The Student Room Group

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Reply 1
Trust me, you don't need any courses for BMAT...
Just go over GCSE notes in physics, biology, chemistry and mathematics, make sure you understand (don't memorize) the subjects, solve the practice test, get a good night's sleep and go to the test! and don't make the same mistake i did, try to make sure you understand the essay question before you write it! that got my whole score down and got me a couple of rejections!

Section 1 5.9/9
Section 2 6.0/9
Section 3 4.5/15
Total 16.4
Reply 2
i got 16.8, i didnt get on no course.
Reply 3
Ba careful ho you describe that. The RSM do NOT organise BMAT courses - the course runners (DrPrep?) simply hire it's facilities...
Reply 4
Don't waste your money on a course. They do a handy BMAT book which is really the best for all candidates to read. It has another practice paper and has sample essay answers so you know how not to write in the exam, it certainly didn't do me any harm (6.4/6.7/10.5)!
Revise a bit of GCSE, particularly if there's a subject you haven't taken for A-Level (eg Physics for me.) Look over the BMAT book to familiarise yourself with the style of questions, but more importantly, don't get too stressed about it! It's an aptitude test. The most that preparation will accomplish will be to make you sufficiently relaxed and confident to work through challenging questions with a tough time limit.

And DON'T shell out vast money on a course that claims to boost your scores. For one thing, I think it undermines the system, and for another, it will help very VERY little. I spent no money other than the entry fee for my BMAT, and I got 9.0, 7.7, 15.0.
Reply 6
Almost every single person has said to simply read that BMAT book and nothing else...however, everyone's scores are very different. So is it down to natural intelligence?
kazaa
Almost every single person has said to simply read that BMAT book and nothing else...however, everyone's scores are very different. So is it down to natural intelligence?


From the BMAT website:

"Q. How do Thinking Skills Tests like BMAT tests differ from IQ tests? What do the tests measure?

A. Exactly what is an “IQ test”? It’s a rather vague concept. BMAT is clearly defined in a published and freely available document, with the specification available on the website. It measures two specific thinking skills, Problem Solving, and Critical Thinking. There is a clear link between these skills and the demands of a typical course in Higher Education.
Critical Thinking questions test the ability to understand another person’s argument or reasoned opinion, and then analyse and evaluate it for logical consistency. These are useful skills for anyone to learn or improve."

...so I guess it comes down to the semantics of 'intelligence'.
Reply 8
ive already taken the BMAT and go a lame score of 15.9 - i was just wondering if anybody did actually go on the course. i found the first section really hard - only got 3.4 on that section!
Reply 9
kazaa
Almost every single person has said to simply read that BMAT book and nothing else...however, everyone's scores are very different. So is it down to natural intelligence?

yes. and to an extent how much preparation you do for it.
Taking AS CT will help you alot.
Reply 10
It's an apptitude test, so scores will fluctuate from person to person even if they did the same level of preperation.
Reply 11
I can't seem to find any decent problem solving books...they're all either way too easy or maths degree level problem solving! :confused: (apart from the BMAT book, of course!)
Reply 12
parsleythelion
Revise a bit of GCSE, particularly if there's a subject you haven't taken for A-Level (eg Physics for me.) Look over the BMAT book to familiarise yourself with the style of questions, but more importantly, don't get too stressed about it! It's an aptitude test. The most that preparation will accomplish will be to make you sufficiently relaxed and confident to work through challenging questions with a tough time limit.

And DON'T shell out vast money on a course that claims to boost your scores. For one thing, I think it undermines the system, and for another, it will help very VERY little. I spent no money other than the entry fee for my BMAT, and I got 9.0, 7.7, 15.0.[/QUOTE]


WOAAAAH ! :eek: :eek: how the hell did u manage that ?!! dats soo damn impressive !! :redface: well done !!
i got 13.5 WOOOOO go me !
Reply 14
Trust me when i say the courses are pointless. I went on one with Kaplan - Man it was crap! They give 2 days and take £300! They simply give you the sample questions from the BMAT site and a few american modified ones to try. They then get someone to go over it, but that doesnt help in the understanding. Don't bother - the BMAT specs are so wide that u cant really focus revising for it specifically. They can test just about anaything in Maths, biology, chemistry or physics. Just make sure you know the basic principles. And good luck.
Reply 15
Yeah, the official BMAT book really and truely is the only prep you need. Just make sure you know your GCSE double science and maths, and have done the sample questions in the book, and you'll do as well as you can.
Reply 16
I just bought a book with some sample questions in it for a tenner and even that I found to be of not so much use. Overpreparation will make you do worse, IMO. I got 6.4, 6.0 and 7.5 and did next to no preparation, whereas my mate did loads and didn't do as well.
Reply 17
parag
I just bought a book with some sample questions in it for a tenner and even that I found to be of not so much use. Overpreparation will make you do worse, IMO. I got 6.4, 6.0 and 7.5 and did next to no preparation, whereas my mate did loads and didn't do as well.


Well there's still no harm in preparing, right? What exactly did your friend do?

Ooh are you renegade on msg?
Reply 18
It is very difficult to revise for this kind of test. I know people don't want to hear that, of course all of us want to be ready and prepared for any official exam, but this is slightly different in that even if you get straight A*'s and A's you arent guaranteed a good mark! (like me)!!
Reply 19
I think its good to do at least some practice as it gets you used to the style of the paper and in particular the demanding time constraints for all three sections.