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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:

No matter who confident you are in the BMAT, getting support is always a good idea in order to boost your chances of success. 6med’s BMAT Bundle will give you everything you need to get a great score in the exam. Or you can guarantee your place in medical school with our Complete Bundle , which guides you through your Personal Statement, UCAT, BMAT and Interview, all in one place!

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Mastering the BMAT: Your Essential Guide to Oxford and Cambridge Medical Admissions

Importance of BMAT

Test structure and format.

How to Prepare for the BMAT

Are you looking to study biomedical sciences or medicine at Oxford or Cambridge? If so, sitting for the Biomedical Admissions Test (BMAT) is compulsory! The BMAT is a key component of the application process, providing a level playing field for applicants to distinguish themselves. In this blog post, the BMAT will be detailed, along with insights and tips to aid adequate preparation. Read on!

Who Needs to Take the BMAT?

The Biomedical Admissions Test (BMAT) is a critical requirement for those aspiring to enter certain medical, veterinary, and related health courses at a range of universities in the UK , including prestigious institutions like the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge . This standardised test is designed to assess fundamental skills and aptitudes crucial to succeeding in these demanding fields, such as problem-solving, critical thinking, and scientific knowledge application. Its objective nature ensures that all applicants, regardless of their educational background, are evaluated fairly, making it a key step for anyone targeting a career in these medical and health disciplines.

In the context of Oxford and Cambridge’s highly competitive medical school admissions, the significance of the BMAT cannot be overstated. As a standardised test, it plays a pivotal role in assessing the aptitude and skills essential for success in medical school.

The admissions team at Oxford and Cambridge utilises the BMAT to differentiate among the large pool of strong applicants they receive each year. Specifically, the BMAT focuses on evaluating candidates' abilities in problem-solving, critical thinking, and communication — all vital competencies for thriving in medical school.

A strong performance in the BMAT can substantially enhance an applicant’s likelihood of being called for an interview and ultimately receiving an offer . In this way, a candidate’s BMAT score becomes a crucial component of the selection process, serving as a key criterion for shortlisting candidates for the interview stage.

The BMAT is structured into three sections , each focusing on different skill sets and question types. The time allocated for each section varies, with 30 minutes for sections 2 and 3 and 60 minutes for section 1.

In terms of scoring, the BMAT uses a 9-point scale , with each section being scored separately. For Sections 1 and 2, candidates earn one mark for each correct answer and 0 for incorrect answers.

These scores are then placed on the 9-point BMAT scale. Section 3, however, is scored differently. It's initially scored out of 5, and these raw marks are later adjusted to fit the 1.0 to 9.0 scale, aligning with the scores of the other sections. The average BMAT score typically falls between 4.0 and 6.0, with 6.0 and above considered strong.

BMAT Test Structure and Format Summary Table

Breakdown of the bmat test sections: understanding the core components.

In the first section, candidates are assessed on their understanding of fundamental biological concepts and principles through multiple-choice questions. This section is similar to the UCAT Verbal Reasoning section, necessitating a careful and logical approach. To excel, candidates must practice diligently, focusing on developing a deep understanding of various concepts and applying them in diverse and increasingly complex scenarios.

The second section evaluates candidates’ ability to apply scientific knowledge and skills to problem-solving . Often familiar to many, this section is generally considered the easiest to prepare for among the three. It specifically assesses problem-solving, critical thinking, and communication skills. Success hinges on sufficient practice to gain familiarity with the questions and tackling each problem logically.

The final section focuses on communication and wider reading, requiring candidates to discuss different viewpoints on given subject areas . This section tests the ability to present arguments, consider various perspectives, and reach reasoned conclusions. Effective preparation can involve reviewing past essay topics, engaging in discussions with others, and practicing writing argumentative essays. Throughout the practice, it's important to develop the skill of dissecting the question, planning responses in advance, and forming concise yet well-supported arguments.

How to Prepare for the BMAT?

Preparing for the BMAT requires a strategic approach to ensure comprehensive coverage of all topics and skills assessed in the test. Here are some refined tips and strategies to help you prepare effectively:

1. Start Early: Building a Strong Foundation

• Importance of Time Management: Beginning your preparation early provides ample time to thoroughly understand each topic.
• Gradual Learning: This approach allows for a more effective absorption of information, avoiding the stress of cramming.

2. Create a Study Plan: Structuring Your Preparation

• Daily/Weekly Goals: Establish specific goals for each day or week to monitor progress and maintain focus.
• Tailored Focus: Allocate more time to weaker areas, ensuring a balanced and comprehensive understanding.
• Week 1-3: Focus on mastering each section with regular reviews.
• Week 4: Intensive revision of weaker areas.
• Week 5-7: Practice under timed conditions to improve speed and accuracy.

3. Get Disciplined and Practice: The Key to Mastery

• Consistent Practice: Regular practice is essential for familiarity with the exam's format and types of questions.
• Diverse Resources: Utilize a range of study materials, including past papers and online resources.

4. Seek Feedback and Assistance: Leveraging External Help

• Peer Review: Collaborate with peers for new perspectives and problem-solving methods.
• Professional Guidance: Seek advice from tutors or teachers, especially for complex topics or essay writing.

5. Work Sustainably: Balancing Rigor with Rest

• Avoid Burnout: Integrate adequate rest into your study plan to maintain mental well-being.
• Active Breaks: Engage in relaxing yet active breaks, such as sports or hobbies.

6. Take Practice Tests: Simulating the Exam Experience

• Realistic Simulation: Timed tests help adapt to the exam's pressure and time constraints.
• Identifying Patterns: Regular tests aid in recognizing common mistakes and challenging areas.

Check out Cambridge Assessment Admissions Testing’s free BMAT preparation materials

7. Stay Calm and Focused: Mental Preparedness on Test Day

• Mindfulness Techniques: Use techniques like deep breathing to stay calm during the exam.
• Time Management: Develop and adhere to a time allocation strategy for different test sections.

8. Book a Free Consultation: Seeking Expert Guidance from Crimson Education Advisors

• Expert Advice: Scheduling a free consultation with a Crimson Education advisor , especially one with experience at Oxford and/or Cambridge, can provide invaluable insights and practical steps for BMAT preparation.
• Tailored Strategies: These advisors can offer personalized advice to enhance your study methods and overall approach, significantly increasing your chances of success in the BMAT and your journey to gaining admission to Oxford or Cambridge.
• Comprehensive Support: They can help in identifying your strengths and weaknesses, providing targeted strategies that cater to your individual needs and aspirations.

Common Pitfalls to Avoid

1. insufficient practice: emphasizing regular preparation.

• Consistent Effort: Consistent and thorough practice is crucial for success in the BMAT.
• Varied Exercises: Engage in diverse practice exercises to cover all test aspects.

2. Poor Time Management: Mastering the Clock

• Strategic Approach: Avoid spending excessive time on challenging questions and allocate your time wisely.
• Pacing Techniques: Practice pacing like in a marathon, ensuring steady progress throughout the test.

3. Overlooking the Essay Section: Honing Writing Skills

• Equal Importance: Balance your preparation to include significant essay writing practice.
• Structured Responses: Focus on structuring essays effectively with clear arguments and concise conclusions.

4. Neglecting Weak Areas: Addressing All Topics

• Comprehensive Review: Identify and work on weaker areas, not just on strengths or familiar topics.
• Seek Help: If certain areas remain challenging, seek additional help or resources.

5. Stress and Anxiety: Maintaining Composure

• Mindfulness Practices: Use techniques like meditation or deep breathing to manage stress.
• Simulated Conditions: Regular practice under exam-like conditions can help reduce anxiety.

6. Underestimating the Test: Respect the BMAT's Complexity

• Realistic Expectations: Recognize the BMAT's challenge and approach it with dedication.
• In-depth Study: Aim for a deep understanding of each topic, beyond superficial knowledge.

These tips address the common pitfalls encountered by BMAT candidates, offering strategies to improve preparation and performance in the test.

Essential Strategies for BMAT Test Day Success

1. prepare and arrive early.

Ensure you comply with all instructions and bring the required identification materials on test day. Avoid unnecessary stress before the test by arriving 15-20 minutes early for check-in. This allows you some quiet time to calm your nerves. The last thing you want is to enter the exam venue feeling anxious and flustered from having rushed.

2. Read Questions Carefully

It's crucial to read each question carefully and with precision. Answering questions incorrectly due to a misreading can be easily avoided with this careful approach.

3. Time Management

You may encounter questions that momentarily stump you. Don't dwell on these longer than your allocated time per question. Move to secure marks from other questions first, then return to the challenging ones. In multiple-choice sections, like sections 1 and 2, it's wise to eliminate options, make an informed preliminary guess, and revisit the question later.

