For applicants applying for admission to Biomedical Science for 2025 entry, the University of Oxford has now designed a new bespoke admission test called BMSAT (Biomedical Sciences Admission Test).
BMSAT will mirror BMAT section 2 on many fronts. BMSAT, like BMAT section 2, is a test designed to assess the scientific aptitude of an applicant and the ability to apply scientific knowledge to challenging questions in a time-pressured environment. Like its predecessor, BMSAT will also test on the topics of Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry and Biology.
However, some of the fundamental differences between BMAT section 2 and BMSAT are the length of test and difficulty of content examined. Firstly, BMAT section 2 was 30 minutes long and included 27 questions. BMSAT is instead three times longer and includes more questions, giving candidates 90 minutes to answer 80 questions. Unlike BMAT section 2 in which there was no predetermined number of questions on each subject area, (although the questions were a mix with each subject area being tested). In BMSAT, there will be 20 questions on each subject – such as 20 for mathematics and 20 for biology et cetera.
The advantage of having a much longer and more comprehensive test is that since the questions are MCQs and there is no negative marking, luck will become a less important factor as there is so much more to cover. Previously, guessing just one correct answer could markedly boost BMAT score, this is unlikely to be the case in BMSAT because there will be far more questions therefore being lucky and guessing one correct answer is unlikely to have a significant effect on score. The longer time duration amalgamated with a greater number of questions means that the BMSAT could prove to be valuable in capturing the intellectual rigor and mental endurance of an applicant.
Arguably, a caveat of BMSAT is that unlike BMAT section 2, which required a candidate to not just have masterful command of all of GCSE content for Sciences and Mathematics, the specification also includes specific areas such as renal physiology which are usually only covered once you have reached Year 13. So, for BMAT section 2 the breadth of knowledge assessed spanned all the way from GCSE to areas covered in A level study. However, in the BMSAT the specification designed by Department for Education for GCSEs in science and maths will instead be followed.
This approach has various implications. Firstly, since BMSAT is sat in October of year 13, well before candidates have finished covering A level content, being tested on GCSE knowledge will mean that candidates simply must review and revise prior knowledge instead of undertaking independent learning to cover unfamiliar areas yet to be covered in school. This can encourage students to apply to Oxford, however the increase in applications will only make admission more competitive. Furthermore, this will serve to enhance the importance of gaining a good BMSAT score and imbue the interview procedure with added importance. Since better performance in these areas can play a decisive role in helping students gain admission offer for studying at Oxford.
The lack of sample papers for BMSAT and the limited utility of BMAT section 2 past papers, due to differences in specification, means that it would be wise to selectively cherry-pick and practice past paper questions from BMAT section 2 which exclusively tests GCSE knowledge. The anticipated increase in importance of interview and need for greater BMSAT practice is, however, music to the ears of the lucrative tutoring industry which are currently advertising exclusive packages to practice BMSAT and Oxford biomedical science interview.
In addition to the content and length of BMSAT being different to BMAT, the mode of delivery will also be different. Previously, the BMAT, depending on the particular year, could be computer based or paper based, and candidates could choose to sit the exam at school. Whereas the BMSAT is designed to be computer based only
Whilst the BMSAT will be longer and therefore test application of a wider range of scientific topics – arguably capturing an applicant’s scientific aptitude and problem-solving skills more accurately than BMAT section 2 – one of the short comings of the test is that there is no essay component to serve as substitute for BMAT section 3. Given the cardinal role of essays in Oxford – essays being set as assignments for tutorials to essays playing a pivotal part in examinations – this could pose a problem for these future students.
The lack of essay practice can make the transition to academic life at Oxford a lot harder. The art of writing scientific concepts with brevity and clarity is integral to achieving academic success at Oxford. It is feasible in the future that another section could be added to BMSAT which exactly replicates BMAT section 3. Since the essay will be typed, it will also make the marking process more efficient, as legibility will not impede marking speed.
Considering that BMSAT is computer based and consists entirely of MCQs it should be easy to mark automatically, and this can lead to results being delivered early. This will empower and enable candidates to judge based on their performance if they are likely to be called for an interview and prepare accordingly. However, it is not clearly stated when the results will be released.
As I predicted, in my previous article, given that Oxbridge places special emphasis on medical students gaining firm scientific grounding in the first three preclinical years of medical school, the BMSAT, due to its scientific nature, has the potential of being used as an admission test for shortlisting candidates for Oxbridge medicine interview. For the 2025 admission cycle, Oxbridge will use UCAT as the admission test. However, since UCAT does not include a scientific component, it is likely that in the future Oxbridge can aggregate UCAT and BMSAT scores when shortlisting candidates for medicine interviews since BMSAT can be used to judge the scientific aptitude/flair of an applicant. Combining scores from UCAT and BMSAT has several advantages. Firstly, UCAT will replicate the function of BMAT section 1 by conveying a candidate’s thinking skills and critical reasoning. Secondly, the Situational Judgement Test (SJT), which is the final section of UCAT, judges the ethical appropriateness of decision making of a candidate. Since upholding the ethical guidelines outlined in GMC’s Good Medical Practice is fundamental for both medical students and doctors, the band a candidate scores in SJT can be used to evaluate the ethical ethos of an applicant. This is advantageous because in BMAT medical ethics were only tested in section 3 and depending on the essay that the candidate chose to write only some ethical principles would have to be explored in the essay.
The decision to use UCAT as an admissions test for the 2025 medicine admission cycle by Oxbridge is good news for applicants since virtually all medical schools in UK also use UCAT as an admissions test so candidates will only have to pay the one £70 fee. As for prospective biomedical science applicants, the fact that University of Oxford will not charge test fee for BMSAT is a noble effort which ought to be applauded. The BMSAT can also be used to shortlist candidates for competitive STEM courses which currently do not have an admission test; such as Biology and Biochemistry at Oxford.
The viability of BMSAT is not just restricted to Oxbridge, given that the BMSAT tests the application of scientific concepts from all domains – i.e. biology, chemistry, physics and maths – it can also be used by other prestigious universities like Imperial College London for shortlisting candidates. ESAT is currently used by both Imperial College London and Cambridge University to shortlist candidates for engineering and scientific disciplines. This approach of using a single, more holistic admission test which covers a broad range of disciplines is surely more economically viable and logistically feasible than curating individual tests for different courses.
The decision to use BMSAT as an admission test by Oxford reflects the need for having a mechanism in addition to predicted A level grades, GCSE performance and a personal statement to shortlist candidates for interviews. Given the versatility of BMSAT, it has great potential scope to be used as an admission test by Oxbridge either in the case of science degrees like Biology, Biochemistry and even Natural Sciences; or being used as a test in addition to existing tests like UCAT for example for medicine.