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CISIA TOLC: format and scoring

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In short

The online admission tests many Italian universities use: TOLC-E for economics, 36 questions in 90 minutes; TOLC-F for pharmacy, 50 questions in 72 minutes; and TOLC-I for engineering, 50 questions in 110 minutes. Each university sets its own pass mark.

CISIA TOLC-E (Economics)

The TOLC-E is the CISIA online test that many Italian universities use for admission to economics, business and statistics degrees. It has three consecutive sections, each with its own 30-minute clock: Logic 13 questions, Verbal comprehension 10, Mathematics 13 - 36 questions in 90 minutes - followed by a separately scored 30-question English section. Each question has five options, one correct; a correct answer scores 1, a blank 0 and a wrong answer -0.25. There is no national pass mark: each university decides how to use the result and sets its own minimum. It can be taken at a university (TOLC@UNI) or from home under remote proctoring (TOLC@CASA), at most once per calendar month.

Version described
TOLC-E as delivered in 2026. Structure verified from CISIA’s TOLC-E structure page; scoring, answer format and conduct rules from the Regolamento TOLC 2026.
Admissions cycle
Calendar year 2026 (CISIA announces changes to TOLC structure by 31 December each year)

Sections and timing

Sections of the CISIA TOLC-E (Economics) with question counts, time limits and calculator policy.
SectionQuestionsTimeCalculator
Logic1330 minNot permittedNo calculator or other aid. Regolamento TOLC 2026, 4.1.5: "Durante lo svolgimento del TOLC non può essere utilizzato alcuno strumento di calcolo o didattico o di supporto" except aids granted to candidates with a disability or specific learning disorder. Only a pen and the sheets handed out by the room committee may be on the desk.
Verbal comprehension1030 minNot permittedNo calculator or other aid. Regolamento TOLC 2026, 4.1.5: "Durante lo svolgimento del TOLC non può essere utilizzato alcuno strumento di calcolo o didattico o di supporto" except aids granted to candidates with a disability or specific learning disorder. Only a pen and the sheets handed out by the room committee may be on the desk.
Mathematics1330 minNot permittedNo calculator or other aid. Regolamento TOLC 2026, 4.1.5: "Durante lo svolgimento del TOLC non può essere utilizzato alcuno strumento di calcolo o didattico o di supporto" except aids granted to candidates with a disability or specific learning disorder. Only a pen and the sheets handed out by the room committee may be on the desk.

Navigation rules

What you may and may not do once a section has started. Our timed practice enforces these on the server, not just in the interface.

  • You can move backward and forward freely within a section.
  • You can change an answer before the section is submitted.
  • Once a section is submitted it cannot be reopened.

Scoring

Correct answer
1 point(s)
Wrong answer
-0.25 point(s) — a real penalty
Left blank
0 point(s)
Reported scale
TOLC-E absolute score, excluding English, out of 36: -9–36CISIA reports an absolute score ("punteggio assoluto") for the three main sections: 36 questions at 1 point, with the -0.25 penalty. The minimum shown is the arithmetic floor if every question were answered wrongly; CISIA does not say whether a negative total is reported as such. The English section is reported separately on its own 0-30 scale.
  • Official scoring, Regolamento TOLC 2026, 1.5: 1 point for each correct answer, 0 for each unanswered question, -0.25 for each wrong answer.
  • Every question has five options, only one of which is correct (Regolamento TOLC 2026, 1.2). A blind guess has an expected value of 0; eliminating even one option makes guessing worth it.
  • NO NATIONAL PASS MARK. CISIA reports an absolute score; each university may transform it with its own evaluation system, weight the sections, and set its own minimum (Regolamento TOLC 2026, 1.5). The threshold that matters is in the admission notice (bando) of the university and programme you apply to.
  • The 30-question English section that follows the main test (15 minutes) is scored separately, with no penalty (1 for a correct answer, 0 otherwise), and does not form part of the score above. It is not modelled here.
  • Each type of TOLC may be taken at most once per calendar month, in any mode and at any university (Regolamento TOLC 2026, 2). A result is accepted by every university using that TOLC in the same mode, at least for the year in which it was taken (1.6).
  • Two modes exist: TOLC@UNI, in a university computer room, and TOLC@CASA, from home in a proctored virtual room (1.4). Each university states which modes it accepts.

