BMAT and GCSE Results

[Daniel-Wilkins]

Dear Cantabrigians!

Is there a system at Cambridge, like Oxford, where GCSE results and BMAT results are comparatively used to guarantee interviews? For example, at Oxford with my 60% A*s at GCSE I would need to be in the top 30% of BMAT results in order to be guaranteed an interview and so was wondering if Cambridge has a similar system.

Thanks in advance, Dan

[Apollyon]

At Cambridge, 98% of all applicants get an interview so unless you have done something extraordinarily stupid, you will get an interview. The GCSE scores aren't that important. There's a minimum you need (check the prospectus for that) but its a very minor factor in the great scheme of things. The BMAT score is used together with the interview with much greater weighting given to the interview, to decide whether to give you an offer or not.

[*Liana*]

It does vary a little between the colleges - Trinity College, for instance, don't give interviews to applicants who get low scores in sections 1 + 2 of the BMAT (I think this is basically if you're in the bottom half of the scores). Generally, though, I'd say the BMAT is used as part of the decision-making process, and not as a screening system like at Oxford.

[CoS88]

For example, at Oxford with my 60% A*s at GCSE I would need to be in the top 30% of BMAT results in order to be guaranteed an interview.

Out of interest, where did you find that out???????

[*Liana*]

I'll answer for Daniel-Wilkins, though perhaps he can give you a URL for it...

It'll be somewhere on Oxford's website, in the explanation of the Medical Admissions process - if you have 90% A*s, you only need to be in the top 50% or so (I think the % is a little higher) to get an interview. The more A*s you have, the lower your BMAT score can be.

[Wannabe-Doc]

http://www.medsci.ox.ac.uk/study/med...ndex_html/view

I'll need to be in the top 55% ... (fingers crossed!)

[CoS88]

Weellll that's good...because it means that if I decide to apply to Oxford and screw up my BMAT, there's still a marginal chance of getting an interview - I just have to somehow work myself into the top 62% of BMAT-takers....
....I'm scared. What kinds of things did people do to prepare? And are there any good Critical Thinking kinds of books I could maybe get hold of (bearing in mind that our school doesn't do it as an A Level, and the most critical thinking I've ever done consists of the following thought process: "I'm hungry...what's the most sensible conclusion to draw from this?...Raid the kitchen."

[Wannabe-Doc]

There's a BMAT prep book that you can buy, and theres the specification and speciman papers on the website that you can take a look at

[CoS88]

I've bought the prep book, and have been cheerfully putting off looking at the papers on the website too much, because a) I freak out, and b) If I start examining the Qs and As now, then it won't be a proper test paper when I come to work seriously on it...if that makes any sense...