Non-selective test

Access to the Economics and Management (CLEM) degree course is free.

However, pursuant to Ministerial Decree No 270/04, the Department of Economics and Management is required to verify the possession of an adequate initial preparation of students enrolled in degree courses. To this end, a non-competitive test is provided for the Economics and Management degree course. 

CISIA test presentation

For the non-competitive test, we use CISIA (Consorzio Interuniversitario Sistemi Integrati per l'Accesso) (http://www.cisiaonline.it/): TOLC (CISIA Online Test) - E (Economics).

The average of the score achieved in the test (weight: 75%) and the graduation mark the student has achieved (weight: 25%) constitute the result of the initial preparation test.

However, students intending to enrol at CLEM have the option of enrolling and taking the TOLC-E 'advance' test independently (in advance and independently of the 'ordinary' test that usually takes place towards the end of October each year and is organised by the Department of Economics and Management for enrolled students), which has the same characteristics and value. Those interested may therefore take the TOLC-E test 'in advance' on specific days in the period from February to September established by the Department of Economics and Management in Parma or at other University venues associated with CISIA. As in previous years, in 2022 the test will be held exclusively online (TOLC CASA). All male and female students who are in their fourth or fifth year of Italian or foreign upper secondary schools or who have already obtained a diploma may register for this test. Each student may take each 'advance' TOLC-E test no more than once a month (calendar month). The assessment obtained by means of the 'advance' TOLC-E test may be used to calculate the score useful for considering the minimum initial preparation level (as detailed below) to have been exceeded, and thus, in this situation, exempt the student from taking the 'ordinary' test provided by the Department of Economics and Management in October.

Presentation slides

Formula for calculating the overall total score

Test information

All information on the conduct of the test, how to register, pass thresholds, etc. can be found in this section.

General information about the test (TOLC-E). The purpose of the test is to check whether candidates' aptitude and basic skills are adequate to successfully undertake the course of study.

The test covers topics in mathematics, logic and verbal comprehension. The level of knowledge required is that acquired in high school.

Those with a high school diploma or students enrolled in the 4th or 5th year of high school may take the test. The participation of 4th year students is particularly recommended.

The test is delivered on a computerised platform. It can be taken on several dates from March to September ('early TOLC-E'), or in October ('ordinary TOLC-E').

The scores obtained are immediately visible on the screen at the end of the test. It will still be possible to obtain a CISIA certificate with all the scores achieved by downloading it at any time from the personal area of www.cisiaonline.it.

No further notice will be given to those who pass the test.

Enrolled male and female students who, after the ordinary test session (which takes place in October), have failed the test or have not taken it at all and do not fall within the cases envisaged by the exemption criteria described below, will be assigned an Additional Educational Obligation (OFA), described in the appropriate paragraph.

The early TOLC-E can also be repeated several times, but no more than once per calendar month regardless of the university location.

Enrolment. 

Enrolment in the degree course and taking the test are separate and independent procedures and neither automatically implies the other: enrolment can also take place without the test, however, taking and passing the early or ordinary test by the October session is necessary so that the enrolled student is not assigned an additional educational obligation (OFA) (see below).

For enrolment in Parma, the score obtained in the test taken in Parma or in any of the centres associated with CISIA is valid. Of course, the vice versa also applies, i.e. the test score obtained in Parma is valid at all the universities associated with CISIA, although each location may have different pass criteria. Those who wish to enrol in Parma having taken the test elsewhere can find the steps to be taken to obtain recognition of the test taken in the 'Criteria for exemption from the Entrance Test' section.

Calendar of sessions

The calendar of dates for the early TOLC-E tests at the University of Parma can be viewed in the section of this page entitled "Early" and "Ordinary" TOLC-E 2022 tests"; as in previous years, in 2022 the test will be held exclusively online (TOLC CASA).

PLEASE NOTE: The seating round cannot be chosen by the candidates but is assigned automatically by the enrolment management system: the candidate is assigned the first available seat in the higher priority round; in each round, the seats available for candidates are set according to the capacity of the computer rooms (if the test is held in presence); a lower priority round is only activated when the seats in the higher priority rounds are exhausted.

Test structure.

The CISIA Online Test (hereinafter referred to as TOLC) is delivered on a computerised platform, on the dates indicated in the section "TOLC-E 2022 'advance' and 'ordinary' test" on this page.

