The prompt for example essay used:
November 2020 writing task — “There are now many different kinds of internet sites and apps offering medical advice, but they all share one thing in common: they do more harm than good. Why might online sources of medical advice be said to ‘do more harm than good’? Present a counter-argument. To what extent do you agree with the statement?”
From P’Saranya:
Score : 4A
Comments : clear explanation using misinformation, but you should also acknowledge that there is reliable information on websites, but people can still misinterpret it because most people have poor health education (you managed to bring that up in the synthesis, which is why you got a 4 instead of a 3). Your counter was good, clear benefits with examples, but there are still more concepts that you could have explored.
TIPS & TRICKS FOR LAST BMAT !!!
As the LAST opportunity to take the BioMedical Admissions test (BMAT) approaches, it is one of the most exciting and nerve-wracking preparation periods. This standardized test plays a significant role in shaping our aspiring medicine student's futures. To support our friends during this critical period, here are some valuable preparation techniques, the recommended resources along with the insights from experienced teachers and seniors. Additionally, I have included my own attempt at a Section 3 (Writing) prompt, commented on by teachers. Read on to discover useful tricks and tips for acing the test.
Section 1 tests your ability to analyze things or to be able to see how the argument makes sense logically or not. BMAT questions are designed to trick you with complicated sentence structure, confusing vocabulary and are ‘tailored’ in a way to sound true. However, when you are able to doubt the premise, detect what makes sense and what doesn’t, identify not a co-relation but a CORRELATION in a question , the question no longer becomes an obstacle. How do you practice and develop these analytical skills? It's quite simple. KEEP ASKING WHY. Why is it true? Why does ‘x’ lead to ‘y’? Why has this article been used? Why is/isn’t this argument valid?
“Critical thinking is to be critical of your thinking…” -P’ Dave 2023
The questions are structured to propose an argument, suggest evidence and ultimately prove a point. The entire test is in english. Hence, ensure you are at a decent level of english. Specifically for Section 1, critical thinking primarily depends on the level of your English vocabulary and skills. You should be able to quickly read and understand the questions, especially when it’s structured in a complex (or purposely confusing) way. If you can identify the flaws in a sentence about certain phrases, structures or organization of information, analyzing the question is more effective. By developing certain English skills, it helps with your analysis especially in BMAT. So the more you read (books that are at a level of complexity), the more you try learning, spotting and practicing these skills, the easier these questions will be. If you would like to learn more about English and be able to spot these things even more efficiently, it’s suggested (but not necessary) that you study logic and philosophy.
Section 2 tests your familiarity with the syllabus in biology, chemistry, physics and mathematics. Be sure to revise the content each time you do a mock exam. You are expected to be extremely familiar with the topics on the specification as the time constraints will show how well you know the theory and can apply them. Identify the topics you struggle in or are making mistakes in. It's recommended that you keep note of all questions you were not able to do or keep getting wrong. Look back at them, revise and practice questions of that topic, then go back to answer the questions, hopefully easily this time around. Calculators and periodic tables are not allowed or provided, so ensure you can do mental math to an extent and remember the key elements that may show up on the test.
PLAN your studies …but we all know that that means nothing when the real question is: “WHERE do i even start??? By when should I start past papers and mocks? How long should I spend revision of content and mocks? Should I also go over and analyze the papers…”
Set realistic goals. Assess yourself. Spread out your resources. Ask for help. PLAN. Ensure you set and follow a schedule or routine that gives you sufficient enough to complete enough practice papers, to go over them, to understand where you are and what you have to do next. Create a tracking sheet if necessary, fill it with scores, percentage, converted scores, important dates and how+when you have or will achieve specific goals. Most importantly, be mindful of yourself and figure out what truly works best for YOU .
Section 3 – CLICK ON ME to see Part 3 - Writing, with comments, suggestions and possible alternative ideas from teachers and seniors.
One of the most crucial parts of this section of BMAT is the interpretation of the prompt. How you form and present your counter argument is dependent on your interpretation. After explaining and analyzing the prompt—NOT paraphrasing it, your argument, support it with relevant explanations, examples and ethics (if applicable). Finishing off the essay with a synthesis or more often known as the answer to “To what extent do you agree/disagree with…”. What’s recommended to do as practice for this section is to be familiar with the structure and style of the prompts given. You must also truly understand which part of the prompt should be countered. This all comes with practice and doing many many many past papers.
Read sample answers available online with grading comments, no matter with high or low scores, to see what you are expected to do, what the common mistakes are, a different approach towards the same prompt. And not only should you analyze these sample answers, you see what or how you could add on or improve that answer.
If you often find yourself taking a long time to think of ideas/arguments, it's helpful for you to use the stakeholders analysis . This where you analyze what and who is affected by it, along with how and why? Identify who the involved actors are and how they behave in the real world , what their wants, needs or motives are, the reasonings behind their actions…the impact of a situation on each party. If applied into certain prompts, this can help you form ideas and a strong argument. This could also be included throughout your response to support the argument.
Staying up to date with current news in the medical industry could help with ideas for certain prompts. Additionally, familiarize yourself with medical concepts and ethics, this could increase your score if you're able to apply it in your essay appropriately.
Give yourself a few minutes in the beginning to outline your essay . Make a short, concise but well structured plan that you can refer to while writing, especially if you find it difficult to stay on point throughout your written response.
Oh, and don't forget to proofread your essay, prlease. ^^
TIPS & TRICKS !
And to state the obvious,do and analyze PAST PAPERS .Being able to recognize and identify patterns in arguments will help a lot. BMAT is made to be confusing and to bore you. However, if you’re able to read the argument, read the choices and get the rough idea, with enough practice, you’ll develop an instinct. It’s all about how much you familiarize yourself with the pattern within questions and the reasoning behind the answers. You’ll understand the question styles and find your own way on how to fastly and accurately analyze and identify the point of the prompt. Its also heavily recommended that you do, not just BMAT’s past papers but also TSA, IMAT, NSAAs and beyond.
Additionally, MIMIC exam conditions when you are doing BMAT past papers. This helps you practice time management and stimulates the stress or pressure you might feel during the real thing. This will also help you build speed and accuracy. Given the time constraint of BMAT, ‘it doesn't hurt’ to develop a test strategy. You know where you lack in or what you’re better at, so ensure you know how to approach the questions while taking time into consideration.
Also worth noting is ‘the art of MOVING ON ’, if you're unsure, make an educated guess. BMAT are multiple choice questions so if you don’t know, GUESS , they don’t care how you got the right answer as long as you get it right, or as P’Dave likes to say “do not rely on your luck but do not discount it either” . BMAT is not designed for you to be able to complete all the questions, it’s an amplitude test, you might excel in part 2 but find it hard to pass part 1, it’s completely normal to lack in one part. However, with practice you'll learn to develop your method of identifying and solving.
In summary, if you are taking BMAT, make sure you have a strategic plan approaching BMAT, along with being familiar with the content, pattern, structure and the ability to analyze the prompts and questions. Practice writing, reading and revise the content on the specifications. Good luck and remember to stay focused during the test!!
Additionally, I would like to thank all the teachers, supervisors and seniors who gave feedback and took their time to suggest methods that can help us prepare for BMAT. Please feel free to ask your teachers for further concerns or suggestions! Don't hesitate to ask them about the test. Good luck guys!