In breve: The IMAT (International Medical Admissions Test) is the entrance exam for Medicine, Dentistry, and Veterinary Medicine taught in English at Italian universities. In 2026 it's held on 29 September, per MUR Decree n. 1005 of 6 August 2026. It's 60 multiple-choice questions in 100 minutes: Biology 23, Chemistry 15, Physics & Maths 13, Logical reasoning 5, Reading comprehension 4. Scoring is +1.5 for a correct answer, −0.4 for a wrong one, 0 for a blank, out of a maximum of 90 — you need at least 20/90 to be eligible. One exam, run once a year, feeds two separate ranking lists: one shared by Medicine and Dentistry, one for Veterinary Medicine.
Sat the test on 29 September? Scores, your answer sheet (19 October), the national ranking (26 October) and the scrolls are in the IMAT 2026 ranking guide; non-EU candidates living abroad have a separate local ranking at each university.
This guide covers everything a candidate needs before September: what the IMAT is and who it's for, the exact exam structure and scoring, what to study subject by subject, how to build a study plan, and how UniTest Pro's English-taught direction supports IMAT preparation specifically.
1. What is the IMAT, and who is it for
The IMAT is Italy's national admission test for degree courses in Medicine and Surgery, Dentistry, and Veterinary Medicine delivered entirely in English. It exists alongside — and separately from — the Italian-language admission process for the same subjects. If you're applying to an English-taught course at an Italian university (a growing number of public universities now offer one), the IMAT is the exam that decides your place, set every year by decree of the Ministry of University and Research (MUR).
This is the point that trips up candidates researching Italian medical admissions online: the semestre filtro reform — which removed the traditional entrance exam for Medicine, Dentistry, and Veterinary Medicine — applies only to the Italian-taught pathway. There, instead of a single exam, candidates sit a graded first semester of coursework and a national ranking is built from those grades. The English-taught pathway was never folded into that reform: it kept — and the 2026 decree confirms it keeps — a traditional, one-day, multiple-choice admission exam. That exam is the IMAT. If you're preparing for English-taught Medicine, ignore any guide that tells you there's no entrance exam — for this specific pathway, there is one, and it's this one.
2. One exam, three degree courses, two rankings
In practice: you sit one exam regardless of which of the three courses you're targeting. What differs is only which ranking list your score is measured against, and — separately, per university — how many seats each course has that year.
3. Exam structure
60 multiple-choice questions in 100 minutes, five options each, one correct answer. The subjects are not weighted equally, and that weighting should drive how you plan your study time.
| Section | Questions | % of exam | Points available |
|---|---|---|---|
| Biology | 23 | 38% | 34.5 |
| Chemistry | 15 | 25% | 22.5 |
| Physics & Mathematics | 13 | 22% | 19.5 |
| Logical reasoning | 5 | 8% | 7.5 |
| Reading comprehension | 4 | 7% | 6 |
Biology and Chemistry together are 38 of the 60 questions — 57 of the 90 points on offer. A candidate who is strong on logical reasoning and reading comprehension but weak on chemistry is playing for a ceiling that's rarely high enough on its own.
Fonte: MUR — Decree n. 1005 of 6 August 2026, read in full from the official text. Ultima verifica: .
4. Scoring and when guessing pays off
| Answer | Points |
|---|---|
| Correct | +1.5 |
| Incorrect | −0.4 |
| Left blank | 0 |
| Maximum score | 90 (60 × 1.5) |
| Eligibility threshold | 20/90 or higher |
The penalty for a wrong answer changes how you should handle questions you're unsure of — it's worth doing the arithmetic instead of trusting instinct. With 5 answer options, a completely random guess is worth on average 0.2 × 1.5 + 0.8 × (−0.4) = −0.02 points: slightly negative. But if you can rule out even one option, the math flips to 0.25 × 1.5 + 0.75 × (−0.4) = +0.075 points, and answering becomes worth it.
