Entrance Examinations

ENTRANCE EXAMINATIONS

Entrance Examinations

Entrance examinations are organized by Semmelweis University and held in Budapest (at the premises of Semmelweis University or its cooperating partners), or worldwide at locations provided by officially appointed Semmelweis representatives.

Semmelweis University puts a great emphasis on selecting outstanding applicants for enrollment and training. Therefore, we persist on undertaking written examination tests followed by personal interviews, which allows us to reliably estimate the knowledge, skills, motivation and personality of the applicants.

This year, the pandemic banned borders, which requests us to transiently interrupt this best practice. Due to governmental measures as well as to current regulations at Semmelweis University, we organize the entrance examinations with modifications as follows.

• The written tests will have the usual style and content (multiple choice, in Biology, Chemistry, General English and Biomedical English) but will be taken online at the University’s educational platform before the interviews.
  Each test consists of 20 questions, and they have to be answered in the given order. One answer option can be selected at each question. Only one answer option is correct.
  Fragment points are subtracted for incorrect answers. After marking an answer option, it can be moved to another answer option before you jump to the next question.
  Once you have moved on to the next question, you cannot return to any question, either answered or unanswered again. Prepare your calculator for the chemistry test.
  Each test (Biology, Chemistry, General English or Biomedical English) must be finished in 20 minutes. The time that remains at the end of a test cannot be used for lengthening the time of another test.
  The answers can be submitted when all the questions have been answered, and the answers are automatically submitted when the time of the test is over.
  If this session cannot take place at the time and location of the examination as originally planned and announced, the applicants take the entire online entrance examination on their own computers at home. Those who take the online test at home are requested to join a ZOOM video conference for the time of test writing with their web camera permanently on.
• The interviews will be carried out using the ZOOM interactive platform according to a previously agreed schedule, and potentially at the original date and location (see previous paragraph).

More specific details will be sent to you regarding individual exams as soon as all is settled.

Contents of the Entrance Exams

The exams consist of multiple choice tests in Biology, Chemistry and English (both general and biomedical), followed by a personal interview, which focuses on the applicant’s professional attitude, affinity and motivation towards medical sciences and also includes an oral examination to measure the applicant’s knowledge in Medical Biology, Medical Chemistry and English (both general and biomedical).

You have the opportunity to try the sample version of the online written test as follows.

Main Specific Subjects for the Entrance Exams
for the Faculties of General Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences

The main scientific fields covered by the exams are as follows:

1. Evolution: chemical and biological aspects

2. Chemical background in Biology: structure of atoms; chemical bonds; ionic compounds and molecules; solutions; types and energetics of chemical reactions; acid-base reactions; redox reactions; inorganic constituents of living organisms; hydrocarbons; organic compounds containing oxygen or sulphur; organic compounds containing nitrogen; carbohydrates; amino acids and proteins; lipids; vitamins; nucleic acids.

3. The cell and its organization (morphology and function): Prokaryotes (bacteria) and Eukaryotes (focus on cilia and flagella, cell wall, cell membrane, endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi, lysosome, mitochondrion, ribosome, centriole, nucleus, nucleolus).

4. From cells to tissues of different structure and function.

5. Cell division: mitosis and meiosis.

6. Anabolic and catabolic pathways regarding nucleic acids, proteins, carbohydrates, lipids (bioenergetics included).

7. The physiology of living organisms: respiration, ingestion and digestion, excretion, circulation, endocrine and neural regulation, immune-biology, locomotion.

8. Reproduction and development of animals.

9. Viruses.

10. Genetics: Mendelian inheritance, human genetics.

Note: Knowledge of English terminology is required in all of these areas!

• Topics from Medical Biology (pdf)
• Topics from Medical Chemistry (pdf)

Recommended Textbooks

Evaluation

The applicants’ performance at the entrance examinations is evaluated by the Admission Committee of the University. The Board makes decisions regarding admissions on the basis of the skills, knowledge and attitude judged by the performance at the entrance examination and by the former scientific record of the applicants revealed by the documents attached to their applications. The University’s strategic aims, including those regarding geographical and cultural diversity and gender balance are also considered.

Registration

Applicants have to register (sign up) for the entrance examinations in SEMAPHOR after having submitted a valid application (and paid the Admission Procedure Fee). Registrations can only be withdrawn before the deadline for registration to the given examination. The absence of a registered applicant at the entrance examination is not considered as the withdrawal of registration but as an examination attended without valuable result.

Dates of Entrance Examinations in 2020

Applicants who have submitted their online applications can register for the following entrance examinations in SEMAPHOR. The application starts in February 2020 and the deadline for submitting the applications is the 31st of May, the deadlines of registering to the individual examinations are indicated in the table.

*  Examination dates are subject to change.

** Deadlines in the table refer to registrations for individual examinations. Please keep in mind that the deadline of submitting your online application via SEMAPHOR is the 31st of May 2020 irrespectively of the choice of the entrance examination.

*** You may find the contact details of the hosts under ‘Our representatives‘ menu.

**** Please contact the Head of the English Division (Ms. Olga Ványi) at english.secretariat@semmelweis-univ.hu before the deadline.