Bocconi Test Score: What You Need to Get In

Two questions decide your chances at Bocconi. How do your 50 answers turn into a score? And how does Bocconi turn that score, together with your school grades, into a place in the ranking? This guide answers both with Bocconi's own rules, and shows which part you can still change.

How the score is calculated

The test is 50 multiple choice questions in 75 minutes. Each question scores like this:

• Right answer: +1 point
• Blank: 0 points
• Wrong answer: −0.2 points (−0.33 on critical thinking questions with three options)

An example. You get 30 questions right, 10 wrong and leave 10 blank. Your score is 30 − 10 × 0.2 = 28 out of 50.

If 2 of those 10 wrong answers are three-option critical thinking questions, you lose a little more: 30 − 8 × 0.2 − 2 × 0.33 = 27.74.

Of the 50 questions, 24 are maths, 11 reading comprehension, 9 critical thinking and 6 numerical reasoning. For the Bachelor in Mathematical and Computing Sciences for Artificial Intelligence you also need at least 11 points out of 24 in the maths section.

17 is the floor, not the target

With a score below 17, penalties included, Bocconi does not consider your application. With 17 or more your result is valid and you can use it to apply.

But 17 does not mean you are in. It only puts you in the ranking. From there, what counts is how far above 17 you are, together with your grades. The scoring rules are on Bocconi's online test page.

How Bocconi uses your score: 55% test, 45% grades

The ranking is based on two things only:

• The test: 55%. The Bocconi online test, or the SAT or ACT.
• Your school grades from the third-last and second-last years: 45%.

Motivation letters, CVs and recommendation letters are not considered. Both weights are on Bocconi's admissions page.

Only the final grades of each year count, turned into a GPA out of 10 with the calculator in the application portal. Predicted grades do not count. For IB students, TOK, CAS and the Extended Essay are left out of the average.

The years are counted back from the year you finish school. If you graduate in summer 2027, your final grades from summer 2025 and summer 2026 count. For an IB student that means the year before the Diploma and the first year of the Diploma (DP1). If you sat official exams in that year, such as IGCSEs, Bocconi asks you to use those results rather than your school's internal grades.

Bocconi does not explain how it turns the test and the grades into one number. But the weights already tell you two useful things. The test counts a little more than the grades. And when you apply, the grades from those years are already fixed. The test is the only part you can still change.

If you sit the test more than once, which score counts?

You can sit the Bocconi online test up to four times in the booking period, never on the same day or on two days in a row. Each attempt costs €60. In your application you choose which attempt to use.

If you submit more than one kind of test, for example the SAT and the Bocconi test, the portal automatically uses the best result.

Scores from earlier years and from Bocconi's own online simulation cannot be used for the 2027-28 selection.

What score do you need to get in?

The honest answer is that nobody knows in advance. Bocconi does not publish a cut-off or the average score of admitted students. The ranking depends on the places in each session and programme, how many people apply and the profile of the other applicants. The numbers you see online come from prep companies and student forums, not from Bocconi. Treat them as very rough. For example, forums often say 35 or more is competitive for BIEM and BIEF, depending on your grades. That is opinion, not an official figure.

Some official facts do help you decide:

• There are about 3,000 first-year places, in classes of about 115 students.
• The Early and Winter Sessions together give out about 90 to 95% of the places. The Spring Session (applications 8 to 27 April 2027) gives out only 5 to 10%. International applicants have only two sessions, Early and Winter. Apply early if you can.
• On English-taught programmes, up to 50 to 55% of places may be reserved for international applicants.

The practical point is this: 17 is enough to take part, but to be among those admitted you need to be well above it. The more ordinary your grades, the more the test has to make up.

How to raise your score

• Answer everything you have time to read. A blind guess gains on average +0.04 points with five options, +0.10 with four and +0.11 on three-option critical thinking questions. If you can rule out one option, you gain more. Leave a blank only when the time is better spent on another question.
• Start with maths. It is 24 of the 50 questions, almost half the test, and it is the part that responds best to practice. With 90 seconds a question, the methods have to be automatic.
• Measure yourself before you book. Sit the free Bocconi maths practice test under time. Find the topics that cost you marks and work on those.
• Use your attempts. You have up to four and you choose which one to use. An early first attempt is not a risk. It tells you where you stand.
• Think about the SAT. If you are strong in maths but slow under pressure, the SAT gives a little more time per question and no penalty for wrong answers. If you submit both, the better one counts.

The Winter Session dates are in the Bocconi test 2027 guide. If you want help with the maths, one to one Bocconi test preparation starts with a diagnostic and a plan for the weeks you have left.

Frequently asked questions

What is the minimum score for the Bocconi test?

The minimum is 17 points out of 50, penalties included. Below 17 your application is not considered. For the Bachelor in Mathematical and Computing Sciences for Artificial Intelligence you also need at least 11 points out of 24 in maths.

What is the average Bocconi test score for admission?

Bocconi does not publish the average score of admitted students or a cut-off. The ranking depends on the places in each session and programme, the number of applications and the profile of the other applicants. 17 is only the minimum to be assessed.

How much does the test count in the ranking?

55%. The other 45% is your school GPA from the third-last and second-last years. Motivation letters, CVs and references do not count.

Do IB predicted grades count for Bocconi?

No. Bocconi uses only the final grades from the third-last and second-last years, not predicted grades. TOK, CAS and the Extended Essay are left out of the average.

If I sit the test more than once, which score counts?

The one you choose. You can sit it up to four times and you pick which attempt to use in your application. If you also submit the SAT or ACT, the portal automatically uses the best result.