4. Stay Level-Headed

Find ways to quieten and calm your mind. This could be through meditation, prayer, or any routine that helps you stay composed. Experiment with different techniques during your timed practices and replicate them on the day. Remind yourself that you have prepared diligently for the test and that it's simply a matter of executing it like another practice test.

Final Thoughts

As you receive your BMAT scores and reflect on the journey thus far, the next phase of your journey to Oxford unfolds. Here's a structured approach to navigating the post-test steps effectively:

• Understand where your score positions you in the competitive landscape. A high score can be a significant advantage, but don't be discouraged if it's not as high as you hoped. Every part of your application matters.
• If your BMAT score aligns with the requirements of your chosen course at Oxbridge, prepare for the possibility of being shortlisted for interviews. These interviews are a critical component of the selection process and demand as much preparation as the BMAT itself.
• Regularly check the official Oxford and Cambridge website for updates on the application process, interview schedules, and any additional requirements specific to your course.
• Take the time to reflect on your BMAT experience. What went well? What could have been better? Use these insights to improve and prepare for the next stages.
• Consider booking a free consultation with an expert Crimson Education counselor. These counselors, especially those with experience in Oxbridge admissions, can provide tailored advice to maximize your chances of success. They can help refine your interview skills, polish your personal statement, and provide insights into the Oxbridge admissions process.
• Remember, the journey to Oxbridge is a marathon, not a sprint. Maintain a positive outlook and stay prepared for each step of the process.

The journey to a top UK University is challenging but immensely rewarding. With the right preparation, mindset, and guidance, you can enhance your prospects and make your dream a reality. Remember, the effort you put in now can open doors to a world of opportunities. Stay focused, stay motivated, and take the first step towards your future at Oxbridge.

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10 Tips for Acing BMAT Section 1

UPDATE: Please note that CAAT have announced they will no longer be administering the BMAT in 2024, for 2025 entry. Cambridge University has announced that they will be using the UCAT as an admissions indicator. Oxford University are to announce admissions test changes in Spring 2024.

Ultimate Guide to the BMAT Section 1

BMAT Section 1: What is it?

Section 1 of the BMAT lasts 60 minutes and it broadly tests candidates’ thinking skills, which is described by The Cambridge Admissions Assessment Testing as a test of general skills often required for undergraduate studies. For some candidates, Section 1 might seem like the hardest section and is their biggest obstacle in achieving a high BMAT result because it emphasises more abstract intellectual ability than scientific expertise. However, the silver lining is that Section 1 could instead help certain applicants pull up their BMAT scores, especially those who struggle with time restrictions. This is because there are only 32 questions in the test, and an hour to answer them. Hence, BMAT Section 1 could be advantageous with the proper preparation technique.

What kind of questions are tested?

For candidates who are more familiar with the older BMAT format, BMAT Section 1 has undergone slight changes since then. There are fewer questions than previously (down from 35), and questions relating to Data Analysis and Inference, which frequently included evaluating graphs and statistical data, are now no longer tested for future papers. These points would be handy to remember especially when practising BMAT past papers! 

However, although there have been some changes, most of the content and specifications remain the same. For example, no calculators are allowed for this section, all questions are multiple-choice, and the other type of questions still remain.

The 32 questions that would be tested in Section 1 can be categorised into two groups of 16 questions. The first type of question is that of problem solving, and the other type is critical thinking. The questions are not categorised by their type, but rather, they are organised in ascending order of difficulty. Hence, this means that there would be a mixture of questions from the two groups, with questions from the two groups interspersed throughout.

Problem Solving

This type of question examines four different ways in which you process numerical information:

• Selection of relevant information: This tests your ability to sieve through a large amount of data and eliminate information that may be redundant or irrelevant. You would then be required to derive conclusions from the relevant material. 
• Determining mathematical operations: Using a small amount of information, you would have to come up with a mathematical process and apply that to produce an answer.
• Finding similarity: You would be expected to analyse complementary data sources that are often presented in different ways, such as tables or various chart styles, identify parallels, and draw conclusions that are consistent amongst all the data sources.
• Spatial reasoning: You will be tested on your ability to identify how patterns or objects look in 3-dimensional space. 

Although no prior scientific or general knowledge is required, the BMAT Section 1 problem-solving tasks need the following fundamental mathematical abilities:

• Area, perimeter, and spatial understanding
• Being able to interpret graphs and tables
• Calculating averages and percentages

An example of a BMAT Section 1 Problem solving question that tests on Spatial reasoning is as below:

Critical Analysis

This tests your comprehension of key logical argument characteristics, specifically:

• Finding the Main Conclusion: From a paragraph given, you would have to identify what is its main purpose or point. This tests your ability to sieve through statements or sentences that are not the main point, and/ or your ability to understand statements that hint at the purpose of the paragraph even if it is not explicitly stated.
• Drawing a Conclusion: This tests your ability to internalise the information in a paragraph and interpret the meaning and point behind it. Even though the conclusion might not be explicitly stated in the paragraph, it would be consistent with the information given.
• Identifying an assumption: You would be required to find an assumption that is not mentioned but is assumed to be true, in order for the information presented to make sense. 
• Assessing the impact of new information: After reading and understanding the text provided, you would then be provided with an additional piece of information and you would have to determine if it would strengthen or weaken the existing argument. 
• Detecting reasoning errors: You would be made to find faults or incorrect underlying assumptions that prohibit the conclusion from making sense.
• Matching arguments: Between two different passages, you would have to find a logical process that is used in both texts. The logic would be parallel, even though it is employed in different situations. 
• Applying principles: This involves identifying the fundamental idea or principle in the passage and choosing an answer from the multiple choice that is consistent with it.

How do I prepare for BMAT Section 1?

Undoubtedly, the best method to prepare for BMAT Section 1 is to practise previous years’ examination papers and sample questions, ideally in a timed environment that stimulates examination conditions. Although no former papers completely reflect the new format due to the recent specification change mentioned before, you can simply skip the Data analysis and inference questions. This would still provide you with a bank of useful questions that are relevant and would help you hone your answering skills.

For some great tips and tricks on preparing for and scoring in BMAT Section 1, you can read our list of advice below. One important takeaway is that Section 1 preparation cannot be rushed and would be more useful if more time was allocated to it because it often requires more in-depth textual research than Section 2, which is more science-based. Feel free to ask one of our Medic Mind BMAT teachers for assistance if you are struggling with any part of either Problem solving or critical thinking.

How is BMAT Section 1 marked?

No marks are removed for wrong responses, and each question is worth one mark. The total raw marks are then converted to scores between 1.0 (low) and 9.0 (high).

The median score often falls in the range of 5.0 and would represent around half of the marks. Around 10% of test takers have a score of 6.0 or more, which is good, and very few applicants receive a score of 7.0 or higher. 9.0 is the maximum score that you can receive. However, as the scale is based on the range of marks of all the candidates, you can answer a few questions incorrectly and still score a 9.0!

What are your top tips for BMAT Section 1?

Section 1, which makes up half of the BMAT’s duration, can be somewhat scary, especially as it does not cover the same familiar territory as Section 2 in terms of scientific aptitude. Due to this, we have produced our top ten Section 1 tips.

1. Learn the rules of critical thinking

When preparing for Section 1 of BMAT, you should try and familiarise yourself with the features of logical arguments. This would allow you to recognise and identify them more easily when attempting the questions in Section 1. The features that would be tested have been outlined above, but you should take special care in understanding how to identify conclusions from supporting evidence that is given, how to identify assumptions and logical flaws, and how to identify strengths and weaknesses in an argument. 

Although some people think that critical thinking is abstract and generally an acquired skill, it is actually more than just a vague term. It is a legitimate academic field, and there are plenty of introductory books on the topic available in libraries and online. If you struggle with being able to do the questions in Section 1 of BMAT, feel free to approach us for 1-to-1 BMAT tutoring from our skilled BMAT tutors. 

2. Structure your reading properly

As Section 1 of BMAT is a timed examination, every minute counts and is precious. Hence, you should approach the examination by having a reliable method for answering questions that include lengthy text passages. For example, after reading the question, you can choose between reading the excerpt directly before or after the answer choices.

Both techniques have their advantages, and they should definitely be tailored to your learning and answering style, but we recommend reading the paragraph first. This is because it allows you to develop a response solely based on the passage, without having your judgement clouded by knowledge of the possible answers. Reading the multiple choices first may also cause you to forget what was in the passage, which is not ideal. Hence, always attempt multiple practice papers first to figure out a reading method that works for you to use on exam day.

