Exam guide · CISIA English Test – Sciences

CEnT-S, step by step.

The single English-language CISIA test for engineering, economics, pharmacy and science degrees taught in English. 65 questions, 140 minutes, six sections each on its own clock, scored +1 / −0.25 and then normalised. Here is exactly how it runs, what to study, and how the questions split by topic.

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65 Q
140 min
+1 / −0.25
6 timed sections
5 sittings a year
Computer-based

At a glance

New since November 2025

65questions

140minutes

5sittings a year

Reading 10
Maths 15
Texts & data 15
Bio 10
Chem 10
Physics 5

Who
English-taught Engineering, Economics, Pharmacy and other scientific degrees at universities in the CISIA network.
Run by
CISIA, the consortium behind Italy's TOLC tests. It replaced English TOLC-I, TOLC-E and TOLC-F in November 2025.
When
Five periods a year, one attempt each. Official scores by 29 Jan, 31 Mar, 31 May, 30 Jul and 17 Sep.
Where
@UNI at a university test centre, or @HOME on your own computer with remote proctoring.
Scoring
+1 correct · 0 blank · −0.25 wrong, then normalised for the difficulty of your paper.
Result
Raw counts at once; the official normalised score at the end of the period, valid at every university that asks for CEnT-S.
Fee
€55 per attempt in 2025/26, paid to CISIA when you book.

7,160questions in our bank, every one with a worked solution

Structure

65 questions. 140 minutes.

Six sections, always in this order, each with its own timer. The Reading section is in English at B2 level; the rest is maths, reasoning and the sciences, all in English.

#	Section	Questions	Minutes	Min per Q	Marking
1	Reading and comprehension	10	30	3.0	+1 correct · 0 blank · −0.25 wrong, then normalised
2	Mathematics	15	30	2.0
3	Reasoning on texts and data	15	30	2.0
4	Biology	10	20	2.0
5	Chemistry	10	20	2.0
6	Physics	5	10	2.0
	Total	65	140	2.2	Max raw score 65

Structure as published by CISIA at cisiaonline.it, checked 16 October 2026. Some universities count only some sections, so the weight of each section depends on where you apply.

Syllabus, step by step

What to study, in order.

The official CISIA syllabus, section by section, with an indicative split of how many exam questions each topic tends to carry and how many questions our bank holds for it. Work through the sections in exam order and you cover everything.

01Reading and comprehension

10 questions30 min921 in our bank

English texts at B2 level: non-fiction, literary and journalistic passages. The questions test inference and the relationships inside a text. CISIA says no specific preparation is needed, but speed and confidence are trainable.

Topic	Exam Qs (indicative)	In our bank
Main idea and author's purposeExample questionWhat the passage argues, why it was written, tone	3	276
Inference and implicit meaningExample questionWhat follows from the text without being stated	3	276
Vocabulary in contextExample questionWord meaning as used in the passage, idioms, register	2	184
Text structure and cohesionExample questionParagraph roles, reference words, connectives, sequence	2	185
Section total	10	921

02Mathematics

15 questions30 min1,739 in our bank

Two minutes per question. The syllabus is school mathematics done fast and accurately: numbers, algebra, geometry, functions, logs, counting and a little statistics.

Topic	Exam Qs (indicative)	In our bank
NumbersExample questionOperations and ordering of number types, divisibility, powers and roots, percentages, manipulating expressions	3	348
AlgebraExample questionLiteral expressions, polynomials, equations and inequalities, systems	3	348
GeometryExample questionPlane and solid figures, perimeters, areas and volumes, similarity, Cartesian coordinates, lines and circles	3	348
FunctionsExample questionProperties, graph transformations, graphical solutions, elementary families: power, root, linear, quadratic, rational, absolute value	2	235
Exponentials and logarithmsExample questionConverting between logs and powers, elementary equations and inequalities	2	235
Combinatorics and probabilityExample questionCounting, arrangements, combinations, permutations, basic probability rules	1	113
Basic statisticsExample questionReading tables and graphs, frequencies, mean, median, mode	1	112
Section total	15	1,739

03Reasoning on texts and data

15 questions30 min1,739 in our bank

The section most candidates underestimate. It is logic, data literacy and problem solving under time pressure, and it is worth as much as the whole of mathematics.

