HUMAT Test 2027: Complete Preparation Guide

New in 2027: the properties of water; karyotypes; the Krebs cycle, the electron transport chain and oxidative phosphorylation; anaerobic respiration; alcoholic and lactic fermentation; amino acids and lipids as energy sources; fertilisation; extensions to Mendel's laws (incomplete dominance, codominance, multiple alleles) and ABO and Rhesus blood groups. Gone from the 2026 list: photosynthesis and chromosome maps.

• The chemistry of living organisms: weak interactions, organic molecules (amino acids, proteins, enzymes, sugars, lipids, nucleic acids), the properties of water
• The cell: cell theory, prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells, viruses, the membrane and transport, organelles, mitosis and meiosis, chromosomes and karyotypes
• Bioenergetics: ATP, redox reactions, glycolysis, the Krebs cycle, the electron transport chain, aerobic and anaerobic respiration, fermentation
• Reproduction and inheritance: life cycles, Mendel's laws and their extensions, ABO and Rhesus blood groups, DNA replication, transcription and protein synthesis, gene regulation, human inheritance patterns, mutation, selection and evolution
• Anatomy and physiology: the four animal tissues, the human body systems, homeostasis (body temperature, blood glucose, blood pressure, acid-base balance and more)

New in 2027: dipole-induced dipole forces, Le Chatelier's principle, osmosis and osmolarity, the strength of acids and bases, and the Henderson-Hasselbalch equation. Gone from the 2026 list: Boyle's and Charles's laws (Physics keeps the ideal gas laws), empirical and molecular formulae, and in organic chemistry the classification and naming of hydrocarbons and the functional groups and their reactions, which leaves C-C bonds, structural formulae and isomerism.

• Structure of matter and the periodic table: atoms and isotopes, quantum numbers and electron configuration, periodic properties, states of matter, ideal gases
• Chemical bonding: ionic, covalent and metallic bonds, electronegativity, VSEPR geometry, hybridisation (sp, sp², sp³), intermolecular forces, the mole and molar mass
• Reactions and equilibrium: types of reaction, balancing equations, stoichiometry, molar concentration, Le Chatelier's principle, osmosis and osmolarity
• Acids and bases: Arrhenius and Brønsted-Lowry, pH, neutralisation, the strength of acids and bases, salt hydrolysis, buffers and the Henderson-Hasselbalch equation
• Redox and introductory organic chemistry: oxidation numbers, oxidising and reducing agents, balancing simple redox reactions, C-C bonds, structural formulae and isomerism

New in 2027: gauge and absolute pressure. Otherwise the same as the 2026 list.

• Measures and kinematics: SI and CGS units, physical dimensions, scalars and vectors, uniform, accelerated, circular and harmonic motion
• Dynamics: forces and moments, Newton's laws and gravitation, work, energy and friction, momentum and angular momentum
• Fluids and optics: density, gauge and absolute pressure, Pascal, Archimedes, Stevin and Bernoulli, reflection, refraction, mirrors and lenses, interference and diffraction
• Thermodynamics: calorimetry, heat transfer, changes of state, ideal gas laws, the first and second laws, entropy, heat engines
• Electricity and magnetism: Coulomb's and Gauss's laws, capacitors and resistors, Ohm's and Kirchhoff's laws, power and the Joule effect, magnetic fields, the Lorentz force, induction, electromagnetic waves

New in 2027: independent and mutually exclusive events, conditional probability, the law of total probability, Bayes' theorem, types of variable, cumulative frequencies, range and percentiles. Gone from the 2026 list: combinatorics (permutations and combinations), the areas, perimeters and volumes of polygons and solids, and isometries, similarities and equivalences.

• Arithmetic and algebra: number sets, percentages, powers, roots and logarithms, polynomials, algebraic fractions, equations and inequalities, functions and their graphs
• Analytic geometry and trigonometry: lines, the circle and the parabola, degrees and radians, sine, cosine and tangent, the main identities, solving triangles
• Logic: propositions and connectives, truth tables, quantifiers, rules of inference, proof by contradiction
• Probability: events, independent and mutually exclusive events, conditional probability, the law of total probability, Bayes' theorem
• Statistics: types of variable, frequencies and their charts, mean, mode and median, range, variance and standard deviation, percentiles

The same as the 2026 list.