Why we do not give you a scaled score

CISIA reports the absolute score itself; any transformation is done by each university with its own system, which is not national and not modelled here.

What is tested

CISIA’s own content domains. Our question bank is tagged against these, so a results page names the same skills the test maker does.

  • Logic13 of 36 questions

    Reasoning aptitude. CISIA publishes no topic list for this section; the skills are our editorial grouping.

    Deduction · Sequences and patterns · Logic problems · Arguments

  • Verbal comprehension10 of 36 questions

    Reading aptitude. CISIA publishes no topic list for this section; the skills are our editorial grouping.

    What the text states · What the text implies · Meaning in context · Purpose and structure

  • Mathematics13 of 36 questions

    The topics of CISIA’s TOLC-E Mathematics syllabus.

    Numbers and percentages · Powers, roots, exponentials and logarithms · Polynomials and rational expressions · Equations, inequalities and systems · Analytic geometry · Plane and solid geometry · Elementary functions

What CISIA does not publish

We could not verify the following from an official source. Rather than guess, we switch off any feature that would depend on them, and we say so here.

  • Whether candidates can move back to earlier questions, or change answers, within an open section. CISIA states only that a closed section cannot be reopened; our simulation allows movement inside the open section.
  • Whether a reported absolute score can be negative, or is floored at zero.

Sources

Compiled by Examer from CISIA’s published pages. Each source shows the date it was checked.

  1. [1] TOLC-E structure and syllabus — CISIA, checked 2026-09-29
  2. [2] Regolamento TOLC 2026 (answer format, scoring, conduct, attempts, validity) — CISIA, checked 2026-09-29

CISIA TOLC-F (Pharmacy)

The TOLC-F is the CISIA online test that universities use for admission to pharmacy and pharmaceutical-science degrees, among others. It has five consecutive, separately timed sections: Biology 15 questions in 20 minutes, Chemistry 15 in 20, Mathematics 7 in 12, Physics 7 in 12 and Logic 6 in 8 - 50 questions in 72 minutes - followed by a separately scored 30-question English section. Each question has five options, one correct; a correct answer scores 1, a blank 0 and a wrong answer -0.25. There is no national pass mark: each university sets its own. It can be taken at a university (TOLC@UNI) or from home under remote proctoring (TOLC@CASA), at most once per calendar month.

Version described
TOLC-F as delivered in 2026. Structure and syllabus verified from CISIA’s TOLC-F structure page; scoring, answer format and conduct rules from the Regolamento TOLC 2026.
Admissions cycle
Calendar year 2026 (CISIA announces changes to TOLC structure by 31 December each year)

