Research

Our key research principles

Our tests are a global mark of excellence that set the quality standard. Backed by extensive research, they provide a fair measure of skills and aptitude, offering a valued tool for universities, organisations and governments.

Learn about our key principles which guide our research agenda and our approach to admissions.

Applying the socio-cognitive framework to the BioMedical Admissions Test (BMAT) (2017)

Establishing the validity of BMAT is crucial to ensure that test-takers and universities can have confidence in the results for selecting students to study Medicine and related biomedical disciplines. To ensure test validity, it is vital to consider all aspects of the testing process from start to finish, and Cambridge Assessment has invested two decades of ongoing research in BMAT with this goal in mind.

Literature review on the gender effect in educational testing (2022)

Gender differences exist in performance on admissions tests used for entry to higher education in STEM fields. In order to understand whether gender differences in admissions test performance may reflect true differences in the domains of interest and/or general societal biases in those pursuing scientific study, researchers at Cambridge Assessment Admissions Testing conducted a literature review.

Can achievement at medical admission tests predict performance in postgrad clinical assessments? (2022)

This study uses data from the UK Medical Education Database to look at the relationship between UCAT and BMAT scores, both of which are used to select doctors into UK universities, and performance in postgrad clinical assessments. It finds that BMAT Sections 1 and 2 are predictive of passing MRCP Part 1 and 2 knowledge examinations, and Section 1 of BMAT is a good predictor of passing the PACES exam. One of the most notable findings from the study was that trainee doctors who had higher scores in BMAT Section 1 had an increased chance of passing the PACES qualification at first attempt.

Using BMAT alongside national school qualifications to predict medical school performance (2022)

The BioMedical Admissions Test (BMAT) is used, in the UK and worldwide, for entry to medicine and related biomedical courses. Establishing predictive validity of selection methods is vital to ensure that individuals selected for medical study will cope with the demands of training. This analysis examines the degree to which BMAT predicts on-course performance during medical training, compared to national school qualifications in the UK. Exam results for the first and second year of medical training were gathered from six cohorts at a UK university and were linked with BMAT and high-school qualifications (i.e. contextualised GCSEs and A-Levels).

Medical school applications and Covid-19 – The potential impact of calculated grades (2020)

In 2020, the Covid-19 pandemic resulted in the use of teacher-calculated grades (instead of exam grades) for university admissions. This paper, by researchers at University College London, University of York, General Medical Council (GMC) and Cambridge Assessment, examines the impacts of this change on medical school applications. In particular, researchers explored whether predicted grades were better (or worse) at predicting university outcomes, and showed how tests such as the BioMedical Admissions Test (BMAT) (along with other measures) could help improve the reliability of the selection process.

Can BMAT accurately predict student performance? (2018 and 2019)

The BioMedical Admissions Test (BMAT) is used by medical schools to assess the key abilities considered important to a student’s success on a course. Research conducted by Cambridge Assessment Admissions Testing considers the accuracy of BMAT as a predictor of a student’s future performance, also known as the test’s ‘predictive validity’. Using the same dataset (of over 1,200 students from one university in the UK), researchers undertook two studies. In the first, researchers correlated BMAT scores with university course performance; in the second, these correlations were averaged and included school examination results in order to establish incremental predictive validity. Overall, both studies showed that BMAT results are potentially a good predictor of first year exam marks at university.

Revising BMAT to support fair access (2019)

A growing number of students who take the BioMedical Admissions Test (BMAT) are educated outside the UK. Many of these candidates do not speak English as a first language, and are taught a different science curriculum at school. In this paper, researchers from Cambridge Assessment Admissions Testing describe how BMAT Section 2 (Scientific Knowledge and Applications) has been revised in order to ensure all candidates can prepare equally for the test.

How to assess critical thinking skills – A research overview (2012)

Cambridge Assessment has been developing – and researching – critical thinking tests and qualifications for over 20 years. This paper provides an overview of this wide-ranging research. Topics investigated include how to define and describe critical thinking, practical considerations for teachers, and the impact of critical thinking qualifications on student performance in other subjects. Researchers also ask if university admissions tests such as the BioMedical Admissions Test (BMAT) and Thinking Skills Assessment (TSA), which contain critical thinking tasks, can accurately predict student performance. They conclude that these tests can positively add to candidate information, thereby helping admissions tutors make more informed choices.

Understanding the role of personality in teacher retention (2021)

This paper explores the use of an online personality assessment as a tool to inform pastoral care and mentoring activities for trainee primary school teachers, and asks whether such tools can support efforts to improve course retention rates. The research focuses on the Cambridge Personality Styles Questionnaire (CPSQ) and was undertaken by Cambridge Assessment Admissions Testing, The Open University, Relationships Foundation and Eido Research, in partnership with the Suffolk and Norfolk School Centred Initial Teacher Training programme.

Trialling TMUA – The Test of Mathematics for University Admission (2019)

In October 2015, first year undergraduates at Durham University took part in a trial of TMUA which (at that time) was still in development. This paper, by Cambridge Assessment Admissions Testing, describes the trial and its outcomes. Results suggest that TMUA is a potentially useful tool for universities wanting to improve the reliability of their admissions processes. It also allows students to experience a different style of mathematics assessment.

How to assess critical thinking skills – A review of key debates (2006)

The testing of critical thinking is flourishing in the UK, and is an important part of major assessments such as the BioMedical Admissions Test (BMAT). In 1965, leading educational psychologist R L Ebel asked whether critical thinking was too intangible to be measured – is this view now outdated? This paper, from Cambridge Assessment, reviews key post-1965 debates regarding the definition of critical thinking, and considers the impact of these definitions on critical thinking assessment.