Dear Ernest,

I refer to your recent request under the Freedom of Information Act 2000
as follows:

Please may I request the BMAT scores (Section 1, 2 and 3) of the current
international students who have received interviews for the A100 Medicine
Course.

By students who have received interviews, I mean applicants who have
received an interview invitation for 2017/2018 entry during the current
admissions cycle.

There is some confusion in your question regarding the admissions cycle
you are enquiring about. We have interpreted this to mean the current
admissions cycle, for admission in 2018/19.

We are unable to provide individual BMAT scores as these are the personal
data of individuals: this information is therefore withheld under section
40(2) Data Protection of the Act. Instead we have given the mean of each
of the three scores. There were a  total of six overseas applicants
interviewed.

Section 1 – mean 5.4

Section 2 – mean 6.9

Section 3 – mean 3.3

Please note that we have interpreted “international students” as being
those whose residency is not in the UK or EU, and so this number may
include some educated in the UK, and will not include all of those born
outside of the UK or EU.

You may like to note that the College is subject to an externally imposed
quota with regard to the numbers of overseas applicants it can admit to
read Medicine. The maximum number of Medicine offers permitted to be made
to overseas applicants across the University each year is 21, and
Magdalene’s share of that quota is ordinarily one (it may on rare
occasions be more if another college chooses not to use its allocation of
the quota). This specific quota means that there are often considerably
more applicants per overseas place than there are per Home/EU place. In
this sense, the level of competition for overseas places may be considered
to be higher.

Decisions about interviews and offers for Medicine, as for all subjects,
are made on a holistic basis. BMAT scores are just one of a number of
elements of an application that we take into account and there is no
automatic correlation between the levels of these scores and the
likelihood of receiving an interview or offer.

I hope you find this information helpful. The College’s complaints
procedure provides for an internal review of the decisions regarding this
response if you are dissatisfied with it.  You should let me know if you
wish to use it, letting me know your reasons for dissatisfaction and any
other matters to which the College should have regard.  The review will be
conducted by another officer of the College, who will notify you of its
outcome. 

You have a right to apply to the Information Commissioner for a decision
whether, in any specified respect, your request to the College for
information has been dealt with in accordance with the requirements of the
Freedom of Information Act.  Details may be found on the Information
Commissioner’s website at[1]www.ico.gov.uk.

Regards,

Kathryn

On behalf of Helen Foord, FOI Officer

Kathryn Gee

Secretary to the Assistant Bursar

Magdalene College

Cambridge

CB3 0AG

Tel: 01223 330575

Registered Charity Number 1137542

Please note: My working days are Thursday and Friday

Think of the environment - please do not print this email unless really
necessary.

This e-mail (and any files transmitted with it) is strictly confidential
and intended only for the use of the individual or organisation to whom it
is addressed. It may contain information that is privileged. If you are
not the intended recipient, you are notified that any dissemination,
distribution or copying of this e-mail is strictly prohibited. If you have
received this e-mail in error, please notify the sender by return e-mail
(or telephone) and destroy the original message. Thank you.

References

Visible links
1. http://www.ico.gov.uk/