The International Medical Admissions Test, known as IMAT, is a standardized exam utilized for admission to medical schools in Italy, particularly those conducting programs in English. Since IMAT evaluates candidates’ aptitude for medical studies by assessing their problem-solving abilities, critical thinking, scientific knowledge, and general competencies across subjects such as biology, chemistry, physics, mathematics, and logical reasoning.
This assessment is typically taken by international students aspiring to study medicine in Italy. The test is meticulously designed to provide equal opportunities to individuals from diverse educational backgrounds and nationalities. It establishes a uniform evaluation standard for all applicants, irrespective of their educational systems.
The admission test consists of sixty questions presented in a multiple-choice format. For each question, you’ll have five potential answers to choose from, and only one of them is correct. The topics covered in the test are divided as follows:
- 10 questions about General Knowledge
- 10 questions involving Logical Reasoning and Problem Solving
- 15 questions related to Biology
- 15 questions concerning Chemistry
- 10 questions combining Physics and Mathematics
Detailed IMAT Syllabus
General Knowledge and Logical Reasoning
Assessment of the ability to use the Italian language correctly in various contexts and for different purposes, and to logically complete reasoning in a manner consistent with premises, which are enunciated symbolically or verbally through multiple-choice questions also formulated with brief statements. Incorrect, arbitrary, or less likely conclusions are to be discarded.
However, The questions revolve around scientific or narrative essays from classical or contemporary authors, or on current affairs texts from newspapers or general/specialized magazines. They also touch upon cases or problems, even of an abstract nature, where the solution demands the application of different forms of logical reasoning.
Questions related to general knowledge cover topics encountered during studies or present in contemporary public discourse, thereby complementing this evaluative domain.
Regarding the historical sphere, questions may concern, among other things, the defining aspects of 20th-century history and the present world (industrialization and post-industrial society; fundamental rights achievements; new entities and movements; the welfare state and its crises; globalization processes and global conflicts).
For the social and institutional sphere, in alignment with national guidelines and in relation to activities carried out for ‘Citizenship and Constitution,’ questions may pertain, among other things, to the constitutional charter, communication and mass media, economic and political life organization, as well as the various forms of the State and governance.
Biology:
The Chemistry of Living Organisms.
The biological significance of weak interactions.
Organic molecules present in organisms and their respective functions. The role of enzymes.
The cell as the foundation of life.
Cell theory. Cellular dimensions. Prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells, both animal and plant. Viruses.
Cellular membrane: structure and functions – transport across the membrane.
Cellular structures and their specific functions.
Cell cycle and cellular reproduction: mitosis and meiosis – chromosomal makeup and chromosomal maps.
Bioenergetics.
The energy currency of cells: ATP.
Oxidation-reduction reactions in living organisms.
Energetic processes: photosynthesis, glycolysis, aerobic respiration, and fermentation.
Reproduction and Heredity.
Life cycles. Sexual and asexual reproduction.
Mendelian genetics: Mendel’s laws and their applications.
Classical genetics: chromosomal theory of heredity – inheritance models.
Molecular genetics: DNA structure and replication, the genetic code, protein synthesis. Prokaryotic DNA. Eukaryotic chromosome structure. Genes and gene expression regulation.
Chemistry:
The Composition of Matter: States of Matter; Heterogeneous and Homogeneous Systems; Compounds and Elements. Laws of Ideal Gases. Atomic Structure: Elementary Particles; Atomic Number and Mass Number, Isotopes, Electronic Structure of Atoms of Different Elements. The Periodic Table of Elements: Groups and Periods; Transition Elements. Periodic Properties of Elements: Atomic Radius, Ionization Potential, Electron Affinity, Metallic Character. Relationships Between Electronic Structure, Periodic Table Position, and Element Properties. Chemical Bonding: Ionic, Covalent, and Metallic Bonds. Bond Energy. Bond Polarities. Electronegativity. Intermolecular Bonds. Foundations of Inorganic Chemistry: Nomenclature and Primary Properties of Inorganic Compounds: Oxides, Hydroxides, Acids, Salts. Chemical Reactions and Stoichiometry: Atomic and Molecular Mass, Avogadro’s Number, Concept of Mole and Its Application, Elementary Stoichiometric Calculations, Balancing Simple Reactions, Different Types of Chemical Reactions. Solutions: Solvent Properties of Water, Solubility, Major Methods of Expressing Solution Concentration. Equilibria in Aqueous Solutions. Elements of Chemical Kinetics and Catalysis. Oxidation and Reduction: Oxidation Number, Concept of Oxidizing and Reducing Agents. Balancing Simple Reactions. Acids and Bases: The Concept of Acid and Base. Acidity, Neutrality, and Basicity of Aqueous Solutions. pH. Hydrolysis. Buffer Solutions. Foundations of Organic Chemistry: Carbon Atom Bonds, Empirical and Structural Formulas, Isomerism Concept. Aliphatic, Alicyclic, and Aromatic Hydrocarbons. Functional Groups: Alcohols, Ethers, Amines, Aldehydes, Ketones, Carboxylic Acids, Esters, Amides. Basics of Nomenclature.
