IMAT Exam: Scoring, Dates and Cut-off Scores

Short answer: The IMAT (International Medical Admissions Test) is the entrance exam for English-taught medicine, dentistry and veterinary medicine at Italian public universities. It has 60 questions, lasts 100 minutes and is scored out of 90. It runs once a year, in September, on paper at test centres; you cannot take it from home. Outside Italy it is held in 25 countries. Applicants who live outside the EU compete for a separate quota, ranked by each university.

Which programmes require the IMAT?

The IMAT is regulated by a decree the Italian Ministry of University and Research (MUR) publishes every year; for 2026 this was D.M. 1005/2026. It is used for these English-taught programmes at public universities:

Medicine and Surgery: 6 years
Dentistry and Dental Prosthodontics
Veterinary Medicine

Italian-taught medicine does not use the IMAT. Instead of an entrance test, it uses a first "filter semester" (details in our IMAT 2026 announcement). Other English-taught programmes, such as engineering, economics and sciences, use the CEnT-S.

IMAT exam structure

The exam has 60 questions, each with 5 options and one correct answer:

Biology: 23 questions
Chemistry: 15 questions
Physics and mathematics: 13 questions
Logical reasoning: 5 questions
General knowledge and reading: 4 questions

51 of the 60 questions, or 85%, come from the sciences. The exam is entirely in English, and every candidate answers the same questions in every country. Calculators, phones and notes are forbidden; you get two blank sheets for working.

How to calculate your IMAT score

Correct answer: +1.5
Wrong answer: -0.4
No answer: 0

The maximum is 90. Example: 50 correct, 6 wrong and 4 blank gives 50 × 1.5 − 6 × 0.4 = 75 − 2.4 = 72.6 points. Ties are broken by the scores in biology, then chemistry, physics and mathematics, logical reasoning and general knowledge. If candidates are still tied, holding an accepted English language certificate gives priority.

What score do you need? IMAT cut-off scores

EU citizens and non-EU citizens living in Italy with EU-equivalent status: a minimum of 20 points to enter the national ranking.
Non-EU citizens living abroad: no 20-point minimum; any score above 0 qualifies. But each university opens a separate, small quota for these applicants and draws up its own ranking.

A real example: in 2026 the University of Bologna reserved 20 places in English-taught medicine for non-EU applicants living abroad. 572 candidates were ranked for those 20 places. In the first list, published on 26 October 2026, the 20th place went to a score of 77.90. So the lack of a minimum score does not make it easy: competition at popular universities is very high. Cut-offs change every year and at every university, and the list moves down as admitted candidates decline their places.

How to take the IMAT from abroad

Registration: on the Universitaly portal. In 2026, registration ran from 26 August to 9 September. You choose the programme (medicine or veterinary medicine) and rank your universities; these choices cannot be changed after registration closes.
Test venue: at one of 17 universities in Italy or at a centre abroad. In 2026 the countries were Albania, Azerbaijan, Brazil, Canada, China, Cyprus, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, India, Ireland, Kenya, Pakistan, Poland, Portugal, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, Tunisia, Turkey, the UAE (Dubai), the UK and the USA. The Ministry publishes the venue addresses separately.
Separate application to the university: after the test, non-EU applicants also register on their chosen university's system. Bologna gave applicants until 5 October in 2026. Candidates who skip this step cannot see the ranking and may lose their place.
Universitaly pre-enrolment for the visa: required before applying for a study visa for Italy.

When is the IMAT?

The IMAT 2026 took place on 29 September 2026 at 13:30 Italian time. Rankings were published on 26 October 2026, and admitted candidates had only a few days to enrol; at Bologna the deadline was 29 October. The IMAT 2027 date has not been announced yet. The Ministry's decree usually comes out in summer, and the registration window is short, so watch the dates closely.

How to prepare for the IMAT

Prioritise biology and chemistry: 38 questions come from these two subjects.
Follow the official syllabus: the topic list is published every year as an annex to the decree.
Do past papers against the clock: you have about 1 minute 40 seconds per question.
Learn when to skip: a wrong answer costs 0.4 points. Guessing completely at random loses points on average (0.2 × 1.5 − 0.8 × 0.4 = −0.02), but if you can rule out two options, guessing gains points on average.
Get an English language certificate: it can break a tie in your favour.

Frequently asked questions

Can I take the IMAT from home?

No. The IMAT is held only at test centres, on paper, under supervision.

How many times a year is the IMAT held?

Once a year, usually in September. If you miss it or are not admitted, you wait for the next year.

Which universities accept the IMAT?

Public universities with English-taught medicine programmes. In 2026 these included Bologna, Milan, Pavia, Padua, Sapienza, Tor Vergata, Naples and Turin. Non-EU applicants are considered only in the rankings of the universities they chose.

Bottom line

The IMAT is one of the most sought-after medical entrance exams in the world. Places are few and competition is strong, but there is a single exam with a published syllabus. We can check how many places each university reserves for non-EU applicants and how past rankings looked, and build a realistic list of choices and a preparation timeline for you. Fill in the free assessment form to get started.

Last checked: 1 November 2026. Compiled from the University of Bologna's official 2026/27 IMAT call, the list of test countries annexed to the call from the Ministry's decree (D.M. 1005/2026), and the non-EU ranking published on 26 October 2026. We will update this article when the IMAT 2027 decree is published.

The IMAT Exam: How to Study Medicine in Italy in English