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IMAT

IMAT sample questions: one per subject, with worked answers

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The IMAT is the admission test for the English-taught degrees in Medicine and Surgery, Dentistry and Veterinary Medicine at Italian public universities: 60 questions with five options in 100 minutes, scored +1.5 for a right answer, −0.4 for a wrong one and 0 for a blank. Below are five original practice questions, one from each area, each with the working and the reason every wrong option is wrong. The 2026/27 test was held on 29 September 2026; the rules for 2027/28 have not been published yet.

Autor: UniExamer · Opublikowano · 9 min czytania

The IMAT in 2026/27

These are the rules of the ministerial decree for 2026/27 (D.M. 1005 of 6 August 2026). The 2027/28 decree is usually published in the summer; until it is, treat them as the latest rules, not next year's.

  • 60 questions, five options each, one correct, in 100 minutes (art. 2): 4 on reading skills and knowledge acquired in studies, 5 on logical reasoning and problems, 23 on biology, 15 on chemistry and 13 on physics and mathematics.
  • Scoring (art. 3.4): +1.5 for a right answer, −0.4 for a wrong one, 0 for a blank; 90 points at most.
  • Threshold (art. 3.2–3.3): EU candidates and non-EU candidates resident in Italy need at least 20 points to be ranked. Non-EU candidates resident abroad need a score above 0, on their own reserved places.
  • One test for all three degrees (art. 2.1), the same in every venue, on paper and in English. In 2026 it was held on 29 September, with registration on Universitaly; at registration each candidate chose Medicine and Dentistry or Veterinary Medicine, which have separate national rankings.
  • The 2025 reform that replaced the entrance test with a "semestre filtro" concerns the Italian-taught degrees; the English-taught ones still admit by the IMAT.

Guessing, with these numbers

With five options, a blind guess is worth 15×1.5−45×0.4=0.30−0.32=−0.02\tfrac15 \times 1.5 - \tfrac45 \times 0.4 = 0.30 - 0.32 = -0.02 points on average: slightly worse than a blank. Once you can rule out one option it is worth 14×1.5−34×0.4=+0.075\tfrac14 \times 1.5 - \tfrac34 \times 0.4 = +0.075, and more with each option you remove. So leave a question blank only when you cannot eliminate anything.

What UniExamer offers for the IMAT

These worked examples are free to read. The IMAT page has the full 2026/27 rules, the places by university and a study plan, and IMAT practice: sets by subject and topic, a diagnostic and a 60-question simulation in 100 minutes. Practice questions can also be shown in Italian while you study; the simulation is always in English, like the real test. Nothing here predicts an IMAT score. The questions are original, not past IMAT questions.

Reading skills and knowledge acquired in studies

Four of the 60 questions. Read for what the passage supports, not for what you already believe about the topic.

Question 1: What a passage supports about a rising figure

Topic: Reading skills: inference from a passage

Studies that report microplastics in bottled water have found far higher counts than earlier studies, but much of the difference comes from the methods used. Older studies counted only particles larger than a twentieth of a millimetre, because smaller ones could not be identified reliably; newer techniques detect particles a thousand times smaller, and most of the particles they find are in that smaller range. Comparing the two sets of figures as if they measured the same thing therefore exaggerates how much contamination has increased. Whether particles of that size harm human health is not yet known.

Which of the following is supported by the passage?

  1. A.Bottled water contains more microplastics today than when the first studies were made.
  2. B.Part of the rise in reported microplastic counts reflects the ability to detect smaller particles.
  3. C.The smallest particles found are known to be harmless.
  4. D.Older studies counted particles that were not plastic.
  5. E.Newer techniques cannot detect particles larger than a twentieth of a millimetre.
Show the answer and explanation

Answer: B. Part of the rise in reported microplastic counts reflects the ability to detect smaller particles.

Working

The passage says much of the difference between older and newer counts “comes from the methods used”, because newer techniques detect far smaller particles, where most of the particles are. That is option B. A goes further than the passage, which says comparing the figures “exaggerates” the increase without saying whether there was one. C contradicts the last sentence; D and E state things the passage never mentions.

Why the other options are wrong

  • A. The passage says the counts differ largely because of the methods; it does not establish that contamination itself has risen.
  • C. The passage says the opposite of “known”: their effect on health is not yet known.
  • D. Nothing is said about misidentified particles; older studies simply could not identify the smallest ones.
  • E. The passage says newer techniques reach much smaller particles, not that they miss larger ones.

Use it on the next question

Choose the option the text makes true, not the one that sounds most plausible. Words like “known”, “today” and “cannot” are where options overreach.

Logical reasoning and problems

Five questions. Many are short puzzles where the trap is the starting point of a count.

Question 2: Counting days from the right starting point

Topic: Logical reasoning: sequences and counting

If the day after tomorrow is a Saturday, what day of the week was it three days before yesterday?

  1. A.Saturday
  2. B.Sunday
  3. C.Monday
  4. D.Wednesday
  5. E.Thursday
Show the answer and explanation

Answer: B. Sunday

Working

The day after tomorrow is two days ahead, so today is Saturday minus two days: Thursday. Yesterday was Wednesday, and three days before Wednesday is Sunday.

Why the other options are wrong

  • A. Treats “the day after tomorrow” as three days ahead: today would be Wednesday, yesterday Tuesday, and three days before that Saturday.
  • C. Counts three days back from today, Thursday, instead of from yesterday.
  • D. Wednesday is yesterday, the day to count back from, not the answer.
  • E. Thursday is today, where the count starts, not where it ends.

