Passing the entrance exam for medicine, dentistry or veterinary science in Belgium takes more than science knowledge. You need to cover a broad syllabus, start early, practise the exam format and stay sharp under pressure. Here are 5 levers worth working on, however you choose to prepare.
Which exam will you take?
In Belgium, the exam depends on the university where you want to study. French-speaking universities use the ARES entrance exam (concours): a single written exam, in French, in late August, marked out of 160. Only candidates ranked high enough in their field can enrol. You can sit it at most twice in five years.
Flemish universities use a different exam, the toelatingsexamen, organised in Dutch by the Flemish government in early July: in 2027, Friday 2 July (medicine), Saturday 3 July (dentistry) and Sunday 4 July (veterinary science), with registration from 1 March to 17 May 2027. The advice below applies to both; we point out the differences as we go.
1. Start early and spread the syllabus over the year
The most common mistake is to treat the entrance exam like an ordinary test you can cram for in a few weeks. The syllabus is broad: biology, chemistry, physics, mathematics, plus a section on reasoning and communication skills.
Both exams take place once a year, so plan your preparation over the whole final year of secondary school, alongside your classes and June exams. The Flemish exam comes right after those exams, so most of the work has to be done during the school year. The French-speaking exam, in late August (27 August in 2026), leaves the summer for a final round of practice.
A good plan stays realistic. A few fixed study slots every week work better than an ambitious schedule you cannot keep up.
- List every subject at the start.
- Spread them over a calendar that leaves time for revision and practice.
- Keep the final stretch for practice and revision, with new material covered beforehand.
2. Work from the official syllabus
Secondary school science is a good foundation, but it does not match the exam syllabus exactly. Not every study track offers the same number of hours of science or maths either.
Both exams have two parts. The ARES exam covers the sciences (biology, chemistry, physics, mathematics), then communication and critical analysis of information. The Flemish exam has KIW, 40 multiple choice science questions (10 per subject), and GC, generic skills: a test on empathy and communication and a test analysing short scientific texts. Each organiser publishes its own official syllabus.
Use it as a checklist and sort each topic into:
- what you already master;
- what you need to revise;
- what you still need to learn or deepen.
You do not need to give every subject the same time: focus on the areas where the gap with the expected level is widest. And do not neglect the second part: it counts towards your overall result, just like the sciences.
3. Do plenty of exercises and learn the question format
Understanding your course is essential, but not enough. On exam day, you need to apply what you know quickly to solve problems.
Start without a time limit to check your reasoning, then add the clock step by step. Work on your strategy too: read each question in full, rule out impossible answers, spot the traps and know when to skip a question and come back to it. In the Flemish exam, wrong answers cost points (giscorrectie), so learn when to leave a question blank.
The best resource is the exam itself: the ARES publishes questions from previous editions on mesetudes.be, and the Flemish government publishes past questions and sample exams on vlaanderen.be. They show the expected level and the kind of reasoning required.
When you get something wrong, always look for the cause: material not mastered, a reasoning error, a misread question, slow calculation or simple inattention. The cause tells you what to work on.
4. Practise under exam conditions
Solving a set of exercises at home is very different from holding the same level through a full exam day. That is why mock exams matter, in conditions as close as possible to the real thing: duration, breaks, permitted materials.
A mock exam answers very practical questions:
- Do you spend too long on some questions?
- When does your concentration drop?
- Do you make more mistakes when you rush?
- Does your answering strategy work?
Take your first one early in the year: it is there to reveal your weak points, not to measure your level a few days before the exam. Analyse each result, then adjust your plan.
5. Prepare your mindset and manage stress
Even with a strong grasp of the material, stress can cost you points. Much of it fades through preparation itself: the more familiar the format, the fewer unknowns on exam day.
Watch how you react under pressure too. Some candidates rush, others get stuck on a hard question, others start doubting answers they know. Once you recognise your reaction, a simple response helps: skip the question, find your rhythm again, take a few seconds to refocus, and only change an answer for a clear reason.
The last few days matter as well. A night spent on one more subject rarely pays off as much as arriving rested and focused. Veterinary science is new to the French-speaking exam from 2027, see our article Veterinary studies at French-speaking universities: an entrance exam from 2027.
Getting support
You can prepare on your own, and universities also run preparatory courses. Some candidates prefer a framework, a structured programme and regular follow-up throughout the year.
My Sherpa offers both preparations: Admissio, in French, for the ARES exam (13 days of classes in groups of 10 at most in Brussels, or a self-paced digital course), and Studant, in Dutch, for the toelatingsexamen (13 class days in groups of 10 to 12 in Antwerp, Brussels or Ghent, or an online course). Both include mock exams. Find out more on our page medical, dental and veterinary school entrance exam preparation.
Dates and the number of places change every year: the organisers (ARES and the Flemish government) remain the reference. For an overview of other entrance exams, read Entrance exams in Belgium: what are they?
