IMAT · Medicine and Surgery in English · Group course, on campus or live online

The IMAT preparation course.

The International Medical Admissions Test is the official English-language admission test for Medicine and Surgery and for Dentistry taught in English at Italian public universities. One test, one session a year, one score that decides your admission. We prepare you on every subject of the exam, with a dedicated teacher for each area and constant practice on past papers.

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IMAT preparation lesson in one of our classrooms

01 · The exam · What IMAT is

One test, once a year, identical worldwide.

The IMAT is the official admission test, in English, for Medicine and Surgery and Dentistry degree programs taught in English at Italian public universities. It is a single test, the same everywhere, held once a year: your score decides your admission and your ranking.

You register on the Ministry's official portal, and the exam fee is paid to the university, separately from the preparation course. We guide you through the registration steps, but the application is always made in your own name.

Test: IMAT · 60 multiple-choice questions · 100 minutes
When: One session per year, usually in September
Language: English, for degree programs taught in English
Exam fee: Paid directly to the university, not included in the course

Universities

Bologna, Milano Statale, Padova, Pavia, Roma La Sapienza, Tor Vergata, Torino, Parma, Bari, Messina, Napoli Federico II, and others

02 · Syllabus · A dedicated teacher for each area

Every subject of the exam.

The course covers the full syllabus, with a specialist teacher for each area rather than one generalist tutor for everything:

Biology - cell biology, genetics, human physiology, the topics that carry the most weight in the ranking
Chemistry - general, inorganic, and the organic chemistry required by the test
Physics - mechanics, thermodynamics, electromagnetism, applied to exam-style questions
Mathematics - functions, equations, probability, data reading
Logical reasoning and problem solving - the section where technique and speed matter most

Alongside the theory, you work on past papers and full simulations, with lessons dedicated to question-solving strategy: how to read a stem, when to skip, how to manage the 100 minutes.

Extensive or intensive.

Two ways to reach the same exam, depending on how much time you have left before the session.

01 · Extensive

About 140 hours over 12 weeks

Monday to Friday. The format for candidates who start early and want to reach the exam with solid foundations and time to consolidate, revise, and repeat the simulations.

02 · Intensive

4 weeks at full pace

About six hours a day. For candidates preparing close to the session, typically in summer, or who are re-sitting the test and need to sharpen technique rather than build from zero.

03 · One-to-one add-on

12 individual hours where you are weakest

Optional. Twelve 50-minute private lessons with a top-decile tutor, on the single subject that is costing you the most points. Can be added before or during the group course.

04 · Method · Theory plus constant practice

How the course runs.

Every module opens with the theory you need for the exam, not the whole university syllabus, and closes with timed practice. Simulations are corrected question by question, so you know which topics are producing your errors and which are simply costing you time.

Where: In the classroom in Milan, Florence, Mantua, and Turin, or live online
Included: Course materials and access to the e-learning platform
Practice: Past papers and full simulations under exam conditions
Feedback: Question-by-question correction and progress tracking
Group: Group course, with the option to add individual hours

05 · International students · Visa and housing

Need a study visa? There is a path.

The IMAT course alone is too short to qualify for a study visa. Through our sister company Accademia di Italiano, an Italian language school since 1975, we combine your IMAT preparation with a long-term Italian course that is visa-eligible: you obtain the visa for Italy, prepare for the test, and learn the language you will need on the wards, because patients speak Italian.

We prepare the complete document file for your application and, on request, campus housing in Florence. Requirements vary by consulate and nationality: tell us your citizenship and we will check what applies to you.

Visa path: IMAT preparation + 6-month Italian course, visa-eligible
Documents: Complete enrolment file for the study visa application
Housing: Campus housing in Florence, on request
Payment: Flywire, 140+ currencies, or bank transfer

Fees.

Prices include 22% VAT. On a first enrolment an €80 enrolment fee is added once. The IMAT exam fee is paid to the university and is not part of the course.

Group

IMAT preparation course

Extensive, 140 hours over 12 weeks, or intensive, 4 weeks · in the classroom in Milan, Florence, Mantua, and Turin or live online · materials and e-learning included

€1,960

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One-to-one

IMAT one-to-one, 12 hours

Top-decile tutor · 12 individual 50-minute lessons on your weakest section · on its own or alongside the group course

€1,080

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Initial assessment

Diagnostic test

Initial assessment with written report, to decide between extensive and intensive

€120

Book ›

Visa-eligible

IMAT + 6-month Italian, Light

Visa-eligible package with our sister company Accademia di Italiano · IMAT group course + Light Italian course, 6 months · enrolment fees included

€4,910

Contact ›

Visa-eligible

IMAT + 6-month Italian, Standard

Same package with the more intensive Italian course · visa-eligible · enrolment fees included

€5,680

Contact ›

Not sure which format fits your exam date? Book the diagnostic test, or talk to an advisor and we will tell you honestly whether there is still time for the extensive course.

Questions candidates ask.

Do I register for the IMAT myself?

Yes. Registration is made on the Ministry's official portal, in your own name, and the exam fee is paid to the university. We walk you through the steps and the deadlines, but we cannot register on your behalf.

Is the course taught in English?

Yes. The exam is in English and so is the course, including the materials and the simulations.

Can I follow the course online?

Yes. Every session is delivered live online as well as in the classroom in Milan, Florence, Mantua, and Turin. Online students get the same materials and the same simulations.

I am starting from zero in Physics. Is that a problem?

No, the course builds the theory from the beginning for each subject. If one area is much weaker than the others, the sensible addition is the twelve individual hours on that single subject.

What if I do not pass?

The IMAT is a ranking, so the result depends on your score against everyone else's. Many candidates sit it more than once: if you re-sit, the intensive course is usually the right format, since you are sharpening technique rather than learning the syllabus again.

Do you help with the study visa?

Yes. We issue the enrolment documents required for the study visa application, and we can arrange campus housing in Florence.

How do I pay?

Online via Flywire, which handles 140+ currencies, or by bank transfer. The booking wizard generates a payment link with the correct amount and your details already filled in.

Are you the same school as Accademia di Italiano?

We are part of the same group, Adiuva, active since 1975. The IMAT course you enrol in here is delivered by International Council, on our campuses, with our teachers.

Do I need Italian for the ward?

Medicine is taught in English, but clinical placements happen in Italian. The path continues with Italian courses, up to clinical vocabulary and communication with patients, at our sister school Accademia di Italiano.

Do you help with the student visa?

Yes. An international student? We guide you through the student visa process: we prepare all the required documents and support you step by step.

Is accommodation available?

In Florence, up to 55 students live on the Padri Scolopi campus, in the same building where they study. Come for the course and, if you wish, stay on campus: accommodation, an international community, and support for living in Italy.

Medicine in English

Tell us your exam session
and we will tell you the honest plan.

A 30-minute call. We look at your starting point, the time left before the test, and recommend extensive, intensive, or one-to-one. No pitch.