When Lancaster University Medical School received more than 900 applications for 54 undergraduate places, they knew they had to find a better way of differentiating between very similar candidates. So, in 2016, Lancaster decided to introduce Cambridge Assessment Admissions Testing’s BioMedical Admissions Test (BMAT).
After screening applicants academically, Lancaster ranks them according to their total BMAT score and then decides which of the top 300 students, approximately, should attend for interview. Personal statements are taken into consideration, but a person’s BMAT score is now the primary tool for deciding if they get called for interview.