3. Do not be thrown by large amounts of information

As mentioned earlier, from 2020, Section 1 will no longer contain questions that explicitly assess data analysis and inference. Although this would reduce the number of questions that test your ability to analyse large amounts of information, there are still questions that test this. For example, questions in Section 1 that have long passages will continue to test your ability to identify important details buried inside a sea of extra information.

Therefore, it is important to keep in mind that most of the information you receive will be meaningless and is just provided as a diversion. Hence, it is key for you to focus on the information that really matters and not be distracted.

4. Try and skim read when you can 

Building on the advice from the previous tip, we would strongly encourage you to develop the practice of skim reading. When we are under pressure, we often try to read every word of every sentence. This takes up valuable time that we cannot afford to lose, and is not even constructive as research has shown that it does not improve understanding.

Hence, you should try and maximise the amount of time you have whilst not compromising on your understanding by skim reading. You can do so by acquiring a quick overview of the information on your first read, before paying close attention to any keywords, and lastly, only focus more intently on the section of text or data set that contains the answer.

5. Practice Maths skills to help with problem-solving

Although simple arithmetic skills might sound like something that you are already familiar with, it is still important for you to review your timetables and basic arithmetic skills. For example, you should try practising basic mental mathematics such as the ability to square and cube numbers, as well as the ability to convert between decimals and fractions. This would not only help you save valuable time but would also prevent you from making any simple careless mistakes.

6. Use a process of elimination

Using the simple process of elimination would not only enhance your chances of being correct, it would also help you save valuable time as you would not need to go through the lengthy process of actually deriving the correct answer. It comes in particularly handy when the BMAT questions ask you to pick out combinations of true and false statements from a given selection.

7. Move straight on after answering a question

Rereading questions or checking them in order to ensure that you have answered them correctly before continuing might be tempting. However, this would only cause you to waste valuable time. Answering all the questions with a lower rate of accuracy would generally give you a higher score than answering half the questions with a higher rate of accuracy. 

Furthermore, as you are most likely to have answered correctly, the questions that you have already completed should be the last questions that you would want to look at again. This advice is included in our guidance for Section 2 of the BMAT, but it’s especially helpful for the lengthy and challenging questions of Section 1, which are best tried with a fresh set of eyes if you want to re-read them.

You can also check your answers once you have completed the whole section, in order to ensure that you have minimally filled in all possible answers!

8. Develop an overall game plan and stick to it

Make a schedule for how you will split your time in the examination and put it into practice. You can do so by calculating the average amount of time you intend to spend on each question and then establishing strict benchmarks for how many questions you must have answered by specific points in the test. You can also decide on whether or not you would like to factor in time for checking your answers into this schedule.

9. Find a revision strategy that works for you

Do not anticipate your Section 1 revision to be as effective as your Section 2 or A Level revision because, as a future doctor, you probably prefer statistics and charts over long blocks of text. Hence, in order to ensure that you are consistent with your revision, you can consider adding more breaks, developing a longer-term preparation approach, and being realistic about how much time you can devote to Section 1 each day.

10. Use the full range of practice materials

In order to improve, just like other examinations, you must practice, practice, and practice! The best way to do so is to use the official BMAT Section 1 sample papers that can be found on the official Cambridge Admissions Assessment Testing website, as well as the fully prepared mock questions and sample papers from Medic Mind. Last but not least, keep in mind that critical thinking talents are meant to be applicable to daily life: try using your newly acquired analytical skills to the argument made in newspapers and publications, or even in words from your friends and family!

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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

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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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• BMAT Preparation Tips: The Complete Guide

Last Updated: 3rd April 2015

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 .

The BMAT is a tricky exam that requires excellent academic knowledge and problem-solving skills. The test may also determine whether you get onto the university course of your choice.

With that in mind, it’s not difficult to understand why BMAT preparation is essential. Thankfully, we have a wealth of top tips on the different sections of the test to help you achieve the highest score possible, so let’s get started:

Where to start with your BMAT preparation

It’s much easier to prepare for the BMAT if you practice little and often. We recommend starting your preparation well in advance, ideally by July with the test due to be sat on the 18th of October. This will give you plenty of time to complete as many past papers as you wish to make you feel comfortable and confident about succeeding.

Here are a few steps you can take when beginning your BMAT preparation: 

Start off by creating a preparation plan that includes a timetable of what you hope to achieve each week. Monitoring your progress is important for both the effectiveness of your preparation and your own morale throughout the process. 

Gather your preparation resources ahead of time to ensure you have plenty of past/mock papers and practice questions. 

Sections 1 and 3 are difficult to revise in a traditional sense, but Section 2 contains a lot of subject knowledge so you will need to make sure you brush up on it before taking on practice questions.

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

Preparing for each BMAT section

The BMAT has three sections, each focusing on a different subject/skillset:

Keep in mind that if you’re aiming to attend Oxbridge, admissions tutors look for above 6 and a 5A in your scoring. An example overall BMAT score could look like this — 6.6, 6.3, 5A. Other universities may accept slightly lower scores, but these scores are still the ones to aim for. 

• BMAT Scoring and Results Explained

Each of these three sections tests vastly different skills, so it’s important to prepare for each in a different way.

Section 1 – Thinking Skills

Section 1 tests your ability to solve problems and think critically with 32 multiple-choice questions that don’t require any subject knowledge. You have 60 minutes to complete them.

Section 1 has two different question types – Critical Thinking and Problem Solving. However, there are various sub-categories within these questions, so you need to be prepared to understand a variety of disciplines and skill sets within this section. Find out more about the question types in our BMAT Section 1 Guide . 

As there is no subject-specific knowledge required here, you won’t be able to spend time revising in textbooks (although learning about question techniques will certainly help). Therefore, your primary method of preparation will be through practice papers and mock exams with past papers. 

If you have given yourself enough preparation time, you should start off slow and get to grips with the styles of questions in the test. Remember to monitor your progress and gradually increase your preparation time as you become more confident. After a while, you shouldn’t have any issues with all but the hardest of questions in the test. Here are some other small tips to remember: 

Calculators aren’t allowed in the BMAT, but all of the Problem-Solving questions can be easily answered with basic arithmetic, so be sure to sharpen your skills.

When a question includes longer passages or data sets (which is fairly common in the BMAT), read the question before investigating the additional information as it will help you determine what your are looking for. 

Try to look at real-world scenarios or texts that you have read (such as in a newspaper) with the same though-process you would use in a BMAT question. Making this style of thinking seem natural will help ease the pressure in the actual exam.

Section 2 – Scientific questions

This section focuses on what you’ve learned in non-specialist science and mathematics by the age of 16 (GCSE level or equivalent). As you would expect, the four subjects covered at Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry and Biology. There are 27 multiple-choice questions and you have 30 minutes to finish them.

You need to demonstrate your understanding by applying your knowledge to scientific problems. To prepare for section 2, head back to school and revise your science and mathematics. The BMAT specification lists all the potential topics you may be tested on, so be sure to check for any topics you may not be familiar with or are less confident in . These should be your primary focus when preparing. 

Although you need to revise these topics through reading and remembering, it is equally important to work through actual questions as well. This will cement both your subject knowledge and exam technique, ensuring you will be able to perform well in the BMAT. 

Most of the tips and techniques you’ve learnt for Section 1 can be applied here, although the mathematics involved will be far more complicated and require in-depth working out. Our BMAT Section 2 Guide provides more details on what to expect from the questions in the paper.

Some people question whether you need to take certain A-Levels (or equivalent) to increase your chances of doing well in the BMAT. Specifically, some think that A-Level Physics should be taken if you are due to sit the test, as most applicants will already be required to sit Biology, Chemistry or both. 

Although there may be some very minor benefits to doing this, you should generally not choose A-Levels based on any future admissions test. These tests are one-off events whereas these qualifications are with you for life. 

If you choose something you have no interest in pursuing, it will not only take up a subject that could have been better for you but can also affect your performance as a whole as you may begin to burn out from the stress or lack of engagement felt in that subject. 

Section 3 – Essay based paper

This section is fairly different in structure and skill requirements. It tests your ability to communicate effectively in an essay format, organise ideas coherently, and present them clearly and concisely while supporting your argument with evidence. There are three questions to choose from and you have 30 minutes to write your answer on one A4 page.

Preparing for the BMAT essay question is more challenging as answers are much more subjective and open-ended. The best approach is to consider both sides of the argument and analyse various opinions for and against different viewpoints. Some of the skills developed in Section 1, such as strengthening an argument, coming to conclusions, and finding flaws in opposing opinions will be useful.

