IMAT Preparation for UAE Students Applying to Italy
The IMAT is the entrance test for English-taught medicine, dentistry and veterinary degrees at Italian public universities. It rewards broad, shallow science coverage under hard time pressure, and it punishes guessing.
From AED 220 per lesson
- Biology, chemistry, physics and mathematics to upper-secondary level
- Logical reasoning and reading sections
- Negative marking, so answer selection is a skill of its own
- Sixty questions in one hundred minutes
How the IMAT is structured
Sixty multiple-choice questions in one hundred minutes. Biology alone carries more than a third of them, which is why it gets the most lesson time.
| Section | Questions |
|---|---|
| Reading skills and general knowledge | 4 |
| Logical reasoning and problem solving | 5 |
| Biology | 23 |
| Chemistry | 15 |
| Physics and mathematics | 13 |
| Total | 60 questions in 100 minutes |
Scoring: 1.5 points for a correct answer, 0 for a blank, and minus 0.4 for a wrong one, giving a maximum of 90. Confirm the current dates and per-university quotas with the Italian Ministry of University and Research before you register, since both change annually.
The 2025 reform did not change the English-taught route
From 2025/26 Italy replaced the entrance test for its Italian-taught medicine degrees with an open first semester followed by a national ranking, the "semestre filtro". That reform does not apply to the English-taught programmes international students apply to. Those still admit through the IMAT, confirmed for both the 2025 and 2026 cycles. If you have read that the test was abolished, that reporting was about the Italian-language route.
Why negative marking changes how you prepare
A wrong answer costs 0.4 while a blank costs nothing, so the test measures when you stop as much as what you know. A candidate who answers everything on a paper where they were genuinely unsure of fifteen questions can finish below one who left those blank.
That makes answer selection a trainable skill in its own right, and we work on it explicitly: recognising when elimination has narrowed the field enough to make a guess worth taking, and recognising when it has not. Most students arrive having never considered it, and it is usually worth several marks on its own.
What the preparation covers
The science is broad rather than deep. Biology carries the largest share of the marks and is where most students gain the most, because it rewards systematic coverage of a defined syllabus rather than sophistication. Chemistry is close behind and overlaps heavily with A Level and IB content.
Physics and mathematics are the sections that expose gaps, particularly for students from curricula that let them drop one of the two. If that applies to you, it is the part of the plan that needs the most lead time, and it is the main reason some students need four months rather than two.
Who this suits
Students set on medicine in Europe
Often applying to Italy alongside UK medical schools, which means UCAT preparation in the same year.
Students from non-science-heavy curricula
Where physics or chemistry was dropped and now has to be built from a low base.
Reapplicants
Who have a score from a previous cycle and know which sections cost them a place.
Students weighing Italy against other routes
Where the real comparison is tuition, language of instruction and how competitive each entry point is.
Frequently asked questions
The questions UAE students and parents ask us most often about this program.
Related programs
Other preparation tracks students often combine with this one.
UCAT Preparation
UCAT tutoring for students applying to medical and dental schools in the UK and other countries that use the test. The defining challenge is speed, and preparation is built around it.
A Level Tutoring
One-to-one A Level tutoring across the sciences, mathematics and economics, matched to your exact board and specification. Lessons are online and built around past papers and mark schemes.
IB Diploma Tutoring
Subject-specialist tutoring for IB Diploma students, at Higher and Standard Level, covering taught content, internal assessments and the core. Delivered online and planned around your school’s deadlines.
IELTS Preparation
One-to-one IELTS tutoring for students applying abroad and professionals meeting an English requirement. The focus is on the two skills that decide most band scores: Writing and Speaking.
Start with a science audit
Tell us which sciences you have taken and to what level. We will tell you how long the gap realistically takes to close before your test date.