There is a plethora of both free and paid resources available online to help you prepare for the International Medical Admission Test (IMAT); this article will give an overview of the options that past students have found helpful in their preparation. We are strong believers that prospective students can avoid paying a premium for the materials that they use in their preparation — without thereby also sacrificing the ability to study from comprehensive, high quality resources. Importantly it should be said that if the opportunity to make use of several resources for one topic is available to you, it is very beneficial to take advantage of this. When an explanation of a concept from one book does not click, it is a good idea to check another book’s explanation and so on. This article will list free online courses, textbooks, and youtube channels that will help you become a medical student in Italy.
This article was written by our guest author Yahia.
IMAT Biology Resources
Biology is the most important section of the IMAT being the section with the most available potential points, and should therefore be allotted the most time and attention in a given study plan. The 2023 IMAT Exam Syllabus allocated 23 full questions for biology, allowing up to 34.5 points that can be scored from this section alone. Thankfully, the available resources online for biology are plentiful.
Biology Textbooks
- Pearson Biology: A Global Approach – A very detailed textbook that includes almost everything covered in the biology section of the IMAT syllabus.
- Costanzo Physiology – For additional information about physiology and anatomy specifically, it is a wonderful supplement. It should be noted however that this book is at a higher level than what is usually expected for high school level knowledge.
Some students find that the two aforementioned textbooks are too detailed for the IMAT, which they believe may lead to over-studying and inefficient time management. If you are concerned about a lack of time available to you for your preparation, then these students suggest CGP A-level Biology (AQA) and IB Cambridge Biology.
Biology Video Resources
- The channel “medschooleu” on youtube is a good resource for a general overview of each of the topics covered in the biology section of the IMAT syllabus.
- The channel “amoeba sisters” on youtube also has a catalogue of videos that offer brief, simplified explanations of concepts that many students find themselves struggling with.
- Websites like “coursera” and “edX” should not be overlooked if you are looking for free, comprehensive courses that have everything you would expect from an online course: e.g. a syllabus, a timeline, quizzes, and lectures. The Duke University course “Introduction to Human Physiology” is a great example of just one of these free courses, but there are many others from various reputable universities available on coursera and edX as well.
IMAT Chemistry Resources
Chemistry is the second most important section of the IMAT, but thankfully many students find that the material tested in the chemistry portion of the exam is not as detailed or as demanding as the biology section. In 2023 there were 15 chemistry questions, stacking up to a potential 22.5 points meaning this section has the second highest amount of potential points, and deserves time and attention in your study plan as well.
Chemistry Textbooks
The textbooks below are wonderful resources for practice questions and detailed explanations.
- Cambridge AS and A-level Chemistry Coursebook
- Oxford AQA Alevel Chemistry
Chemistry Video Resources
- The channel “Organic Chemistry Tutor” on youtube has detailed explanations of all of the concepts you need to cover for the IMAT. Additionally, it has videos with practice problems with explanations and walk-throughs which can be useful for the portions of chemistry that involve calculations and some students may struggle with. The videos, however, are not structured with a syllabus of any sort in mind so it is likely best to use this channel as a supplement when you get stuck or need to revise a specific topic.
- University of Kentucky has two courses on Coursera for chemistry, complete with lectures and quizzes: “University of Kentucky Chemistry” and the follow-up “University of Kentucky Advanced Chemistry”.
IMAT Mathematics Resources
The mathematics portion of the exam should not go completely neglected, and is worth an investment of time in your study plan despite many students avoiding to do so. A-level resources for mathematics are the most ideal for the IMAT syllabus. Some students find that the mathematics section of the IMAT is less demanding than A-levels mathematics in its entirety, likely due to the time constraints of the IMAT not allowing for more complex calculations in addition to the fact that all calculations must be done without a calculator.
If time constraints are not a concern in your current preparation solving more practice questions in this section is a huge recommendation, however if timing is a concern it is likely that the A-level mathematics year 2 materials will offer only diminishing returns.
Maths Textbooks
A-level and IB textbooks are a great resource to study for the mathematics portion of the IMAT.
- “CGP A-level Y1: OCR” and “CGP A-level Y2: OCR” specifically follow a syllabus that will aid in both learning and refining the subtopics within the mathematics section of the IMAT.
- Some students report that they found GCSE mathematics textbooks helpful as well, especially students that struggle with more foundational concepts and skills in mathematics.
Maths Video Resources
- Khan Academy has a plethora of videos on mathematics and some students find the videos useful, although the A-levels syllabus is likely more pertinent and pointed for the purposes of studying for the IMAT.
- Imperial College of London has an amazing course for free on edX for the entire A-level mathematics syllabus: “A-level Mathematics for Year 12 Imperial College of London” and “A-level Mathematics for Year 13 Imperial College of London”. It is a great resource to accompany the aforementioned textbooks.
IMAT Physics Resources
Just as with the mathematics portion of the IMAT, the physics section should be given some attention as well, despite many students opting to neglect possibly as a result of the anxiety that physics may give them in general. The calculations involved are not overly complex and practicing problems as well as understanding the concepts within the physics portion of the syllabus will go a long way given that a lot of the topics are repeated.
Physics Textbooks
- The textbooks AP Physics 1 and AP Physics 2 from College Board are a a good resource for the physics portion of the exam. Just as with the other sections, A-level and IB resources are preferred by some students.
- It is important however that one does not neglect practicing physics problems written so that a calculator is not needed. For this, past BMAT and IMAT problems are a useful resource. The website BMAT.ninja has a question bank for these sorts of questions — as well as for all of the other sections pertinent for the IMAT.
Physics Video Resources
- RICE university has two courses for free on edX that students may find helpful for the physics section: “RICE University AP Physics 1” and “RICE University AP Physics 2”.
- Khan academy is also a useful resource as well as Organic Chemistry Tutor on youtube.
IMAT Logical Reasoning & General Knowledge
Logic and Reasoning and especially General Knowledge arguably go the most neglected by students. The point yield in this section is not great, but logic and reasoning questions follow several common patterns that you can practice and master. General Knowledge questions are difficult to study for, and probably is the least valuable section to spend your time on, but doesn’t necessarily need to go neglected. Questions regarding international organisations are relatively high yield, and can be studied for by creating a simple Anki deck. It is reasonable to expect a question on the Italian government as well given the inclusion of questions of this type on past TOLC exams and the 2023 IMAT. For questions like these you should know the basic formation of the Italian government e.g. the role of the president, prime minister, the branches of government and so on.
Logical Reasoning Textbooks
- “Thinking Skills: Critical Thinking and Problem Solving“
- BMAT.ninja is a useful resource for these questions as well.
- BMAT prep books are also of value. A commonly recommended book is the “700 BMAT Practice Questions“.
Logical Reasoning Video Resources
I (Yahia) plan on making videos explaining strategies for general knowledge questions sometime in the future. I will update this article with a link when I have uploaded a handful of videos.
Final Thoughts
The scope of material needed to be covered for the IMAT exam is vast but one can surely study for the exam on their own and without spending much, or any, money. In general, A-level, IB, and BMAT prep materials are the resources that students should tend towards if they are unsure of where to study from for any given topic. The resources suggested above offer a comprehensive and focused approach to studying for the IMAT exam, but this article should serve only as a general guide. Mixing resources when studying has many advantages and is recommended. Following one of the courses also gives students structure and direction in their studying. Do not neglect past BMAT, IMAT, and TOLC exams, but also keep in mind that you should probably save the past IMATs for the last couple months before the exam so that you may use them as practice tests and assess your weak areas. Remember to make a study plan and stick to it, if you do this you will undoubtably make progress.
Good luck with the exam!
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