The TOLC is an individual test, which differs from candidate to candidate and consists of questions selected automatically and randomly from the CISIA TOLC database through proprietary software developed and managed by CISIA. All generated TOLCs of the same type have a similar difficulty.

As of 2018, the test consists of a series of multiple-choice questions, only one of which is correct, divided into the following sections:

SECTION NUMBER OF QUESTIONS MAX TIME AVAILABLE

Mathematics 13 questions 30 minutes

Logic 13 questions 30 minutes

Verbal comprehension 10 questions 30 minutes

English language 30 questions 15 minutes

The TOLC-E test comprises a total of 66 questions and lasts 1 hour 45 minutes (105 minutes).
More information on the TOLC test can be found on the relevant page on the CISIA website.

Scores and pass thresholds

The TOLC-E test score is calculated according to the following scheme:

  • 1 point for each correct answer; 
  • 0 points for each incorrect answer; 
  • -0.25 points for each incorrect answer. 

For the English Language Proficiency test, there is no penalty for incorrect answers and the mark is determined by awarding 1 point for correct answers and 0 points for incorrect or missing answers.

At the University of Parma, the initial preparation test (average of the score obtained in the TOLC-E test with weight: 75% and the graduation grade that the student achieved with weight: 25%) is considered passed if you obtain an overall total score of at least 14 out of 36 points - see 'Formula for calculating the score' in the 'CISIA test presentation' section on this page.

The scores achieved in the TOLC-E test are immediately visible on the screen at the end of the test. It will still be possible to obtain a CISIA certificate with all the scores achieved by downloading it at any time from the personal area of www.cisiaonline.it.

No further communication will be given to those who have taken the test.
CAUTION - The criteria for passing the test may differ from university to university.

Additional Educational Obligation (OFA).

Enrolled students who, after the ordinary session of the TOLC-E test (which takes place in October), do not pass the initial preparation test or do not take the test (early or ordinary) or do not fall under the exemption criteria, will be offered the opportunity to complete their preparation and not incur the Additional Educational Obligation (OFA) by passing a test at the end of a cycle of Mathematics Exercises on the topics of Basic Mathematics.

Students who fail this last test or do not present themselves will be assigned an Additional Educational Obligation (OFA) consisting of the obligation to take the "General Mathematics" exam before being able to take any exam in the 2nd year (e.g.: for students enrolled in the a.y. 2022/2023, no later than 31 December 2023). Students who have not yet removed their OFA at the time of enrolment in the 2nd year may still enrol in the 2nd year, but as long as the examination has not been passed, they may only sit the 1st year examinations for which they may be in debt. These OFA removal conditions also apply to students who enrolled in previous academic years. Those who have obtained the OFA (even in previous years) will not be able to remove it by repeating the test in the calendar years following the year of enrolment, but only by passing 'General Mathematics' before the 2nd year examinations.

N.B.: the OFA must not be confused with the propaedeuticities provided for in the degree course curriculum (CLEM), which concern all enrolled male and female students (and can be viewed at the following link: https://corsi.unipr.it/it/node/10887), regardless of whether or not the OFA has been passed. 

How to register for the TOLC-E 'advance' test.

Registration for the TOLC tests takes place on the appropriate page on the CISIA website, after registration.

Participation in the TOLC costs €30 payable by credit card or MAV bank transfer. Registrations are possible up to 7 days before the test date. (However, check the exact timing on the appropriate page on the CISIA website).

PLEASE NOTE: when registering, you will be asked to provide the details of an identity document, the same document that must be shown, together with the payment receipt, to the classroom commission on the day of the test.

Test procedure.

In the year 2022, the test will be held exclusively online (TOLC CASA). In order to take the TOLC, the student must log in at the convocation time assigned to them when registering for the test.

A committee, consisting of teaching staff members from the Department of Economics and Management, will receive the student candidates by conducting a roll call. No aids can be consulted during the test.

Learning Material

Online Training Test The CISIA provides a 'Training Test'.
Solved tests A series of tests with solutions, which have been administered in past years, is published on the CISIA website.
List of topics covered by the CISIA Test See the relevant page on the CISIA website.
The level of knowledge required is that normally acquired in high school.

Criteria for exemption from the entrance test in Parma.

The CISIA TOLC-E initial preparation assessment test for the academic year in Parma is exempt. 2022-23 those who:

- have taken a CISIA TOLC-E test for degree courses in Economics in the calendar year 2021 or 2022 in Parma or at other CISIA venues other than Parma; 
- have a previous academic career at other courses of study or other universities where the student has already undergone an initial preparation test.

