HUMAT · Test day

HUMAT test day: the online exam from home, step by step

Checked against Humanitas's official documents on 18 October 2026. The 2027/28 call is not out yet; figures are from 2026/27.

Key figures

early: when the virtual classroom opens
1 hour
devices: a computer and a phone or tablet
2
calculators, notes, earphones or second screens
0
same-day deadline to report a disconnection
23:59

The HUMAT is sat at home, on your own computer, with an invigilator watching through your phone. Most of what can go wrong on the day is technical or procedural, and almost all of it can be checked in advance in the official demo. This is the day as Humanitas's 2026/27 call and technical guide describe it.

In short

  • You need a computer with webcam and microphone, running Safe Exam Browser, and a phone or tablet with Zoom for the virtual classroom.
  • Log in to Politecnico di Milano's online services an hour before the start, on both devices. Miss the start of the virtual classroom and you are not admitted.
  • Sit alone in a quiet, well-lit room. No calculator, notes, earphones or second screen; blank paper and a pen are allowed.
  • Every confirmed answer is saved at once. If you are disconnected, email [email protected] with evidence by 23:59 that day.
  • Do the demo beforehand on the same computer you will use for the test.

What you need

  • A desktop or laptop computer with webcam, microphone and speakers, on Windows 10 (version 1803 or newer) or 11, or macOS 11 or later, with at least 120 MB free. Not a tablet, a phone or a virtual machine, and no second screen, keyboard or mouse.
  • Administrator rights on that computer, to install Safe Exam Browser, which you download from Politecnico di Milano's online services portal.
  • A phone or tablet with camera and microphone and the Zoom app installed (no account needed). It is the invigilator's view of you and your desk.
  • An internet connection of at least 1 Mbps up and down for the computer, and a 4G data connection for the phone.
  • A valid ID document: identity card, driving licence or passport.
  • A stand for the phone, and a charger: the phone must be plugged in, or have at least three hours of battery.

Article 6 of the 2026/27 call and the 2026 technical guide. Before the test, also suspend automatic system updates and make sure JavaScript and cookies are enabled.

Before the day: the demo

Politecnico di Milano opens a demo of the test on its online services portal in the weeks before each round: in 2026, from 16 February to 4 March and from 9 to 17 March, between 14:00 and 23:59 Italian time, with a live chat for help on weekday afternoons. It is where you install Safe Exam Browser, check that the computer and phone both work, and see the test software before it counts.

Do it on the computer you will use for the test: the call requires the same, correctly configured machine on the day.

On the day, in order

  1. 01

    One hour before: log in on both devices

    On the computer, open Politecnico di Milano's online services and the "HU Admission Test" link. With the phone, scan the QR code to join the Zoom virtual classroom. You wait in a waiting room with camera and microphone on; you can write in the Zoom chat but not speak.

  2. 02

    Identification and room check

    The invigilator calls you in, checks your ID held next to your face, and looks at your desk, your room and your blank sheets. They tell you where to place the phone: to one side, about 1.5 metres away and no higher than 1.5 metres, at roughly 45 degrees so it frames you and the desk.

  3. 03

    Start the test in Safe Exam Browser

    From the computer, choose "Start SEB" and enter the numeric code shown. Safe Exam Browser closes other programs and locks the computer to the test. The invigilator starts the session for the whole classroom; after that you open each section yourself.

  4. 04

    Answer, section by section

    Each section's time is fixed. You may finish a section early but cannot return to it. Move between questions only with the test's own buttons, never the browser's back and forward.

  5. 05

    Finish and leave

    After the last section, choose Exit to close Safe Exam Browser, then leave the Zoom meeting on the phone. Your answers were saved as you confirmed them, so a mistake while closing does not lose them.

Candidates who have not entered the virtual classroom by the scheduled start time are not admitted, and cannot sit the retake session either. In 2026 the sessions began at 9:30 and 14:30 Italian time.

The room rules

  • You must be alone, in a quiet, well-lit room, ideally with a single door. Leaving your desk, including for the bathroom, is not allowed.
  • Camera and microphone stay on throughout, on both devices.
  • Banned: calculators, books, notes, rulers, protractors and compasses, smartwatches and phones used for anything but the invigilation, earphones and earplugs, and a second monitor.
  • Allowed: blank sheets of paper and a pen for working. The call allows up to five sheets; the 2026 technical guide says two. Have them ready to show, and follow what the invigilator accepts.
  • You may not speak. To reach the invigilator, use the chat in the test application; opening it pauses your section's timer until they reactivate it.
  • The invigilator can ask for checks at any time: your desk again, the phone in a new position, your face, a 360-degree view of the room, or your sheets and pen.

A test taken in breach of these rules is cancelled. The test's content may not be shared afterwards.

How answering works on screen

  • Each question has five answers, A to E. Click one and choose "Confirm and continue": the question turns green in the grid and the answer is saved.
  • To come back to a question, tick "To review" before confirming: it turns yellow with a question mark.
  • When the section's time ends, a question marked "To review" counts with whatever letter is selected. "I omit the answer" is the way to leave one blank.
  • Within a section you can reopen any question from the grid and change it. Once the section is closed, you cannot.

If you get disconnected

A dropped Wi-Fi connection, a power cut or a computer failure can earn you a retake, but only if you ask in time. Email [email protected] by 23:59 Italian time on the same day, with evidence of what happened. The supervision committee decides; in 2026 the answers came by 10 March for the first round and 23 March for the second, and the retake was on 24 March, at the same difficulty.

If you sit the retake, the interrupted score is cancelled and only the retake counts. A disconnection that is not one of these cases leaves you with the score you had when it happened; if the phone's video drops, the commission decides whether you may continue.

Extra time and other support

Candidates with a certified disability or a specific learning disorder (dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyscalculia, dysorthography) can ask for accommodations when they register, attaching certification issued within the last three years, in Italian or English. For a specific learning disorder, the extra time is 30%.

Questions

Is the HUMAT taken online or in person?

Online, from home. You use your own computer, locked by Safe Exam Browser, and a phone or tablet that connects you to a Zoom virtual classroom with an invigilator.

What do I need for the HUMAT online test?

A computer with webcam and microphone on Windows 10 or 11 or macOS 11 or later, Safe Exam Browser installed, a phone or tablet with Zoom, a stable connection, a valid ID, and blank paper with a pen.

Can I use a calculator or scratch paper in the HUMAT?

No calculator. Blank sheets and a pen are allowed for working: up to five under the 2026/27 call, two under the 2026 technical guide. The invigilator checks them at identification.

What happens if my internet drops during the HUMAT?

Email [email protected] by 23:59 the same day with evidence. If the committee accepts it, you sit a retake session and only that score counts.

Can I do a practice run of the HUMAT software?

Yes. Politecnico di Milano runs a demo on its online services portal before each round, on which you install Safe Exam Browser and test both devices. Use the same computer you will sit the test on.

When should I log in on HUMAT test day?

One hour before your session starts, on both the computer and the phone. If you have not entered the virtual classroom by the start time you are not admitted.

Official sources

Every figure on this page was read on the source itself on the date above. (18 October 2026)

Practise in the real format

The free practice paper has 60 questions in the current three-section format, every answer explained. When you want more, the IvyTest Humanitas package adds a full simulator, the study guide and lessons.

Take the free practice paperSee Humanitas preparation

The HUMAT, one question at a time

Also on IvyTest