We got told 700 ish at stage 2. I think the whole process goes to illustrate just how high the standard set by BA is. They set a target at ~100 for this year, but couldn't get anywhere near that with 3000 applicants. You really are competing purely against a standard, nobody else. Most other jobs aren't like that, there are more candidates meeting the criteria than there are jobs so you have to prove why you're the best option.