Physics:
Measurements: Direct and indirect measurements, fundamental and derived quantities, physical dimensions of quantities, understanding of the decimal metric system and Units of Measurement Systems such as CGS, Technical (or Practical) (ST), and International (SI), knowledge of units of measurement (names and relationships between fundamental and derived units), multiples and submultiples (names and values). Kinematics: Kinematic quantities, various motions with specific emphasis on uniform linear motion and uniformly accelerated motion; uniform circular motion; harmonic motion (for all motions: definition and relationships between connected kinematic quantities). Dynamics: Vectors and vector operations. Forces, moments of forces about a point. Moment of a force couple. Vector composition of forces. Definitions of mass and weight. Gravity acceleration. Density and specific weight. Universal law of gravitation, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd laws of dynamics. Work, kinetic energy, potential energies. Conservation principle of energy. Impulse and momentum. Conservation principle of momentum. Fluid Mechanics: Pressure, and its units of measurement (not limited to SI system). Archimedes’ principle. Pascal’s principle. Stevin’s law. Archimedes’ principle. Thermology, Thermodynamics: Thermometry and calorimetry. Thermal capacity and specific heat. Modes of heat propagation. Changes of state and latent heats. Laws of ideal gases. First and second laws of thermodynamics. Electrostatics and Electrodynamics: Coulomb’s law. Electric field and electric potential. Dielectric constant. Capacitors. Series and parallel capacitors. Direct current. Ohm’s law. Kirchhoff’s principles. Electrical resistance and resistivity. Series and parallel electrical resistances. Work, Power. Joule’s effect. Generators. Electromagnetic induction and alternating currents. Effects of electrical currents (thermal, chemical, and magnetic).
Mathematics:
Numerical Sets and Algebra: Natural, integer, rational, real numbers. Ordering and comparison; orders of magnitude and scientific notation. Operations and their properties. Proportions and percentages. Powers with integer and rational exponents, and their properties. Radicals and their properties. Logarithms (base 10 and base e) and their properties. Introduction to combinatorial calculus. Algebraic expressions, polynomials. Special products, nth power of a binomial, polynomial factoring. Algebraic fractions. First and second-degree algebraic equations and inequalities. Systems of equations. Functions: Fundamental notions about functions and their graphical representations (domain, codomain, sign analysis, continuity, maxima and minima, growth and decay, etc.). Elementary functions: integer and fractional algebraic, exponential, logarithmic, trigonometric functions. Composite functions and inverse functions. Trigonometric equations and inequalities. Geometry: Polygons and their properties. Circumference and circle. Lengths, areas, and volumes. Isometries, similarities, and equivalences in the plane. Geometric loci. Angle measurement in degrees and radians. Sine, cosine, tangent of an angle and their key values. Trigonometric identities. Triangle resolution. Cartesian coordinate system in the plane. Distance between two points and midpoint of a segment. Equation of a line. Conditions for parallelism and perpendicularity. Distance of a point from a line. Equation of a circle, parabola, hyperbola, ellipse, and their representation in the Cartesian plane. Pythagoras’ theorem. Euclid’s theorems (first and second). Probability and Statistics: Frequency distributions according to the type of variable and main graphical representations. Concept of random experiment and event. Probability and frequency.