Filter Semester 2025 Full Exam Breakdown — Biology, Chemistry, Physics
Semestre Filtro Analysis
The first Final Exam of the 2025 Filter Semester took place on 20 November 2025 for students applying to medical programs taught in Italian. After completing the mandatory preparation courses designed by the Ministry of Education, candidates sat for the first official assessment.
The exam consisted of three subjects — Biology, Chemistry, and Physics — each containing 31 questions divided into two formats:
- 15 Single-answer multiple-choice questions
- 16 Fill-in-the-blank questions
The full exam was published by official sources and has been translated into English by the LOCOMOTIVE Educational Group, making it a new high-quality practice resource for IMAT candidates.
A detailed analysis of the topic distribution, a comparison with the IMAT format, and an evaluation of how relevant and useful each question is for IMAT preparation.
Students are strongly advised to read the section introductions carefully to understand which questions match the IMAT syllabus and how to use this exam effectively as part of their preparation strategy.
Biology Section
The Filter Examination is designed for Italian-taught medical programs. It is created and administered by the same Italian Ministry that prepares the IMAT exam. Therefore, analysing the Filter Exam provides valuable insight into the Ministry’s current thinking, question-writing tendencies, and the areas of physics they consider important. While the IMAT will not necessarily replicate this difficulty level, understanding how the Ministry tests its own medical applicants can give IMAT students a strategic advantage. Studying these patterns can reveal potential shifts in emphasis—such as a renewed focus on fluids, electromagnetism, or conceptual reasoning—which may eventually appear in future IMAT sessions.
Semester Filter 2025 first final exam had 15 multiple-choice and 16 fill-in-the-blank questions, 31 in total for the biology section. The multiple-choice section included:
- 1 organelles question
- 1 cardiovascular system question
- 2 protein questions
- 1 cell division question
- 1 cell membrane question
- 1 transcription question
- 3 genetic molecule questions (DNA and RNA)
- 1 endocrine system question
- 1 translation question
- 1 tissue question
- 1 bacteria (prokaryotic cells) question
- 1 virus question
The 16 fill-in-the-blank items covered:
- 3 genetics questions
- 1 genetic molecules question
- 3 protein questions
- 2 DNA replication questions
- 1 tissue question
- 1 cell signaling question
- 1 cell division question
- 1 apoptosis question
- 1 cardiovascular system (blood) question
The exam closely mirrors the IMAT 2025 and IMAT 2024 Biology difficulty, emphasizing core concepts, precise definitions, and foundational mechanisms that serve as the basis for more advanced biological reasoning. This focus on fundamentals makes it highly relevant for students building the conceptual framework needed for higher-level IMAT questions.
While the majority of items fall squarely within the standard IMAT difficulty range for the most of the questions, a few — particularly questions 3, 14, 18, and 21 — require a deeper conceptual understanding, especially in areas involving protein structure, and ell signaling. Because of this, students should strengthen their knowledge of advanced protein interactions and cell-signaling pathways, as these topics often determine performance on more challenging items.
Although the Filter Exam is derived from the official university materials used for the Filter Semester — and therefore does not perfectly replicate the IMAT syllabus — its structure, logic, and question style are strongly aligned with IMAT thinking. As a result, it serves as an excellent practice resource, and we strongly recommend that IMAT candidates incorporate this exam into their preparation strategy.
Chemistry Section
The Filter Examination is developed for Italian-taught medical programs and produced by the same Ministry responsible for the IMAT. For this reason, the Chemistry section of the Filter Exam provides meaningful insight into the Ministry’s current approach to question design and the specific areas of chemistry they consider essential for medical applicants. While IMAT will not necessarily mirror the exact difficulty of this exam, analysing these trends offers IMAT candidates a strategic advantage, especially in identifying shifts in emphasis—such as thermodynamics, bonding, or organic chemistry—that may influence future IMAT sessions.
The Semester Filter 2025 Chemistry Exam consisted of 15 multiple-choice questions and 16 fill-in-the-blank questions, for a total of 31 items.
Multiple-Choice (15 Questions). The topics included:
- 1 question on basic chemical concepts
- 2 on atomic structure
- 3 on organic molecules
- 1 equation-balancing question
- 1 general thermodynamics question
- 2 on acids and bases
- 1 on solutions
- 1 on chemical bonding
- 3 distributed across fundamentals of general chemistry
Fill-in-the-Blank (16 Questions). The distribution was:
- 3 questions on organic chemistry
- 1 on solutions
- 4 on organic molecules
- 1 gas law question
- 1 oxidation reaction
- 1 chemical equilibrium
- 2 questions on bonding
- 1 additional solutions question
- 2 on acids and bases
Overall, the Chemistry section was easier than the typical IMAT Chemistry level, especially compared with recent IMAT sessions. However, it covered a broader range of topics, ensuring that students were tested on a wide conceptual foundation rather than complex calculations.
The exam did not contain any true chemistry problem-solving questions; instead, it focused entirely on definitions, fundamental principles, and straightforward applications. Students with a strong command of the basics could score highly with minimal difficulty.
