Italian Tourist Guide Exam 2026: Written Test on June 5 — The Complete Guide to Passing It

In short. The written test of the national licensing exam for the tourist-guide profession takes place on June 5, 2026, across five venues (Caserta, Rome, Milan, Catania, Cagliari), in two daily sessions. Forty multiple-choice questions, forty minutes, pass mark 25/40. No penalty for wrong or blank answers. Below: an analysis of the exam programme (Annex 3), an intensive 15-day study plan, the exam-day procedure step by step, and the mistakes that fail well-prepared candidates.

1. The date is official: June 5, 2026

The Notice published on the inPA portal has set the written test of the licensing exam for the tourist-guide profession — 2026-2027 cycle.

On the same day, the acts defining how candidates will be assessed were published: Decree no. 76879 appointing the Examining Commission (May 19, 2026) and the Commission’s Minutes no. 1 (May 20, 2026), with the related annexes. By law, it is the Commission that defines the exam programme and adopts the assessment criteria.

Three points to fix immediately, because they shape everything else:

1. The venue assignment depends solely on the residence declared in the application. No changes of venue or session time are allowed.
2. Absence from the venue at the scheduled time means exclusion, for any reason — even force majeure. There are no make-up sessions (except support measures for candidates with specific learning disorders, SLD, and any asynchronous tests).
3. The Notice has full legal effect as official notification. The act published on inPA is the notification — don’t wait for a personal message to consider yourself informed.

2. The 5 venues and times: where you must show up

The test is held in five venues. The venue is assigned by region of residence; within the venue, the session (morning or afternoon) is assigned by alphabetical order of surname.

Compound surnames — read this twice. Surnames made of two words, or with an apostrophe, are treated without spaces. Examples from the Notice: Lo Monaco reads as Lomonaco; D’Orazio reads as Dorazio. Getting the band wrong means showing up at the wrong time — and the wrong time means exclusion. Check your band using the “no spaces” rule before June 5.

3. How the written test is structured

The written test consists of a 40-question multiple-choice test, to be completed in 40 minutes. It is held in Italian.

Scoring

• Correct answer: +1 point
• Wrong answer: 0 points
• Blank answer: 0 points
• Maximum score: 40 points
• Pass mark: 25/40, pursuant to Ministerial Decree 88/2024

The direct, non-negotiable consequence: there is no penalty for wrong or blank answers. A blank question and a wrong one are worth exactly the same (zero). So you answer all 40 questions, always. Leaving a question blank means throwing away a free chance at a point.

Additional time

Candidates entitled to it receive additional time, up to a maximum of 50% of the test duration, at the Commission’s sole discretion. Candidates with a diagnosed SLD are granted the relevant support measures and any asynchronous tests.

Changing answers

Until answers are definitively acquired, the candidate can change previously given answers. When time runs out, the system stops the procedure and definitively acquires the answers given so far. Marking is carried out under conditions ensuring anonymity; anonymity is lifted only after all marking is complete.

4. The breakdown of the 40 questions: where you win and where you lose

This is the single most important figure in this article. The breakdown of questions is confirmed by two concordant official sources — the convocation Notice and Annex 4 (assessment criteria):

Strategic reading:

• Art history + archaeology = 20 questions, exactly 50% of the test. This is where the test is decided. A candidate strong in these two subjects is already halfway there.
• Art history + archaeology + geography + history = 34 questions, 85%. All four draw on Sections I and II of the programme.
• The legal part is only 6 questions (15%), but it’s the most “studiable” part in little time: closed, defined, memorisable sources. It’s the fastest way to bank safe points near the pass mark.
• The 25/40 pass mark equals 62.5%. In other words: you can get up to 15 wrong and still pass. The realistic goal isn’t perfection — it’s margin.

5. The exam programme (Annex 3): the 4 sections explained

Annex 3 is the heart of preparation. It is structured in four sections. Understanding what each section is for avoids the most common — and most costly — mistake.

