National Tourist Guide Exam 2026 — Syllabus, Dates and How to Prepare
The tourist guide exam is not impossible, but you don’t pass it by improvising. Here is how it works, what to study and how to prepare for the written test on June 5.
Prepare properly, don’t improvise
If you are reading this, you have probably decided to become a tourist guide, or you are seriously considering it. Good. One thing straight away, from someone who does this job: the national exam is not impossible, but you do not pass it by improvising. You either get there prepared, or you do not get there. Here is how the tourist guide exam works, what to study and how to prepare without wasting time.
How the National Exam Works
What changed, what the test looks like and what to know about the June 5 session
The single national exam
For years the profession was regulated region by region: different qualifications, different exams, borders. Law 190/2023 changed everything. Today there is a single national exam for tourist guides: one test, the same syllabus for everyone, a qualification valid across the whole of Italy. The implementing regulation is Ministerial Decree 88/2024. The first session was held on 18 November 2025; the next one is coming up.
The written test: 40 questions
The written test is a multiple-choice test: 40 questions, one correct answer for each. To pass you need at least 25 correct answers out of 40. There are six subjects: art history, archaeology, geography, history, tourism law and cultural heritage legislation. There is no penalty for wrong answers, so you never leave a question blank. It sounds simple. It is not: the syllabus is vast and time is short.
The June 5 session
The next session of the exam is scheduled for June 5. First of all: always check the official call for your region and the exam venue, because dates and procedures can vary and the only source that counts is the official call. If your session is on June 5, do the maths with the calendar: the final weeks are not for studying new topics, they are for consolidating and simulating. Anyone who arrives without ever having done a timed mock test starts at a disadvantage.
How to prepare: mistakes to avoid
The most common mistake is studying passively: reading, reading, reading, without ever testing yourself. It works badly. A multiple-choice test is prepared the way you prepare a quiz: you study a topic, then you test it, and every wrong answer is a topic to reopen. Second mistake: neglecting the «small» subjects — tourism law and cultural heritage legislation carry few questions, but that is exactly where easy points are lost. Third mistake: arriving without timed practice: 40 questions must be managed with a rhythm, the certain ones first, the doubtful ones second.
The right tools: manual and simulator
For this test I prepared two tools, designed exactly for those facing the national tourist guide exam 2026: a manual to study the whole syllabus and a simulator to train on the questions as on exam day. They are used together — you study, you test yourself, you go back to where you are weak.
GET THE MANUAL GET THE SIMULATOR →Tourist Guide Exam 2026 Manual and Simulator
The two tools to prepare for and pass the June 5 test
Tourist Guide Exam 2026 Manual
Covers the entire written-test syllabus in a single volume, updated to Law 190/2023 and Decree 88/2024. Clear language, practical study sheets, memorization tools and the Mente Fredda study method to arrive focused on exam day. €29.99
GET THE MANUALTourist Guide Exam 2026 Simulator
The training ground: 100 full mock exams and 4,000 original multiple-choice questions, in the same structure as the real test, with a commented answer key for every question. To train against the clock before June 5. €29.99
GET THE SIMULATORBundle Manual + Simulator
The two tools together: knowledge and training. The complete preparation — at a lower price than buying them separately. €39.99
GET THE BUNDLEOnline exam simulator
Test yourself: free exam simulation
40 questions in the real 2026 exam format, 40 minutes, automatic scoring. Questions are always new and wrong answers are not penalised, exactly as in the official rules. You can take it even without registering.
START THE SIMULATION →
Train with the online Exam Simulator
40 questions drawn at random each time, always different (over 1093 possible combinations from the 4,000-question bank): difficulty can vary from exam to exam and is partly subjective. Instant feedback, pass mark 25/40.
Go to the simulator