From IMAT for Medicine to CEnT-S for Engineering — every official Italian university entrance exam, decoded and mastered with Academitaly's expert guidance.
International Medical Admissions Test
The IMAT (International Medical Admissions Test) is the official gateway to English-taught Medicine and Surgery programs at Italian public universities. Administered by the Italian Ministry of Education (MUR), it is held once per year — typically in September — and your score alone determines your place in the national ranking.
Over 12,000 students from around the world compete each year. With only a few hundred EU and non-EU spots at each university, strategic preparation is not optional. Academitaly's IMAT Elite Pathway™ gives you a systematic edge.
⚠️ Private universities (Humanitas, San Raffaele, Cattolica, UniCamillus, MEDTEC) use their own separate tests — not IMAT.
CISIA English Test — Sciences (New Unified Exam)
The TOLC era is over. Starting November 2025, CISIA launched the CEnT-S (CISIA English Test-Sciences) — a single, unified English entrance exam replacing the previous English TOLC-I, TOLC-E, and TOLC-F tests.
This affects all English-taught bachelor's programs in Engineering, Economics, Science, Biotechnology, and Healthcare (except Medicine/IMAT). The new exam is stricter: you can only take it once per quarter, making strategy and preparation crucial.
| Feature | Old English TOLC (Deprecated) | New CEnT-S (2025+) |
|---|---|---|
| Coverage | Separate: TOLC-I, TOLC-E, TOLC-F | Single unified exam for all fields |
| Frequency | Once per month (monthly) | Once per quarter only |
| Flexibility | High — try monthly | Low — 4 chances per year max |
| Sections | Varied by type | 5 unified sections, 55 questions |
| Old Materials | Still valid for Italian TOLC | TOLC books are OUTDATED for CEnT-S |
| Status | Discontinued for English programs | Active — required from Nov 2025 |
Test Online LUISS Cattolica — CISIA System
The TOLC (Test Online CISIA) remains the main entrance examination for Italian-language bachelor's programs. Unlike CEnT-S, the Italian TOLC system is still active and used by the majority of Italian public universities for Italian-taught programs.
It can be taken monthly, either at a university campus (TOLC@UNI) or remotely from home (TOLC@CASA). Results from 2024 and 2025 are valid for the 2025/2026 academic year. Different program types require different TOLC variants.
Online Bocconi Test — Bachelor & Law Programs
Bocconi University is Italy's — and one of Europe's — most prestigious business schools, consistently ranked in the global top 20. It uses its own proprietary Online Bocconi Test for undergraduate admissions, separate from IMAT and CEnT-S.
The test covers Mathematics, Logical Reasoning, and for Law programs, an additional section. Candidates can take it up to 4 times per cycle (July 2025–April 2026 window). Bocconi runs 4 selection rounds per academic year — with the best slots and scholarships going to early applicants.
Architecture and Design programs in Italy use portfolio-based admissions combined with specific entrance tests. The Politecnico di Milano and Politecnico di Torino are the most competitive destinations.
| Exam | Field | Language | Frequency | Max Score | Format |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IMAT | Medicine, Dentistry (English) | English | Once/year (Sep) | 90 pts | Paper-based |
| CEnT-S | Engineering, Economics, Science (English) | English | Once/quarter (4×/year) | Percentile | Computer-based |
| TOLC-I | Engineering (Italian) | Italian | Monthly | Percentile | Computer-based |
| TOLC-E | Economics (Italian) | Italian | Monthly | Percentile | Computer-based |
| TOLC-F | Pharmacy, Sciences (Italian) | Italian | Monthly | Percentile | Computer-based |
| TOLC-SU | Humanities, Law (Italian) | Italian | Monthly | Percentile | Computer-based |
| Bocconi Test | Business, Economics, Law | English or Italian | 4 rounds/year | Custom scale | Online proctored |
| Polimi TOL | Architecture, Design, Engineering | English or Italian | Multiple dates | Custom | Online |