UniSR · Preparation

How to prepare for the San Raffaele admission test (IMDP)

Checked against Università Vita-Salute San Raffaele's official pages on 27 October 2026. UniSR had not published its 2027/28 Calls on 27 October 2026; every rule and date quoted is from the 2026/27 Calls, which apply to 2026/27 only.

Key figures

questions on logic, problem solving and reading comprehension
36 of 60
per question on average: 80 minutes for 60 questions
80 s
official syllabus: UniSR says no specific syllabus is available
None
English certificate (CEFR) asked for at enrolment
C1

The admission test for the International MD Program (IMDP) of Università Vita-Salute San Raffaele (UniSR) is 60 multiple-choice questions in 80 minutes, all in English: 36 on logic, problem solving and reading comprehension and 24 on Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics and Physics. UniSR publishes no syllabus and no past papers. This page sets out what the test asks, what UniSR itself gives you to prepare with, and how to study for a paper where reasoning is most of the marks and a wrong answer costs a quarter of a point.

In short

  • Reasoning is the larger part: 36 of the 60 questions are logic, problem solving and reading comprehension. The 24 science questions are one block, and UniSR does not say how they divide between the four sciences.
  • There is no official syllabus. UniSR's simulator page says the science is at the level of a student finishing high school (it names A-level and Maturità as examples).
  • UniSR's own material is a paid Online Simulator (€20 for three simulations, €5 for each extra one) and online preparation courses. It publishes no past papers.
  • A wrong answer costs 0.25 points and a blank costs nothing, so how you decide to answer or skip is part of the preparation, not only what you know.

What the test asks

The Calls describe the test in two lines: 60 multiple-choice questions, 36 on logic, problem solving and reading comprehension and 24 on scientific subjects (Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics and Physics), in 80 minutes. The whole test is in English and Italian is not tested. The questions belong to UniSR and are drawn at random from its database; no calculator is allowed, only two blank sheets and a pen.

Part of the testQuestionsWhat to practise
Logic, problem solving and reading comprehension36Formal and verbal logic, sets and diagrams, numerical reasoning, data in tables and charts, multi-step word problems, and reading short passages in English for what they state and what follows from them.
Scientific subjects24 across Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics and PhysicsThe four sciences at high-school leaving level. The split between them is not published, so cover all four: each one can also bring an additional learning requirement (OFA) on its own.
Reserve questions7, after the 80 minutesThey count only if a question is withdrawn, when one on the same topic replaces it. Answer them as carefully as the rest.

What UniSR gives you to prepare with

UniSR's Prepare for the test page lists two things for IMDP candidates: the simulator and preparation courses.

  • The Online Simulator: full simulations of the IMDP test with the real timing, questions drawn at random from UniSR's own historic question database. €20 by card buys three, and each extra one is €5. A simulation cannot be paused, ends on its own when time runs out, and closes with a report by section and the correct answers. The tests cannot be downloaded.
  • Preparation courses, online with live lessons. The English page still describes the 2025/26 IMDP courses (an intensive 30-hour course over two weeks and a 40-hour weekend course). The Italian page describes the 2026/27 courses for UniSR's health-area degrees, with registration from 9 February 2026.
  • No syllabus and no past papers. The simulator page says no specific syllabus is available and sets the science at the level of a student finishing high school.

The same page offers entrance-exam samples only for the MSc in Biotechnology, not for the IMDP. The practice app it links to is in Italian only, as its English page says.

Six things that make the difference

These are IvyTest's suggestions, not UniSR's. They follow from the format and the scoring rule in the Calls.

  1. 01

    Give reasoning the time it is worth

    36 of 60 questions is 60% of the marks. Practise logic and reading comprehension every week from the start, not once the sciences feel finished.

  2. 02

    Read in English at speed

    Every question, passage and option is in English. Read short scientific and general texts in English and answer questions on them against the clock, so language never costs you time on the day.

  3. 03

    Keep all four sciences alive

    UniSR does not say how many of the 24 science questions each subject gets, and the extra learning requirement (OFA) is decided subject by subject. A gap in one science costs marks and can follow you into the first year.

  4. 04

    Work without a calculator

    Only two blank sheets and a pen are allowed. Do your mental arithmetic, fractions, percentages and unit conversions on paper from the first week.

  5. 05

    Decide when to answer

    A wrong answer costs 0.25 and a blank costs 0, so an answer pays when you are more than 20% likely to be right. Practise ruling out options before you commit; the scoring page works through the arithmetic.

  6. 06

    Sit full papers to time

    80 minutes for 60 questions is 80 seconds each, with no separately timed sections. Sit complete papers in one go, then add the seven reserve questions, so the pace is familiar before session 1.

What San Raffaele prep should cover

Whatever you prepare with, a course, a tutor or books, check it against the test as the Calls describe it. IvyTest is independent and not affiliated with Università Vita-Salute San Raffaele.

  • Logic, problem solving and reading comprehension at 60% of the work, as on the paper.
  • All four sciences, Mathematics and Physics included, at high-school leaving level.
  • Practice scored +1, −0.25 and 0, in English, with no calculator.
  • Full 80-minute papers, so the pace of 80 seconds a question is practised, not guessed.
  • Material you can use before registration opens: in 2026/27 the first session came less than two months after it.

Questions

How long does it take to prepare for the San Raffaele test?

UniSR gives no figure. IvyTest's advice is to allow several months: the test covers reasoning and four sciences at high-school leaving level, and both halves need full papers sat to time. In 2026/27 registration opened on 17 December 2025 and the first sessions were in February 2026, so start well before the Call is published.

Is there an official syllabus for the UniSR admission test?

No. UniSR's Online Simulator page says that no specific syllabus is available and that the science is at the level of a student finishing high school. The Calls give only the two parts of the test and their question counts.

Is the San Raffaele IMDP test in English or Italian?

Entirely in English, and the Calls say Italian is not tested. San Raffaele's Italian-taught Medicina e Chirurgia has its own, separate test in Italian, with 10% of its questions in English.

Can I use a calculator in the San Raffaele test?

No. After the proctor's check you may use two sheets of white paper and a pen. A non-scientific calculator is allowed only as an accommodation, for candidates with a certified disability or specific learning disorder who request it by the registration deadline.

Official sources

Every figure on this page was read on the source itself on the date above. (27 October 2026)

Practise in the real format

The free practice paper has 60 questions in the format of the 2026/27 Calls, 36 on logic, problem solving and reading comprehension and 24 on Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics and Physics, to sit in 80 minutes with the +1, −0.25 and 0 scoring, every answer explained. It uses IvyTest's five-option format, as the Calls do not state the number of options. When you want more, the IvyTest San Raffaele package adds a full simulator, the study guide and lessons.

Take the free UniSR practice paperSee San Raffaele preparation

The UniSR Admission Test, one question at a time

Also on IvyTest