Topic	Exam Qs (indicative)	In our bank
Logic and deductionExample questionConnectives, quantifiers, counterexamples, necessary and sufficient conditions	5	573
Interpreting and manipulating dataExample questionExtracting information from texts, tables and graphs, drawing supported conclusions	6	696
Problem solvingExample questionTurning word problems into models, estimation, judging whether a result is valid	4	470
Section total	15	1,739

04Biology

10 questions20 min1,126 in our bank

Five blocks of general biology. Genetics and cell division carry the most weight; plant biology and ecology appear but lightly.

Topic	Exam Qs (indicative)	In our bank
Biological moleculesExample questionWater, carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, nucleic acids	2	225
Cell biologyExample questionProkaryotic and eukaryotic cells, organelles, plant-specific structures	2	225
Cell cycle, division and inheritanceExample questionGenomes, DNA and RNA processes, the cell cycle, mitosis and meiosis, Mendelian inheritance	3	338
Plant biology and ecologyExample questionPlant structures, photosynthesis, energy flow, food chains, biotic interactions	1	113
Animal anatomy and physiologyExample questionTissues; musculoskeletal, digestive, respiratory, circulatory, excretory and nervous systems	2	225
Section total	10	1,126

05Chemistry

10 questions20 min1,126 in our bank

The broadest syllabus of the six, ten blocks for ten questions, so most topics appear once at most. Stoichiometry and acid–base chemistry are the reliable ones.

Topic	Exam Qs (indicative)	In our bank
Matter, atoms and periodic trendsExample questionStates of matter, mixtures and separation, basic chemical laws; atomic structure, quantum numbers, isotopes, electron configurations, periodic trends	2	225
Bonding and molecular structureExample questionLewis structures, formulas, chemical bonds, intermolecular forces, molecular geometry	1	113
Reactions and stoichiometryExample questionBalancing equations, moles and Avogadro's constant, limiting reactants, concentration units	2	225
Thermodynamics, kinetics and equilibriumExample questionGas laws, thermodynamic quantities, equilibrium, reaction rates and catalysis	1	113
Compounds, solutions, acids and basesExample questionInorganic nomenclature, electrolytes and solubility, colligative properties; acid–base definitions, strength, pH, neutralisation, hydrolysis, buffers	2	225
RedoxExample questionOxidation states, identifying oxidants and reductants, balancing redox reactions	1	113
Organic and applied chemistryExample questionHybridisation, isomerism, combustion, major organic classes; chemistry in daily life, labels, environment, safety	1	112
Section total	10	1,126

06Physics

5 questions10 min509 in our bank

Short but dense: five questions, five blocks, so expect roughly one question per block. Units and kinematics are the easiest marks on the whole paper.

Topic	Exam Qs (indicative)	In our bank
Physical quantities and measurementExample questionSI units, conversions, scientific notation, vectors, common functional models	1	102
KinematicsExample questionPosition, velocity, acceleration; uniform and accelerated motion, free fall, circular motion, Galilean transformations	1	102
Dynamics, work and energyExample questionInertia, Newton's second law, forces, work, power, kinetic and potential energy, conservation of mechanical energy	1	102
Fluids and thermodynamicsExample questionHydrostatics, fluid dynamics, ideal gas law, temperature scales, first and second laws	1	102
Electromagnetism and wavesExample questionCoulomb's law, electric fields, current and resistance, Ohm's law, magnetism, waves, the electromagnetic spectrum	1	101
Section total	5	509

Topics follow the CISIA syllabus published at cisiaonline.it, checked 16 October 2026. The per-topic exam counts are an indicative split: CISIA publishes totals per section, not per topic, and the mix moves from paper to paper. Bank counts are exact.

Scoring and strategy

Plus one, minus a quarter.

A blind guess among five options is worth exactly nothing on average. Rule out one option and guessing starts to pay. Then CISIA normalises your raw score for the difficulty of your paper.

How a raw score is built

Correct answer	+1.00
Blank answer	0.00
Wrong answer	−0.25
Maximum raw score	65.00
Example: 44 right, 12 wrong, 9 blank	41.00

The normalised score adds a coefficient that reflects how hard your paper was compared with the others in the period. It is the normalised figure, not the raw one, that universities read.

Should you guess?