This heavy emphasis on fundamentals makes the exam particularly valuable for IMAT candidates who are still building their conceptual framework before tackling higher-level IMAT-style reasoning questions.
Although the Filter Exam is based on the specific study materials provided to Filter Semester students — and therefore does not perfectly match the IMAT syllabus — its structure, clarity, and questioning logic align closely with IMAT-style thinking. Because of this, the Chemistry section serves as an excellent practice resource, and we strongly recommend that IMAT candidates include it in their preparation plan.
Physics Section
The Filter Examination is created for Italian-taught medical programs and administered by the same Ministry responsible for the IMAT. Analysing this exam offers direct insight into the Ministry’s current priorities, question style, and the physics concepts they consider essential. Although IMAT will not copy this difficulty exactly, understanding these patterns provides IMAT candidates with a real strategic advantage—especially if the Ministry shifts emphasis toward areas such as fluids, electromagnetism, or conceptual reasoning.
The Physics section included 31 questions: 15 multiple-choice and 16 fill-in-the-blank. This high number allowed the exam to cover a broad range of classical physics, including areas not commonly tested in IMAT.
Multiple questions focused on fluid mechanics, unit conversions, waves, and electromagnetism, while non-IMAT topics such as refractive index, photon physics, geometrical optics, wave theory, and curved-path motion also appeared. This reflects a more rigorous and comprehensive approach than standard IMAT physics.
Many questions required combining conceptual understanding, mathematical reasoning, proportionality, and unit analysis. The exam rewarded genuine physics thinking rather than simple formula recall—contrasting sharply with IMAT, where most problems rely on a single direct equation.
Let’s first look at the QUESTION-BY-QUESTION TOPIC CLASSIFICATION
Notable Observations from Topic Distribution
These questions required more than basic formula substitution. Students had to understand forces, oscillations, damping, and inelastic collisions in real scenarios. This is more detailed than the typical IMAT approach, where such topics usually appear as shorter, more direct questions.
This was one of the hardest parts of the exam. Questions were asked at a high conceptual level. The magnetism-based questions were particularly challenging—comparable to IMAT 2024 Q58.
Fluid Mechanics has historically appeared in IMAT. The Filter Semester also contains several questions on Fluid Mechanics. This parallel is important: both the IMAT and the Italian-taught medical school exams—now created by the same Italian Ministry—treat Fluid Mechanics as a legitimate and testable physics topic, even though it is not included in the Cambridge IGCSE, AS, or A-Level physics syllabus. This shows a meaningful overlap in the conceptual priorities of both exams and suggests that IMAT students should not ignore Fluid Mechanics simply because Cambridge textbooks do not emphasise it.
Unlike IMAT, which has not yet tested students on dimensions, this exam included a question on the topic. It also featured multiple unit conversion questions. The emphasis on prefixes, nano-scaling, and dimensional analysis suggests that the Ministry expects mastery of fundamental physics literacy.
Thermodynamics questions were similar in style to IMAT but required more mathematical reasoning.
These topics are almost never tested in IMAT, so students do not need to worry about them unless the IMAT syllabus changes. Any such update would be officially announced by the Ministero dell’Università e della Ricerca (MUR) — the Italian Ministry of University and Research — before the exam.
Difficulty Level
The overall difficulty of the Filter Exam was considerably high, primarily because the questions demanded far more than simple formula recall. Many problems required multi-step reasoning, where students had to interpret a physical scenario, identify the relevant principles, and then combine multiple ideas before arriving at an answer.
Even the fill-in-the-blank questions tested deep theoretical understanding rather than basic definitions. For example, students were expected to know that work is defined as the dot product of force and displacement, and that dissipative (non-conservative) forces are responsible for damping in oscillatory motion. This elevated the difficulty of the exam compared to the more predictable and formula-based style typically seen in IMAT.
Student Performance
IMAT students relying only on past papers or formula sheets would find this exam highly challenging. Importantly, the exam did not include “free points” often seen in IMAT, such as extremely direct resistance or power problems.
Students who:
- understand why physics works
- can manipulate equations
- can solve integrated problems
- covered the entire syllabus and not just the past trends
will score significantly higher.
CONCLUSION
While IMAT may not suddenly become as hard as the Filter Exam, the Ministry’s trend indicates that future IMAT papers may cover a broader range of topics rather than repeating the same limited set of predictable areas. Therefore, students should aim to cover the entire syllabus, without leaving out any topic simply because it appeared rarely in past papers.
A strong preparation strategy must include not only understanding theoretical concepts but also practising a large number of questions and taking as many mock exams as possible to test and reinforce their knowledge. Students should ensure they are studying from reliable and accurate sources, and they must plan their preparation timeline carefully, organising topics in advance, dividing the syllabus strategically, and giving themselves enough time to revise such a vast subject effectively.
For IMAT students, this exam serves as a valuable preview of what the Italian Ministry is capable of asking — and possibly the direction IMAT may move toward in future years.
Continue Your IMAT Preparation
Use the full Filter Semester exam breakdown and LOCOMOTIVE resources to maximise your score.