Is There a Semmelweis Sample Test?
In short. Semmelweis publishes two official topic lists: 27 in medical biology and 23 in medical chemistry. Its admission FAQ lists no sample test (September 2026). Learn every listed topic in depth. Practise at exam speed: 20 questions in 20 minutes, no going back. Prepare the oral as a real science exam.
Want the checklist below as a PDF? The free PDF has:
- every official biology and chemistry topic, with boxes to tick
- hard words explained
- oral topics applicants report
All facts below are from the 2026 cycle. Check them on the university's entrance exam page before you apply.
How the exam works
You sit four online tests from home: Medical Biology, Medical Chemistry, General English and Biomedical English. Each has 20 questions in 20 minutes, in a fixed order, with no going back. Then comes an interview with an oral exam.
The format, the scoring, exam day and the oral are explained in how to pass the Semmelweis exam.
Is there a sample test or past papers?
Semmelweis publishes two official topic lists, for medical biology and medical chemistry. Download the official topic list (PDF).
Semmelweis's admission FAQ lists no sample test (September 2026). A 2024 applicant reported a practice test. It opens only in Safe Exam Browser, a locked browser for online exams. Ask the university whether one is offered for 2027.
On YouTube you will find "past paper" videos. These are questions that applicants remember. In 2026, applicants on Reddit disagreed about them. One said the real test was much harder. Another said a few questions came up again.
So use them for practice, not as a plan. The real questions are not published. Two applicants who sat on the same day in 2026 got different diagram questions.
The official topics: a checklist to print
Each topic has three boxes:
- Know: tick when you know the topic.
- Explain: tick when you can explain it out loud.
- Revise: tick topics you must go back to.
First, check the list against your own course. Open your school syllabus (IB, A-level or national) next to this list. Mark every topic it does not cover. Start with those.
A ★ marks three examples past most school courses: allostery, kinase cascades and standard reduction potentials. Other topics can also be harder than your school course. The titles are short versions of the official ones.
Medical biology: 27 topics
| Topic | Know | Explain | Revise |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Proteins: the four levels of structure, allostery ★ | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ |
| 2. Polysaccharides, glycoproteins and proteoglycans (proteins with sugar chains) | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ |
| 3. Glycerolipids: triglycerides and phospholipids | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ |
| 4. Nucleic acids, chromosomes, genes, the genetic code | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ |
| 5. Vitamins and their active forms | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ |
Show topics 6 to 27
| Topic | Know | Explain | Revise |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6. Enzyme inhibition and the control of enzymes | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ |
| 7. DNA replication and DNA repair | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ |
| 8. Transcription and its control | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ |
| 9. mRNA processing and translation | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ |
| 10. Glucose oxidation, with and without oxygen | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ |
| 11. Citrate cycle and oxidative phosphorylation | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ |
| 12. Origin of life, prokaryotic cells, bacterial diseases | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ |
| 13. Organelles I: nucleus, nucleolus, mitochondria | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ |
| 14. Organelles II: ER, Golgi, lysosomes | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ |
| 15. Mendel's laws, sex-linked and mitochondrial inheritance | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ |
| 16. Cell cycle checkpoints and growth factors | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ |
| 17. Cell signals: receptors, G proteins, second messengers, kinases ★ | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ |
| 18. Hormones: endocrine, paracrine (on nearby cells) and autocrine (on the cell itself) effects | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ |
| 19. The heart and the cardiac cycle | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ |
| 20. Breathing, gas exchange and gas transport | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ |
| 21. Digestion and absorption | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ |
| 22. The kidney and the nephron | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ |
| 23. Muscle contraction and the three muscle types | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ |
| 24. Nerve cells: resting and action potential | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ |
| 25. Reproduction, sex hormones and meiosis | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ |
| 26. Immunity: T and B cells, MHC (proteins that show antigens), antibodies, vaccination | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ |
