In breve: Chemistry is 15 of the 60 IMAT questions, worth up to 22.5 points. The official programme runs from the structure of matter to foundations of organic chemistry, and the block that pays most per hour is the mole and stoichiometry: same method, every time.
This is the chemistry programme as the ministerial decree states it, translated and grouped. For the exam as a whole, see the IMAT 2026 guide; for the section that carries more weight than this one, the biology programme.
1. What chemistry is worth
Fifteen questions, 22.5 points of 90 — a quarter of the paper. Chemistry is also where the points are lost for old gaps rather than for hard questions: a candidate who never made stoichiometry automatic will lose the same three or four questions every mock.
| Block | What it asks for |
|---|---|
| Structure of matter | States of aggregation, homogeneous and heterogeneous systems, compounds and elements, the perfect gas laws |
| The atom | Elementary particles, atomic and mass number, isotopes, electron configuration |
| Periodic table | Groups and periods, transition elements, periodic properties and their relation to electron structure |
| Chemical bonding | Ionic, covalent, metallic; bond energy, polarity, electronegativity, intermolecular forces |
| Inorganic chemistry | Nomenclature and main properties of oxides, hydroxides, acids, salts |
| Reactions and stoichiometry | Mole, Avogadro, balancing, reaction types, elementary calculations |
| Solutions and equilibria | Water as solvent, solubility, concentration units, aqueous equilibria |
| Kinetics and catalysis | Elements of reaction rate and catalysis |
| Redox | Oxidation number, oxidant and reductant, balancing simple reactions |
| Acids and bases | The concept, pH, hydrolysis, buffers |
| Organic chemistry | Carbon bonding, isomerism, hydrocarbons, functional groups, nomenclature |
2. The structure of matter and the atom
The programme opens with the constitution of matter: states of aggregation, heterogeneous and homogeneous systems, compounds and elements. Then the perfect gas laws, and the structure of the atom — elementary particles, atomic number and mass number, isotopes, and the electron structure of the atoms of the various elements.
Electron configuration is the piece that keeps paying: it explains the periodic properties in the next block, which in turn explain bonding in the one after. Learning it as a rule to recite rather than a pattern to read is what makes the later sections feel arbitrary.
3. The periodic table and chemical bonding
The periodic system of the elements: groups and periods, transition elements; periodic properties — atomic radius, ionisation potential, electron affinity, metallic character — and the relations between electron structure, position in the table and properties of the elements.
The chemical bond: ionic, covalent and metallic; bond energy, bond polarity, electronegativity, intermolecular bonds. Questions are usually comparative — which of these has the larger radius, which compound is more polar — so the trends matter more than the absolute values.
4. Inorganic chemistry and nomenclature
Foundations of inorganic chemistry: nomenclature and main properties of the inorganic compounds — oxides, hydroxides, acids, salts. Short in the programme, and short in the paper, but it is free marks for anyone who has learned the naming rules once.
5. Reactions and stoichiometry
Chemical reactions and stoichiometry: atomic and molecular mass, Avogadro's number, the concept of the mole and its application, elementary stoichiometric calculations, balancing simple reactions, the different types of chemical reaction.
6. Solutions, equilibria, kinetics
Solutions: the solvent properties of water, solubility, the main ways of expressing concentration. Then equilibria in aqueous solution and elements of chemical kinetics and catalysis.
Concentration units are worth drilling in both directions — molarity to mass and back — since the exam mixes them inside questions that are ostensibly about something else.
7. Redox, acids and bases
Oxidation and reduction: oxidation number, the concept of oxidant and reductant, balancing simple reactions. Acids and bases: the concept of acid and base; acidity, neutrality and basicity of aqueous solutions; pH; hydrolysis; buffer solutions.
pH questions are the most predictable in the section: strong acid, strong base, and the buffer case. Knowing which of the three you are looking at is most of the answer.
8. Foundations of organic chemistry
Bonds between carbon atoms, empirical and structural formulas, the concept of isomerism. Aliphatic, alicyclic and aromatic hydrocarbons. Functional groups: alcohols, ethers, amines, aldehydes, ketones, carboxylic acids, esters, amides — with elements of nomenclature.
The examinable skill is recognition: given a structure, name the family; given a name, draw the family. Reaction mechanisms are not in the programme, and time spent on them is time taken from biology.
9. What to study first
Our order, not the decree's:
- Mole and stoichiometry. Mechanical, repeatable, and it unblocks everything else.
- Atom, periodic trends, bonding. One chain of reasoning, learned once.
- Acids, bases and pH. Small, predictable, heavily asked.
- Solutions and concentration. Cheap marks, and needed inside other questions.
- Redox. Oxidation numbers first, balancing second.
- Organic recognition. Functional groups on sight.
- Nomenclature, kinetics, gas laws. Quick passes at the end.
10. FAQ
How many chemistry questions are on the IMAT?
15 out of 60, worth up to 22.5 points of 90 — second only to biology, and ahead of physics and mathematics combined.
Does IMAT chemistry include organic chemistry?
Yes, at foundation level: bonds between carbon atoms, empirical and structural formulas, isomerism, aliphatic, alicyclic and aromatic hydrocarbons, and the functional groups — alcohols, ethers, amines, aldehydes, ketones, carboxylic acids, esters, amides — with basic nomenclature.
How much stoichiometry do I need?
Enough to be automatic: atomic and molecular mass, Avogadro's number, the mole and its application, elementary stoichiometric calculations, balancing simple reactions, and the different types of chemical reaction.
Are buffers and pH on the syllabus?
Yes. The programme names acidity, neutrality and basicity of aqueous solutions, pH, hydrolysis and buffer solutions, alongside the acid-base concept itself.
Is thermodynamics part of the chemistry section?
Not as such. The chemistry programme covers kinetics and catalysis and equilibria in aqueous solution; thermodynamics sits in the physics programme, with the gas laws appearing in both.
Where does the official syllabus come from?
Annex A to the ministerial decree that regulates the exam — D.M. n. 1005 of 6 August 2026 for the IMAT — which sets the programmes for all five sections.
Fonte: MUR — Annex A to the ministerial decree setting the admission-test programmes (D.M. n. 1005 of 6 August 2026 for the IMAT); topic list quoted from the archived annex. Ultima verifica: .