• Section I — Sites and territorial contexts (124 entries). A list of 124 sites, monuments, parks and territorial contexts, organised by 21 territorial units: the 19 regions plus the Autonomous Provinces of Bolzano and Trento.
• Section II — Museums and cultural sites (24 entries). A list of 24 museums and cultural sites, with their relevant internal sections. Useful for orienting study: Lazio dominates with 8 of the 24 museums (Vatican Museums, Borghese Gallery, Castel Sant’Angelo, GNAM, National Roman Museum, Villa Giulia Etruscan Museum, Capitoline Museums, Barberini-Corsini), followed by Tuscany with 3.
• Section III — Destinations for the technical-practical test (40 entries). Important: this section is NOT part of the written test. It is the pool from which the destination for the technical-practical test (the simulated guided visit) is drawn by lot.
• Section IV — Regulations. The only section with a list of legal sources. It is the basis of the 6 legal questions in the written test: Legislative Decree 42/2004 (Cultural Heritage and Landscape Code), Legislative Decree 79/2011 (Tourism Code), Law 190/2023, Ministerial Decree 88/2024, Constitution arts. 9-16-32-36-41-117, EU sources, Law 55/2021 and Prime Ministerial Decree 177/2023 (Ministry of Tourism), Law 104/1992 art. 23, the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities art. 30, ISO 21902, and Legislative Decree 29/2024 art. 8.

How to study Section IV. You don’t need to memorise the articles word for word. You need: the subject matter of each rule, the definition of “tourist guide” and the framework of Law 190/2023 with Ministerial Decree 88/2024, the difference between a tourist guide and other professional figures, the basics of the Tourism Code, the heritage-valorisation function of the Cultural Heritage Code, the six cited constitutional articles, and the accessibility principles. Six “technical” but closed questions: two days of focused study brings home nearly all of them.

6. The full picture: written, oral and technical-practical tests

The written test is only the first of three steps. Annex 4 and Annexes 5.a-5.d define the whole path.

Oral test — assessment grid. Two grids, depending on whether the candidate is subject to or exempt from the foreign-language check:

• Candidates subject to the language check — a) knowledge and depth in the disciplines: 0-15; b) communication, presentation and logical reasoning: 0-14; c) aptitude for the profession: 0-5; d) foreign-language knowledge: 0-6.
• Candidates exempt from the language check — the language points are redistributed: a) 0-17; b) 0-16; c) 0-7.

Technical-practical test — assessment grid. A simulated guided visit on a destination drawn by lot from Section III:

• Candidates subject to the language check — a) knowledge of the destination and interdisciplinary contextualisation: 0-10; b) ability to lead the visit clearly and engagingly: 0-10; c) ability to highlight significant features and engage the audience: 0-10; d) leading the visit in the chosen foreign language: 0-10.
• Candidates exempt from the language check — a) 0-13; b) 0-14; c) 0-13.

In both tests the Commission’s assessment is given unanimously.

How the progression works. The three tests run in cascade. Only candidates who scored at least 25/40 in the written test advance to the oral and technical-practical tests. Those who pass the oral take the technical-practical test immediately afterwards, on the same day. The oral test also includes verification of the foreign language chosen in the application, at a level no lower than B2 (save for the exemption cases under art. 4 of Law 190/2023). The oral and technical-practical tests may be held in person or remotely with remote invigilation (proctoring), as communicated on inPA. The licence is obtained only by passing all three tests; those who pass may then apply for entry in the National Register of Tourist Guides (ENGT), established by art. 6 of Law 190/2023.

The technical-practical test is why Section III must still be studied — not for the written test, but for the final stage.

7. Can the exam be blocked or postponed by appeals? What the exam call says

Note: the following is general information, not legal advice. I am not a lawyer; for an assessment of your specific situation, consult an administrative-law attorney.

It’s a legitimate question: the exam programme (Annex 3) and the assessment criteria were published on inPA on May 19-20, 2026, while the written test is set for June 5, 2026 — roughly two weeks later. With the exam call in hand, however, today the question can be answered with facts rather than impressions.

1. The call expressly provides for the appeal route. Article 12 of the call states that the call itself may be challenged by judicial appeal to the Lazio Regional Administrative Court (TAR) within 60 days of publication, or by extraordinary appeal to the President of the Republic within 120 days. So it is a fact, not a hypothesis, that the procedure can be challenged; together with a judicial appeal, a stay (interim suspension of the act) can be requested.

