How I Scored 7.1 In BMAT Section 1

I Avoided Distracting Information

One of the keys to scoring highly in BMAT Section 1 is to understand what information is useful and what is there to distract you. I found that using diagrams helped me to organise the information in a way that I could work with – and I practised doing this as much as possible.

I Focused On Mental Maths

You don’t get a calculator for BMAT Section 1, so you have to rely on your mental maths. I made sure I could work quickly with fractions, percentages and decimals as these tend to come up a lot on test day. I also did plenty of practice questions using estimation, because this helps to save time when there are a wide range of answer options.

I Read The Question First, Then Skimmed The Text

The text questions in BMAT Section 1 are similar to those found in the Verbal Reasoning section of the UCAT. It’s important to read the question first, so you know what information you should be looking for in the text. Practise speed reading so you are able to skim the text quicker and improve the speed at which you can answer questions.

I Familiarised Myself With Question Types

Obviously the questions differ from year to year, but by doing lots of BMAT past papers and practice questions you should become familiar with the types of questions you will see on test day. This will also help you to work out strategies that will allow you answer questions more quickly and accurately.

I Trusted Myself

Once you work out the answer to a question in BMAT Section 1, it may be tempting to go back over it and review your answer. Don’t do this. Trust your first answer and move on, because there isn’t really enough time to doubt your answers. If you have time at the end, you can come back to check your answers if you want to – but be careful that you don’t end up talking yourself out of a correct answer.

My Other Tips For BMAT Section 1 Are:

• Do BMAT practice questions under time pressure
• Use the questions and worked solutions that you can find on the BMAT website
• Don’t overcomplicate the questions – read them carefully to understand what they want you to do
• Eliminate answer options that you know are definitely wrong
• If you’re unsure, make an educated guess – there are no negative marks for incorrect answers!
• Make sure you’re comfortable working with data
• Be strict with your timings in the BMAT and move on if a question is taking too long