Overview
Rezidențiat is Romania's national admission contest for residency training in medicine, dental medicine and pharmacy. The Ministry of Health runs it for both residency places (a fixed-term contract) and posts (an open-ended contract with a public hospital). The 2026 session takes place on 15 November 2026 at six university centres: Bucharest, Cluj-Napoca, Craiova, Iași, Târgu Mureș and Timișoara. The topics and reading list are national and are published on rezidentiat.ms.ro.
Who can apply
According to the 2026 methodology, these candidates can take part:
holders of a degree (or degree and master's) as doctor, dentist or pharmacist from an accredited Romanian institution, or an equivalent recognised in law
residents already in training, within the legal rules
specialists who want to train in another specialty; this is only possible on a paid basis
candidates who meet the citizenship condition and have not reached standard retirement age
Candidates must be medically fit for the field, shown by a medical certificate in the file. Romanians from abroad, and candidates from the Republic of Moldova who graduated from the Chisinau university in the last five years, sit the same exam but compete for places allocated by the Ministry of Education.
Exam pattern
The test is multiple choice, with 200 questions per field (medicine, dental medicine, pharmacy), the same in all centres, in 4 hours. The questions differ by field. They come in two types.
| Type | Share | Format | Marks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single answer | 25% | one correct answer out of five | 4 per question |
| Multiple answer | 75% | two to four correct answers | 5 per question |
A single-answer question with more or fewer than one answer marked scores zero. A multiple-answer question with fewer than two or more than four answers marked is also cancelled. Candidates fill in an answer grid.
Marking and results
Choosing a place or post requires at least 60% of the highest score achieved nationally in that field. There is a single national ranking for each field, and places and posts are filled in order of score. Ties are broken by a weighted score that rewards correct answers to the harder questions (8 to 10% of the paper). Tied candidates with the maximum score sit an extra 100-question tie-break on 21 November 2026 in Bucharest. The answer key is posted on the day of the exam from 16:00, and challenges about it can be sent by email until 16 November 2026 at 16:00.
Important dates
Files accepted at county public health directorates: 7 to 20 October 2026.
Exam: 15 November 2026.
Tie-break test for candidates with the maximum score: 21 November 2026.
How to apply
Submit one file (a candidate may submit only one) to the public health directorate for your county or Bucharest, or to the relevant ministry that has its own health network, between 7 and 20 October 2026. The file includes an application, ID copy, degree or proof of passing the licence exam, a medical certificate, and the receipt for the contest fee set by the Ministry. You choose your exam centre at registration and cannot change it later.
After the exam
Candidates who reach the minimum score choose their place or post and training centre in a teleconference session, in ranking order, over three consecutive days. Those who place outside the available seats, or who decline, do not get a place.
Preparation tips
Work from the official national topic list and reading list for your field.
Practise multiple-answer questions in particular, since three quarters of the paper uses that format and a wrong number of answers cancels the question.
Is the exam the same in every centre?
Yes. The questions are identical for all six centres, and the exam runs at the same time.