BMAT & GCSE table.

**anoushka** · 04-09-2007, 02:41 PM

Hi everyone, you know that BMAT and GCSE table on the oxford website? I.e this one: http://www.medsci.ox.ac.uk/study/med...essingchances/

Well this is for 2006 entry, I was wondering if there is an updated version for 2008 entry available anywhere?
Thank you in advance,
Anoushka.

**elles** · 04-09-2007, 06:53 PM

I doubt it - the stuff on the website has always been retrospective information.

My understanding is they don't arbitrarily set a 'this years GCSE-BMAT automatic interview threshold' before everyone applies & gets the results.
Instead, it's something they do at the time they start shortlisting based on how many applicants they want to interview per place, so it's subject to change from year to year - based on how many applicants there are per place, how well everyone applying has performed at both & what % of the interview list they want to be automatically selected done this way.

Hmm, does that make sense?

**anoushka** · 05-09-2007, 02:11 AM

Yes it does elles, I was just worried that I won't do well enough on the BMAT for oxford but I think I should still give it a shot. If my teacher lets that is.
Thank you!

**theshape** · 08-09-2007, 04:37 AM

I really don't like the way Oxford use the % of A*s you got at GCSE as part of their selection. I got 8A*s and 4As which means i only have 66.7% A*s at GCSE, and so i'm going to have to be in the top 30% of applicants in the BMAT in order to get an interview, which i'm really not sure i'll manage to do. But surely doing 3 extra GCSEs to someone who might have got 8A*s and 1A is more of an achievement, yet they'll be put down as having 88.9% A*s and will only have to be in the top 50%? I wish they used a points based system where you get a certain number of points for each grade.

I appreciate that some schools restrict the number of GCSEs you can do to only 9 or so, but i still think their system is flawed.

**Huw Davies** · 16-09-2007, 11:58 PM

I've been saying this for a while - I think the method used now discourages people from doing extra subjects if they aren't certain of getting an A* (assuming they're really clued up about Oxford admissions for medicine at the age of 14). For example, looking hard-headedly at it, I shouldn't have done GCSE Latin, but it was very interesting and even enjoyable. Bear in mind though that Oxford do add additional candidates who don't make the cut according to the strict formula, and it's likely that anyone who gets many A*s but has them diluted by extra subjects would get picked up this way.

Ultimately, I have quite a lot of faith in the Oxford admissions system. This is based largely on my being a product of it, of course.

**mtranter** · 28-09-2007, 01:34 PM

I have 50% A*s at GCSE, so I need to be in the top 24th percentile. What actual mark on the BMAT is this?

Cheers

**Huw Davies** · 28-09-2007, 11:50 PM

Varies from year to year. You could work it out from the graphs on the website if you really wanted to, but it wouldn't be a particularly good use of your time. Don't worry about it.

**Singh.Simran** · 29-09-2007, 02:44 PM

Any ideas whether cambridge operates a similar system?

I guess its not that hugely important, people on this forum and comparable intellects will be getting interviews at least almost everywhere...

interesting table tho. just a few marks can be the difference between an easy 50% target and a somewhat harder one...