You should practice to find out how long it takes you to write your answer to ensure you don’t run out of time in the real exam. 30 minutes is a very short amount of time to both plan and write a quality essay, so you should aim to build the quality of your work first and then start to reduce your time limit until you can answer the question within exam conditions. 

By the later stages of your preparation, you should try to write an essay every day or 5-6 per week until the actual testing date to ensure your skills are sharp. If you need help with how to effectively use your 30 minutes, our Section 3 Guide provides an in-depth analysis of how you should tackle the time limit.  

For this section, you’ll receive a number between 1.0 and 5.0, with 5 being the highest and a letter grade. The number is related to the quality of the argument written in your essay answer, and the letter refers to the quality of your language. This is marked by two examiners so you’ll receive two scores which are averaged into your final score.

Extra Tips for BMAT preparation

Bmat resources.

As we mentioned before, you’re going to need to round up a collection of resources to aid you in your preparation. But what should you be using and where can you find the best options? 

Firstly, for Section 2 you’re going to need some revision materials for GCSE Level Science and Maths. Your textbooks should serve you well here, although you may also find it useful to seek out some more BMAT-specific guides, as these will have the most relevant information to the BMAT specification and will present things in the same context to the actual exam.

Study guides for Sections 1 and 3 are also helpful, but these will mainly focus on exam techniques and tips. You will find guides covering each section free online, but these will typically only cover surface-level knowledge. More in-depth materials can be found in the form of workbooks, online courses and even live intensive courses , which include guidance from expert BMAT tutors that will provide tested advice. 

Beyond learning, you’re also going to need to gather plenty of practice materials. First of all, are the official BMAT Past Papers. These are the papers that were sat in previous years and contain hundreds of questions for your to try out. These papers are most effective when you sit them in exam conditions, as they let you truly get into the headspace you will be in when sitting the exam. 

Before trying serious mock exams, you will to build up your skills with practice BMAT questions which are very easily found. There are a number of question banks available featuring thousands of questions. Some of these banks are free to start, although most will require payment for access to all features. When looking for a question bank, ensure that worked solutions are available, as seeing a break down of the solution is the most effective way to learn from practice questions.

Lastly, if you are looking for comprehensive support for whatever reason, you will be able to find a variety of courses and bundles of support. These can include everything mentioned above as well as other features like one-to-one tuition and Section 3 essay marking. UniAdmisssions’ BMAT Tuition Programme is one example of all-inclusive BMAT support available, but be sure t consider what you believe you need in terms of your resources and support.

We’ve mentioned before that mock exams are important for your revision, but the build-up to sitting them regularly can’t be immediate. 

This mainly relates to the time limits imposed on applicants, as this is the most difficult aspect of the test for many. When you first start your revision, taking mock exams under exam conditions is still very beneficial as it helps you adapt to the exam format and restrictions. However, we would recommend ignoring the time limit for the first few weeks and focussing on finishing the paper. 

As you progress, your completion time for a past paper will continue to decrease to the point that you can start taking timed mock exams. As you become more confident with the questions you will naturally become faster at answering them, making mock exams a little bit easier. 

The important thing to remember about BMAT preparation is that learning to answer the questions comes before answering them within the time limit. Both elements are essential, but the learning process is much easier when taken one step at a time.   

How to prepare in the lead up to your BMAT exam date

You’ve likely been preparing for your BMAT for a few months by this point, and the day of your exam has come around quickly. Now, it’s very easy to become overwhelmed about completing it or feel worried about the results, however, if you’ve done the prep, there’s no reason for you to be concerned.

To ensure you perform to your fullest potential:

• Get a good night’s sleep before the exam.
• Have a nutritious and filling breakfast so you’ll have the energy to tackle the test.
• Avoid cramming any last bits of information in. You’ve already worked hard to prepare, and you most likely won’t retain any new information now.
• Write down key information prior to the test so you can have a quick glance and remind yourself before heading into the exam hall.

Remember that you will need to bring your own black pen, a pencil and an eraser. You are not allowed to use a calculator, dictionary or correction fluid in the exam. Rough paper is also not allowed, but you can write on the question papers to mark key information, write notes, and draw diagrams if necessary.

If you want to carry on your research in BMAT preparation, check out our other free BMAT resources now, or discover how you can triple your chances of success with our BMAT Tuition Programme. 

Our BMAT Tuition Programme provides all the support you’ll need to pass the test, including guidance from our expert tutors who are high achievers and know what is required for success in the BMAT. If you’re hoping to study Medicine at Oxbridge, our Oxbridge Medicine Programme includes one-to-one tuition for the test as well as interview prep, the BMAT intensive course, the BMAT online course, and past papers and fully-worked solutions.

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What is the BioMedical Admissions Test (BMAT)? Top 33 Questions Answered

Last updated: 13/4/2023

• Is Medicine Right for Me?
• What do Doctors do?
• The Daily Life of a Doctor
• How to apply to medical school
• Different Routes into Medicine
• Factors to Consider
• Medicine at Oxford and Cambridge
• Your Fifth UCAS Choice
• Getting Your Grades
• Extra-curricular Activities
• What is the UCAT?
• Preparing for Your UCAT Test Day
• After Your UCAT
• BioMedical Admissions Test (BMAT)
• Work Experience and Dental Schools
• NHS Work Experience
• Personal Statement
• Medicine PS Examples
• Dentistry PS Examples
• UCAS References
• Medical and Dental School Interviews
• Multiple Mini Interviews (MMIs)
• Medical School Interview Questions
• Dental School Interview Questions
• Graduate Entry Courses
• Foundation and Access Courses
• International students
• Taking a Gap Year
• Medicine in Australia and NZ
• Medicine in Ireland Medicine in Eastern Europe
• Other Roles in Healthcare
• What Our "Plan B" Looked Like

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.

1. What is the BMAT?

The BMAT is a two-hour exam administered by CAAT (Cambridge Assessments Admissions Testing) designed to differentiate applicants of professional healthcare courses such as medicine and dentistry. It consists of 59 multiple choice questions (MCQs) and one essay.

2.  What is being tested in the BMAT?

The BMAT assesses: 

• Critical thinking
• Problem solving abilities
• Scientific and mathematical knowledge
• Written communication skills

It's made up of the following three sections:

3. Why take the BMAT?

Medical schools usually require applicants to take the UCAT or BMAT .

They are used to decide which candidates to invite to interview and sometimes who gets the final offer. Since most applicants have exceptional academic achievements, universities rely on this additional testing.

As some universities require the BMAT instead of the UCAT (see tip #4 below), taking both exams and getting a high score maximises your chances of getting into medical or dental school.

Taking the BMAT also allows you to apply to medical programmes at prestigious universities such as Oxford, Cambridge and University College London.

Learn about the UCAT test

4. Which UK universities require the BMAT and how do they use your score?

The following UK universities require the BMAT:

The BMAT is also required for entry into various medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, veterinary medicine and biomedical sciences degrees in Europe and Asia.

All universities consider your BMAT score alongside other admission criteria. However, some universities may place more emphasis on your BMAT score, such as having a strict minimum score for each section.

Get detailed information on BMAT universities

‍ 5. When is the BMAT?

The test date for BMAT – March is 4 March 2023. 

The test date for BMAT – October is 18 October 2023. 

‍ 6. Which BMAT session do I take?

If you're applying to UK universities in 2023, you need to take  BMAT – October .

If you're applying to universities in Europe in 2023, you need to take BMAT – March .

If you're applying to universities outside the UK, check the official CAAT website .

Our BMAT universities article has more details on what BMAT session is required to study abroad.

7. How long are BMAT results valid for?

Results are valid for one year. If you sit the BMAT in 2023, you can use it for courses starting in 2024, but not for subsequent years.

8. How many times can I take the BMAT?

You can take the BMAT as many times as you want, but only once per admissions cycle.

9. In which school year do you take BMAT – October?

You take the BMAT during Year 13, in October 2023.

‍ 10. How much does the BMAT cost?

BMAT – March 2023 costs £150/€175/US$206. 

BMAT – October 2023 costs £78/€91 within the UK and EU, and £104/$142 outside of the EU.

11. What if I can't pay for the BMAT?

For BMAT – October 2023, if you meet the criteria and apply by 29 September 2023 6pm BST , you could have your standard registration fee reimbursed.