Sections and timing

Sections of the CISIA TOLC-F (Pharmacy) with question counts, time limits and calculator policy.
SectionQuestionsTimeCalculator
Biology1520 minNot permittedNo calculator or other aid. Regolamento TOLC 2026, 4.1.5: "Durante lo svolgimento del TOLC non può essere utilizzato alcuno strumento di calcolo o didattico o di supporto" except aids granted to candidates with a disability or specific learning disorder. Only a pen and the sheets handed out by the room committee may be on the desk.
Chemistry1520 minNot permittedNo calculator or other aid. Regolamento TOLC 2026, 4.1.5: "Durante lo svolgimento del TOLC non può essere utilizzato alcuno strumento di calcolo o didattico o di supporto" except aids granted to candidates with a disability or specific learning disorder. Only a pen and the sheets handed out by the room committee may be on the desk.
Mathematics712 minNot permittedNo calculator or other aid. Regolamento TOLC 2026, 4.1.5: "Durante lo svolgimento del TOLC non può essere utilizzato alcuno strumento di calcolo o didattico o di supporto" except aids granted to candidates with a disability or specific learning disorder. Only a pen and the sheets handed out by the room committee may be on the desk.
Physics712 minNot permittedNo calculator or other aid. Regolamento TOLC 2026, 4.1.5: "Durante lo svolgimento del TOLC non può essere utilizzato alcuno strumento di calcolo o didattico o di supporto" except aids granted to candidates with a disability or specific learning disorder. Only a pen and the sheets handed out by the room committee may be on the desk.
Logic68 minNot permittedNo calculator or other aid. Regolamento TOLC 2026, 4.1.5: "Durante lo svolgimento del TOLC non può essere utilizzato alcuno strumento di calcolo o didattico o di supporto" except aids granted to candidates with a disability or specific learning disorder. Only a pen and the sheets handed out by the room committee may be on the desk.

Navigation rules

What you may and may not do once a section has started. Our timed practice enforces these on the server, not just in the interface.

  • You can move backward and forward freely within a section.
  • You can change an answer before the section is submitted.
  • Once a section is submitted it cannot be reopened.

Scoring

Correct answer
1 point(s)
Wrong answer
-0.25 point(s) — a real penalty
Left blank
0 point(s)
Reported scale
TOLC-F absolute score, excluding English, out of 50: -12.5–50CISIA reports an absolute score for the five main sections: 50 questions at 1 point, with the -0.25 penalty. The minimum shown is the arithmetic floor if every question were answered wrongly; CISIA does not say whether a negative total is reported as such. The English section is reported separately on its own 0-30 scale.
  • Official scoring, Regolamento TOLC 2026, 1.5: 1 point for each correct answer, 0 for each unanswered question, -0.25 for each wrong answer.
  • Every question has five options, only one of which is correct (Regolamento TOLC 2026, 1.2). A blind guess has an expected value of 0; eliminating even one option makes guessing worth it.
  • NO NATIONAL PASS MARK. CISIA reports an absolute score; each university may transform it with its own evaluation system, weight the sections, and set its own minimum (Regolamento TOLC 2026, 1.5). The threshold that matters is in the admission notice (bando) of the university and programme you apply to.
  • The 30-question English section that follows the main test (15 minutes) is scored separately, with no penalty (1 for a correct answer, 0 otherwise), and does not form part of the score above. It is not modelled here.
  • Each type of TOLC may be taken at most once per calendar month, in any mode and at any university (Regolamento TOLC 2026, 2). A result is accepted by every university using that TOLC in the same mode, at least for the year in which it was taken (1.6).
  • Two modes exist: TOLC@UNI, in a university computer room, and TOLC@CASA, from home in a proctored virtual room (1.4). Each university states which modes it accepts.
  • Unlike every other TOLC, the TOLC-F draws its questions from a public bank that candidates can consult (Regolamento TOLC 2026, 1.3). Our questions are original and are not taken from it.

Why we do not give you a scaled score

CISIA reports the absolute score itself; transformations are each university’s own and are not modelled here.

What is tested

CISIA’s own content domains. Our question bank is tagged against these, so a results page names the same skills the test maker does.

  • Biology15 of 50 questions

    The topics of CISIA’s TOLC-F Biology syllabus.

    Chemistry of living things · Biodiversity · Cell biology · Cell cycle, reproduction and heredity · Bioenergetics · Ecology · Human anatomy and physiology

  • Chemistry15 of 50 questions

    The topics of CISIA’s TOLC-F Chemistry syllabus.

    Atoms, the periodic table and bonding · Inorganic compounds · Reactions, stoichiometry and redox · Solutions, acids and bases · Organic chemistry

  • Mathematics7 of 50 questions

    The topics of CISIA’s TOLC-F Mathematics syllabus.

