TOLC-MED practice test: chemistry, physics and biology training for the filter semester.
The TOLC-MED is no longer the entrance test for Medicine: since 2025/26, entry goes through the filter semester. This practice test keeps the historical TOLC-MED structure — 50 questions, 90 minutes, same scoring — because the subjects (chemistry, biology, physics) largely coincide with those of the filter semester. At the end you get your score out of 50, the breakdown by area and topic, and the correct answer to every question by email — even the ones you skipped; with an account you see them straight away on this page. The guided solution unlocks with your first lesson.
The TOLC-MED was the CISIA test once used for Medicine in Italy; today entry to Medicine, Dentistry and Veterinary degrees goes through the filter semester, and this page keeps the old format as revision practice.
Test in ItalianThe questions of this simulator are in Italian, as in the real exam.
| Area | Questions |
|---|---|
| Text comprehension and acquired knowledge | 7 |
| Biology | 15 |
| Chemistry and Physics | 15 |
| Maths and Reasoning | 13 |
50 questions in total · 90 minutes on a single clock (no separate sections, move freely between areas). Scoring: +1 correct · −0.25 wrong · 0 blank. Original CISIA-style questions, checked one by one. This is the historical structure of the TOLC-MED, not the official format of the filter semester (3 separate 50-minute exams, 31 questions per subject) — still useful for practising the same topics.
Two worked examples from the test
Quale organulo cellulare è responsabile della produzione della maggior parte dell'ATP nelle cellule eucariotiche attraverso la respirazione cellulare?
Solution
Il mitocondrio è la sede della respirazione cellulare aerobica: al suo interno avvengono il ciclo di Krebs (nella matrice) e la fosforilazione ossidativa (sulla membrana interna), il processo che produce la maggior parte dell'ATP a partire dal glucosio in presenza di ossigeno.
L'apparato di Golgi modifica, impacchetta e smista proteine e lipidi, ma non produce energia in questa forma. Il reticolo endoplasmatico liscio è coinvolto nella sintesi di lipidi e nella detossificazione. Il lisosoma degrada macromolecole e organuli danneggiati (digestione intracellulare). Il nucleo custodisce il DNA e coordina la trascrizione, ma non produce ATP.
La risposta corretta è il mitocondrio.
Quanti elettroni può contenere al massimo un sottolivello ?
Solution
Passo 1 — Numero di orbitali. Un sottolivello è composto da 5 orbitali distinti (per numero quantico secondario , i valori di vanno da a , cioè 5 valori).
Passo 2 — Elettroni per orbitale. Ogni orbitale può contenere al massimo 2 elettroni (principio di esclusione di Pauli, spin opposti).
Sostituzione.
La risposta è 10 elettroni. Il distrattore 6 è la capienza di un sottolivello (3 orbitali); il distrattore 2 quella di un sottolivello (1 orbitale); il distrattore 14 quella di un sottolivello (7 orbitali).
In the online practice test you will find 48 more questions like these; the correct answer to every question arrives by email.
How you get into Medicine in 2026/27
Since 2025/26, entry to Medicine, Dentistry and Veterinary Medicine no longer goes through a scored test like the TOLC-MED, but through the filter semester: open enrolment (within the number of places) on Universitaly and attendance of three 6-credit (ECTS) courses — Chemistry and biochemistry prerequisites, Physics, Biology — with two sittings per subject and a national merit ranking.
2026/27 sittings: 10 December 2026 and 11 January 2027, at 11:00. Each exam lasts 50 minutes and has 31 questions per subject (21 multiple choice + 10 completion questions) — no logic, general knowledge or English section. Places for 2026/27: 30,225 in total, of which 27,001 in Medicine (DM MUR 941/2026, DD 249/2026, DM 1004/2026). The mechanism comes from Law 26/2025 and Legislative Decree 71/2025: it is not a CISIA choice, it is a reform enacted by law.
Full details and how we work are on the preparation page and in the guide how to prepare for the filter semester.
Frequently asked questions.
Is the TOLC-MED still the test for getting into Medicine?
No. Since 2025/26, entry to Medicine, Dentistry and Veterinary Medicine no longer goes through a scored test like the TOLC-MED: you get in through the filter semester (three exams in chemistry, physics and biology with a national merit ranking). The TOLC-MED was used for a single season, in 2023 for the 2023/24 academic year; this page stays online at the same address because the subjects largely coincide with those of the filter semester, and it is what people search for. The box above explains how entry really works today.
What is the structure of this practice test?
It follows the historical CISIA TOLC-MED format: 50 questions in 90 minutes on a single clock (unlike the TOLC-I there are no separately timed sections, so you can move freely between areas) — 7 questions on text comprehension and knowledge acquired in your studies, 15 on biology, 15 on chemistry and physics and 13 on maths and reasoning. Scoring is +1 for a correct answer, −0.25 for a wrong one and 0 for a blank. The questions are original, written in the style of the official syllabus — they are not copied CISIA questions. It is not the official format of the filter semester (3 separate 50-minute exams, 31 questions per subject), but the chemistry, physics and biology topics largely overlap.
Does my score here tell me whether I am ready for the filter semester?
It shows where you stand in chemistry, biology and physics, which are the same subjects as the filter semester — but it is not an admission forecast: the filter semester has no fixed threshold, it works with a national merit ranking based on your scores in the three real exams (chemistry and biochemistry prerequisites, physics, biology). Use this practice test as a thermometer to see where to focus your revision, not as a prediction.
Can I retake the practice test more than once?
Yes, as often as you like. The questions are drawn at random from a bank of verified questions for each area, so every attempt is a different test. If you close the page halfway through, the test resumes where you left off.
Why does the practice test have a single clock instead of three separate exams?
Because it follows the historical TOLC-MED format, which had a single 90-minute clock for all 50 questions. The real filter semester works differently: three separate 50-minute exams, one per subject. If you are training for the filter semester, it is worth timing yourself in 50-minute blocks on one subject at a time as well, besides using this practice test to revise the content.
What if my score is low?
That is exactly why the practice test exists: at the end you see the breakdown by area and by topic, so you know where to focus your revision before the filter semester exams. If you would like a hand, the first call with me is a free diagnostic: we look at the results together and build a plan around your real gaps.
Want to be ready for the filter semester?
The practice test shows you where you lose points; in lessons we work exactly there, on chemistry, physics and biology, with a timed practice test every 3–4 lessons. Read how the Medicine preparation works, or start with the free diagnostic call.