To be eligible for the reimbursement you must be a UK student who is receiving one of the following:

• Free school meals
• Learner support 
• 16 to 19 Bursary
• Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA)
• Student Finance England Maintenance Grant or Maintenance Loan (full rate)
• Student Awards Agency Scotland (SAAS) Young Students’/Independent Students’ Bursary (full rate)
• Student Finance Wales or Northern Ireland Maintenance Grant (full rate)

You’re also eligible if you or a parent you live with receives one of the following:

• Income support 
• Job seekers allowance (JSA)
• Employment and support allowance  (ESA)
• Universal credit
• Working tax credit
• Child tax credit
• Asylum support

12. How is the BMAT scored?

Sections 1 and 2 are scored between 1 (low) to 9 (high).

Section 3 is marked on quality of content on a scale from 1 (low) to 5 (high) and quality of English on a scale from A (high) to E (low).

The essay is marked by two independent examiners and the writing is made available to interviewers.

Take a deep dive into BMAT scoring

‍ 13. What is a good BMAT score?

This depends on the university you are applying to. As a rough guide, a score of 5 is considered average, 6 good and 7 or higher excellent for Sections 1 and 2. 

For Section 3, you should aim for a score of 3A or higher.

Read about how the BMAT is scored

14. Is the BMAT hard?

It depends.

Some students, especially those who are well underway with preparing for the UCAT, find Section 1 easier as it tests similar skills to the UCAT Verbal Reasoning and Quantitative Reasoning sections. 

Students who excel at maths and science won’t find Section 2 very difficult, whereas avid writers may find Section 3 to be the easiest.

It is important to tailor your BMAT preparation to your strengths and weaknesses and focus on the section(s) that require the most work.

If the BMAT is stressing you out, follow these tips on exam mindfulness .

15. How do I prepare for the BMAT?

Take a look at our BMAT specification article for an in-depth section-by-section breakdown. 

Read on for an overview of each section:

Section 1 (problem solving questions)

Brush up on your basic maths, including:

• Number concepts (fractions, place value, percentages)
• Numerical operations and quantities (time, calendar, money, measures)
• Spatial reasoning (area, perimeter, volume)
• Interpretation of tables and graphs

For the Critical Thinking questions in Section 1, you will need to prove you can understand and evaluate arguments (for example, by identifying assumptions or flaws in an argument). 

Explore our top tips for BMAT Section 1

Section 2 (science and maths questions)

Make sure you know the syllabus on the Cambridge Assessment Admissions Testing website inside out, as questions will not be asked outside of it.

Explore our top tips for BMAT Section 2

Section 3 (essay writing)

Learn to develop and communicate your ideas clearly and use a good level of English.

If this is something you struggle with, consider taking a free writing course with the Open University before starting your BMAT preparation course. The writing course is not BMAT specific, but it can give you a great foundation.

Explore our top tips for BMAT Section 3

For all sections

Visit the Cambridge Assessment Admissions Testing website, which provides the content specifications and previous papers.

Do plenty of practice questions to assess your strengths and weaknesses. Practise with past papers to familiarise yourself with the time pressure and the need for sustained focus.

16. Do I get penalised for wrong answers?

No. Leave no question unanswered for the multiple choice questions in Sections 1 and 2.

‍ 17. Will I be asked about my writing task at my interview?

Some universities may ask about the essay at your interview. 

Universities are generally quite vague about whether or not they’ll ask about the essay, but should definitely give you advanced notice if you’re invited to interview. 

18. When do BMAT 2023 results come out?

BMAT – March results will be released on 28 March 2023. 

BMAT – October results will be released on 24 November 2023.

19. How do I view my BMAT results?

Log in to the Metritests system to check your results.

20. How do I send my BMAT results to my chosen universities?

If you're applying to universities in the UK or the Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, your BMAT results will be delivered directly to your chosen universities.

For all our universities, you will need to use CAAT’s Metritests system .

21. Can I submit a BMAT results enquiry or appeal?

Yes, you can submit a Results Enquiry Request or an appeal through your test centre.

Learn more about BMAT appeals

22. Can I use a calculator or a dictionary in the BMAT?

No, neither is allowed.

23. How is the BMAT different from the UCAT and GAMSAT?

The UCAT (University Clinical Aptitude Test) and BMAT both require a high level of critical thinking and problem-solving skills. 

The main difference is that UCAT is a purely skills-based test, whereas the BMAT assumes a prerequisite knowledge in maths and sciences (Section 2). 

The UCAT consists entirely of multiple choice questions, whereas the BMAT includes an essay task (Section 3). Learn more about the similarities and differences between the UCAT and BMAT exam.

The Graduate Medical School Admissions Test (GAMSAT) is an admissions test that is only relevant for graduate entry applicants. (Note: The graduate entry medical programme at Oxford requires the BMAT.)

Much like the BMAT, the GAMSAT assesses critical analysis and reasoning, writing skills and scientific knowledge. However, the GAMSAT requires you to answer many more questions (132 MCQs and 2 writing tasks) over almost five hours.

24. Can I sit both the UCAT and BMAT?

Yes, many students sit both tests to maximise their chances of getting into medical school. 

Section 1 of the BMAT assesses similar attributes to the UCAT’s Verbal Reasoning (VR) and Quantitative Reasoning (QR) sections, so preparing for the UCAT will benefit your BMAT revision.

25. How long does it take to prepare for the BMAT?

It depends on your readiness for each section, but many students prepare for months before the test, so expect some intense competition. 

There is a limited number of medical school places so you need to score as high as you can to give yourself the best chance of gaining entry.

You should allow at least a month (ideally six weeks or longer) to prepare thoroughly and get through plenty of BMAT practice tests and questions. Spreading out your revision will help you to prepare for the exam with less stress.

Check out a sample 6-week BMAT revision plan

26. How do I book the BMAT?

Find out how to register for BMAT – March . For BMAT – October, register through a test centre .

Learn more about BMAT registration .

27. Where do I sit the BMAT?

You can find authorised test centres through the official CAAT website .

If you’re taking BMAT – March, you will sit the test in an authorised test centre.

Most BMAT – October candidates take the test at their schools. If your school is not registered already, it can apply to become a test centre .

28. Can I change my BMAT test date?

No. The BMAT test is held on a set date, unlike the UCAT, which runs over a period of time.

29. Can I cancel my BMAT – October?

Yes, your Exams Officer could cancel your test registration for you up until 29 September 2023.

If you paid additional administration fees, your test centre will decide whether they can refund these fees.

30. Do BMAT – March and BMAT – October offer access arrangements?

Access arrangements are available for both tests. 

You should contact your test centre and provide details of your disability or special requirements. You may be asked to provide evidence. ‍

31. What do I need to bring to the BMAT test?

Both the March and October sitting require a valid photo ID, such as your passport, driver's licence or student ID. 

You cannot bring any food or drink except a clear bottle of water without any labels. Dictionaries and calculators are not allowed.

Both exams are a pen-and-paper test, so you will need a soft pencil and eraser for Sections 1 and 2, and a black ink pen for Section 3. Use of correction fluid is not permitted.

Your test centre may give further instructions about what to bring or do on the test day.

32. How can you get into medicine without the BMAT?

If you don’t do well in the BMAT, it’s not the end of the road for you. You can still study medicine through a number of paths:

• Apply to universities that require the UCAT ‍
• Apply to the University of Central Lancashire and the University of Buckingham , which do not require any admissions test
• If you really want to get into a particular university that requires the BMAT, take a gap year and sit the BMAT again
• Study something else and then try again via graduate entry medicine ‍
• Study medicine overseas (e.g. in the Republic of Ireland , Eastern Europe or Australia and New Zealand )

33. Where can I get further BMAT information?

Visit the official CAAT website for more information about the BMAT.

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BMAT Problem Solving Tips

There are several suggested approaches and tips to follow to succeed with Problem Solving questions. You need to familiarise yourself with an approach to tackle each of these questions. Practising problem solving questions will also help you to identify areas of weakness and common pitfalls.

Strategic approach to Problem Solving

Having a strategic approach and order to tackle each problem will help you to tackle the question accurately but rapidly. Initially reading the question allows you to contextualise what you are aiming to calculate or derive from the data. In contrast to tackling critical thinking questions next you should read the answer options first. The benefit of using this approach is that it may help you to shortcut your method. For example, you may have an idea of where you should start your calculations from using the lowest value. Another useful approach is estimation, observing how close together the answer options are will advise you on how useful rounding may be and how accurate your calculation stages need to be. Using the data attempt the question. Try using the process of elimination approach to discard the clearly incorrect answers, from the options left select the answer that best fits with what you have calculated.

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How to tackle more challenging Problem-Solving Questions

The mathematical skills being tested are in themselves not so challenging. However, when these skills need to be applied to a question it adds an extra layer of complexity. Many students struggle to interpret the question and understand what procedural approach they should be taking. Firstly, reread the questions, answer options and note the headings and labels used in the resource. With calculation questions try to work out the order of calculation you will need to do. Try to think of what logical calculations you can do and what you can calculate from what you are given. Although some of these calculations may not be required to get the answer, they can help you to interpret and understand the resource.

