Bocconi test preparation, online and tailored to you.
The Bocconi online test is not "a SAT": it has a precise structure of its own, different penalties from section to section, and counts for only 55% of the ranking, with your school record doing the rest. I work with you on the part almost everyone underestimates, maths (almost half the test), and on the strategy for leaving questions blank. Want to see where you stand? Take the free practice test for it now.
Almost half the test is maths.
The students I work with
- Students in their fourth and fifth year aiming at Bocconi's economics and management degrees who want a plan calibrated on the real weights of the test, not on a generic "SAT-style" syllabus.
- Students aiming at paths with a reinforced maths requirement (for example Artificial Intelligence, Management and Analytics), where a minimum threshold in the maths section alone is also needed.
- Students still in their third or fourth year who want to set up both the test preparation and their school record from the start, since it counts for 45% of the ranking.
How it works
- We start with a diagnostic practice test to see where you lose points, section by section.
- We plan the lessons by real weight: most of the time goes on maths.
- We work on mental arithmetic and algebraic shortcuts, because the problem is often not theory but speed.
- We dedicate targeted lessons to the strategy for leaving questions blank, especially in critical thinking.
- In the last weeks, full timed practice tests on all 4 sections together, with no clock per section, just like the real test.
The 4 sections of the Bocconi test.
75 minutes in total, with no clock per section: you manage your own time across the four parts. We cover every section, weighted in proportion to the score, starting from maths.
- Maths
- Algebra, functions (powers, logarithms, exponentials)
- Plane and analytic geometry and trigonometry
- Probability, descriptive statistics, combinatorics
- Calculation speed, not just theory: no time to redo your sums
- Reading comprehension
- Current-affairs or popular-science passages
- Main idea, inferences, argument structure
- Careful reading under time pressure, not from memory
- Numerical reasoning
- Data sufficiency: do you have enough information to answer?
- Estimation and relationships between quantities
- Few questions, but they train well with targeted exercises
- Critical thinking
- True / False / Cannot be determined
- Evaluating an argument, not just reading it
- A strategy for leaving questions blank that differs from the other sections
A complete guide with scoring, thresholds and a study plan: how to prepare for the Bocconi test. Undecided between Bocconi and the TOLC-E? Read the comparison. Want to train right away? There is the free practice test.
Bocconi test: frequently asked questions.
How does Bocconi test scoring work, and why do blanks matter?
Correct answer +1, blank 0, wrong −0.2, except in critical thinking, where with only three options (True/False/Cannot be determined) the penalty rises to −0.33. The practical rule I give my students: guess only if you have ruled out at least one option out of three in critical thinking, or two out of four or five in the other sections. Below that threshold, it is better to leave it blank.
Does the test decide the whole ranking, or does my school record count too?
Your school record counts too, and quite a lot: the final ranking is 55% test + 45% school record from the third and fourth years of high school (core subjects plus two of your choice). Students with a solid record in those years start with an advantage; those whose record was weaker have to make up for it with a test score above the average.
Is there a separate English section in the Bocconi test?
No. You choose the language in which to take the test (Italian or English); the English level required for degrees taught in English is certified separately (minimum B2), not inside this test. It is not a "SAT-style test in English with a verbal section", as you sometimes read.
How many times can the test be retaken?
Up to 4 times a year, and the best score counts. Each attempt has its own registration fee, separate from the application fee: check the current amounts on unibocconi.it, because they can change from one year to the next.
Is it better to aim for Early (September) or wait for Winter?
About 90-95% of the places are assigned between the Early and Winter sessions, so it is best to aim for one of the two, keeping Spring as a safety net. For Early, preparation should start within the summer; for Winter there are a few more months, but meanwhile your fourth-year school record is already "closing", one more reason not to neglect your grades while you study for the test.
Do you also prepare students for other economics and management tests besides Bocconi?
Yes. If you are undecided between Bocconi and other universities, I also prepare students for the TOLC-E (read the comparison on the blog to see which makes more sense for your path), as well as for the Cattolica test and the LUISS test.
Ready to prepare for Bocconi?
We start with a free diagnostic practice test. We find out where you are and build the lesson plan around your real gaps, not a generic syllabus.