BMAT past papers and resources
Every BioMedical Admissions Test paper from 2003 to 2023, with official answer keys. Twenty-one years of papers, free. The BMAT was used for Medicine at Cambridge, Imperial, UCL and others until its final sitting in 2023.
BMAT past papers (2003 to 2022)
All twenty-one years. Sections 1, 2 and 3 for 2003 to 2022; for 2023, the final sitting, only Section 1 was published. Answer keys cover Sections 1 and 2. Section 3 was an essay marked by the universities, so it has no key — the official Section 3 marking criteria set out how it was assessed. Explained answers, which walk through the reasoning rather than just giving the letter, exist for two years.
| Year | Section 1 | Section 2 | Section 3 | Answer keys | Explained answers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Section 1 | — | — | S1 | — |
| 2022 | Section 1 | Section 2 | Section 3 | S1 · S2 | — |
| 2021 | Section 1 | Section 2 | Section 3 | S1 · S2 | — |
| 2020 | Section 1 | Section 2 | Section 3 | S1 · S2 | S1 · S2 |
| 2019 | Section 1 | Section 2 | Section 3 | S1 · S2 | — |
| 2018 | Section 1 | Section 2 | Section 3 | S1 · S2 | — |
| 2017 | Section 1 | Section 2 | Section 3 | S1 · S2 | — |
| 2016 | Section 1 | Section 2 | Section 3 | S1 · S2 | — |
| 2015 | Section 1 | Section 2 | Section 3 | S1 · S2 | — |
| 2014 | Section 1 | Section 2 | Section 3 | S1 · S2 | S1 · S2 |
| 2013 | Section 1 | Section 2 | Section 3 | S1 · S2 | — |
| 2012 | Section 1 | Section 2 | Section 3 | S1 · S2 | — |
| 2011 | Section 1 | Section 2 | Section 3 | S1 · S2 | — |
| 2010 | Section 1 | Section 2 | Section 3 | S1 · S2 | — |
| 2009 | Section 1 | Section 2 | Section 3 | S1 · S2 | — |
| 2008 | Section 1 | Section 2 | Section 3 | S1 · S2 | — |
| 2007 | Section 1 | Section 2 | Section 3 | S1 · S2 | — |
| 2006 | Section 1 | Section 2 | Section 3 | S1 · S2 | — |
| 2005 | Section 1 | Section 2 | Section 3 | S1 · S2 | — |
| 2004 | Section 1 | Section 2 | Section 3 | S1 · S2 | — |
| 2003 | Section 1 | Section 2 | Section 3 | S1 · S2 | — |
What replaced the BMAT
The BMAT was withdrawn after the 2023 sitting. The universities that used it moved to the UCAT, which most UK medical schools already required, so applicants now sit one test rather than two. The UCAT is a different animal: it tests aptitude and situational judgement rather than the scientific knowledge the BMAT’s Section 2 examined.
How to use these papers
Selectively, and not as your main preparation. The BMAT and UCAT overlap in one section and diverge sharply in the other two.
| BMAT section | Useful for the UCAT? | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Section 1 Aptitude and skills | Yes, the closest match | Critical thinking and problem solving under time pressure, much like UCAT Verbal and Decision Making |
| Section 2 Scientific knowledge | No | The UCAT tests no scientific content at all. Useful for interview preparation, not for the UCAT |
| Section 3 Writing task | No | The UCAT has no essay. Still worth doing if you want practice arguing a position concisely |
Use official UCAT material first. These papers are a supplement for Section 1 style reasoning. If you are choosing between an hour on a UCAT question bank and an hour on a BMAT paper, choose the UCAT.
The early papers are the least representative. The BMAT changed considerably over twenty years. Start around 2015 and work forward, then go back for extra volume if you need it.
The BMAT format
What the test looked like, for context as you work through the archive.
| Full name | BioMedical Admissions Test |
| Used by | Cambridge, Imperial, UCL, Leeds, Lancaster, Brighton and Sussex, and internationally |
| Courses | Medicine, Biomedical Sciences, Dentistry and Veterinary Medicine |
| Years in use | 2003 to 2023 |
| Section 1 | Aptitude and skills: problem solving and critical thinking |
| Section 2 | Scientific knowledge and applications, at GCSE level |
| Section 3 | A writing task, marked by the universities |
| Papers here | 2003 to 2023 |
| Replaced by | The UCAT, from the 2024 entry cycle |
Section timings and question counts changed across the test’s twenty years. Each paper states its own rubric on the front page.
Other resources
Frequently asked questions
The BioMedical Admissions Test was used for Medicine, Biomedical Sciences, Dentistry and Veterinary Medicine at Cambridge, Imperial, UCL, Leeds and others. It had three sections: aptitude and skills, scientific knowledge, and a writing task.
The October 2023 sitting was the last. Cambridge Assessment Admissions Testing withdrew the test and then closed entirely in 2024.
The UCAT. The universities that required the BMAT moved to the UCAT, which most UK medical schools already used, so applicants now sit one admissions test rather than two.
Twenty-one years, 2003 to 2023, all free on this page. Sections 1, 2 and 3 for 2003 to 2022; Section 1 only for 2023, which is all that was published.
Sections 1 and 2 do, for every year. Two years also have explained answers, which walk through the reasoning rather than just giving the correct letter. Section 3 was an essay marked by universities, so it has no key, but the official marking criteria are linked above.
Section 1 is, for critical thinking and problem solving under time pressure. Section 2 is not, because the UCAT tests no scientific content. Section 3 is not, because the UCAT has no essay.
Start around 2015 and work forward. The test changed a good deal over twenty years, and the later papers are the most representative. The early years are useful extra volume once you have worked through those.
No. Sections 1 and 2 scored one mark per correct answer with no penalty for a wrong one.
Not for the UCAT, but the material is decent revision for medicine interviews, where GCSE and A-level science gets applied to unfamiliar problems.
Sources
Every file on this page was retrieved and checked on 6 September 2026.
- Cambridge Assessment Admissions Testing, the original publisher of the BMAT and of every paper and answer key here. Its website closed in 2024.
- UCAT Consortium, for the test that replaced the BMAT.
The BMAT is no longer sat. Confirm your test requirements against each university’s course page.
Disclaimer: The BMAT papers, answer keys and marking criteria on this page are official materials produced by Cambridge Assessment Admissions Testing. They remain the property of their original publisher and are reproduced here, unaltered, only because the publisher’s own website closed in 2024 and the files would otherwise be unavailable to applicants. This website is not affiliated with or endorsed by Cambridge Assessment, Cambridge Assessment Admissions Testing, the UCAT Consortium, or any university. If you hold rights in this material and would like it removed, contact us and we will take it down.
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