IMAT exam for studying medicine and dentistry in Italy

What is the IMAT exam?

The IMAT (International Medical Admissions Test) exam is the entrance exam for medicine and surgery and dentistry programs in English in Italy. Many applicants from all over the world participate in this exam every year. In addition to the high academic quality of Italian universities, some key reasons for taking the IMAT exam include the fact that medical education in Italy is low tuition fee, and there are opportunities for scholarship funding. It can be said that Italy is the most affordable European country for pursuing a medical degree in English.
The IMAT exam is held once a year, and applicants can participate in this exam without any limitations on their GPA or age.

IMAT exam structure

The IMAT for admission to medicine in Italy is held every year in September or October.

The exam subjects for the IMAT include biology, chemistry, mathematics and physics, logic and reasoning, and general knowledge. The total number of questions in the exam is 60, with a total maximum score of 90.

Applicants for the Italian medical entrance exam must, after taking the IMAT exam, have at least an IELTS 6 or an equivalent language certificate that is at the B2 level in English, and submit it to the Italian embassy when applying for a visa.

Pre-registration for universities on the universitaly.it website begins in May, and in addition to the main registration for the IMAT exam, applicants must also complete the pre-registration.

The registration for the IMAT exam takes place in July, but some Italian universities have pre-registration requirements with different deadlines. These pre-registrations generally occur in April and May, though some universities may also offer July and August deadlines.

IMAT exam centers

There are many IMAT exam centers located in many countries which you can see in the table below:

• Azerbaijan
• Brazil
• Canada
• China
• Cyprus
• France
• Germany
• Greece
• Hong Kong
• India
• Italy
• Pakistan
• Poland
• Saudi Arabia
• South Africa
• Spain
• Switzerland
• Turkey
• UAE
• UK
• USA

The minimum passing score for the IMAT 2023

15 universities in Italy offer medical and dental programs that accept non-European students. Among these universities, two universities – the University of Siena and Sapienza University of Rome – offer dental programs taught entirely in English for non-European students.

What is the tuition fee for studying medicine in Italy?

The tuition fees for studying medicine at different universities in Italy vary, but they are usually between 1,000 to 4,000 euros. This cost is only for the university tuition, and the living expenses in different cities in Italy also vary, ranging from 600 to 800 euros per month. However, with the scholarships that are available for applicants, The cost of education is free. In many cases, the scholarships provided by the universities, which are usually around 6 to 7 thousand euros per year, cover the living expenses. However, depending on the rent or the use of a dormitory, as well as other living necessities, the applicants may need to have some additional financial support to them, which completely depends on the individual’s lifestyle.

The requirements for obtaining a scholarship for a medical degree program in Italy:

To receive a scholarship, applicants must submit their documents to the target university for consideration. One of the required documents is a statement of the family’s income, which demonstrates that they are struggling to cover the university tuition fees. In addition to this document, the family head’s asset declaration or other financial documents may be required, depending on the specific region you are applying to those who utilize the medical scholarship in Italy not only have their university tuition fees waived, but they also receive an annual living stipend of around 6,000 to 7,000 euros to support their expenses while studying in Italy.

According to the latest announcement on scholarship requirements, the scholarship amount has increased to between 7,000 to 8,000 euros per year as of 2024. Applicants can now receive this educational scholarship by submitting the required documents to the target university.

Applicants of the IMAT exam should note that the scholarship eligibility criteria vary for each university. After selecting the desired university, applicants must obtain the required documents for the scholarship application from the university’s website, prepare them accordingly, and submit them to the target university as per the provided instructions.

Ranking of Medical Schools in Italy

The top five universities in Italy in the field of medicine are as follows:

1. University of Milano
2. University of Bologna
3. University of Sapienza
4. University of Padova
5. University of Milano Bicocca

Note: Can one solely rely on the average scores of IMAT exam passers from previous years to select a university?

Every year, IMAT exam applicants select their desired university during the IMAT registration process. Typically, this selection is based on the average scores of those admitted to each university in recent years. However, the results from recent years have shown that relying solely on the average scores of previous years’ admitted students is not sufficient for university selection .And applicants should also consider the factor of chance to some extent. Experience has shown that when a university admits students with lower average scores in one year, the average scores at that university may increase significantly the following year. The reason for this is that in the subsequent year, more applicants end up selecting that university.
And the increase in competition among applicants leads to a rise in the average scores of those admitted to that university. For this reason, our recommendation is that in addition to considering the average admission score of the target university, you should invest so much in yourself that by scoring high on the IMAT exam, you can get accepted to any university, and not leave things to the “ids” and “buts” after the exam.

IMAT registration deadlines 

Pre-enrollment (non-EU): April – August
Online enrollment at www.universitaly.it and payment of the enrollment fee: in July
Ranking starts from October 6 (survey continues for months after – only for EU candidates)
After admission, enroll in person
Classes start in late October

IMAT Exam Resources

Applicants for the IMAT exam can use various resources to prepare for the IMAT exam in Italy, most of which are the A LEVEL books that are recommended for preparing for many medical entrance exams in European countries.

Steps for IMAT Exam Registration

Step 1: Pre-enrollment

The first step that the applicant faces on this path is the selection of the university and the field of study based on their academic level and interests. Based on the applicant’s choice, they can now proceed with the pre-enrollment process. Initially, the pre-enrollment must be done on the universitaly website. On this website, the applicant must first enter their personal information, and then select the desired field of study and university.
Depending on the university you have chosen, upload the required documents. The common documents that need to be uploaded on this website are:

– Scanned copy of the first page of your passport
– 4×3 photograph
– Translated academic documents

Depending on the university you have selected, there may be additional documents that need to be uploaded as well.

Step 2: Scholarship Registration

The second step is the scholarship registration for the university you have chosen.
The scholarship registration for each university is done on a different website, which requires you to upload the translated scholarship documents. The scholarship documents will vary depending on the university you have selected, but the most common documents include:
– Translated copy of the guardian’s ID
– Translated copy of the property deed or rental agreement
– Translated copy of the pay slip

Step 3: IMAT Exam Registration

The final step of registration is selecting the IMAT exam center, which needs to be done on the scheduled exam date. This registration is done on the same universitaly website where the account was previously created.

Step 4: Attending the Exam

After taking the IMAT exam and passing it, you will need to apply for a visa. The first step in getting the visa is to book an appointment at the embassy website.
After booking the embassy appointment, you will need to prepare the documents specified in the embassy’s checklist and attend the scheduled interview appointment.
After the interview and if there are no issues with the documents, your visa will be issued and sent to you. However, if there are any missing documents, the embassy will contact you and give you a chance to prepare the required documents within the specified time.

Strategies for Success and Achieving the Necessary Result in the IMAT Exam

For candidates to be successful in the IMAT exam, they need to pay attention to a few key points in order to achieve the desired result. Some of these points include:

Pay special attention to the sections on logic and general knowledge in the IMAT exam, as this is the weak point for many candidates.

Among the IMAT subjects, spend more time on the biology section, as it has a significant number of questions in the exam.

In the exam session, leave behind the questions you have no prior familiarity with, and focus your attention on the other questions.

The key to your success lies in performing well in the biology, chemistry, and logic/reasoning sections. If you are not as strong in mathematics and physics, do not worry.

Before the IMAT exam and during the registration process, make sure to take several practice exams to get an accurate assessment of your level. Use this knowledge to select the appropriate university that maximizes your chances of admission.

During the actual exam, pay attention to the instructions for properly marking your answers on the answer sheet to avoid any issues with your answer sheet.

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