Free guide · no purchase needed
How the IMAT actually works.
The format, the scoring, the quotas and the timeline, explained plainly, because much of what circulates online is out of date or simply wrong.
01 · Format
Sixty questions, one hundred minutes.
A single paper of multiple-choice questions with five options each, exactly one correct. There are no separately timed sections. You get the whole 100 minutes and can move between questions in any order.
| Section | Approx. questions | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Biology | ~23 | Cell biology, genetics, metabolism, physiology, ecology |
| Chemistry | ~15 | Bonding, stoichiometry, solutions, equilibria, organic |
| Physics & maths | ~13 | Mechanics, thermodynamics, electricity, algebra, probability |
| Logical reasoning | ~5 | Deduction, syllogisms, numerical problems |
| Reading & general knowledge | ~4 | Comprehension and general cultural knowledge |
Weightings have changed between years. Always confirm against the current MUR bando before building a study plan around them.
02 · Scoring
The negative marking is the whole game.
+1.5 correct
Sixty questions at 1.5 points each gives a theoretical maximum of 90. In practice nobody scores near it, and you do not need to.
−0.4 incorrect
Every wrong answer removes 0.4 points. A wrong answer therefore costs you 1.9 points relative to a correct one, and 0.4 relative to leaving it blank.
Ten wrong answers give back four points, the equivalent of throwing away nearly three correct ones.
0 blank
A blank costs nothing. On a five-option question with no eliminations, random guessing has an expected value of roughly zero. You gain nothing on average and add variance.
Eliminate even one option and guessing becomes worthwhile. Knowing exactly where that line sits, under time pressure, is what the Strategy Guide is for.
03 · Quotas
Two pools, two very different competitions.
Seats are split between EU candidates (and those treated as equivalent) and non-EU candidates resident abroad. The two pools are ranked separately, and the number of seats in each differs enormously by university.
Why it matters
The score you need is not a single national number. It depends which pool you are in and which universities you listed, because the cut-off at each one is set by the last candidate to take a seat there.
Ordering your university preferences well is a genuine strategic decision, not an afterthought.
04 · Timeline
Roughly when things happen.
Dates shift each year. These are the usual windows, always confirm on universitaly.it and the official MUR bando.
| Period | What happens |
|---|---|
| January – June | Preparation window. This is when the work gets done. |
| July | Registration opens on the Universitaly portal. Deadlines are strict. |
| September | The exam. Usually a single national sitting. |
| Autumn | Results, national ranking, then seat allocation rounds (scorrimento). |
05 · A common misunderstanding
The 2025 reform did not abolish the IMAT.
Italy reformed admission to Italian-taught medicine, replacing the entrance test with an open first semester and filtering exams. That reform applies to the Italian-language courses only. English-taught programmes at public universities still select through the IMAT. Private universities run their own separate entrance tests with their own formats and scoring.