BMAT Section 1 Practice Questions

Advice & Insight From BMAT Specialists

1. Denstom is north of Lamton, which is north of Loughton. Earith is south of Lamton and north of Westbourne.

Westbourne must be south of:

(a) Denstom, but not necessarily south of Lamton or Loughton;
(b) Loughton, but not necessarily south of Denstom or Lamton;
(c) Denstom and Lamton, but not necessarily south of Loughton;
(d) Lamton and Loughton, but not necessarily south of Denstom;
(e) Denstom, Lamton and Loughton.

2. Decreasing numbers of Ivorian elephants is of concern to everyone from dedicated environmentalist to occasional tourists. 10 years ago, estimates put their number at 150, with extinction being a distinct possibility. However, a new detailed count covering the entire peninsula has shown that there are in excess of 1,000 of these wonderful creatures. This significant increase suggests that the elephants are breeding more successfully than previously thought and that we no longer need to worry about their long term survival.

Which of the following is the best statement of the flaw in the above argument

(a) The increase from 150 to 1,000 is not enough to guarantee survival of the elephants.
(b) The increase in numbers may be accounted for by a change in the method of counting rather than an actual increase in numbers.
(c) The figure of 1,000 may be incorrect because of the difficulty of finding Ivorian elephants in remote areas.
(d) There is insufficient information about Ivorian elephants breeding cycles.

3. Which of the following statements are equivalent?

(a) John is not taller than Amish
(b) Amish is shorter than John
(c) Amish is at least as tall as John
(d) John is not shorter than Amish
(e) John was taller than Amish

4. Last year my BMAT score was 5% less than my BMAT score this year and my this year’s BMAT score is 25% more than my friends BMAT score. By what percentage is my last year’s BMAT score greater than my friend’s BMAT score?

(a) 15.87%
(b) 18.75%
(c) 20.00%
(d) 21.00%
(e) 26.67%

5. A number of students attended an Intensive revision course. 68% said it benefited them significantly, 14% said it benefited them slightly and 8% said it did not benefit them. Of the remaining people, 6 students forgot to provide feedback, 5 students selected ‘None of the above’ and 2 students did not attend the course.

How many students attended the revision course?
(a) 110
(b) 11
(c) 100
(d) 130
(e) 69

Use the following passage to answer questions 6-8.

Children in England face more tests during their time at school than in any other country in the European Union. Teachers complain that pupils are tested too frequently and now the Unite Union has called for the amount of testing to be reduced. It is clear that children can become stressed by exams as doctors report seeing many more children with stress-related conditions during the exam period. Therefore the government should reduce the number of tests that children must sit during their education.

6. What is the name given to the following argument element in the above passage?

“… doctors report seeing many more children with stress related conditions during the exam period”

(a) Evidence
(b) Example
(c) Hypothetical reason
(d) Intermediate conclusion

7. Which of the following is an underlying assumption of the above argument?

(a) Children in France are tested less frequently than children in England.
(b) It is bad for children to experience stress.
(c) Testing children so frequently is bad for teachers.
(d) We should always follow the advice of the teachers’ unions.

8. Which of the following is the best statement of the flaw in the above argument?

(a) It conflates tests and exams.
(b) It generalises from tests to exams.
(c) It restricts the options to lots of tests and no tests.
(d) It uses a slippery slope from tests to stress.