Bocconi Entrance Test - Everything You Need To Know

For a lot of us, quant, reasoning and making sense of complicated formulae is not simple. In fact, it can be really intimidating and we do wish we were evaluated on more things that made us who we are. At SDA Bocconi Asia Center, your scores matter but so does your profile and your potential of becoming a business leader. It is one of the top b-schools in the country that welcomes diversity in profile and is very conscious of how their students add to the pool of the next generation of business leaders. If you feel there is a lot more to you and that other entrance scores have not been able to define your potential, giving the Bocconi test is definitely worth a shot.

The Bocconi Test

The Bocconi Test is SDA Bocconi’s main entrance test. Amidst this chaos of solving quant questions and cracking the DI-LR section, the Bocconi test has a unique method of testing your potential to succeed in a work environment. It is a computer adaptive test and features a constantly updating question bank with no negative marking, which basically means that based on your previous answers, the test throws new questions at you. It is tuned to not only judge your potential to contribute as an IMB student but also as a future business leader. While SDA Bocconi Asia Center also accepts applications of students who have given their CAT, NMAT, and GMAT, one can also take the Bocconi Test to submit a direct application. This even works out for students who were not able to perform well in the other competitive examinations.  

What does the Bocconi Test consist of?
The Bocconi Test is divided into 3 broad sections. Each section has 30-35 questions and the overall test is timed at 70 minutes. The test pays specific attention to your reasoning ability in different scenarios and is relevant from a professional perspective.

Let’s get into the details then?

The first section of the Bocconi Test is Verbal Reasoning. This is timed at 19 minutes and is in a multiple choice question (MCQ) format. It is designed to measure your ability to analyze the logic behind the many arguments that will be presented to you in written form. You’ll be provided with a passage that gives out information on a particular topic that represents a variety of work settings and businesses. Once you’ve read the passage, you’ll be asked questions which have to be answered with either ‘True,’ ‘False’ or ‘Cannot Say’ if you don’t have relevant information to make a decision.

Pro-tip: Do not make any external assumptions. Your answers should be solely based on the information that has been listed in the passage. So if you feel that you don’t have enough information to make a decision between ‘True’ or ‘False,’ then clicking on the option ‘Cannot Say’ is your best option.

The second section is Numeric Reasoning. No, no don’t go hiding behind the chair now. As much as math may scare you, one of the best features of the Bocconi Test is that it adapts to your previous responses. This means that if you’ve been great at answering the earlier questions, you’ll be levelling up to more tougher questions and if you probably couldn’t answer one of them, the test will adapt to your level and slowly get to the more difficult sets.

In this section, you are assessed on the ability to understand and make correct decisions or inferences from numerical or statistical data. All the questions are based on realistic workplace problems. These are also in the form of MCQs but require calculations, interpretation of graphical data and tables and you’ll be given 25 minutes to solve this set.

Pro tip: Read and understand the questions that are asked before diving into calculations. It is important that you don’t waste your time doing extensive calculations and focus on understanding the information that the table or graphs already provide.

Inductive Reasoning makes for the final section of the Bocconi Test. You will have 25 minutes to crack this section. The questions will test your ability to understand the relationship between various concepts without any previous assumption or acquired knowledge. It basically tests your logical reasoning and most of the questions are based on numeric and spatial patterns.

Pro tip: Nothing better than practice to ready your mind for some logical reasoning exercises.

Bocconi Test Prep

If you’ve prepared for other competitive exams like CAT, NMAT, and GMAT, you’ll know your way around the preparation material for the Bocconi Test. To prepare, you can also practice online and they also have mock tests that you can take.

Whether you’re preparing for the Bocconi Test or any other competitive examination, it is important to do a self-assessment after every mock. This will help you identify your strengths and weaknesses and what areas you need to put more work into.

Where do I apply for the Bocconi Test?

You can apply for the Bocconi Test when you start your IMB application. You have to select the option to give the Bocconi test and there are no additional fees for the test, other than the application fees. The admissions team at SDA Bocconi Asia Center will get back to you with the details for the test.