IMAT Test Day: The Complete 2026 Survival Guide

After months of preparation, the time has come: the IMAT is only a few days away. At the finish line, we're here to give you an extra boost: a checklist of what to bring with you, tips on organizing your trip to the test center, and a peek at what your test day will actually look like.

Knowing what to expect on such a big day takes a huge portion of the pressure away. Deep breaths, everyone!

Before the test day

It's best to rest from studying the day before the test. If you're still restless, review your notes instead of trying to learn a new concept last minute. Take it easy, get some air, and hydrate. And most importantly, get a good night's sleep.

Check the location of the test center and your commute time to avoid being late on test day. If you're sitting the exam in Italy, test centers are normally in university buildings or, for the largest cohorts, dedicated venues such as fairgrounds or convention centers. Because such a large share of candidates sit the exam in Italy, one test center often spans several buildings on campus and, correspondingly, dozens of examination rooms. Your task is to find out exactly which building and room you're assigned to before the test day.

What to bring on the test day

• A valid, original ID: preferably the same one you provided when registering on Universitaly. Photocopies, scans, or expired documents are not accepted.
• Your IMAT registration confirmation and payment receipt, printed. Not every center asks to see these, but it's not worth finding out the hard way that yours does.
• Any documentation your specific university requests: check your university's own IMAT information page in the weeks before the exam, as requirements can vary slightly between test centers (for example, some ask for a signed self-declaration or additional consent forms).
• A bottle of water: at many centers it must be plain, clear, and without a label or wrapper, so check your center's rules in advance.
• An analog wristwatch (digital and "smart" watches are not allowed). Most exam rooms have a wall clock, but I've personally sat the exam in a room without one, and the panic on the faces of candidates who didn't bring their own was real.
• A pen, just in case: though in Italy you'll typically be given one at the venue and asked to use only that one on your answer sheet.

What not to bring

• Valuables. Bags and phones are left in an unsupervised holding area before you enter the exam room, together with everyone else's belongings. Candidates finish at different times, so don't bring anything you'd hate to lose.
• Any electronic or programmable device, including phones and smartwatches. These must be switched off and left in your bag in the holding area.
• A calculator of any kind. It is not permitted, and the maths and physics questions are designed to be solvable without one. (If you were granted the use of compensatory instruments for a learning disability, such as a calculator and extra time, you will be placed in a specific exam room and the extra materials will be provided to you. You are not allowed to bring your own).

What’s the IMAT day like

You've probably already read the official requirements and checked your commute several times. But you'd feel a lot more relaxed if you knew what to expect on the day itself.

Wake up rested

Hopefully you've slept well, and hopefully you haven't reached for a sleep aid in the small hours to quiet the questions looping in your head. If you did, you might feel sluggish in the morning: not what you want on exam day. And try not to compensate with a double coffee; you'll remember it's a diuretic right around the middle of the general knowledge section.

Find the building

Double-check your documents and allowed items, and head out with plenty of time to spare. Most universities ask candidates to arrive one to two hours before the official start time. Check your specific center's instructions, since this varies. When you arrive, you'll likely be struck by the sheer number of candidates. This is the moment you'll thank yourself for checking the exact building and room location the day before. It can feel like a concert crowd, with everyone gathered outside the buildings waiting to be called. Building names and numbers can be confusing, and on the day you generally won't be allowed to wander in and find your own room. Organizers usually call candidates to each room as a group, typically shortly before the exam begins. This may be less strict at smaller test centers outside Italy.

If you're sitting the exam in Italy, know your assigned building in advance and stay near it. If you miss the call because you wandered off, getting back in can be stressful. When in doubt, follow the crowd.

In front of the test room

At the entrance, you'll be asked to leave bags and prohibited belongings outside the actual testing room, so again: avoid bringing valuables, important documents, or cash you can't do without.

You'll normally be allowed to use the restroom before entering. Here's an understated but important tip: don't drink too much water beforehand. You don't want a distraction mid-exam.

You'll then be asked to show your ID and any other requested documents. If something's missing, you may not be allowed to sit the exam, so triple-check before you leave home.

Staff will assign you a seat. If you're among the first in, you may face a longer wait while everyone else is checked in and seated. If you'd rather not sit still that long, arriving a little later (but still on time) means more of your nervous energy gets burned off pacing the hallway instead.

Instructions

Once everyone is seated, the exam organisers will read the instructions and walk you through the contents of the sealed envelope you'll receive: a candidate data sheet, the question booklet (which includes blank space for rough work), an answer sheet, and a cover sheet, all linked by matching barcodes you'll be asked to check and sign. They'll also explain exactly how and when to fill in your details, and where each part goes at the end of the exam.

Pay close attention here: a mistake in this procedure can disqualify your paper entirely. It's much like ignoring the flight attendant's safety briefing and then regretting it the moment turbulence hits.

The exact wording and layout of the envelope contents can shift slightly year to year, so treat any video or write-up you find online (including this one) as a general preview rather than the final word: always follow what's explained to you on the day.

The exam

Once the exam begins, keep track of how much time you have left. The 2026 IMAT is 60 multiple-choice questions in 100 minutes, covering logical reasoning, general knowledge and reading comprehension, biology, chemistry, and physics and maths, each question with five options and one correct answer. Some candidates work through the paper in order; others tackle their strongest sections first. In my second (and successful) attempt, I answered my strongest topics first and left the more unpredictable general knowledge questions for the end.

Keep in mind that some candidates will finish early and hand in their papers before time is up: the room tends to get noisier in the final twenty minutes, so try not to save your most important sections for that stretch.

It's also worth deciding in advance how you'll handle the negative marking. Correct answers are worth 1.5 points, incorrect answers cost you 0.4 points, and blanks score zero, so think ahead about whether you'll only answer when you're fully certain, or take calculated guesses when you've ruled out a couple of options.

After you finish the questions, don't relax just yet: stay focused until you've correctly closed the envelope and placed each part in the right place. Getting this wrong can mean disqualification.

Once you're out of the room, take a deep breath. It's over.

After the IMAT

The official answer key is usually published online within a day or two of the exam. While your answers are still fresh, it's worth checking them against the key so you have a realistic sense of your score rather than weeks of uncertainty.

For 2026, anonymous results, identified only by your candidate code, not your name, are expected in early-to-mid October, with individual scored papers released a little over a week later. MUR will confirm exact dates closer to the exam, so check the official calendar on Universitaly rather than relying on last year's schedule.

The code you're identified by is the same one you write on your envelope before sealing it. It's long, but there's a trick to remembering it: ignore the first couple of letters (they just abbreviate the test center) and memorize the last four digits instead: that's usually enough to pick your result out of the list later. That said, if memorizing it means losing focus while sealing your envelope correctly, it's not worth the risk.

Knowing your rough score early also lets you plan ahead. If it looks strong enough, you can start researching accommodation, gathering enrollment documents, and so on.

After the exam, relax and wait. We hope you've made some genuinely distracting plans to keep you from refreshing your inbox every five minutes. You've earned the rest.

We wish you the best of luck on the exam, or as the Italian saying goes: "In bocca al lupo!"