argument is made up of actions and reactions, so focus on identifying those to help you solve parallel reasoning questions.

Identifying Principles

What is a principle in an argument?

It is the underlying belief or value that the author uses to support their conclusion.

What is an example of a principle?

For instance, if an argument suggests that people who consume alcohol should be placed at the bottom of liver transplant lists, the principle could be that individuals should be responsible for their own health or medical care should prioritize those who take care of their health. Although there can be multiple principles, they are related to the same idea of health and personal responsibility.

Questions that ask for the principle of the argument are similar to parallel reasoning questions. The difference between identifying the principle of the argument and finding the parallel reasoning is that the principle is more closely related to the actual topic and conveys a message rather than being reduced to the most basic form possible.

To tackle these questions, read the text carefully, identify the main idea, and rephrase it in more general terms. Then, select the answer option that best fits the author’s belief or value. You can also think of the answer as another example that illustrates the author’s perspective.

Identify the conclusion and evidence to understand the argument.

Arguments rely on evidence to draw conclusions.

Identify the argument and generalize it.

Use the supporting evidence to determine a more generalized take-home message.

Prove your principle by demonstrating what it argues. If you can establish what the principle is arguing, it is likely a good principle.

Summary and Last Tips

In conclusion, critical thinking is a crucial skill to have when approaching the IMAT exam. By following the strategies outlined in this article, you can improve your ability to identify flaws in arguments, find the main conclusions, solve assumptions, apply principles, and use parallel reasoning. Remember to take your time, read the questions carefully, and practice as much as you can before the exam. With dedication and practice, you can enhance your critical thinking abilities and increase your chances of success on the IMAT exam. Good luck!

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BMAT Section 1 Tips & Techniques

Advice & Insight From BMAT Specialists

The only place to start....

Focus on areas of weakness....

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Additional Critical Thinking Practice....

The 6 step approach to critical thinking questions, optimise your bmat performance.

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

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Additional problem solving practice......

Hungry for more problem solving? Make the most of our TSA Section 1 Past Papers to excel in these often challenging questions.

Don't learn the answers, learn from the answers

Time aware....time efficient.

Section 1 is the second most time pressured section of the BMAT examination. Ensure that you always practice under timed conditions as this well help to make sure that you complete this section and are not surprised by the limited time in the exam.

To assist you with efficient BMAT preparation, we have compiled a list of the essential BMAT Section 1 Preparation Resources in one place.

Further Reading....

BMAT Past Papers BMAT Subject Guide 1-1 BMAT Support Critical Thinking – Additional Practice Problem Solving Additional Practice BMAT Section 1 Additional Practice ​​4 Step Approach to Critical Thinking Award Winning BMAT Preparation Course BMAT Past Paper Worked Solutions​

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Preparation

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BMAT Timetable

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

The BMAT Course

Sample questions, please select your exam:.

• USMLE Step 1