Gdańsk vs PUMS: The Two Written Exams Compared

In short. Both exams test biology and chemistry, with one right answer per question. PUMS also tests physics, and it moves faster: about 60 seconds a question, against 90 at Gdańsk. You sit Gdańsk online and PUMS in person. Here they are side by side, with a study order for 8 days, 4 weeks or 12 weeks.

Side by side

	Gdańsk (MUG)	PUMS (Poznan)
Rules from	The 2023 exam manual	2026
Questions	60, one right answer each	60, one best answer each
Time	90 minutes	60 minutes
Seconds per question	About 90	About 60
Subjects	Biology (1 to 30), then chemistry (31 to 60)	Biology, chemistry and physics in one paper
A wrong answer	Costs nothing	PUMS does not publish how it marks one
Where	Online, with an examiner on Zoom	In person, in Poznan and other cities
What you may use	A calculator and five printed reference sheets	A calculator, a periodic table and physics formulas, handed out
The interview	20 minutes on Zoom, recorded	About 20 to 40 minutes, with professors
Score you need	Below about 60% usually means no interview. At the interview, you need 6 of 10	No pass mark is published
Cost to sit	100 PLN to apply, no exam fee (2026/27)	685 PLN (as listed in 2026)
English (as of 2026)	B2, such as IELTS 5.5 or TOEFL iBT 80	IELTS 6.5 or TOEFL iBT 94
Dates	Not published yet. In 2026, Admission Office exams ran from 14 May to 30 July; agencies ran others	Apply by 20 July 2027. Classes start on 6 September 2027

Gdańsk checks your school grades first, and only then invites you to the exam. Both exams are at the level of the end of high school.^[1][2]

Two names cause mix-ups. The Medical University of Gdańsk (MUG) is not the University of Gdańsk. PUMS is the Poznan University of Medical Sciences.

What is only on PUMS

The chart at the top of this page shows it. Biology and chemistry are on both exams. These parts are on the PUMS list only:

• Physics, 8 topics: Newton's laws, fluids, light and lenses, motion, sound, temperature and gases, waves, and work and energy.
• Nuclear chemistry: radioactive decay and half-life.

Electricity and magnetism are not on the PUMS list.

The interviews differ too. Gdańsk has its own list of 16 anatomy and physiology topics. PUMS uses the same list as its exam. See all 39 PUMS topics.

A study order for one exam or both

Neither university says how many questions come from each topic. So go through every line of your list. Two rules shape the order:

• Gdańsk: 30 questions are biology and 30 are chemistry, so give both subjects equal time. A wrong answer costs nothing, so never leave a blank.
• PUMS: the split between subjects is not published. Physics and nuclear chemistry are the parts that Gdańsk does not test, so they may be new to you.

First, mark each topic on your list: "I know it", "shaky" or "new". The PUMS list is in our PUMS topic guide. The Gdańsk list is in our Gdańsk exam guide.

If your exam is in 8 days

1. Day 1: mark every topic on your list.
2. Days 2 and 3: your "new" topics. For PUMS, start with physics and nuclear chemistry if they are new to you.
3. Days 4 and 5: your "shaky" biology topics.
4. Day 6: your "shaky" chemistry topics, with the calculations.
5. Day 7: one timed run at your exam's pace, with the official practice below.
6. Day 8: the exam-day checks, then rest.

Each evening, explain one interview topic out loud, in English.

If you have 4 weeks

1. Week 1: mark both lists. Learn what is new first. For PUMS, that may be physics and nuclear chemistry.
2. Week 2: biology, one topic at a time.
3. Week 3: chemistry, one topic at a time, with the calculations.
4. Week 4: timed practice at your exam's pace, and the exam-day checks.

If you have 12 weeks

1. Weeks 1 and 2: mark both lists, and start one page of notes per topic.
2. Weeks 3 to 5: for PUMS, the 8 physics topics and nuclear chemistry. Gdańsk only? Use these weeks for biology.
3. Weeks 6 to 8: biology, one topic at a time.
4. Weeks 9 and 10: chemistry, one topic at a time.
5. Weeks 11 and 12: timed practice, the interview topics out loud and the exam-day checks.

The exam-day checks

• Gdańsk: test your camera, microphone and screen sharing on the computer you will use. Print the five reference sheets. Have a calculator, white paper, two pens, your login and the Zoom details ready. Some devices, such as iPads and iPhones, need special settings.
• PUMS: plan your trip to the exam city. PUMS hands out the calculator, the periodic table and the physics formulas. Nothing else is allowed.

Free official practice

Use the universities' own material first.

• Gdańsk: sample questions from 2014, in biology and chemistry. They are old, but they show the style. Time yourself: about 90 seconds a question.
• PUMS: official practice quizzes. PUMS gives access to them for an 85 PLN processing fee. Its application fee is also 85 PLN, so ask PUMS if this is one payment.
• PUMS: free Pearson study materials for the first 150 registered candidates who meet the eligibility criteria. You get a personal code after you register for the exam. PUMS says they do not guarantee a place.^[3]

The interviews

Both schools hold an interview. Our practice will not simulate either one.

• Gdańsk: 20 minutes on Zoom, recorded, and you need 6 of 10. It checks your English, your motivation and whether you suit medicine. It also covers 16 topics in anatomy and physiology, listed in our Gdańsk exam guide.
• PUMS: about 20 to 40 minutes with professors, on the same list as the exam. PUMS also looks at your motivation, volunteering and English.

Practise explaining each topic out loud, in English.

Our plans for one exam or both

Single-School Prep covers one exam. Gdańsk + PUMS Prep covers both, in one plan.

Sources: the MUG entrance exams page and exam manual (2023). Also the PUMS entrance exam page, admission requirements and topic list (PDF). PolandMedPrep is independent, and we are not linked to either university. If our page and theirs differ, theirs is right.