Preparation for the Bocconi graduate test should follow the official three-area structure and mixed 75-minute format. Start with Bocconi's sample and online simulation, then diagnose accuracy, timing and penalty exposure in verbal reasoning, data insight and quantitative reasoning. Bocconi states that there is no official preparation textbook.
At Zulassungscoach, our recommendation for this topic — How to Prepare for the Bocconi Graduate Online Test — is to start with official examples and build a short diagnostic record. Choose your next practice session from the errors you can explain, not simply from the topics you enjoy.
Key point: Treat the university's current admissions pages, the rules for your applicant category and the requirements of your chosen programme as the controlling sources. Preparation can improve familiarity and execution, but it cannot guarantee admission and it does not replace a complete application.
The decision behind the test
A useful plan separates skill building from test execution. Reading comprehension needs precise evidence retrieval; critical reasoning needs argument structure; numerical critical reasoning needs careful use of charts and tables; data sufficiency needs a different decision process from solving for a value; quantitative reasoning needs reliable basic mathematics. Mixed practice then trains the rapid switch between these modes.
Applicants often combine several questions that need separate answers: whether the test is required or can be replaced, what the assessment contains, when it must be completed, and how its result enters the admissions review. Start by identifying the exact programme and applicant category. A test with a similar name may serve a different degree level or selection route. Save the page that applies to you and record the date on which you checked it.
Current official position
Bocconi provides a downloadable sample, an online simulation and references a practice app. The live test contains 50 questions in 75 minutes with negative scoring. Because the questions are mixed, a preparation course organized only as long subject blocks is incomplete unless it later adds mixed timed sessions.
Dates, fees, accepted alternatives and platform requirements can change between admissions cycles. Build your plan from the live official page rather than an undated checklist. A useful deadline sheet has separate rows for the application, payment, test booking, test completion, score availability and enrolment. This prevents the common mistake of treating the test window as if it were also the application deadline.
Our recommended next steps
First take an untimed diagnostic and label every question type. Spend two weeks building methods in weak subtypes, then introduce 25- and 50-question mixed sets. Record time, confidence, result and penalty. Use full simulations to test pacing and stopping rules. Review each wrong answer and each costly correct answer that took too long.
Leave a buffer before the relevant application round closes. A remote test may still require account activation, identity checks, technical preparation, a quiet room and a specific booking lead time. If you need an accommodation, contact admissions through the official route early and keep the supporting documents requested for your case. Save confirmation emails and screenshots of completed steps without relying on them as substitutes for the official portal status.
How we recommend preparing
We recommend starting with the university's own examples, simulator, instructions or explanatory videos. Their main value is format recognition: you learn how prompts are worded, how information is displayed and what the interface expects. Then run a diagnostic set and classify every miss. A content gap needs review; a reading error needs a checking routine; a time problem needs pacing practice; and an interface error needs familiarity with the official instructions.
Our advice is to build accuracy without time pressure before moving to timed mixed practice. For each question type, write a short repeatable method before you increase speed. Review is part of the exercise: note why the correct option follows from the evidence, why the alternatives fail and whether you spent more time than the question justified. Full simulations are most useful near the end of preparation, when they can test stamina, transitions between topics and the decisions you make under pressure.
Mistakes we recommend avoiding
Do not use undergraduate-focused materials with a different section distribution. Avoid claims that a commercial mock exactly reproduces the live exam. Finally, do not chase only a score above 15; that number is an eligibility floor, while admission remains competitive and multifactorial.
Another frequent error is copying figures from an older admissions cycle. Even when the broad assessment stays stable, booking windows, fees, accepted tests, software and programme-specific rules may change. Recheck operational details shortly before booking and again before test day. Use only the current official rules for identification, equipment and permitted materials.
What happens after the test?
Once an official result is available, compare area scores and the balance of wrong versus omitted answers. If time and the three-attempt limit allow, schedule a later attempt only with a concrete improvement plan. Submit the desired valid reference number by the application deadline and continue work on dossier and motivation.
Plan this stage before sitting the test. Know whether the score is sent directly, downloaded as a report, entered through a reference number or simply reviewed internally. Confirm what remains in the wider application: academic records, supporting documents, online assessments, interviews, programme preferences or enrolment steps. A strong test performance is one input in an admissions process, not a promise of an offer.
Keep an evidence and decision record
Maintain one working document for the entire admissions route. Separate confirmed facts from assumptions. Each confirmed item should include the official link, the date checked and its scope, such as “2027–28 cycle,” “international graduate applicant” or “this programme only.” Give every unresolved question an owner and a date by which you will ask admissions. This prevents an old screenshot, a forum comment or a rule from another degree from quietly becoming part of your plan.
Review the document weekly and at three formal checkpoints: before paying for a test, one week before the session and before submitting the application. Check more than deadlines. Confirm that you selected the correct assessment, language, programme and applicant category. Match your identity details to your passport. Verify how the result enters the application and whether any file, reference number or direct score transmission is required.
Use a similarly compact record for preparation. For each task type, track accuracy, average time, confidence and the most common cause of error. Progress means that the method becomes reliable and specific mistakes decline; it is not simply a larger number of completed questions. End each study week with three decisions: the two weaknesses to address next, one administrative task to complete, and one time-sensitive official fact to recheck. This keeps test practice connected to the application it is meant to support.
Our independent perspective
We publish this guide to help you make informed preparation decisions. We are not the institution or test provider and cannot determine eligibility or admission. For this procedure, we do not link a specifically verified matching product. Use the official sources below for binding requirements.
Checklist
- Have I identified the correct programme, degree level and applicant category?
- Is the test required, optional or replaceable for my route?
- Have I recorded the application and test deadlines separately?
- Do my name and identity details match across all portals?
- Have I read the current technical and conduct rules?
- Have I used the official examples or simulator first?
- Do I know how the result enters my application?
- Have I planned the assessment, interview or enrolment steps that follow?
Sources and further information
Institutional details refer to the linked sources and the stated review date. The official information for your application cycle remains authoritative.
- Online Bocconi test – International Graduate applicants · checked 17 September 2026
- Application and admissions – MSc and MA · checked 17 September 2026
This independent guide is provided by Zulassungscoach. No specifically verified matching product is linked for this process. The institution's or test provider's official information remains authoritative.