Therefore, 

- those who have taken an early CISIA TOLC-E test, once they have completed their enrolment in Parma, after the date set for the closing of enrolments, will be notified of whether they have passed (or failed) the overall test to verify their initial preparation on the basis of the scoring methods described above; 
- those who come from a previous career will be exempt from taking the TOLC-E test as soon as the appropriate Departmental Committee has approved the re-accreditation of their previous career. See also the link https://sea.unipr.it/it/trasferimenti-e-passaggi.

Pre-course in Mathematics

This is an intensive mathematics course held in October/November that aims to recall or provide students with the minimum knowledge necessary to attend the courses taught during the first year. Attendance at the pre-course is strongly recommended for all students, even those who have passed the test.

Contact person responsible for TOLC-E for the Economics and Management degree course:

Prof. Alberto Grandi
T:  0521 032244
E: alberto.grandi@unipr.it

TOLC-E test 2022 'early' and 'ordinary'

TOLC-E 2022 'early' 
In order to verify the possession of adequate initial preparation of male and female students, the University and the CLEM course of studies have again this year joined the TOLC CASA (TOLC-E) Test, which will take place online on the following dates:

  • 18 March 2022
  • 22 April 2022
  • 20 May 2022 10
  • June 2022 15
  • July 2022
  • 31 August 2022
  • 2 September 2022
  • 9 September 2022 

Below is the communication from Prof. Grandi, President of the degree course, with detailed information on how the test will be conducted.

Dear future students, 
it is now possible to register for the TOLC@CASA test, which is useful for the verification of adequate initial preparation for students in the Economics and Management (CLEM) course.
Detailed information can be found on the following webpage: https://www.cisiaonline.it/ Specifically, before booking, students should ensure that they have the necessary devices listed in the TOLC@CASA Rules of Use for Students and Students and that they can set up the room in which they will take the test as indicated in the document "TOLC@CASA room configuration, testing and network requirements". Those who register must read and accept these documents during the booking process.
The best way to find out whether your Internet connection and computer are suitable for taking the TOLC@CASA is to carry out the TOLC simulations in the drill and placement area.
In the TOLC area on the CISIA website, information on the following aspects can be found:

It is important to remind you that in order to take the test you must have uploaded in your TOLC reserved area, under Manage Reservations, your identification document by 10 a.m. on the day before the TOLC@CASA (by 10 a.m. on Friday if the TOLC is on Monday) and uploaded your photo in View/Edit Personal Data.
We would also like to remind you that continuous updates are published in the news section of the CISIA website and on the following social channels:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/consorziocisia/ 
Twitter: https://twitter.com/consorziocisia 
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cisia_tolc_test/ 
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCESRab30_iv2dnnMVE-7QWQ 
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/cisia

TOLC-E 2022 'ordinary' 
The initial preparation test reserved for students enrolled in a.y. 2022/2023 will be held on 20 and 21 October 2022.

To take the "ordinary" TOLC of 20 and 21 October, the student does not have to register on the CISIA website; students will receive an e-mail in the days preceding the test date, therefore they must check their e-mail address (e-mail address indicated by the student at the time of registration for enrollment in the degree course).

N.B.: Students of the first year who, following the completion of the TOLC-E, have not obtained a sufficient score (see the paragraph above: "Information on the test"), will be able to complete the verification of the initial preparation and not incur in the OFA by passing the Mathematics test that will be held at the end of the "General Mathematics Exercise" cycle (in the organization phase).

Outcomes TOLC previous years

Final list of students with or without OFA 2021/2022

In the academic year 2021/2022 the TEST for the verification of the initial preparation ("ordinary") reserved for students already enrolled / pre-enrolled who had not taken or passed the "early" test took place on 21 and 22 October 2021.

To take the "ordinary" Tolc reserved, the student does not have to register on the CISIA site (where, in fact, those dates do not appear for the Parma campus); students will receive an e-mail in the days preceding the test date, therefore they must check their e-mail inbox.

N.B.: Students of the first year who, following the completion of the TOLC-E, have not obtained a sufficient score, will be able to complete the verification of the initial preparation and not incur the OFA (Additional Educational Obligation) by passing the Mathematics test that at the end of the cycle of General Mathematics Practice.

Final list of students with or without OFA 2020-2021

Final list of students with or without OFA 2021-2022