| 27. Viruses: structure, replication, reverse transcription (DNA made from RNA) | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ |
Medical chemistry: 23 topics
| Topic | Know | Explain | Revise |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Atoms, orbitals and electron configuration | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ |
| 2. Chemical bonds and weaker interactions | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ |
| 3. Water and its properties | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ |
| 4. Solutions and concentration | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ |
| 5. Solubility and the solubility product | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ |
Show topics 6 to 23
| Topic | Know | Explain | Revise |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6. Acids, bases and pH | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ |
| 7. Equilibrium, Le Chatelier's principle, buffers | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ |
| 8. Redox reactions and voltaic cells | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ |
| 9. Standard reduction potentials ★ | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ |
| 10. Iron, its ions and heme (the iron group in haemoglobin) | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ |
| 11. Reaction heat: exothermic and endothermic | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ |
| 12. Entropy and free enthalpy (Gibbs free energy, ΔG) | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ |
| 13. Reaction rates, activation energy, catalysts | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ |
| 14. Hydrocarbons and aromatic compounds | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ |
| 15. Alcohols and phenols | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ |
| 16. Aldehydes, ketones and carboxylic acids | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ |
| 17. Amines and imines (compounds with a C=N bond) | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ |
| 18. Esters, ethers, amides, anhydrides, phosphate esters | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ |
| 19. Sulfur in biomolecules: thiols, thioesters (esters with sulfur in place of an oxygen), disulfides | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ |
| 20. Steroids and cholesterol | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ |
| 21. Monosaccharides and disaccharides | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ |
| 22. Amino acids and the peptide bond | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ |
| 23. Nucleotides, nucleic acids and base pairing | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ |
The official topic lists cover biology and chemistry only, not the two English tests.
Get all 50 topics as a printable PDF. It also has:
- Debrecen's biology and chemistry lists
- oral topics applicants report
What applicants say is hard
These are reports from applicants on Reddit, from 2025 and 2026. They are not official facts.
- Biology is the test most applicants call hard. Applicants named questions on cells, DNA and the cell cycle (2025).
- English: most called both English tests easy. One 2025 applicant said Biomedical English tests basic medical words. See our starter word list.
- Chemistry splits opinion. One applicant found it easier than biology. There were many redox questions, plus a pH calculation and a molarity calculation.
- Not all plain multiple choice. Applicants describe drag-and-drop and labelling questions on diagrams.
- Tricky questions. Some 2026 applicants met tricky questions, a few beyond the topic list.
The lesson is simple. Learn every topic in depth, not just old questions.
The oral, two sittings and dates
- The oral is a real science exam, not only an interview. Applicants report pH, dilution and diagram questions (2024 and 2025). Our practice will not simulate it.
- Two sittings: the USD 400 fee covers up to two (2026 cycle).
- Dates: in 2026, you could apply from 12 January to 31 May. For 2027, check the programme page.
All three are explained in how to pass the Semmelweis exam, with exam-day tips and a booking tip.
Semmelweis or Debrecen?
Many applicants apply to both. The two exams are very different. The table shows the 2026 cycle, plus Debrecen's 2027 deadline.
| Semmelweis | Debrecen | |
|---|---|---|
| Subjects | Biology, chemistry, General English, Biomedical English | Biology, plus chemistry or physics |
| Time | 4 tests of 20 minutes | 45 minutes per section |
| Questions | 20 per test, in a fixed order, no going back | Multiple choice, definitions and calculations |
| Where | Online from home, in Safe Exam Browser, on Zoom | Not published: ask Debrecen in writing |
| Oral | Interview plus oral exam, in person by default | Oral exam in both subjects |
| Scoring | No pass mark published; the decision weighs everything | Scores stay internal; one of four outcomes |
| Cost to apply | USD 400, two attempts included | USD 150 + USD 350 |
| Key date | 2026 window: 12 January to 31 May | Final deadline: 15 May 2027 |
Applying to Debrecen too? Read the Debrecen sample test vs the real exam.
Free by email
Preparing for Semmelweis?
Get the free topic checklist PDF. Debrecen is in it too.
- Every official biology and chemistry topic, with boxes to tick. Plus our 6 free guides.
- Also in the PDF: oral topics applicants report, and hard words explained.
More free guides
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