In BMAT Section 3, it’s true that the opening quotation or statement can be pretty much anything – although it’s normally related to science or Medicine.
But when you look at BMAT past papers from the last few years, you will notice that the task (i.e. what you need to do in relation to the quotation or statement) is usually quite formulaic. This means that you can use the same approach to tackle almost any essay question you’re given.
For example, the first thing that most essay questions ask of you is to explain the quotation or statement. The easiest way to do this define each of the key terms, which will help you to find a clear way of expressing its meaning.
The Section 3 essay question will typically ask you to ‘argue to the contrary’ of the statement or ‘argue for’ the statement.
Whatever you’re asked to do, you need to make sure you still provide the opposing point of view as well. You will find yourself losing a significant number of marks if you only give a one-sided argument.
Try to offer an equal number of points for each side of the argument to ensure you’ve kept your essay balanced.
It’s very important that you avoid waffling in your essay. You should focus on making clear, well-explained points. The PEE (Point Evidence Explain) method is a good format to follow.
The BMAT requires you to write a scientific-style essay, so it isn’t exactly the same thing as essays that you may have previously written for subjects like English. Use simple sentences, avoid unnecessarily flowery language and keep it concise.
There are lots of BMAT past papers available, so you have plenty of Section 3 essay questions at your disposal.
You probably won’t have time to write a practice essay for every single past paper question, but try to do as many as you can. For the ones you don’t have time for, it is still a good exercise to plan the essay and come up with your arguments without actually writing the essay.
Don’t forget that you will also be assessed on your spelling and grammar in BMAT Section 3.
You only have half an hour to choose a question, plan and write your essay, which means you’ll have to work quickly – but make sure you don’t neglect the quality of your writing.
Be extra wary of your spelling (if you can’t spell a word, try to find an alternative that you know how to spell) and your phrasing – and with good attention to detail, you should be able to secure yourself an A for this aspect of Section 3.
Loading More Content