2. The 15-day deadline for date and venue was met. Article 6, paragraph 4 of the call requires that the date and venue of the written test be made available on inPA at least 15 days before the test. The Notice with the calendar and venues was published on May 20, 2026: from May 20 to June 5 there are 16 days. On this specific point — advance notice of date and venue — the deadline set by the call itself is met.

3. On the exam programme, the call sets no minimum number of days. Article 4 provides that the Commission articulates the programme and criteria “before the tests are held” and publishes them on inPA with legal effect as notification, without specifying a minimum advance period. This is the point on which any challenge might focus (preparation time deemed inadequate), but it is also the point on which the call contains no fixed numerical rule: the assessment would be left to the administrative judge and would depend on factors such as the degree of continuity with the previous session’s structure. I cannot anticipate the outcome of such an assessment — and I would distrust anyone who claims today, with certainty, that “the exam will be cancelled” or that “it’s impossible to stop it”.

4. No automatic suspensive effect. This is the decisive practical point: merely filing an appeal suspends nothing. Until a judge grants a stay, the procedure continues. In practice: as of today, the June 5 test is confirmed and will be held.

So the operating rule is one only: prepare as if the test will be held on June 5 — because as of today that is exactly the case — and meanwhile monitor the inPA portal, where (again per the call) any change is published with legal effect as notification. Counting on a postponement and slowing down your study is the worst possible mistake.

8. Intensive study plan: 15 days to be ready

Fifteen effective study days, built on the real weights of the subjects. The logic: time goes where the points are. Art and archaeology are worth 50% of the test, so they take the largest slice of the calendar; the compact, memorisable legal part comes towards the end; the final days are timed simulations, not new study.

(Dates are indicative: adapt the numbers to your starting point, keeping June 5 free.)

Three rules worth more than the calendar:

1. Quizzes every day, from day 1. Don’t study for two weeks and then “try” quizzes. Alternate study and quizzes from the start: quizzes show the gaps while there’s still time to close them.
2. Run simulations in real time. 40 questions in 40 minutes, clock running, no breaks. Minute-per-question pacing is trained, not improvised.
3. The last day, no new material. Day 15 is consolidation only. Adding new topics 24 hours before the test raises anxiety, not your score.

9. Exam day: step by step

What to bring (4 documents + water)

1. Application receipt issued by the system when completing the online application on inPA.
2. Valid ID document.
3. Tax code (codice fiscale).
4. Printed copy of the participation letter. Sent about 48 hours before the convocation from noreply@concorsismart.it to the ordinary email address given in the application. It contains personal data, venue, time and a QR code for access. Check your spam/junk folder too.

If the participation letter does not arrive by exam day, you can still attend with the regular registration receipt downloadable from the inPA portal. The letter does not replace the convocation Notice: it is the Notice on inPA that has legal effect as notification.

You may bring a small bag or backpack with essential personal items and water. Bringing luggage into the room is forbidden, save for documented exceptions.

The procedure, phase by phase

1. Entry into the exam area — a QR-code wristband is applied, to be shown to check-in staff.
2. Device station — before identification, at a dedicated station, you switch off your electronic devices (phone, tablet, smartwatch, earphones) and place them in a bag shield, a signal-blocking pouch with an anti-theft lock. The bag shield stays with the candidate throughout the test and is reopened only after check-out.
3. Check-in — at the desk, staff verify documents and hand over a tablet, uniquely linked to the candidate via the wristband scan and the participation letter. Anyone missing documents goes first to the pre/check-in desk.
4. The test — 40 quizzes in 40 minutes on the tablet. Answers can be changed until definitive acquisition. When time runs out, the system closes and acquires.
5. Check-out — return the tablet to staff, who confirm the test has been submitted; the bag shield is reopened and you leave.
6. Afterwards — the certificate of participation arrives by email and can also be downloaded from the reserved area on formez.concorsismart.it. You will also be able to view your own test in the reserved area, following a notice published on inPA.

Prohibitions in the room (immediate exclusion)

During the test you may not communicate with other candidates and may not bring in: writing paper, publications, legal compilations, dictionaries, texts, notes of any kind, mobile phones or other mobile devices capable of storing/transmitting data or performing calculations. Violation results in immediate exclusion ordered by the Commission or the supervisory committee.