Working in timed conditions

For section 1 of the BMAT there is a total time limit of 60 minutes. This means that for each section you have just over a minute to calculate the answer. Consider whether you will want/ need time, having completed all the questions, to check back over your answers or complete any incomplete calculations. Each question is only worth one mark so in contrast to other maths-based exams you may have sat you will not be required to show working out calculations. However, it may be useful to right down any important numbers or answers that you have calculated for each stage of the procedure. This will mean when you are checking through your answers you can look through each stage doing an initial scan for if any stages of your calculations immediately seem wrong. If you have not managed to complete a question it may be useful to have a reminder of what you have already done and calculated from that question. The benefit of returning to questions is that on the second time of reading and interpreting the question you may have a fresh perspective. In order to utilise this benefit, make sure you reread the question and relevant data before jumping straight back into your procedural approach.

Optimise Your BMAT Performance

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

Using Estimation

Even if you believe you have identified the correct answer ensure you carefully read all the answer options and can identify how they differ. Many of the answer options may differ by factors of 10. Consider using estimation and rounding to the nearest 10/100 to sense check your answer.  Some questions may lend themselves more favourably to estimation then others where the answers are further away in value. When estimating note whether you have estimated up or down and consider how this may impact your answer

Practice Mental Maths

Remember that you are not permitted to use a calculator as part of section 1 of the BMAT exam. This means that you must be confident with your mental maths skills. Check that you are confident with quick mental arithmetic. You’ll need to brush up on your timetables up to 12. It is also useful to memories the first 20 square numbers and first 10 cube numbers.

Practice Conversions

It is likely that at some point during your school career you have been confident converting between decimals, fractions and percentages but it can be easy to forget the most time efficient ways to do these operations. Go through your GCSE revision notes to improve your abilities in conversion.

Improve your spatial Reasoning Skills

Ensure you can manipulate shapes using translation concepts such as rotation and reflection. Practice pattern recognition questions and be confident with the characteristics of 2D and 3D shapes.

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BMAT Timetable

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• 11:30 - 11:45: Morning Break
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Tips For Problem Solving A Toilet That Won't Flush Correctly

Y our toilet is a home appliance you probably prefer to think about as little as possible. So, when it isn't flushing properly, you want to troubleshoot the problem quickly without touching gross water. There may be an unusual, unexpected reason the toilet won't flush , or you may have a common toilet problem you should not ignore . Either way, you can often try to fix the flushing problem yourself before  you call the plumber to visit your bathroom .

The most common issue with a toilet that is not flushing well involves some sort of clog. Water flow can be an issue in a clog, as appliances sold in the past three decades use low-flow designs that limit them to 1.6 gallons per flush. You may especially notice issues with clogs if you have an older low-flow unit, as newer models generate extra water pressure.

However, some clogs have nothing to do with water flow. Anytime you have solids in the toilet, you may end up with a clog, especially if the kids use too much toilet paper. The best way to solve this issue is to use a flange-style plunger, which has a small flap extending from the middle of the plunger's cup. This extra piece helps generate force and suction to loosen the clog. Place the flap inside the hole at the bottom of the bowl and forcefully press down a few times.

Read more: 6 Helpful Ways You Can Upgrade Your Toilet

Problems Inside The Toilet Tank With The Flapper And Chain

Once you rule out a clog, you can focus on potential problems inside the toilet tank. When you press the flush handle on the tank, it lifts a flapper inside it. This releases a rush of water into the bowl, emptying its contents. When the toilet doesn't seem to flush properly, it's possible that one of the mechanisms in the tank is not doing its job adequately. Check the performance of these items in the tank by removing the lid. 

Press the handle and watch the flapper at the bottom. If it isn't lifting or if it lifts and drops immediately, you don't have enough water flowing into the bowl. The chain that attaches the handle to the flapper could have too much slack, leaving it unable to lift and control it. The flapper may have too much wear to allow a tight seal, causing water to leak slowly into the bowl continuously and causing flushing issues. You can purchase a new flapper and chain mechanism and have this repair done on your toilet. Or adjust the slack in the chain to fix the problem.

Check The Flow Of Water From The Tank And In The Bowl

Another common cause of toilet clogs is simply not having enough water available for the flush. A lack of water may generate a weak flush pressure, making it difficult to clear all the solids from the bowl. After you try to flush, let the tank refill normally. Then, open the lid on the tank to view the water level. Look on the tank's interior for a mark indicating the ideal fill level. If the water sits below this mark, not enough is running into the tank. You may have an issue with the fill valve. 

If the valve is worn, it may allow water to leak into the bowl, leaving the tank unable to fill. The best option is to replace the fill valve with a new one that matches your toilet design. Most people can replace the fill valve in approximately an hour, but if water runs onto the floor in this process, you may want to call a plumber.

Another issue that can affect the flow, especially in an older toilet, is when you have clogged jets inside the bowl. These jets force water around the sides of the bowl, helping to move solids. The jets may clog over time with mineral buildup. You can often clean them with a scrub brush or using toothpicks to break loose the minerals restricting the flow.

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Stormy Daniels Takes the Stand

The porn star testified for eight hours at donald trump’s hush-money trial. this is how it went..

This transcript was created using speech recognition software. While it has been reviewed by human transcribers, it may contain errors. Please review the episode audio before quoting from this transcript and email [email protected] with any questions.

It’s 6:41 AM. I’m feeling a little stressed because I’m running late. It’s the fourth week of Donald J. Trump’s criminal trial. It’s a white collar trial. Most of the witnesses we’ve heard from have been, I think, typical white collar witnesses in terms of their professions.

We’ve got a former publisher, a lawyer, accountants. The witness today, a little less typical, Stormy Daniels, porn star in a New York criminal courtroom in front of a jury more accustomed to the types of witnesses they’ve already seen. There’s a lot that could go wrong.

From “The New York Times,” I’m Michael Barbaro. This is “The Daily.”

Today, what happened when Stormy Daniels took the stand for eight hours in the first criminal trial of Donald J. Trump. As before, my colleague Jonah Bromwich was inside the courtroom.

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It’s Friday, May 10th.

So it’s now day 14 of this trial. And I think it’s worth having you briefly, and in broad strokes, catch listeners up on the biggest developments that have occurred since you were last on, which was the day that opening arguments were made by both the defense and the prosecution. So just give us that brief recap.

Sure. It’s all been the prosecution’s case so far. And prosecutors have a saying, which is that the evidence is coming in great. And I think for this prosecution, which is trying to show that Trump falsified business records to cover up a sex scandal, to ease his way into the White House in 2016, the evidence has been coming in pretty well. It’s come in well through David Pecker, former publisher of The National Enquirer, who testified that he entered into a secret plot with Trump and Michael Cohen, his fixer at the time, to suppress negative stories about Trump, the candidate.

It came in pretty well through Keith Davidson, who was a lawyer to Stormy Daniels in 2016 and negotiated the hush money payment. And we’ve seen all these little bits and pieces of evidence that tell the story that prosecutors want to tell. And the case makes sense so far. We can’t tell what the jury is thinking, as we always say.

But we can tell that there’s a narrative that’s coherent and that matches up with the prosecution’s opening statement. Then we come to Tuesday. And that day really marks the first time that the prosecution’s strategy seems a little bit risky because that’s the day that Stormy Daniels gets called to the witness stand.

OK, well, just explain why the prosecution putting Stormy Daniels on the stand would be so risky. And I guess it makes sense to answer that in the context of why the prosecution is calling her as a witness at all.

Well, you can see why it makes sense to have her. The hush money payment was to her. The cover-up of the hush money payment, in some ways, concerns her. And so she’s this character who’s very much at the center of this story. But according to prosecutors, she’s not at the center of the crime. The prosecution is telling a story, and they hope a compelling one. And arguably, that story starts with Stormy Daniels. It starts in 2006, when Stormy Daniels says that she and Trump had sex, which is something that Trump has always denied.

So if prosecutors were to not call Stormy Daniels to the stand, you would have this big hole in the case. It would be like, effect, effect, effect. But where is the cause? Where is the person who set off this chain reaction? But Stormy Daniels is a porn star. She’s there to testify about sex. Sex and pornography are things that the jurors were not asked about during jury selection. And those are subjects that bring up all kinds of different complex reactions in people.