Use it on the next question

Fix “today” first, then move one step at a time and write each day down; most errors in these questions are off by one.

Biology

The largest area: 23 questions, about 38% of the test.

Question 3: When sister chromatids separate

Topic: Biology: cell division

During which stage of mitosis do sister chromatids separate and move towards opposite poles of the cell?

  1. A.Prophase
  2. B.Metaphase
  3. C.Anaphase
  4. D.Telophase
  5. E.Cytokinesis
Show the answer and explanation

Answer: C. Anaphase

Working

In anaphase the cohesin holding each pair of sister chromatids together is cut, and the spindle fibres pull the chromatids, now separate chromosomes, to opposite poles. The order is prophase, metaphase, anaphase, telophase, followed by cytokinesis.

Why the other options are wrong

  • A. In prophase the chromosomes condense and the spindle begins to form; the chromatids are still joined.
  • B. In metaphase the chromosomes line up at the equator of the cell, still as pairs of joined chromatids.
  • D. By telophase the separated chromatids have already reached the poles, and nuclear envelopes re-form around them.
  • E. Cytokinesis divides the cytoplasm after the nuclei have separated; it is not a stage of mitosis in which chromatids move.

Use it on the next question

Tie each stage to one event: condense (prophase), line up (metaphase), pull apart (anaphase), re-form nuclei (telophase).

Chemistry

Fifteen questions, without a calculator: the numbers are chosen to work by hand.

Question 4: From grams to molecules

Topic: Chemistry: the mole

How many molecules are there in 9 g of water, H2O\mathrm{H_2O}? (Relative atomic masses: H = 1, O = 16; Avogadro constant 6.02×1023 mol−16.02 \times 10^{23}\ \mathrm{mol^{-1}}.)

  1. A.3.01×10223.01 \times 10^{22}
  2. B.3.01×10233.01 \times 10^{23}
  3. C.6.02×10236.02 \times 10^{23}
  4. D.5.42×10245.42 \times 10^{24}
  5. E.1.08×10251.08 \times 10^{25}
Show the answer and explanation

Answer: B. 3.01×10233.01 \times 10^{23}

Working

The molar mass of water is 2×1+16=182 \times 1 + 16 = 18 g/mol, so 9 g is 9/18=0.59 / 18 = 0.5 mol. The number of molecules is 0.5×6.02×1023=3.01×10230.5 \times 6.02 \times 10^{23} = 3.01 \times 10^{23}.

Why the other options are wrong

  • A. The right digits with the power of ten one too low: 0.5×6.02×10230.5 \times 6.02 \times 10^{23} is 3.01×10233.01 \times 10^{23}.
  • C. One mole of molecules. 9 g of water is half a mole.
  • D. Multiplies the mass in grams by the Avogadro constant, as if 9 g were 9 moles.
  • E. Multiplies the molar mass, 18, by the Avogadro constant: that is neither the mass given nor the number of moles.

Use it on the next question

Grams to moles first (divide by the molar mass), then moles to particles (multiply by the Avogadro constant). Check the power of ten last.

Physics and mathematics

Thirteen questions. Many go wrong on units, not on the physics.

Question 5: Energy from power and time

Topic: Physics: energy and power

A hair dryer with a power of 1.5 kW is used for 4 minutes. How much electrical energy does it use?

  1. A.6 J
  2. B.6 kJ
  3. C.90 kJ
  4. D.360 kJ
  5. E.5.4 MJ
Show the answer and explanation

Answer: D. 360 kJ

Working

Energy = power × time, in watts and seconds: E=1500 W×240 s=360 000 J=360 kJE = 1500\ \mathrm{W} \times 240\ \mathrm{s} = 360\,000\ \mathrm{J} = 360\ \mathrm{kJ}. (The same in kilowatt-hours: 1.5×460=0.11.5 \times \tfrac{4}{60} = 0.1 kWh, and 1 kWh is 3.6 MJ.)

Why the other options are wrong

  • A. Multiplies 1.5 by 4 without converting either unit.
  • B. Converts the power to 1500 W but leaves the time in minutes: 1500×41500 \times 4.
  • C. Uses one minute (60 s) instead of four: 1500×601500 \times 60.
  • E. Uses the 3600 seconds of an hour instead of the 240 seconds of four minutes.

Use it on the next question

Convert to SI units before multiplying: kilowatts to watts, minutes to seconds.

About these examples

Written by the UniExamer team for this page with AI assistance, and published on 3 November 2026. They are not IMAT questions, their difficulty is not calibrated to the real test, and five questions cannot estimate a score. They are not part of any practice session, so reading the answers spoils nothing. If you find a mistake, tell us.

For the official rules, places and dates, read the ministry's decree for your year and the Universitaly portal, where registration opens.

Źródła

  1. [1] D.M. 6 agosto 2026, n. 1005: IMAT 2026/27, structure, scoring, threshold and places (otwiera się w nowej karcie) — Ministero dell’Università e della Ricerca
  2. [2] Avviso di rettifica, 26 August 2026 (adds Florence as a test venue) (otwiera się w nowej karcie) — Ministero dell’Università e della Ricerca
  3. [3] Universitaly: registration, scores and rankings (otwiera się w nowej karcie) — Ministero dell’Università e della Ricerca

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