The Admission Tests That Are Not the UCAT
Seven more named tests appear in European medical admissions — HPAT, GAMSAT, MCAT, BMAT, IMAT, HUMAT and MediTest — and none at more than seven programs.
Quick Answer
Seven named tests, and each one is small. Across the 212 programs on this site that publish exact admission requirements, the UCAT dominates at 52 — and after it come the GAMSAT at 7, the MCAT at 7, the HPAT at 4, the BMAT and HUMAT at 2 each, and the IMAT and MediTest at 1 each. The concentration matters more than the count: the GAMSAT and HPAT are almost entirely Irish, the HUMAT belongs to one Italian university, and the IMAT is named by a single program in our requirements data even though it governs Italian public admission nationally. Several publish real thresholds you can plan against — the University of Nicosia accepts an MCAT of 498 or a GAMSAT of 55 overall with a minimum of 50 in each section, University College Dublin a GAMSAT of 57 or an MCAT of 503 issued within two years of the program start, and the University of Zagreb an MCAT with a minimum of 125 in every section. The Medical University of Warsaw is the outlier that helps everyone: it will consider a UCAT, BMAT, MCAT, GAMSAT or HPAT score, but only after advance confirmation.
Source Status
Counts and thresholds are taken from the exact admission requirements recorded per program in our catalog, which stores each university's published wording. A test is counted where the requirement text names it; national tests that govern admission without appearing in a university's own requirements text are under-counted by that method, and the IMAT is the clearest example.
Quick Take
- Seven named tests beyond the UCAT, none at more than 7 programs.
- The GAMSAT and HPAT are almost entirely Irish.
- Warsaw accepts five different tests, but only after advance confirmation.
The whole list
| Test | Programs naming it | Where |
|---|---|---|
| UCAT | 52 | UK, plus Cyprus, Greece, Malta, Poland |
| GAMSAT | 7 | Ireland, Cyprus, Poland, UK |
| MCAT | 7 | Ireland, Croatia, Cyprus, Greece, Poland |
| HPAT | 4 | Ireland, Poland |
| BMAT | 2 | Greece, Poland |
| HUMAT | 2 | Italy |
| IMAT | 1 | Italy |
| MediTest | 1 | Greece |
The first row is a different order of magnitude from all the others, and it is the reason the UCAT gets its own guide — what is actually on the UCAT. Everything below it is a handful of programs.
One important undercount. The IMAT appears once here because this table reads university requirement pages, and Italian public admission is set nationally rather than by each university — so most Italian pages do not restate it. The IMAT governs far more than one program; see the IMAT and studying medicine in Italy. The same caution applies to any nationally administered test.
The Irish pair: GAMSAT and HPAT
If your shortlist includes Ireland, one of these two is probably unavoidable, and which one depends on the route rather than the university.
HPAT is the undergraduate-entry test. Trinity College Dublin requires it in the year of entry alongside minimum points and same-sitting qualifications; University College Cork requires it for EU applicants; the University of Galway states that EU applicants apply through the CAO and meet HPAT and subject rules.
GAMSAT is the graduate-entry test, and Ireland is where it concentrates. The University of Limerick uses it as the sole selection instrument for EU candidates, which is unusually blunt — no interview weighting, no file scoring, one number. University College Dublin publishes a minimum of 57, or an MCAT of 503, issued within two years before the program starts. RCSI uses MCAT or GAMSAT with interview-screening reference scores around MCAT 503 and GAMSAT 60.
Note the recurring detail in that paragraph: validity windows. UCD requires a score issued within two years, and University College Cork states the GAMSAT is valid for two years. Sitting very early in a long application cycle can mean sitting twice.
The route difference is covered in graduate-entry medicine in Europe.
