Are you preparing for Bahrain Polytechnic's Entrance Exam? Then I can help! I'll go over the examination parts in detail as well as give you an idea on what to expect.

If you are worried, stressed, or anxious, then don't be! Bahrain Polytechnic is not known for commonly rejecting applicants.

First, your competency will be tested using the following tests:

  • Mathematics - Oxford's "Password Maths" test will be used to test your Math competency.
  • English - The Oxford Placement Test will be used to test your English competency.

While it's unconfirmed, it's believed that BP mainly accepts students based on how they perform in the English part of the test. Acing the Math part while having a weak English competency severely reduces your chance of getting accepted.

BP states that you will have 3 hours to complete both exams, however 1 hour will be used up to check attendance and resolve any computer issues that may occur. So really, you only have 2 hours, with about ~1 hour for each test.

You will start with the Math test.

Mathematics Test

There are about 40 questions in this test, split into 4 sections, with about 1 hour to complete them. This means that you have around 1 minute and a half per question. If you are struggling with a particular problem, then please move on and leave it for last as you may run out of time to complete the rest of the exam.

Additionally, don't bother revising your questions before moving on the next section. You may not have enough time. Once you've moved to the next section, you CANNOT go back to previous ones.

Make sure to manage your time very well during the test and pay attention to the timer on the bottom right. Several applicants have complained about not having enough time to complete all of the questions, and that is believed to be on purpose.

The exact questions you will receive will vary for each applicant. However the topics will be the same:

  • Trigonometry - Pythagoras Theorem, solving for angles in a right-sided triangle
  • Ratios
  • Statistics - Mean, median, and mode
  • Percentages - Converting fractions from and to percentages.
  • Geometry - Area/Perimeter of a shape, especially circles and triangles.
  • Calculus - Differentiation

How to practice

I highly recommend checking out this sample test from Bahrain Polytechnic itself as it will give you an idea on what to expect. Attempt doing it without looking at the answers and then grade yourself after.

However that sample test does not include every type of question that you will see in the exam. Additionally you might see:

  • Differentiation questions. e.g find the derivative of y = 4x^5
  • Simplification questions. e.g simplify (4x + 3)^2(2x - 5) / (2x - 5)(4x + 3)
  • Geometry on three-dimensional objects. e.g volume of a cuboid

If you are not familiar with calculus, you can practice differentiation using this this guide from BP, as well as this video.

Here are some common formulas for Geometry & Trigonometry which you will need or should at least keep in mind:

  • Perimeter of a circle: 2πr
  • Area of a circle: πr^2
  • Area of a triangle: (base * height) / 2
  • Volume of a cuboid or cube: length * breadth * height
  • Surface area of a cube: 6a^2 -- where a is the length of an edge

English Oxford Test

The way this test is graded is different from the Math test. This test tries to identify your English competency by varying the complexity of the questions based on how you answer. This is called an adaptive test.

Basically, the more questions you answer correctly, the harder the next question will be. If you notice that the questions keep getting harder, then that means you're doing really well! Keep it up! Don't worry if you couldn't get a couple of questions at the end.

The number of questions you get differs from person-to-person. If the test still cannot accurately identify your competency, then it will give you more questions until it does (but there is a hard limit). Getting more questions does NOT mean that you are doing bad, it just means that it hasn't identified your English level yet. In most cases, it's a good thing.

The placement test identifies your competency through the Common European Framework of Reference by reporting it as one of the following:

  • A - Basic user
    • A1 - Breakthrough
    • A2 - Waystage
  • B - Independent user
    • B1 - Threshold
    • B2 - Vantage
  • C - Proficient user
    • C1 - Advanced
    • C2 - Mastery

You can get more details about what each of these mean from this wikipedia article.

While it's unconfirmed, it's believed that you need to get at least a B1 to get directly accepted into your major, while an A2 might put you in a 1-year foundation course.

You will not be able to see your grade after finishing the test.

How to practice

You can take sample tests from Oxford's website here. Unfortunately, these are paid but are absolutely worth it if you want to make sure you're ready. You can figure out your competency grade in both listening & reading by doing one of the standardized tests.

Final notes

Best of luck! If you have any questions, feel free to contact me here and I'll do my best to answer as soon as I can.