And so, when the prosecutors bring Stormy Daniels to the courtroom, it’s very difficult to know how the jurors will take it, particularly given that she’s about to describe a sexual episode that she says she had with the former president. Will the jurors think that makes sense, as they sit here and try to decide a falsifying business records case, or will they ask themselves, why are we hearing this?

So the reason why this is the first time that the prosecution’s strategy is, for journalists like you, a little bit confusing, is because it’s the first time that the prosecution seems to be taking a genuine risk in what they’re putting before these jurors. Everything else has been kind of cut and dry and a little bit more mechanical. This is just a wild card.

This is like live ammunition, to some extent. Everything else is settled and controlled. And they know what’s going to happen. With Stormy Daniels, that’s not the case.

OK, so walk us through the testimony. When the prosecution brings her to the stand, what actually happens?

It starts, as every witness does, with what’s called direct examination, which is a fancy word for saying prosecutors question Stormy Daniels. And they have her tell her story. First, they have her tell the jury about her education and where she grew up and her professional experience. And because of Stormy Daniels’s biography, that quickly goes into stripping, and then goes into making adult films.

And I thought the prosecutor who questioned her, Susan Hoffinger, had this nice touch in talking about that, because not only did she ask Daniels about acting in adult films. But she asked her about writing and directing them, too, emphasizing the more professional aspects of that work and giving a little more credit to the witness, as if to say, well, you may think this or you may think that. But this is a person with dignity who took what she did seriously. Got it.

What’s your first impression of Daniels as a witness?

It’s very clear that she’s nervous. She’s speaking fast. She’s laughing to herself and making small jokes. But the tension in the room is so serious from the beginning, from the moment she enters, that those jokes aren’t landing. So it just feels, like, really heavy and still and almost oppressive in there. So Daniels talking quickly, seeming nervous, giving more answers than are being asked of her by the prosecution, even before we get to the sexual encounter that she’s about to describe, all of that presents a really discomfiting impression, I would say.

And how does this move towards the encounter that Daniels ultimately has?

It starts at a golf tournament in 2006, in Lake Tahoe, Nevada. Daniels meets Trump there. There are other celebrities there, too. They chatted very briefly. And then she received a dinner invitation from him. She thought it over, she says. And she goes to have dinner with Trump, not at a restaurant, by the way. But she’s invited to join him in the hotel suite.

So she gets to the hotel suite. And his bodyguard is there. And the hotel door is cracked open. And the bodyguard greets her and says she looks nice, this and that. And she goes in. And there’s Donald Trump, just as expected. But what’s not expected, she says, is that he’s not wearing what you would wear to a dinner with a stranger, but instead, she says, silk or satin pajamas. She asked him to change, she says. And he obliges.

He goes, and he puts on a dress shirt and dress pants. And they sit down at the hotel suite’s dining room table. And they have a kind of bizarre dinner. Trump is asking her very personal questions about pornography and safe sex. And she testifies that she teased him about vain and pompous he is. And then at some point, she goes to the bathroom. And she sees that he has got his toiletries in there, his Old Spice, his gold tweezers.

Very specific details.

Yeah, we’re getting a ton of detail in this scene. And the reason we’re getting those is because prosecutors are trying to elicit those details to establish that this is a credible person, that this thing did happen, despite what Donald Trump and his lawyers say. And the reason you can know it happened, prosecutors seem to be saying, is because, look at all these details she can still summon up.

She comes out of the bathroom. And she says that Donald Trump is on the hotel bed. And what stands out to me there is what she describes as a very intense physical reaction. She says that she blacked out. And she quickly clarifies, she doesn’t mean from drugs or alcohol. She means that, she says, that the intensity of this experience was such that, suddenly, she can’t remember every detail. The prosecution asks a question that cuts directly to the sex. Essentially, did you start having sex with him? And Daniels says that she did. And she continues to provide more details than even, I think, the prosecution wanted.

And I think we don’t want to go chapter and verse through this claimed sexual encounter. But I wonder what details stand out and which details feel important, given the prosecution’s strategy here.

All the details stand out because it’s a story about having had sex with a former president. And the more salacious and more private the details feel, the more you’re going to remember them. So we’ll remember that Stormy Daniels said what position they had sex in. We’ll remember that she said he didn’t use a condom. Whether that’s important to the prosecution’s case, now, that’s a much harder question to answer, as we’ve been saying.

But what I can tell you is, as she’s describing having had sex with Donald Trump, and Donald Trump is sitting right there, and Eric Trump, his son, is sitting behind him, seeming to turn a different color as he hears this embarrassment of his father being described to a courtroom full of reporters at this trial, it’s hard to even describe the energy in that room. It was like nothing I had ever experienced. And it was just Daniels’s testimony and, seemingly, the former President’s emotions. And you almost felt like you were trapped in there with both of them as this description was happening.

Well, I think it’s important to try to understand why the prosecution is getting these details, these salacious, carnal, pick your word, graphic details about sex with Donald Trump. What is the value, if other details are clearly making the point that she’s recollecting something?

Well, I think, at this point, we can only speculate. But one thing we can say is, this was uncomfortable. This felt bad. And remember, prosecutor’s story is not about the sex. It’s about trying to hide the sex. So if you’re trying to show a jury why it might be worthwhile to hide a story, it might be worth —

Providing lots of salacious details that a person would want to hide.

— exposing them to how bad that story feels and reminding them that if they had been voters and they had heard that story, and, in fact, they asked Daniels this very question, if you hadn’t accepted hush money, if you hadn’t signed that NDA, is this the story you would have told? And she said, yes. And so where I think they’re going with this, but we can’t really be sure yet, is that they’re going to tell the jurors, hey, that story, you can see why he wanted to cover that up, can’t you?

You mentioned the hush money payments. What testimony does Daniels offer about that? And how does it advance the prosecution’s case of business fraud related to the hush money payments?

So little evidence that it’s almost laughable. She says that she received the hush money. But we actually already heard another witness, her lawyer at the time, Keith Davidson, testify that he had received the hush money payment on her behalf. And she testified about feeling as if she had to sell this story because the election was fast approaching, almost as if her leverage was slipping away because she knew this would be bad for Trump.

That feels important. But just help me understand why it’s important.

Well, what the prosecution has been arguing is that Trump covered up this hush money payment in order to conceal a different crime. And that crime, they say, was to promote his election to the presidency by illegal means.

Right, we’ve talked about this in the past.

So when Daniels ties her side of the payment into the election, it just reminds the jurors maybe, oh, right, this is what they’re arguing.

So how does the prosecution end this very dramatic, and from everything you’re saying, very tense questioning of Stormy Daniels about this encounter?

Well, before they can even end, the defense lawyers go and they consult among themselves. And then, with the jury out of the room, one of them stands up. And he says that the defense is moving for a mistrial.

On what terms?

He says that the testimony offered by Daniels that morning is so prejudicial, so damning to Trump in the eyes of the jury, that the trial can no longer be fair. Like, how could these jurors have heard these details and still be fair when they render their verdict? And he says a memorable expression. He says, you can’t un-ring that bell, meaning they heard it. They can’t un-hear it. It’s over. Throw out this trial. It should be done.

Wow. And what is the response from the judge?

So the judge, Juan Merchan, he hears them out. And he really hears them out. But at the end of their arguments, he says, I do think she went a little too far. He says that. He said, there were things that were better left unsaid.

By Stormy Daniels?

By Stormy Daniels. And he acknowledges that she is a difficult witness. But, he says, the remedy for that is not a mistrial, is not stopping the whole thing right now. The remedy for that is cross-examination. If the defense feels that there are issues with her story, issues with her credibility, they can ask her whatever they want. They can try to win the jury back over. If they think this jury has been poisoned by this witness, well, this is their time to provide the antidote. The antidote is cross-examination. And soon enough, cross-examination starts. And it is exactly as intense and combative as we expected.

We’ll be right back.

So, Jonah, how would you characterize the defense’s overall strategy in this intense cross-examination of Stormy Daniels?

People know the word impeach from presidential impeachments. But it has a meaning in law, too. You impeach a witness, and, specifically, their credibility. And that’s what the defense is going for here. They are going to try to make Stormy Daniels look like a liar, a fraud, an extortionist, a money-grubbing opportunist who wanted to take advantage of Trump and sought to do so by any means necessary.

And what did that impeachment strategy look like in the courtroom?

The defense lawyer who questions Stormy Daniels is a woman named Susan Necheles. She’s defended Trump before. And she’s a bit of a cross-examination specialist. We even saw her during jury selection bring up these past details to confront jurors who had said nasty things about Trump on social media with. And she wants to do the same thing with Daniels. She wants to bring up old interviews and old tweets and things that Daniels has said in the past that don’t match what Daniels is saying from the stand.

