If the degree you want is taught in English and the university asks for a «CISIA test», the acronym you will meet is probably CEnT-S: the CISIA English Test – Science. Since 4 November 2025 it has taken the place of the English TOLCs (I, E and F), and the official CISIA sources do not all describe the same structure. This guide sorts out what is certain, what is an inference and what is not published, for international applicants and Italian students alike.
Everything below was read on 29 October 2026.
What it is and what it replaced
The CEnT-S is a test entirely in English, organised by the CISIA consortium, which universities use for admission to degrees taught mainly in English: CISIA names Engineering, Economics, Pharmacy and other scientific fields. Until last year the same role was played by English versions of the TOLCs. Today there is no «TOLC-I English». Two things not to mix up:
- the 30-question English section at the end of the Italian TOLCs (it checks your language and does not count towards the ranking) is not a test in English; the article on English in the TOLCs covers it (in Italian);
- the CEnT-S is the whole test in English: reading, maths, reasoning, biology, chemistry and physics.
Structure: two editions, and an uncertainty to declare
Here is the problem that causes most doubts. CISIA publishes two descriptions that do not match:
| Tests up to 31 October 2026 | Structure published now (undated) | |
|---|---|---|
| Source | CEnT regulation 2025/26 | «Structure and syllabus» page |
| Questions | 55 | 65 |
| Sections | 5 (no Reading) | 6 |
| Duration | 110 minutes | 140 minutes |
| Reading and comprehension | not included | 10 questions, 30 minutes |
| Mathematics | 15 q, 30 min | 15 q, 30 min |
| Reasoning on texts and data | 15 q, 30 min | 15 q, 30 min |
| Biology | 10 q, 20 min | 10 q, 20 min |
| Chemistry | 10 q, 20 min | 10 q, 20 min |
| Physics | 5 q, 10 min | 5 q, 10 min |
The regulation says that changes to the structure are announced by 31 October each year, and the «Structure and syllabus» page does not say which period it refers to. Reading the 65/140 version as the one for tests from November 2026 is therefore our inference, a reasonable one (the result-release dates on that page differ from the 2025/26 ones, and the last test day of the old cycle was 15 October 2026), but not a CISIA statement. Until CISIA publishes the 2026/27 regulation, treat it like this: prepare for 140 minutes, keep in mind that the other version exists, and check the new regulation as soon as it appears. It is the first check we will repeat.
Both editions share:
- five options, one correct; no calculator or other tool;
- raw scoring +1 correct, 0 blank, −0.25 wrong;
- each section has its own timer: when time is up you move on and cannot go back. CISIA also states that you must use at least 50% of a section’s time before moving to the next one.
The score you receive is not the raw one: it is normalised at the end of each macro-period with an easiness coefficient calculated from the answers given to the questions. The formula is not on the pages we read. In practice it means that the number on your result will not match the one you get by counting your correct answers, and our CEnT-S practice test can only give you the raw score.
Macro-periods, fee and validity
For tests between 1 November 2025 and 31 October 2026, the CEnT regulation says:
- four macro-periods and eleven test days, one attempt per macro-period; the last days were 17 September and 15 October 2026;
- tests only in the afternoon, with identification from 14:15 and start at 14:30;
- a fee of 55 euros;
- a result valid for 2026/27 enrolment at all participating universities;
- the test is not run if fewer than 250 candidates are enrolled, except on the last date of a macro-period.
For the cycle starting in November 2026, CISIA’s main page speaks of five macro-periods, one test each. The calendar of individual dates, the fee and the validity period for 2026/27 were not published when we checked, so I do not give them: we add them here when they come out, and you can follow them in the university tests calendar.
@UNI or @HOME
The CEnT-S comes in two formats: @UNI (at a university venue) and @HOME (at home, with remote proctoring). Since 23 December 2025 @HOME uses Webex instead of Zoom, as announced by CISIA. Which format is accepted is decided by each university, not by the candidate: for instance the Politecnico di Torino, from 2027/28, admits only the on-site test. If a university accepts both, choose by where you live and how much you trust your connection: the at-home test has rules on room, device and disconnection that are not forgiving.
