Practice test 1 — business economics second paper.

As in the exam: choose 1 business case out of 2 and 4 questions out of 8, and build the balance sheet on paper (real maximum time: 6 hours). When you get stuck, reveal the guided steps one at a time. At the end mark how much you had done on your own: the estimated mark is out of 20.

The second paper of the maturità, Italy’s school-leaving exam, is a written test of up to six hours in the main subject of your school type.

Test in ItalianThe questions of this simulator are in Italian, as in the real exam.

What is in practice test 1

Twenty points in all, as in the ministry grid: 10 for the business case you choose and 2.5 for each of the four questions. Below you can see where each piece comes from, so you know what awaits you before you start the six hours.

The two business cases — you answer one

• Case 1 · Reclassified balance sheet and ratios — manufacturing company (10 points)
• Case 2 · Reclassified balance sheet and ratios — trading company (10 points)

The eight questions — you answer four

• 1. Financial statement analysis — breaking down ROE (financial leverage)
• 2. Break-even point
• 3. Income budget and variance analysis
• 4. Full costing and direct costing
• 5. Leasing and mortgage compared
• 6. Business plan — contribution margin and payback time
• 7. Financial statement analysis — net working capital and structure margin
• 8. Cash budget

Which business case to choose. Here the choice is between reclassified balance sheet and ratios — manufacturing company and reclassified balance sheet and ratios — trading company. Spend the first ten minutes reading both all the way through before deciding: almost always one of the two has a final point you cannot do, and it is better to find that out straight away than two hours in. The business case is worth half the mark, so the wrong choice costs more than any calculation error.

How to manage the six hours. A pace that holds: ten minutes to read everything and choose, a good two hours on the business case, an hour and a half on the four questions, and at least half an hour at the end to copy out your final version and recheck the calculations. The business economics questions are worth ten points in total, as much as the business case, so do not leave them for last when you are tired: if a question does not get going within five minutes, move on to the next and come back later. The areas the questions of this paper draw on are financial statement analysis, break-even point, income budget and variance analysis, full costing and direct costing, leasing and mortgage compared, business plan, cash budget.