IMAT 2025: Structure, Subjects and Syllabus

Every year many students around the world prepare for the International Medical Admissions Test (IMAT), the exam that allows access to Medicine and Dentistry degree courses taught in English in Italy.
In this article, we will go through everything step by step: how the test is structured, how many questions there are, how much time is given, what the official subjects and syllabus are for 2025, how scoring and penalties work, and how to study effectively to cover every topic in time.

The aim is to give a clear and official guide, based entirely on the 2025 Ministerial Decree n. 599 of 7 August 2025, published by the Italian Ministry of University and Research (MUR) — you can find it directly on the ministry’s website at https://www.mur.gov.it/it/atti-e-normativa/decreto-ministeriale-n-599-del-07-08-2025.

How many questions there are and how they are divided

The IMAT 2025 test is made up of 60 multiple-choice questions, each with five options and one correct answer.
According to the decree, the distribution is as follows:

• 4 questions on reading and general knowledge,
• 5 questions on logical reasoning and problem solving,
• 23 on biology,
• 15 on chemistry,
• 13 on physics and mathematics.

Each correct answer gives 1.5 points, each wrong answer removes 0.4 points, and no answer gives 0 points, for a total possible score of 90 points. The minimum threshold for EU candidates (and non-EU residents in Italy) is 20 points, while foreign non-EU candidates only need a score above zero to enter their ranking.

Duration of the test and exam room rules

The exam lasts 100 minutes. In Italy, it starts at 11:00 a.m., while abroad the starting time is adapted to local time zones.

During the exam, the university provides a black pen, and no personal items are allowed: no phones, smartwatches, calculators, tablets, notes, or any other materials. Candidates must mark their answers directly on the official answer sheet, making an X in the chosen box. Only one correction is allowed, and if you don’t want to answer a question, you must fill in the small circle next to the question number.

If a candidate adds personal marks or uses forbidden materials, the test is invalidated. These rules are detailed in the Annex 1 of the ministerial decree, available on the official site.

Subjects and relative importance

The IMAT evaluates five main areas:
Reading and general knowledge, logical reasoning and problem solving, biology, chemistry, and physics and mathematics.

While each area contributes to the final score, the scientific subjects (biology, chemistry, physics, and math) have the highest weight, as they make up more than 80% of the questions. This means preparation must be built mainly around these areas, without neglecting logic and English comprehension.

The official 2025 syllabus: from general to specific

The full list of topics is published in the Annex A of the same ministerial decree, downloadable from this official document.

It is a detailed syllabus that covers the exact knowledge required for each section.

Reading and general knowledge includes comprehension of written English texts, understanding social, historical, and cultural events, and awareness of civic, institutional, and global contexts.

Logical reasoning and problem solving tests the ability to follow and complete logical arguments, interpret verbal and symbolic information, and manage problems involving quantities, proportions, and probabilities.

Biology covers the chemistry of living organisms, cell biology, mitosis and meiosis, genetics, molecular biology, human anatomy and physiology, homeostasis, and bioenergetics (including photosynthesis and respiration).

Chemistry includes atomic structure, the periodic table, bonding, stoichiometry, equilibrium, acids and bases, redox reactions, and the fundamentals of organic chemistry (functional groups like alcohols, amines, aldehydes, and esters).

Physics and mathematics require mastery of units, motion, forces, work and energy, fluid mechanics, thermodynamics, electricity, and electromagnetism, as well as functions, equations, geometry, trigonometry, and statistics.

Question types

The IMAT questions alternate between conceptual reasoning, numerical problems, and verbal comprehension.
In the reading section, short passages in English test vocabulary and inference skills. The logic section presents situations involving tables, graphs, and basic arithmetic or probability.

The science sections (biology, chemistry, physics, and math) often include real examples from previous years, such as calculations using the ideal gas law (PV = nRT), genetic inheritance problems, or physics questions about electric circuits and energy conversion.

You can find the official question papers from previous years on the MUR website:

• IMAT 2025 official paper
• IMAT 2024 official paper

Evaluation criteria and penalty for wrong answers

Each correct answer is worth 1.5 points, each incorrect one -0.4, and each unanswered question 0.
This scoring system discourages guessing, since statistically a random answer gives a slightly negative expected value.

In case of a tie, the ranking is determined first by higher scores in specific subjects, and then by the possession of a valid English language certification (Cambridge, IELTS, TOEFL, Pearson, Trinity), as detailed in Annex 3 of the decree.

Frequently recurring topics in recent years

By analysing the official tests from 2024 and 2025, we can identify several recurring patterns.
In biology, topics like cell structure, DNA and RNA, metabolism, and genetic inheritance appear almost every year.
In chemistry, questions about acids and bases, gas laws, and oxidation numbers are very frequent.
In physics and math, recurring themes include logarithms, probability, kinematics, and electric circuits.

Recognizing these trends helps prioritise study time and focus on the areas that yield the highest return on effort.

How to train on the syllabus effectively

Studying for IMAT means working daily on both knowledge and strategy. Understanding the official syllabus is just the beginning: the real preparation happens when you apply it to timed practice.

This is where TestBuddy becomes essential. It allows you to study the entire MUR syllabus topic by topic, to practise questions that replicate the official IMAT structure, and to run full timed simulations identical to the real exam — 60 questions in 100 minutes, with the same scoring and penalties.

Through detailed performance analytics, you can identify your weak areas, adjust your study plan, and repeat exercises focused on the topics where you lose the most points. The platform’s progress tracker and adaptive study paths make it possible to prepare without anxiety, following your own pace but within a precise structure.

Using TestBuddy consistently, it becomes natural to manage timing, select which questions to skip safely, and improve accuracy where it matters most — all according to the official IMAT 2025 rules.

Official sources

All the information here comes directly from official documents:

• Ministerial Decree n. 599 of 7 August 2025 (https://www.mur.gov.it/it/atti-e-normativa/decreto-ministeriale-n-599-del-07-08-2025)
• Annex A: official syllabus
• Annex 1: exam room rules
• Annex 3: English certifications
• Official test papers: IMAT 2025 PDF, IMAT 2024 PDF
• Universitaly portal for applications and results: https://www.universitaly.it