Should I sit the BMAT in September or November?

Pros of September

• You know you score earlier. This is a benefit because if the BMAT goes badly you can just apply to one or none at all.

• Doesn't affect school work. With the way A-levels have changed, you have a hard A2 year so you need to be prepared to focus from the get go.

Pros of November

• You have more time to revise. The BMAT requires lots of preparation, especially as many students need to revisit Physics. So the time is very valuable.

• You have more time for the UKCAT. Many students have a packed summer, with travelling and UCAS, so tend to sit UKCAT in August. You do not want to split your revision too much as both exams are very taxing.

• You have more time for your personal statement. You need to dedicate enough time to your personal statement, as well as these admissions tests. Doing UKCAT alongside your personal statement in summer is fine, but adding in BMAT makes things very difficult. 

• You are likely to do BMAT anyway. If you do terrible at UKCAT, then you will not want to apply to 4 UKCAT universities. If you brilliantly at UKCAT, you will feel more confident to apply to BMAT universities. So either way you might consider BMAT quite strongly. It is a risk, but with more preparation you are less likely to do badly in BMAT.

At the end of the day there is no right answer and it is really based on factors such as:

• Your timetable for summer and term 1
• How strongly you want to go to a BMAT university
• Your confidence in your BMAT abilities
• Your UKCAT score
• If you are applying to Oxford
• Whether you need to re-revise Physics