Expected points per guessed question, by how many of the five options you can rule out:

Rule out 00.00Break-even. Your call.

Rule out 1+0.06Guess.

Rule out 2+0.17Guess.

Rule out 3+0.38Always guess.

Because each section has its own clock, a guess also buys time. Never leave a section with unread questions.

Calendar

Five chances a year.

CISIA divides the year into five periods. You can sit once in each. Official scores are released in the Student Area at the end of the period, on the dates below.

Period	Approximate testing window	Official score released by	Good for
1	November – January	29 January	Early applicants and anyone wanting a first measured attempt
2	February – March	31 March	Spring admission rounds
3	April – May	31 May	Most universities' main rounds
4	June – July	30 July	Summer rounds and retakes
5	August – September	17 September	Last calls before the academic year

Release dates are CISIA's; the testing windows are approximate and the exact session dates are set by each university test centre. Universities have their own application deadlines inside these periods, so check the call before you book.

The CEnT-S bank

7,160 questions. Every one solved.

Built section by section to the CISIA syllabus above, with section timers that lock the way the real test does.

CEnT-S

CEnT-S Question Bank

Engineering, Economics, Pharmacy, Sciences in English

~~€138~~−30%

€100 one payment

7,160 questions across Reading, Maths, Texts & data, Biology, Chemistry and Physics
Worked solution under every question
6 mocks with CISIA-style section locks and +1 / −0.25 marking
Normalised score estimate after each mock
Access for a full year, all five sittings

Get the CEnT-S bank

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CEnT-S questions

Asked constantly.

Which universities use CEnT-S?

Universities in the CISIA network that teach engineering, economics, pharmacy or science degrees in English, for example Ca' Foscari Venice and Perugia, with many others adopting it in place of the old English TOLC. The only reliable answer is your course's admission notice, which also tells you which sections count.

Can I take it more than once?

Yes, once in each of the five periods, at any participating university. Universities usually accept your best valid score, but check the call.

Do I need to prepare for the Reading section?

CISIA says no specific preparation is needed beyond B2 English. In practice, timed practice on inference questions raises speed and confidence, which is why our bank includes 921 of them.

What about the Italian TOLC?

TOLC-I, TOLC-E and TOLC-F continue in Italian for degrees taught in Italian. If your course is taught in English, CEnT-S is the one you need.

Is the score normalised against other candidates?

It is adjusted for the difficulty of the paper you sat, so that scores from different sessions in the same period are comparable. It is not a percentile ranking against other candidates.

How the exam is conducted

From booking to score.

CEnT-S is run by CISIA, the consortium that writes Italy's university entrance tests. You book it yourself, sit it on a computer, and hand the score to the universities you apply to.

Before anything
Read your course's admission notice
Each university's call says whether it requires CEnT-S, which sections it counts, any minimum score, and its own deadlines. CISIA itself says to check this before booking.
Booking
Register on the CISIA portal
Create an account in the CISIA Student Area, choose CEnT-S, pick @UNI (a university test centre, on its published dates) or @HOME (your own computer, webcam proctored), and pay the fee, €55 in 2025/26.
Periods
One attempt per period
The year is cut into five periods. You may sit the test once in each, at any participating university, and try again in the next period if the score disappoints.
Test day
Six sections, six clocks
Bring the ID you registered with. Each section has its own time limit. When it runs out you move on automatically; finishing early does not bank time, and you cannot go back to an earlier section.
Results
Raw at once, official later
You see right, wrong and blank counts per section immediately. The official normalised score appears in the Student Area only at the end of the period: by 29 January, 31 March, 31 May, 30 July and 17 September.
Admission
Use the score everywhere
One result is valid at every university that asks for CEnT-S. You submit it through each university's own procedure, which applies its own thresholds and section weights.

CEnT-S, step by step.

65 questions. 140 minutes.

What to study, in order.

01Reading and comprehension

02Mathematics

03Reasoning on texts and data

04Biology

05Chemistry

06Physics

Plus one, minus a quarter.

How a raw score is built

Should you guess?

Five chances a year.

7,160 questions. Every one solved.

CEnT-S Question Bank

Asked constantly.

From booking to score.

Read your course's admission notice

Register on the CISIA portal

One attempt per period

Six sections, six clocks

Raw at once, official later

Use the score everywhere