    Numbers, ratios and percentages · Algebra, equations and inequalities · Functions and trigonometry · Plane, solid and analytic geometry · Combinatorics, probability and statistics

  • Physics7 of 50 questions

    The topics of CISIA’s TOLC-F Physics syllabus.

    Measures and units · Kinematics, forces and energy · Fluids and thermodynamics · Electricity, magnetism, waves and optics

  • Logic6 of 50 questions

    CISIA’s TOLC-F Logic syllabus: logic and language.

    Propositions and conditions · Graphs and tables · Reasoning with elementary mathematics

What CISIA does not publish

We could not verify the following from an official source. Rather than guess, we switch off any feature that would depend on them, and we say so here.

  • Whether candidates can move back to earlier questions, or change answers, within an open section. CISIA states only that a closed section cannot be reopened; our simulation allows movement inside the open section.
  • Whether a reported absolute score can be negative, or is floored at zero.

Sources

Compiled by Examer from CISIA’s published pages. Each source shows the date it was checked.

  1. [1] TOLC-F structure and syllabus — CISIA, checked 2026-09-29
  2. [2] Regolamento TOLC 2026 (answer format, scoring, public TOLC-F question bank, conduct, attempts) — CISIA, checked 2026-09-29

CISIA TOLC-I (Engineering)

The TOLC-I is the CISIA online test that most Italian universities use for admission to engineering degrees. It has four consecutive, separately timed sections: Mathematics 20 questions in 50 minutes, Logic 10 in 20, Sciences 10 in 20 and Verbal comprehension 10 in 20 - 50 questions in 110 minutes - followed by a separately scored 30-question English section. Each question has five options, one correct; a correct answer scores 1, a blank 0 and a wrong answer -0.25. There is no national pass mark: each university sets its own, often on the Mathematics section alone or on a weighted total. It can be taken at a university (TOLC@UNI) or from home under remote proctoring (TOLC@CASA), at most once per calendar month.

Version described
TOLC-I as delivered in 2026. Structure checked against CISIA’s TOLC-I structure page through search results (not parsed first-hand); scoring, answer format and conduct rules from the Regolamento TOLC 2026.
Admissions cycle
Calendar year 2026 (CISIA announces changes to TOLC structure by 31 December each year)

Sections and timing

Sections of the CISIA TOLC-I (Engineering) with question counts, time limits and calculator policy.
SectionQuestionsTimeCalculator
Mathematics2050 minNot permittedNo calculator or other aid. Regolamento TOLC 2026, 4.1.5: "Durante lo svolgimento del TOLC non può essere utilizzato alcuno strumento di calcolo o didattico o di supporto" except aids granted to candidates with a disability or specific learning disorder. Only a pen and the sheets handed out by the room committee may be on the desk.
Logic1020 minNot permittedNo calculator or other aid. Regolamento TOLC 2026, 4.1.5: "Durante lo svolgimento del TOLC non può essere utilizzato alcuno strumento di calcolo o didattico o di supporto" except aids granted to candidates with a disability or specific learning disorder. Only a pen and the sheets handed out by the room committee may be on the desk.
Sciences1020 minNot permittedNo calculator or other aid. Regolamento TOLC 2026, 4.1.5: "Durante lo svolgimento del TOLC non può essere utilizzato alcuno strumento di calcolo o didattico o di supporto" except aids granted to candidates with a disability or specific learning disorder. Only a pen and the sheets handed out by the room committee may be on the desk.
Verbal comprehension1020 minNot permittedNo calculator or other aid. Regolamento TOLC 2026, 4.1.5: "Durante lo svolgimento del TOLC non può essere utilizzato alcuno strumento di calcolo o didattico o di supporto" except aids granted to candidates with a disability or specific learning disorder. Only a pen and the sheets handed out by the room committee may be on the desk.

