Semmelweis · Preparation

How to prepare for the Semmelweis entrance exam

Checked against Semmelweis University's official pages on 26 October 2026. The 2027/28 Admission Rules are not published yet; the rules quoted are 2026/27's.

Key figures

questions, each test on its own 20-minute clock
4 × 20
of the written marks are English (40 of 80)
50%
official topics: 27 Medical Biology, 23 Medical Chemistry
50
exam attempts allowed in a calendar year
2

Semmelweis tests four things on four separate clocks: Medical Biology, Medical Chemistry, General English and Biomedical English, 20 questions each, then an oral interview. Preparing well means covering all four at equal depth, practising under the real timing, and getting ready for the interview before your written result arrives. This page sets out what each part asks, what Semmelweis itself gives you to prepare with, and a plan for the time you have.

In short

  • The written stage is four online tests of 20 questions in 20 minutes each. Time left in one test is not added to the next, and you cannot go back to an earlier question.
  • Half the written marks are English. Semmelweis publishes no English syllabus, but it states that biomedical English terminology is required to pass.
  • For the sciences, Semmelweis publishes a topic list (27 Medical Biology and 23 Medical Chemistry topics) and four recommended textbooks. Its rules say the topics are a guide for preparation, not the questions themselves.
  • An oral interview follows, with an oral examination in Biology, Chemistry and English. It is part of the decision, so prepare it alongside the written tests.

What each part of the exam asks

Every test has 20 questions, one correct option each, answered in the order given. A correct answer is worth one point and Semmelweis subtracts a fraction of a point for a wrong one, without publishing the fraction. A calculator is allowed in Medical Chemistry only.

TestQuestions and timeWhat to know
Medical Biology20 in 20 minutesThe official topic list: biomolecules, enzymes, replication, transcription and translation, energy metabolism, the cell and its organelles, genetics, signalling, the cell cycle, human physiology, reproduction, immunity and viruses.
Medical Chemistry20 in 20 minutes, calculator allowedThe official topic list: atomic structure and bonding, water, solutions, pH and buffers, equilibrium, redox and cell potentials, thermodynamics and kinetics, organic and bioorganic chemistry, the biochemical building blocks.
General English20 in 20 minutesNo published syllabus. Semmelweis expects upper-intermediate English; prepare grammar, academic vocabulary and short scientific reading.
Biomedical English20 in 20 minutesNo published syllabus. Semmelweis says English terminology is required in every science area it lists, so learn the terms of both topic lists in English.

What Semmelweis gives you to prepare with

The entrance-exam page lists three things, and all three are free.

  • The topic list: a PDF of Medical Biology and Medical Chemistry topics, and on the page itself the main fields the exam covers, from evolution and the cell to physiology, viruses and genetics, with the note that English terminology is required in all of them.
  • Four recommended textbooks, each in its latest edition: Ebbing-Gammon, General Chemistry; Stoker, General, Organic, and Biological Chemistry; Solomon-Martin-Martin-Berg, Biology; Lodish, Molecular Cell Biology.
  • A sample version of the online written test on Semmelweis's Moodle, with the logins printed on the entrance-exam page. Like the real tests, it opens only in Safe Exam Browser.

Semmelweis publishes no past papers. Its 2026/27 Admission Rules say the topics 'are not actual questions at the exams but are intended as a guide and orientation for preparation'.

Six things that make the difference

  1. 01

    Practise on four clocks, not one

    80 questions in 80 minutes is not one budget. Each test stops at 20 minutes and keeps nothing you saved, so time every practice test on its own and get used to about a minute a question.

  2. 02

    Decide each question once

    You can change your answer until you move on, and never after. Practise reading the question, committing and moving on, and spotting within seconds a question that is not going to come.

  3. 03

    Give English half your time

    General English and Biomedical English carry 40 of the 80 marks, as many as both sciences together. Keep a running list of terms in pairs that are easy to confuse, such as mitosis and meiosis, or transcription and translation.

  4. 04

    Study the topics, not the wording

    Work through every topic on the official list at the molecular and physiological level it names, from the textbooks Semmelweis recommends. The questions are not taken from the list, so understand each topic rather than memorising its title.

  5. 05

    Have a guessing policy before the day

    A wrong answer costs a fraction of a point and a blank costs nothing. Whether a guess pays depends on that fraction, which is not published; the scoring page works through the arithmetic.

  6. 06

    Prepare the interview early

    The interview includes an oral examination in Biology, Chemistry and English, and asks about your motivation. It comes soon after the written tests, so start practising it weeks before, not after your result.

A plan for the time you have

These are IvyTest's suggestions, not Semmelweis's. Start with a diagnostic sat as four separate 20-minute tests, and read the result test by test: each is worth 20 marks.

Time to the examFocus
12 weeks or moreEqual time for all four tests. Work through the official topic list from the recommended textbooks, build an English terminology list, and sit timed tests on four clocks from the start.
8 weeksRank the four tests by marks lost and repair the weakest first, without dropping the English half. One full four-test mock a week, reviewed the same day. Start interview practice.
4 weeksTwo full mocks a week under the real rules: four 20-minute tests, no going back, a calculator only in Medical Chemistry. Rehearse the Safe Exam Browser and Zoom setup.
Under 4 weeksNo new science topics: consolidate the most frequent ones and spend the time saved on Biomedical English terms. Two full mocks in the last ten days, then the interview.

What Semmelweis prep should cover

Whatever you prepare with, a course, a tutor or books, check it against the exam as Semmelweis describes it. IvyTest is independent and not affiliated with Semmelweis University.

  • All four tests at equal depth, the two English tests included, not only Biology and Chemistry.
  • Every topic on Semmelweis's own Medical Biology and Medical Chemistry list.
  • Timed practice that runs four separate 20-minute tests with no going back, as the online exam does.
  • Practice for the interview and its oral examination in Biology, Chemistry and English.
  • Material you can start using now: exams run from early in the year, and you can sit at most two in a calendar year.

Questions

How long does it take to prepare for the Semmelweis entrance exam?

Semmelweis gives no figure. Twelve weeks or more lets you cover all four tests at equal depth and practise the interview; with less time, focus on timed practice and Biomedical English terms. Exams run from early in the year until the end of June, so you can choose a date that gives you the time you need.

What books does Semmelweis recommend?

Four, each in its latest edition: Ebbing-Gammon, General Chemistry; Stoker, General, Organic, and Biological Chemistry; Solomon-Martin-Martin-Berg, Biology; and Lodish, Molecular Cell Biology. They are listed on Semmelweis's entrance-exam page.

Is there a syllabus for the English tests?

No. Semmelweis publishes topics for Medical Biology and Medical Chemistry only. It expects upper-intermediate English and says biomedical English terminology is required, so learn the English terms of every science topic and practise grammar, vocabulary and short scientific reading.

Can I sit the Semmelweis exam twice?

Yes. Under the 2026/27 Admission Rules you may sit up to two entrance exams in a calendar year, both covered by the admission procedure fee. The second must be at least a week after the first.

Official sources

Every figure on this page was read on the source itself on the date above. (26 October 2026)

Practise in the real format

The free sample test has 80 questions in the four-test format, each test on its own 20-minute clock, with every answer explained. When you want more, the IvyTest Semmelweis package adds a full simulator, the study guide, lessons and interview practice.

Take the free Semmelweis sample testSee Semmelweis preparation

The Semmelweis entrance exam, one question at a time

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