What’s a specific example? And do they land?

Some of them land. And some of them don’t. One specific example is that Necheles confronts Daniels with this old tweet, where Daniels says that she’s going to dance down the street if Trump goes to jail. And what she’s trying to show there is that Daniels is out for revenge, that she hates Trump, and that she wants to see him go to jail. And that’s why she’s testifying against him.

And Daniels is very interesting during the cross-examination. It’s almost as if she’s a different person. She kind of squares her shoulders. And she sits up a little straighter. And she leans forward. Daniels is ready to fight. But it doesn’t quite land. The tweet actually says, I’ll dance down the street when he’s selected to go to jail.

And Daniels goes off on this digression about how she knows that people don’t get selected to go to jail. That’s not how it works. But she can’t really unseat this argument, that she’s a political enemy of Donald Trump. So that one kind of sticks, I would say. But there are other moves that Necheles tries to pull that don’t stick.

So unlike the prosecution, which typically used words like adult, adult film, Necheles seems to be taking every chance she can get to say porn, or pornography, or porn star, to make it sound base or dirty. And so when she starts to ask Daniels about actually being in pornography, writing, acting, and directing sex films, she tries to land a punch line, Necheles does. She says, so you have a lot of experience making phony stories about sex appear to be real, right?

As if to say, perhaps this story you have told about entering Trump’s suite in Lake Tahoe and having sex with him was made up.

Just another one of your fictional stories about sex. But Daniels comes back and says, the sex in the films, it’s very much real, just like what happened to me in that room. And so, when you have this kind of combat of a lawyer cross-examining very aggressively and the witness fighting back, you can feel the energy in the room shift as one lands a blow or the other does. But here, Daniels lands one back. And the other issue that I think Susan Necheles runs into is, she tries to draw out disparities from interviews that Daniels gave, particularly to N-TOUCH, very early on once the story was out.

It’s kind of like a tabloid magazine?

But some of the disparities don’t seem to be landing quite like Necheles would want. So she tries to do this complicated thing about where the bodyguard was in the room when Daniels walked into the room, as described in an interview in a magazine. But in that magazine interview, as it turns out, Daniels mentioned that Trump was wearing pajamas. And so, if I’m a juror, I don’t care where the bodyguard is. I’m thinking about, oh, yeah, I remember that Stormy Daniels said now in 2024 that Trump was wearing pajamas.

I’m curious if, as somebody in the room, you felt that the defense was effective in undermining Stormy Daniels’s credibility? Because what I took from the earlier part of our conversation was that Stormy Daniels is in this courtroom on behalf of the prosecution to tell a story that’s uncomfortable and has the kind of details that Donald Trump would be motivated to try to hide. And therefore, this defense strategy is to say, those details about what Trump might want to hide, you can’t trust them. So does this back and forth effectively hurt Stormy Daniels’s credibility, in your estimation?

I don’t think that Stormy Daniels came off as perfectly credible about everything she testified about. There are incidents that were unclear or confusing. There were things she talked about that I found hard to believe, when she, for instance, denied that she had attacked Trump in a tweet or talked about her motivations. But about what prosecutors need, that central story, the story of having had sex with him, we can’t know whether it happened.

But there weren’t that many disparities in these accounts over the years. In terms of things that would make me doubt the story that Daniels was telling, details that don’t add up, those weren’t present. And you don’t have to take my word for that, nor should you. But the judge is in the room. And he says something very, very similar.

What does he say? And why does he say it?

Well, he does it when the defense, again, at the end of the day on Thursday, calls for a mistrial.

With a similar argument as before?

Not only with a similar argument as before, but, like, almost the exact same argument. And I would say that I was astonished to see them do this. But I wasn’t because I’ve covered other trials where Trump is the client. And in those trials, the lawyers, again and again, called for a mistrial.

And what does Judge Marchan say in response to this second effort to seek a mistrial?

Let me say, to this one, he seems a little less patient. He says that after the first mistrial ruling, two days before, he went into his chambers. And he read every decision he had made about the case. He took this moment to reflect on the first decision. And he found that he had, in his own estimation, which is all he has, been fair and not allowed evidence that was prejudicial to Trump into this trial. It could continue. And so he said that again. And then he really almost turned on the defense. And he said that the things that the defense was objecting to were things that the defense had made happen.

He says that in their opening statement, the defense could have taken issue with many elements of the case, about whether there were falsified business records, about any of the other things that prosecutors are saying happened. But instead, he says, they focused their energy on denying that Trump ever had sex with Daniels.

And so that was essentially an invitation to the prosecution to call Stormy Daniels as a witness and have her say from the stand, yes, I had this sexual encounter. The upshot of it is that the judge not only takes the defense to task. But he also just says that he finds Stormy Daniels’s narrative credible. He doesn’t see it as having changed so much from year to year.

Interesting. So in thinking back to our original question here, Jonah, about the idea that putting Stormy Daniels on the stand was risky, I wonder if, by the end of this entire journey, you’re reevaluating that idea because it doesn’t sound like it ended up being super risky. It sounded like it ended up working reasonably well for the prosecution.

Well, let me just assert that it doesn’t really matter what I think. The jury is going to decide this. There’s 12 people. And we can’t know what they’re thinking. But my impression was that, while she was being questioned by the prosecution for the prosecution’s case, Stormy Daniels was a real liability. She was a difficult witness for them.

And the judge said as much. But when the defense cross-examined her, Stormy Daniels became a better witness, in part because their struggles to discredit her may have actually ended up making her story look more credible and stronger. And the reason that matters is because, remember, we said that prosecutors are trying to fill this hole in their case. Well, now, they have. The jury has met Stormy Daniels. They’ve heard her account. They’ve made of it what they will. And now, the sequence of events that prosecutors are trying to line up as they seek prison time for the former President really makes a lot of sense.

It starts with what Stormy Daniels says with sex in a hotel suite in 2006. It picks up years later, as Donald Trump is trying to win an election and, prosecutors say, suppressing negative stories, including Stormy Daniels’s very negative story. And the story that prosecutors are telling ends with Donald Trump orchestrating the falsification of business records to keep that story concealed.

Well, Jonah, thank you very much. We appreciate it.

Of course, thanks for having me.

The prosecution’s next major witness will be Michael Cohen, the former Trump fixer who arranged for the hush money payment to Stormy Daniels. Cohen is expected to take the stand on Monday.

Here’s what else you need to know today. On Thursday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a defiant response to warnings from the United States that it would stop supplying weapons to Israel if Israel invades the Southern Gaza City of Rafah. So far, Israel has carried out a limited incursion into the city where a million civilians are sheltering, but has threatened a full invasion. In a statement, Netanyahu said, quote, “if we need to stand alone, we will stand alone.”

Meanwhile, high level ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Hamas have been put on hold in part because of anger over Israel’s incursion into Rafah.

A reminder, tomorrow, we’ll be sharing the latest episode of our colleague’s new show, “The Interview” This week on “The Interview,” Lulu Garcia-Navarro talks with radio host Charlamagne Tha God about his frustrations with how Americans talk about politics.

If me as a Black man, if I criticize Democrats, then I’m supporting MAGA. But if I criticize, you know, Donald Trump and Republicans, then I’m a Democratic shill. Why can’t I just be a person who deals in nuance?

Today’s episode was produced by Olivia Natt and Michael Simon Johnson. It was edited by Lexie Diao, with help from Paige Cowett, contains original music by Will Reid and Marion Lozano, and was engineered by Alyssa Moxley. Our theme music is by Jim Brunberg and Ben Landsverk of Wonderly.

That’s it for “The Daily.” I’m Michael Barbaro. See you on Monday.

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Hosted by Michael Barbaro

Featuring Jonah E. Bromwich

Produced by Olivia Natt and Michael Simon Johnson

Edited by Lexie Diao

With Paige Cowett

Original music by Will Reid and Marion Lozano

Engineered by Alyssa Moxley

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This episode contains descriptions of an alleged sexual liaison.

What happened when Stormy Daniels took the stand for eight hours in the first criminal trial of former President Donald J. Trump?

Jonah Bromwich, one of the lead reporters covering the trial for The Times, was in the room.

On today’s episode

Jonah E. Bromwich , who covers criminal justice in New York for The New York Times.

Background reading

In a second day of cross-examination, Stormy Daniels resisted the implication she had tried to shake down Donald J. Trump by selling her story of a sexual liaison.

Here are six takeaways from Ms. Daniels’s earlier testimony.

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Jonah E. Bromwich covers criminal justice in New York, with a focus on the Manhattan district attorney’s office and state criminal courts in Manhattan. More about Jonah E. Bromwich

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