Navigation rules

What you may and may not do once a section has started. Our timed practice enforces these on the server, not just in the interface.

  • You can move backward and forward freely within a section.
  • You can change an answer before the section is submitted.
  • Once a section is submitted it cannot be reopened.

Scoring

Correct answer
1 point(s)
Wrong answer
-0.25 point(s) — a real penalty
Left blank
0 point(s)
Reported scale
TOLC-I absolute score, excluding English, out of 50: -12.5–50CISIA reports an absolute score for the four main sections: 50 questions at 1 point, with the -0.25 penalty. The minimum shown is the arithmetic floor if every question were answered wrongly; CISIA does not say whether a negative total is reported as such. The English section is reported separately on its own 0-30 scale.
  • Official scoring, Regolamento TOLC 2026, 1.5: 1 point for each correct answer, 0 for each unanswered question, -0.25 for each wrong answer.
  • Every question has five options, only one of which is correct (Regolamento TOLC 2026, 1.2). A blind guess has an expected value of 0; eliminating even one option makes guessing worth it.
  • NO NATIONAL PASS MARK. CISIA reports an absolute score; each university may transform it with its own evaluation system, weight the sections, and set its own minimum (Regolamento TOLC 2026, 1.5). The threshold that matters is in the admission notice (bando) of the university and programme you apply to.
  • The 30-question English section that follows the main test (15 minutes) is scored separately, with no penalty (1 for a correct answer, 0 otherwise), and does not form part of the score above. It is not modelled here.
  • Each type of TOLC may be taken at most once per calendar month, in any mode and at any university (Regolamento TOLC 2026, 2). A result is accepted by every university using that TOLC in the same mode, at least for the year in which it was taken (1.6).
  • Two modes exist: TOLC@UNI, in a university computer room, and TOLC@CASA, from home in a proctored virtual room (1.4). Each university states which modes it accepts.

Why we do not give you a scaled score

CISIA reports the absolute score itself; transformations are each university’s own and are not modelled here.

What is tested

CISIA’s own content domains. Our question bank is tagged against these, so a results page names the same skills the test maker does.

  • Mathematics20 of 50 questions

    The topics of CISIA’s TOLC-I Mathematics syllabus.

    Arithmetic and algebra · Equations, inequalities and systems · Plane and solid geometry · Analytic geometry and functions · Trigonometry · Probability and statistics

  • Logic10 of 50 questions

    Reasoning aptitude. CISIA publishes no topic list for this section; the skills are our editorial grouping.

    Deduction and conditions · Sequences and patterns · Logic problems

  • Sciences10 of 50 questions

    The physics and chemistry topics of CISIA’s TOLC-I Sciences syllabus.

    Mechanics · Thermodynamics · Electromagnetism and optics · Chemistry

  • Verbal comprehension10 of 50 questions

    Reading aptitude. CISIA publishes no topic list for this section; the skills are our editorial grouping.

    What the text states · What the text implies · Meaning in context · Purpose and structure

What CISIA does not publish

We could not verify the following from an official source. Rather than guess, we switch off any feature that would depend on them, and we say so here.

  • Whether candidates can move back to earlier questions, or change answers, within an open section. CISIA states only that a closed section cannot be reopened; our simulation allows movement inside the open section.
  • Whether a reported absolute score can be negative, or is floored at zero.
  • The TOLC-I structure page itself was not read first-hand: cisiaonline.it could not be reached from the build environment on 11 October 2026, and the section counts and clocks were confirmed through search results quoting CISIA’s pages. Re-read the page before relying on the syllabus detail.

Sources

Compiled by Examer from CISIA’s published pages. Each source shows the date it was checked.

  1. [1] TOLC-I structure and syllabus (checked through search results; the page could not be fetched directly) — CISIA, checked 2026-10-11
  2. [2] Regolamento TOLC 2026 (answer format, scoring, conduct, attempts, validity) — CISIA, checked 2026-09-29
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