What Is A Good BMSAT Score? BMSAT Results Guide

Performing well in the BMSAT is essential to stay competitive in the Oxford Biomedical Sciences application process. In this guide, we’ll break down how the test is scored, the score you’ll need to achieve and review results from previous years.

Last Updated: 11th February 2025

Author: Matthew Amalfitano-Stroud

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What Is A Good BMSAT Score? BMSAT Results Guide

Oxford implements the Biomedical Science Admissions Test (BMSAT) for Biomedical Science applicants, a test that was put in place to help admissions tutors assess the strength of each applicant through the scores they receive.

In this guide, we’ll learn about how the test is scored, what score you should aim to achieve and how previous admissions tests can help us understand the standards for the BMSAT. Let’s get started!

How Is The BMSAT Scored?

We explore the format of the BMSAT in more depth within our BMSAT Basics Guide, but we need to briefly understand how the test works in order to understand the scoring system.

The BMSAT is a multiple-choice quiz consisting of 80 science and maths-based questions. The test is split into four subjects, each of which has 20 questions in the test:

The test has a very simple marking scheme, with each question being worth one mark. There are no additional score conversions or calculations, so your final score will be measured out of 80, as well as scores out of 20 for each subject.

There is no negative marking in the test, so you will not lose any makes for getting questions incorrect. There also isn’t a minimum required score, so all applications will be considered regardless of the BMSAT result.

When Will I Receive My BMSAT Results?

After you’ve taken the test in late October, you won’t receive your results until January, shortly after applicants receive their offer letters. If you did not get an offer, you can request feedback from the college you applied for.

The colleges themselves will get your results much sooner as they will need them during the interview shortlisting process.

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What Is A Good BMSAT Score?

Now that we understand the scoring system, let’s consider what a good BMSAT score is. Of course, we would expect a good BMSAT score to be a high one, but exactly how does your score need to be to be considered good?

This information would typically be decided through previous results, but we, unfortunately, do not have any BMSAT results to work with currently as the test has yet to be sat for the first time. However, we can look at an exam that’s similar to the BMSAT to get an idea of what most applicants achieve and what you should be aiming for.

BMSAT Results 2024

In 2024, the mean score among BMSAT test takers was 42.9, while the mean score for shortlisted applicants was 53.2. The modal score range was 41 – 45, while the most common score for shortlisted applicants and offer holders was 51 – 55. It is stated that 549 applicants were registered to sit the test.

While we only have one year of data to base our analysis on, the results from 2024 indicate that the BMSAT is a harder admissions test than similar ones like the PAT and MAT. With a maximum of 80 marks available, we can see that none of the 549 applicants achieved top marks. This is uncommon for Oxford admissions tests, where a handful of applicants will typically earn full marks.

So what can we gather from all this? Let’s consider what a good, average and low BMSAT score may be based on this information:

Good BMSAT Score

From the results we’ve seen in 2024, we can see that performance generally skewed on the lower end, indicating that applicants may not have to achieve a really high score to be considered competitive.

Judging by the graph, achieving a score between 51 and 55 will give you a good chance of gaining an interview, while scoring 56 – 60 will give you a decent chance of earning an offer. As the test has 80 available points, we would suggest scoring 60+ would give you a great chance of success.

A score in this range will give you a very good chance of being invited to interview with your college, which will hopefully lead to you getting into Oxford! However, it’s not guaranteed. We can see in the graph that the highest-scoring test taker didn’t earn an offer in the end, so it’s important that you ensure the rest of your application is also high quality. We would suggest seeking support if you’re not confident in your interview skills or any other aspect of your application, as expert guidance can really offer a fantastic boost to your application.

Average BMSAT Score

If a score of 60+ is going to help you stand out from the competition, an average score is going to put you in with the majority of the cohort. In this case, a score between 36 and 50 would be very common.

However, as we can see in the graph, an average score is going to give you very little chance of getting an interview, and, based on these results, no chance of getting an offer. It would still be possible to get an offer if you’ve been interviewed, it’s clear that you need to perform very well in all areas of your application in order to stand a chance.

Oxford is incredibly competitive even when it comes to interviews, with only 24% of applicants being interviewed between 2021 – 2023 (according to the course page). This means that an average score is very unlikely to help you gain an offer.

Low BMSAT Score

We know what an average score is, so a low score is naturally going to be anything below this. In this case, it’s a score of 35 or below. Scoring in this range seems fairly uncommon based on the results for 2024 (especially scoring less than 30), but no one in this range was considered past the shortlisting process.

Although not impossible (as no threshold score is set), applicants scoring in this range are extremely unlikely to be interviewed at the university.

That’s all we can say about BMSAT scoring for now, but be sure to check back on this guide once the first round of BMSAT results have been released, as this will give us much more reliable information to analyse. We hope this guide has been helpful to you in your BMSAT preparation and gives you a better idea of what score to aim for in the test.

At the end of the day, the goal is to get as high a score as possible, which means preparation for the BMSAT is essential. BMAT past papers are a good source of useful practice questions, but if you want to give yourself the best chance of getting an amazing score, check out UniAdmissions’ Biomedical Sciences Full-Blue Programme, which combines private sessions with an expert tutor, live intensive courses and extensive preparation materials into one package, ensuring you have everything you need to excel in the test. Discover the programme today or book a free consultation to speak with our team. Good luck with your test!

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The BMSAT is just one part of your Oxford Biomedical Science application. Discover everything you need to know about the whole process in The Big Book Of Oxbridge Applications, available for free here! Through over 350 pages, you will find:

Fill in your details below to claim your digital copy today!

Get the BMSAT score you need and earn your offer with support from UniAdmissions

Our Full-Blue Programme has been designed using our knowledge of Oxbridge and the previous admissions test to provide the most effective support for the BMSAT. Through tuition, courses and expert resources, you’ll have everything you need to find BMSAT success.

Discover our Biomedical Sciences Full-Blue Programme below and find out how you can enrol and triple your chances of success.

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