Practice test 1 — physics second paper.

As in the exam: choose 1 problem out of 2 and 4 questions out of 8, and solve them on paper (real maximum time: 6 hours; scientific calculator without CAS allowed). When you get stuck, reveal the solution one step at a time. At the end mark how much you had done on your own: the estimated mark is out of 20.

The second paper of the maturità, Italy’s school-leaving exam, is a written test of up to six hours in the main subject of your school type.

Test in ItalianThe questions of this simulator are in Italian, as in the real exam.

Test prepared by Gaetano Livornese · Aerospace engineer, Politecnico di Milano · maths and physics tutor · updated 13 October 2026

What is in practice test 1

Twenty points in all, as in the ministry grid: 10 for the problem you choose and 2.5 for each of the four questions. Below you can see where each piece comes from, so you know what awaits you before you start the six hours.

The two problems — you answer one

• Problem 1 · Electromagnetism — RC circuit and analysis of experimental data (10 points)
• Problem 2 · Electromagnetism — magnetic field, Lorentz force and mass spectrometer (10 points)

The eight questions — you answer four

• 1. Electric field and potential
• 2. RL circuits
• 3. Electromagnetic induction
• 4. Electromagnetic waves and Maxwell’s equations
• 5. Special relativity — time dilation
• 6. Special relativity — mass-energy equivalence
• 7. Photoelectric effect
• 8. Quantum physics — wave-particle duality (de Broglie)

Which problem to choose. Here the choice is between electromagnetism — RC circuit and analysis of experimental data and electromagnetism — magnetic field, Lorentz force and mass spectrometer. Spend the first ten minutes reading both all the way through before deciding: almost always one of the two has a final point you cannot do, and it is better to find that out straight away than two hours in. The problem is worth half the mark, so the wrong choice costs more than any calculation error.

How to manage the six hours. A pace that holds: ten minutes to read everything and choose, a good two hours on the problem, an hour and a half on the four questions, and at least half an hour at the end to copy out your final version and recheck the calculations. The physics questions are worth ten points in total, as much as the problem, so do not leave them for last when you are tired: if a question does not get going within five minutes, move on to the next and come back later. The areas the questions of this paper draw on are electric field and potential, RL circuits, electromagnetic induction, electromagnetic waves and Maxwell’s equations, special relativity, photoelectric effect, quantum physics.