• Mathematical thinking: interpreting graphs, predicting how variables in a formula change, substituting into formulae, simultaneous equations with symbols, ordering numbers, orders of magnitude and conversions
• Procedural thinking: following a protocol or flow chart, predicting the effect of a change in a connected system, combining sets, testing data against a theory, selecting relevant data, choosing the best concept map for a text
• Visual thinking: three-dimensional thinking, complementary shapes, mirror images, visual patterns, careful observation of positions, describing a picture

The same as the 2026 list.

• The texts: about 700 words, CEFR level C1 and above, adapted from real-world scientific sources
• Critical thinking: drawing reasoned conclusions and implications from data, statements and opinions
• Local expeditious reading: scanning for a specific detail
• Global expeditious reading: skimming for the gist and the key ideas
• Global careful reading: the main ideas and how the paragraphs relate to each other
• Word- and sentence-level processes: word recognition, the meaning of a preposition

The HUMAT is Humanitas University's own admission test (the HU Admission Test in its calls) for its English-taught medical degrees in Milan, taken online through Politecnico di Milano's portal. It is a multiple-choice test focused on scientific reasoning and problem solving rather than on factual recall alone, sat from home under remote proctoring. You can sit it in up to two rounds a year, and only the higher score counts.

Humanitas has not published the 2027/28 call yet (checked 14 October 2026); its FAQ page says the Medicine and Surgery call usually comes out in October, and the 2027 syllabus went up on 1 October 2026. In the 2026/27 cycle registration opened on 18 November 2025, and the test ran online in two rounds, on 5 and 6 March and on 18 and 20 March 2026. Expect a similar pattern for a 2027 start, and confirm the dates once the call is out.

Humanitas's admissions pages publish no past papers or sample test. Its archive of calls shows earlier versions: the EU calls for 2014/15 to 2017/18 describe a 100-minute paper test with general culture, logical reasoning and only 8 Physics and Mathematics questions, arranged with Cambridge Assessment. The non-EU calls differed in two of those years: in 2015/16 the test was computer-based, and in 2017/18 non-EU candidates sat the UKCAT instead. The calls for 2020/21 to 2025/26 describe a test of Scientific Thinking and Academic Literacy only, 30 questions each with four options. Older papers show neither today's subjects nor its timing. This page has a free IvyTest practice paper in the current HUMAT format.

No. The IMAT is the Ministry of University and Research's national admission test for English-taught Medicine courses, through which the state universities admit (for 2026/27 it ran under Ministerial Decree 1005/2026, on 29 September 2026); Italian-taught courses at state universities now admit through the semestre filtro instead. Humanitas, a non-state university, uses its own test, the HUMAT, for its own programmes. They differ in structure, emphasis and scoring, so preparation aimed only at the IMAT is not a substitute.

Humanitas says the test is not meant to evaluate previous knowledge, and its syllabus sets the content, but the exam is demanding because it is broad, tightly timed and marked against a strong applicant pool. Most candidates find the reasoning under time pressure harder than the science itself.

Six subjects, each with 10 of the 60 questions: Scientific Thinking, Academic Literacy, Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics and Physics, generally applied to passages and data rather than asked as isolated facts. How each section is weighted in the final score differs between the Medicine and Surgery ranking and the MEDTEC ranking.

120 minutes across three 20-question sections: 45 minutes for Scientific Thinking & Academic Literacy, 35 for Biology & Chemistry, and 40 for Mathematics & Physics.

Correct answers score points, incorrect answers lose a quarter of that section's points, and blanks score zero. The exact points per section depend on which ranking you're scored against; see the Scoring section above for the full breakdown and a worked example.

There is no overall pass mark, but you must reach a minimum in every section: for Medicine and Surgery, 88 in Scientific Thinking & Academic Literacy, 64 in Biology & Chemistry and 40 in Mathematics & Physics (MEDTEC: 40, 64 and 88). In 2026/27 the last EU candidate admitted to Medicine and Surgery had 450 of 960 (read 17 October 2026). Above those minimums, places are allocated by ranking, so a competitive score depends on the cohort and the number of places in that year, which is why your trajectory on full timed mocks is a better guide than any single number.

