Will I have to sit an entrance test?

Short answer: For many courses, yes. It depends on the course.

• TOLC and English TOLC from CISIA: online tests used by many public universities. You can often sit them at home (TOLC@CASA) (University of Padova).
• SAT for some English courses. One course at Pavia asks non EU applicants for at least 979 out of 1600 (University of Pavia).
• The university's own test or interview, common at private universities and for design and architecture.
• Restricted courses such as Architecture have a compulsory national or university admission test, and registration for some tests happens on Universitaly (MUR circular).

If you must travel to Italy to sit a test in person and you already have your school certificate, the embassy can issue a special study visa valid for 100 days (MUR circular).