Semmelweis · Scoring

Semmelweis entrance exam scoring: pass mark, penalty and guessing

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

for a correct answer
+1
for a question left blank
0
the fraction taken off for a wrong answer
Not published
published pass mark or minimum score
None

Semmelweis publishes how the written tests are marked, but not the two numbers candidates ask about most: how much a wrong answer costs, and what score gets you in. This page sets out what is published, what is not, and what follows from it for guessing and for your target.

In short

  • Each of the four tests has 20 questions; a correct answer is worth one point and a blank nothing, so the written maximum is 80.
  • For a wrong answer Semmelweis says only: 'Fragment points are subtracted for incorrect answers proportionally.' The fraction is not published, and neither is the number of options per question.
  • There is no published pass mark, minimum score or ranking. The Admission Committee decides on the written tests, the interview and your record together.
  • With four options, a blind guess pays as long as a wrong answer costs less than a third of a point; ruling out one option makes a guess worth more.

The marking rule, as Semmelweis publishes it

Points
Correct answer+1
Question left blank0
Wrong answerA fraction of a point subtracted, 'proportionally'; the fraction is not published
Each test (Medical Biology, Medical Chemistry, General English, Biomedical English)20 questions, so 20 points at most
The written tests together80 points at most

Semmelweis's entrance-exam page says one option is correct at each question but never says how many options there are. IvyTest's practice uses four; that is an assumption, not a published figure.

Should you guess?

Call the unpublished deduction p. With four options, a blind guess is right one time in four and wrong three times in four, so on average it is worth 1/4 − 3/4 × p points. That is more than a blank when p is less than 1/3, nothing at p = 1/3, and less above it.

Ruling out one option changes the sum: with three options left the guess is worth 1/3 − 2/3 × p, positive for any p below one half. With two left it is worth 1/2 − p/2, positive for any p below one. So the better you can narrow the options, the more a guess is worth, whatever p is.

What a guess is worth on average, in points

If a wrong answer costsBlind guess (4 options)One option ruled outTwo ruled out
0.25 points+0.06+0.17+0.38
1/3 point0+0.11+0.33
0.5 points−0.130+0.25

The deductions in the table are examples to show the arithmetic, not Semmelweis's rule.

Is there a pass mark?

None is published. Semmelweis's entrance-exam page, its FAQ, the General Medicine page and the 2026/27 Admission Rules give no pass mark, minimum score or ranking, and no seat count for the English-taught programmes.

One answer on the FAQ is often read as a threshold and is not one: asked whether there is a GPA minimum, Semmelweis answers that there is none and that the entrance examination has to be taken instead. That is about school grades not being a bar to applying, not about the exam score.

The FAQ also explains the waiting list: a candidate placed on it performed 'not good enough to get admitted straight away', and may be reconsidered if places are left at the end of the admission period.

How the decision is made

The written score is not the whole decision. Under the 2026/27 Admission Rules, the professor who conducts your oral interview records a detailed evaluation and a recommendation based on the scores and marks you collected during the entrance examination. The Admission Committee, professors of Semmelweis including that interviewer, then decides.

  • Your performance in the written tests and the oral interview.
  • Your documents and record: school or college transcripts, optional PreMed training, graduate training and work experience.
  • Your knowledge of Biology, Chemistry and English, and your motivation, attitude, intellect, general knowledge, communication skills, spoken English and personality.
  • The university's strategic aims, including geographical and cultural diversity and gender balance.

The FAQ sums it up: the decision rests on 'the candidate's biography, previous studies and performance, and primarily on the assessment of the entrance examination'. No standardised test is accepted in place of it.

What to aim for

With no published pass mark, aim for a strong result in all four tests rather than a peak in one: each is worth 20 points, so a point lost in Biomedical English costs the same as one lost in Medical Chemistry. And because the deduction is unknown, practise with a strict one, such as half a point per wrong answer: a milder rule on the day can only help you.

Questions

What is the pass mark for the Semmelweis entrance exam?

Semmelweis publishes none. Its Admission Committee decides on the written tests, the oral interview and your documents together, and no minimum score appears on any of its admission pages or in the 2026/27 Admission Rules.

Is there negative marking at Semmelweis?

Yes. A correct answer is worth one point, and 'Fragment points are subtracted for incorrect answers proportionally'. Semmelweis does not publish the fraction.

Should I leave questions blank at Semmelweis?

A blank is worth nothing. With four options a blind guess pays on average unless a wrong answer costs more than a third of a point, and once you can rule out an option, a guess is worth more. Since the fraction is not published, guess when you can narrow the options.

What is the maximum score?

80 points in the written tests: four tests of 20 questions at one point each. The interview is evaluated separately by the professor who conducts it.

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

Also on IvyTest