5. What to study, subject by subject
The official syllabus is broad, but the weighting tells you where to spend your time. In order of impact:
Biology — 23 questions
The subject that decides the exam. The topics that come back every year: the cell (structure, membranes, organelles, transport), molecular biology (DNA, replication, transcription, translation), genetics (Mendelian inheritance, mutations, heredity), cell division (mitosis and meiosis, with the differences tested precisely), energy metabolism, basic human anatomy and physiology, and the fundamentals of ecology and evolution. You gain more points closing out these core blocks than chasing niche topics.
Chemistry — 15 questions
The subject where points are most often lost to old gaps, not question difficulty: atomic structure and the periodic table, chemical bonding, moles and stoichiometry, solutions and concentrations, acids, bases, and pH, redox reactions, and the basics of organic chemistry. If stoichiometry isn't automatic yet, that's where your first study hours pay off fastest — it's the kind of question that's solved the same way every time.
Physics and Mathematics — 13 questions combined
Worth almost as much as Chemistry. In Physics: kinematics, dynamics, work and energy, fluids, thermodynamics, basic electricity. In Mathematics: algebra, equations and inequalities, functions, analytic geometry, probability and percentages. The level required is upper-secondary school, but speed matters — you want formulas automatic, not reconstructed under exam pressure.
Logical reasoning and Reading comprehension — 9 questions combined
These aren't studied, they're trained. There's no content to memorise — what matters is a fast, disciplined reading method and the ability to not get pulled in by a plausible-but-wrong answer. They're also the section most sensitive to time pressure: candidates who leave them for last tend to face them with the clock already against them.
6. Registration
Registration for the IMAT runs through Universitaly, Italy's national portal for university admissions — the same portal used for the country's other national admission tests. Registration windows, exact fees, and how many seats each university offers on the English-taught courses are set separately, and can change year to year.
7. A study plan that holds until September
The right plan isn't the most packed one — it's the one that respects the exam's actual weighting and starts from your real gaps, not a generic syllabus. A structure that scales up or down depending on how much time you have:
| Phase | What you do | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Diagnostic | An initial test across all five sections | Shows where you actually stand, instead of studying what you already know |
| Foundations | Biology and Chemistry on their core topics | 38 of 60 questions — this is where time pays off twice over |
| Targeted review | Only the topics the diagnostic flagged | Reviewing what you already know is the most common way to waste time |
| Physics & Maths | Recurring formulas and question types | 13 questions many candidates give away out of habit |
| Timed mock exams | Full 60-question, 100-minute simulations | Turns knowledge into points under real time pressure |
| Error analysis | Understanding every mistake, not just counting it | This is the part that actually raises your score; skipping it turns mock exams into a thermometer, nothing more |
If time is short, the order doesn't change — the depth does: Biology and Chemistry fundamentals, timed mock exams, analysed errors. Dropping niche topics to nail the two big blocks isn't a shortcut, it's arithmetic.
8. Mistakes that cost the most
- Studying every section equally: reading comprehension is 4 questions, biology is 23 — treating them the same gives away points
- Preparing for the semestre filtro by mistake: that's a different pathway, with different subjects and different rules, for the Italian-taught degree
- Taking mock exams without analysing the errors: it measures progress, it doesn't produce it
- Practising subject by subject and never on the full 100-minute clock: on exam day, switching between subjects is part of the difficulty
- Assuming a registration date you saw online is official without checking Universitaly and the university's own bando
- Guessing blindly on questions you know nothing about: with five options it's a negative expected value, even if a small one
- Postponing Chemistry because "it's less than Biology": it's still 15 questions, and it's usually the fastest section to recover with the right study
9. How UniTest Pro helps
UniTest Pro has a dedicated English-taught direction built specifically for the IMAT — Medicine, Dentistry, and Veterinary Medicine in English. It opens with a diagnostic test that shows exactly where to start, builds a study plan weighted the way the decree weights the real exam, gives you unlimited practice by topic, and runs timed mock exams in the official format — 60 questions, 100 minutes, the same section split. Every practice question comes with an explanation, and the app's AI tutor answers why an answer is wrong instead of only marking it wrong — so mistakes turn into understanding instead of just a lower score. It's free to start.