Who asks for it: what we read and what we did not
There is no single, up-to-date list valid for everyone: each university states in its call whether and how it accepts the CEnT-S. This table separates the official sources we read from those reported to us that we have not re-read in the call.
| University | What we found | Status of the source |
|---|---|---|
| Universities on the CISIA list | Bolzano, Sapienza, Chieti-Pescara, Messina, Cassino, Trieste, Firenze, Milano-Bicocca, Vanvitelli, Pavia (first of two list pages) | CISIA page read; second page not read |
| Politecnico di Torino, from 2027/28 | The Politecnico joins CISIA: TOLC for national applicants and CEnT-S for international ones, on site only; no dates or places published | Official page read |
| Politecnico di Milano | CEnT-S appears among the alternatives to the TOL; its conversion to a score out of 100 would exclude Biology and Chemistry | Existence of the alternative: page read. Conversion detail: reported, not verified |
| Bologna | Valid @UNI for limited-access degrees; @HOME only for the quota of non-EU applicants living abroad | Reported, not verified |
| Trento | For non-EU applicants, first session only | Reported, not verified |
| Milano Statale and Pisa, Economics | From 2026/27 in place of the English TOLC-E, with only the Mathematics and Reasoning sections assessed | Reported, not verified |
The Milan and Pisa rows show something that holds in general: the sections that count change from university to university. If your degree assesses only maths and reasoning, chemistry does not deserve the same hours; if the total counts, even the five physics questions score. The first thing to do is read in the call which sections enter the ranking.
How to prepare, section by section
Time per question is a good thermometer of how much a section needs. In the 140-minute version:
| Section | Questions | Minutes | Minutes per question |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading and comprehension | 10 | 30 | 3.0 |
| Mathematics | 15 | 30 | 2.0 |
| Reasoning on texts and data | 15 | 30 | 2.0 |
| Biology | 10 | 20 | 2.0 |
| Chemistry | 10 | 20 | 2.0 |
| Physics | 5 | 10 | 2.0 |
Reading (English texts at B2 level). Non-fiction, literary and journalistic. It takes careful and quick reading, and the rule of every comprehension test applies: the right answer is the one the text supports, not the one that is true in the world. If English is your weak point, daily reading counts for more than any textbook.
Mathematics. The level is that of a science-oriented high school, but the vocabulary (derivative, logarithm, exponential, roots of a quadratic) is half the problem, especially if you studied maths in another language. If you are coming from the TOLC-I, the maths is the same; what changes is the language, and there is no separate English section to «hide» your level.
Reasoning on texts and data. Argumentation, logic (negation, quantifiers, necessary and sufficient conditions), tables and graphs, percentages, ratios and averages. It is the most trainable section: few question types, a lot of repetition. A good base is the article on logical reasoning.
Biology, Chemistry, Physics. Few questions each (10, 10 and 5), all on the basics: a gap costs you straight away. The extra risk is language: half-life, buffer, torque you may know in your own language but not always in English.
The −0.25. With five options, answering at random is worth zero on average; it turns positive as soon as you can discard at least one option for a reason. The full calculation, with the expected-value table for 5, 4, 3 and 2 options left, is in the English-PSY article: the penalty is the same. Remember that the final score is normalised: do not rebuild your target on the raw score.
What we still do not know
On 29 October 2026 the following is not published or not verified: the calendar of individual dates for the 2026/27 cycle, the fee and the validity of the result for 2027/28 enrolment; the normalisation formula; the second page of the list of participating universities; and the period the 65/140 structure refers to. When CISIA publishes the regulation of the new cycle we update the article, the tests calendar and the «Checked on…» note at the top of the page.
Three mistakes to avoid
- Trusting a guide with the wrong structure. Many pages, including some from universities (the Politecnico di Milano and Bologna still quoted 55 questions and 110 minutes on their 2025/26 pages), describe the previous edition. Always check the date and cycle of the page you are reading, this one included: every fact here carries its reading date.
- Booking without reading which sections count. A university that counts only Mathematics and Reasoning lets you weigh your time differently; one that adds everything does not.
- Waiting for the last macro-period. With one attempt per macro-period and, in the last cycle, a validity that closed on 31 October, a last chance that goes badly (connection, health, one section that went wrong) leaves no second attempt in the same period. Better that your first useful attempt is also a diagnosis.
The simplest plan
- Now: one timed practice test, even at 140 minutes, to see where you lose time and where you lose points. You find it here: it uses the six sections with per-section timers.
- In the following weeks: work on the two or three sections your university assesses, in high volume and with question-by-question review.
- Before the attempt: one or two full practice tests at real times, in the afternoon, because the sittings are afternoon-only. If you will take @HOME, also rehearse room, computer and connection.
- Before booking: check in the cycle regulation and in the university call the structure in force, the sections that count and the format accepted.
If your target is a university that asks for the CEnT-S and you are not sure whether to prepare in lessons or alone, the free introductory call is for that: in half an hour I tell you where you are, how far you have to go and which sections to work on. The tests I prepare are listed on the admission tests page, and for the basics of maths and science there are the maths and science pages.