Yes. Non-EU citizens not resident in Italy, UK citizens included, apply through their own call and ranking, for 50 Medicine and Surgery places and 40 at MEDTEC a year, per the programme pages. In 2026/27 the test dates, deadlines and €200 fee were the same as for EU candidates, and candidates must be at least 17 by the start of the academic year. Non-EU citizens living in Italy on certain permits count as EU-equated. Non-EU students pay the top fee, €23,206 a year.

Start with a diagnostic, cover the syllabus subject by subject while answering questions rather than only reading, then move to full timed mocks with same-day review. The four preparation tracks above set out what that looks like at 12, 8, 4 and fewer weeks.

Yes. The IvyTest simulator runs HUMAT-format practice in timed, tutor and review modes, with explanations for every question and topic-level analytics. A free diagnostic is available without payment.

Humanitas's admissions pages publish no HUMAT past papers or sample test as a PDF. Its PDFs are the call, the Syllabi 2027 (the official topic list), the scoring tables and the technical guide for the online test. The free IvyTest practice paper linked on this page has 60 questions in the current format with every answer explained, and its page has a button that saves it as a PDF with the answers: a free download, no account needed. Papers from before 2026 belong to older versions of the test.

Medicine and Surgery is a six-year course taught entirely in English, 360 CFU over 12 semesters. From the first year, interdisciplinary theory modules are combined with hands-on practice and simulation, and clerkships start in the third year. Students can also join the Virgilio Program, a research track with one month of laboratory work a year.

Yes, into a later year and without the admission test, if you are already enrolled in Medicine: you apply through Humanitas's transfer call. For 2026/27 there were 6 places in year 2, 7 in year 3 and 8 in year 4, subject to matching credits and content, an English interview and, from year 3, working Italian. Year 1 is open only through the admission test.

The HUMAT took its current shape with the 2026/27 call. Until 2025/26 it was 60 four-option questions in Scientific Thinking and Academic Literacy only, in two 60-minute parts. Since the March 2026 tests it has three sections of 20 five-option questions, with Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics and Physics added and separate weights for Medicine and MEDTEC. The Syllabi 2027 changes some science topics again (see the syllabus above).

Yes. Candidates in the penultimate year of secondary school can sit the HUMAT, and those scores count for the following year's admission: a score from the 2026 tests counts for 2027/28. In the final year they can sit two more rounds, and the best of the four scores counts. Candidates in the final year or with a diploma use that year's scores only.

Yes, the Preparation Week: an intensive online course of 40 hours, Saturday to Saturday, taught live in English and not recorded, for €700, with 50 places. The editions listed now run 17 to 24 October 2026, 21 to 28 November 2026 and 16 to 23 January 2027; registration is on MyPORTAL. It is Humanitas's own course, separate from IvyTest's preparation.

Tuition for 2026/27 entrants is €10,206, €15,206, €19,206 or €23,206 a year by Humanitas's ISEP income index; non-EU students pay €23,206. The first instalment, €5,206 including the €190 regional tax and €16 stamp duty, is paid at enrolment, the rest in three instalments up to 16 April 2027. The test fee is €200. Merit scholarships go to top-ranked candidates, for example three of €18,000 a year for the top 10 on the non-EU Medicine list.

A computer with webcam, microphone and speakers (Windows 10 or 11, or macOS 11 or later) with Safe Exam Browser installed, a phone or tablet for the virtual classroom, and a stable connection. You sit alone in a well-lit room; calculators, notes and earphones are banned, but up to five blank sheets and a pen are allowed. A demo on Politecnico di Milano's portal lets registered candidates check the setup beforehand.

Yes: r/humanitasuniversity and r/HUMAT, where Humanitas University applicants ask each other about the HUMAT Test and share how their preparation is going. They are run by the IvyTest team. Dates, rules and results come only from the university's own pages, listed under Official sources on this page.

r/humanitasuniversityr/HUMAT