10. Frequently asked questions
What is the IMAT?
The IMAT (International Medical Admissions Test) is the national entrance exam for Medicine, Dentistry, and Veterinary Medicine courses taught in English at Italian universities. It's a single, one-day, multiple-choice exam — 60 questions in 100 minutes — set by Italy's Ministry of University and Research (MUR).
When is the IMAT 2026?
29 September 2026, per MUR Decree n. 1005 of 6 August 2026. It's a single national exam date, the same everywhere in Italy.
How many questions are on the IMAT, and how is it structured?
60 multiple-choice questions in 100 minutes: 4 on reading comprehension, 5 on logical reasoning, 23 on biology, 15 on chemistry, and 13 on physics and mathematics combined.
How is the IMAT scored?
+1.5 points for each correct answer, −0.4 for each incorrect answer, 0 for a question left blank. The maximum score is 90 points.
What's the minimum score to be eligible?
20 out of 90, per the 2026 decree. Below that threshold you are not eligible for a place, regardless of how the ranking lists fill up.
Does the IMAT use the semestre filtro like Italian-language Medicine?
No. The semestre filtro — no entrance exam, a graded first semester instead — applies only to Medicine, Dentistry, and Veterinary Medicine taught in Italian. The English-taught pathway kept a traditional, one-day admission exam: the IMAT.
Does one IMAT score cover Medicine, Dentistry, and Veterinary Medicine?
It's one exam, but not one ranking. The 2026 decree confirmed the IMAT feeds two separate ranking lists — Medicine and Dentistry share one, Veterinary Medicine has its own — built from the same test.
Which subjects matter most on the IMAT?
Biology (23 questions) and Chemistry (15) together are 38 of the 60 questions — 63% of the exam and 57 of the 90 available points. Physics and mathematics (13 questions) come next; logical reasoning and reading comprehension (9 questions combined) round it out.
Is guessing worth it on the IMAT?
Not blindly: with 5 answer options, a fully random guess is worth 0.2 × 1.5 + 0.8 × (−0.4) = −0.02 points on average — slightly negative. Ruling out even one option first flips it to 0.25 × 1.5 + 0.75 × (−0.4) = +0.075 — positive. Answer when you can eliminate at least one option; leave it blank when you genuinely can't.
Where do I register for the IMAT?
Through Universitaly, Italy's national portal for university admissions. Because registration windows and per-university seat numbers are set separately each year, check the official Universitaly notice and your target university's own admission call (bando) for the exact dates and fees before you plan around any date not confirmed there.
Can I study Medicine in Italy in English without speaking Italian?
Yes — that's the point of the English-taught track. The IMAT itself is in English, and the degree course is delivered in English. You'll still find everyday life easier with some Italian, but it isn't required for admission or for the coursework.
11. Official sources
Exam structure, scoring, the 29 September 2026 date, and the 20/90 eligibility threshold in this guide come from MUR Decree n. 1005 of 6 August 2026, read in full — published by the Ministry of University and Research. Registration itself runs through Universitaly; exact registration windows, per-university seats, and fees are set in each university's own admission call (bando) and are not repeated here as fixed dates, because they change and getting them wrong costs more than leaving them to the official source.
Related guides
- IMAT universities in Italy 2026: the full list with seats
- How to use an IMAT simulation
- UniTest Pro's English-taught direction: Medicine, Dentistry, Veterinary Medicine
- IMAT Biology: the official programme, topic by topic
- IMAT Chemistry: the official programme
- IMAT Physics and Maths: one section, 13 questions
- IMAT logic and reading: what the programme asks
- IMAT 2026 ranking: dates, scrolls and deadlines
- IMAT score calculator: what your answers are worth
- IMAT quiz: practise on real exam-style questions
- Free IMAT simulation: the full 60-question paper, timed
- Veterinary Medicine in English: the same IMAT, a separate ranking
- Professioni Sanitarie admission test (Italian-language exam with the same structure)
- Semestre filtro: the Italian-taught Medicine pathway (not the IMAT)
- All UniTest Pro guides