Where the MCAT is actually accepted
Seven programs name it, which is the number that surprises North American applicants most — and four of the seven are outside Ireland.
| University | Country | What is published |
|---|---|---|
| University of Nicosia | Cyprus | MCAT 498 minimum, or GAMSAT 55 overall with minimum 50 each section, or UCAT |
| University College Dublin | Ireland | GAMSAT 57 or MCAT 503, issued within two years of program start |
| University of Zagreb | Croatia | Exemption possible with MCAT minimum 125 in every section, or a natural-sciences degree |
| University of Limerick | Ireland | Non-EU candidates use GAMSAT or MCAT and attend interview |
| RCSI | Ireland | MCAT or GAMSAT, with published reference scores |
| University of Crete | Greece | MCAT among accepted alternatives to its own assessment |
| Medical University of Warsaw | Poland | MCAT among five accepted tests, after advance confirmation |
Zagreb's is the most useful entry for a North American, because it is framed as an exemption: a strong MCAT with 125 in every section can take you out of the local entrance exam entirely. That is a different proposition from the MCAT being merely accepted.
The broader question of whether the MCAT is worth sitting for Europe at all is in the MCAT and European medical schools.
The one-university tests
Three tests in the table belong to a single institution or country, and they are worth knowing only if that place is on your list.
HUMAT, at Humanitas University in Italy, is the most substantial: a 120-minute online test of 60 questions split 10 each across scientific thinking, academic literacy, biology, chemistry, mathematics and physics. Passing it also exempts the applicant from providing a separate B2 English certificate, which removes a document from the chain. Its sittings are published — first round 5 to 6 March 2026, second 18 to 20 March, a technical-recovery test on 24 March and a ranking on 30 March.
MediTest-EU appears once, at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, and only as an exemption: an accepted MediTest or BMAT result, or final A-levels of at least AAB including chemistry and biology, exempts you from Thessaloniki's own 60-question assessment.
BMAT appears twice, both times as an alternative rather than a requirement — at Thessaloniki as above, and at Warsaw among its five accepted tests.
What each of the university-run exams contains is in European entrance exams, and the ones you can sit remotely in entrance exams you can sit from home.
Before you book anything
Check whether the test is required or merely accepted. Most of the entries above are alternatives to a local exam, not additional hurdles. Sitting the GAMSAT for a program that would have tested you itself is wasted money.
Ask about advance confirmation. The Medical University of Warsaw states plainly that its alternative routes apply only after advance confirmation — so the score alone does not open the door, and finding that out after booking is expensive.
Check the validity window. Two years is common, and it interacts badly with long application cycles.
Check who the alternative is for. Several of these split by citizenship — Limerick's GAMSAT-only rule is for EU candidates, while non-EU candidates use GAMSAT or MCAT and attend an interview. The same pattern runs through fees and deadlines across this site.
And remember that most of Europe requires none of them. Fifty-six programs name a written entrance exam of their own, and the majority of those set it themselves rather than accepting an international test. If you would rather not sit any admission test, medical schools with no entrance exam is the shorter road.
FAQs
What admission tests do European medical schools use besides the UCAT?
Seven named tests appear in the published requirements on this site: the GAMSAT at 7 programs, the MCAT at 7, the HPAT at 4, the BMAT and HUMAT at 2 each, and the IMAT and MediTest at 1 each. The UCAT dominates at 52, almost all British.
Do I need the GAMSAT or the HPAT for Ireland?
It depends on the route. HPAT is the undergraduate-entry test — Trinity requires it in the year of entry, and University College Cork and Galway for EU applicants. GAMSAT is the graduate-entry test, and the University of Limerick uses it as the sole selection instrument for EU candidates. Both are typically valid for two years.
Which European medical schools accept the MCAT?
Seven publish it: the University of Nicosia at a 498 minimum, University College Dublin at 503 issued within two years, the University of Zagreb as an exemption at 125 minimum in every section, plus RCSI, the University of Limerick, the University of Crete and the Medical University of Warsaw.
What is the HUMAT?
Humanitas University's own online admission test in Italy: 120 minutes, 60 questions split 10 each across scientific thinking, academic literacy, biology, chemistry, mathematics and physics. Passing it also exempts the applicant from providing a separate B2 English certificate.
Why does the IMAT appear only once in this data?
Because this counts what universities state in their own requirement pages, and Italian public medical admission is set nationally rather than per university, so most Italian pages do not restate it. The IMAT governs far more than one program — the count is a limitation of the method, not a description of Italy.
Can one test cover several countries?
Sometimes, but only with confirmation. The Medical University of Warsaw will consider a UCAT, BMAT, MCAT, GAMSAT or HPAT score, and says explicitly that this applies only after advance confirmation. Most other programs accept a specific named test rather than any admission test, so check before booking.