Strategy: managing the 40 minutes

Forty questions in forty minutes means one minute per question on average. Here is how to handle them without running out of time:

1. Fast first pass. Immediately answer every question you are sure of, and flag the doubtful ones for later. Don’t get stuck: a hard question is worth exactly the same as an easy one.
2. No empty boxes. There is no penalty: a wrong answer and a blank one both score zero. On a 4-option question, even a pure guess averages about 25%; after eliminating one or two implausible options it rises to 33-50%. So answer all 40, always — even the last question you don’t know.
3. Reason by elimination. Even when you don’t know the exact answer, ruling out the obviously wrong options changes the odds dramatically. Eliminate, then choose.
4. Second pass on the doubtful ones. Once the first pass is done, return to the flagged questions: until answers are definitively acquired you can still change them.
5. Read the whole question. Multiple-choice questions often hinge on a single word (“not”, “except”, “incorrect”): one extra second of reading prevents the silly mistake.
6. Keep an eye on the clock. When the 40 minutes are up the system closes on its own. Aim to finish the first pass within 25-30 minutes, leaving the rest of the time for the doubtful questions.

10. The 8 mistakes that fail well-prepared candidates

1. Studying Section III for the written test. Section III isn’t in the quiz — it’s only for the technical-practical test. Precious time wasted.
2. Leaving questions blank. Wrong and blank both score zero. Every empty box is a free chance at a point thrown away. Answer all 40.
3. Not checking spam. The letter with the QR code comes from noreply@concorsismart.it about 48 hours before — it often lands in junk mail.
4. Getting the time band wrong because of your surname. Surnames with a space or apostrophe read without spaces (Lo Monaco → Lomonaco). Wrong band = wrong time = exclusion.
5. Showing up late. Absence at the set time, even for force majeure, excludes you. Account for traffic, parking and queues in advance.
6. Counting on a postponement. Until inPA publishes a change, the June 5 test goes ahead. Studying on the assumption “they’ll postpone it anyway” is the surest way not to be ready if they don’t.
7. Underrating art and archaeology. They are 50% of the test. Splitting study equally across all subjects means not putting time where the points are.
8. Not training for time. 40 questions in 40 minutes is one minute per question. Without timed simulations, on exam day the time runs out before the questions do.

11. Useful resources: the official links

To study well and miss no communication, these are the official sources to keep an eye on until June 5:

• inPA portal — the exam call, the annexes, the calendar and every official communication (with legal effect as notification) are here: www.inpa.gov.it. Check it regularly: it is the channel that counts.
• Ministry of Tourism — the call, the programme and related materials are also published on the institutional site: www.ministeroturismo.gov.it.
• Formez reserved area — to download your registration receipt, the certificate of participation and, after the test, to view your own exam paper: formez.concorsismart.it.
• Annex 3, Annex 4 and Annexes 5.a-5.d — programme, criteria and assessment grids: download them from inPA and study directly from them, not from second-hand summaries.
• Official information email — for organisational queries about the exam: guideturistiche@formez.it.
• Quiz databases — practising with timed multiple-choice quizzes is very useful for getting used to the one-minute-per-question pace. It remains training, though, not a substitute: the reference programme is and stays Annex 3.

12. In summary

The written test of June 5, 2026 rewards those who allocate time where the points are: art and archaeology (50%), then geography and history (35%), and finally the compact, fast-to-close legal part (15%). Pass mark 25/40, no penalties: answer everything. Section III is not in the written test. The programme was published close to the test and some may file appeals, but — until inPA says otherwise — the test goes ahead and must be prepared for now. Fifteen days are enough if they’re fifteen real days, with quizzes from day one and timed simulations at the end.

📘 TOURLEADERPRO STUDY RESOURCES

Available now — for Section IV (tourism law, accessibility, cultural heritage and landscape regulation) the legal and regulatory part is covered in depth in the TourLeaderPro PDF: ➜ SEE THE LEGAL SECTION ON TOURLEADERPRO.COM

Coming soon — the full study manual and notes dedicated to the tourist-guide exam will be published on tourleaderpro.com in the coming days.