CEnT-S Exam: Structure, Scoring and How to Prepare

Short answer: The CEnT-S is the shared entrance test Italian public universities use for English-taught bachelor's programmes. It has 55 multiple-choice questions and lasts up to 110 minutes, with sections on mathematics, reasoning on texts and data, biology, chemistry and physics. If the university accepts it, you can take it online from home, and you get more than one attempt a year. The topics are high-school level; the real challenge is reading speed in English and managing the time.

Which programmes require the CEnT-S?

According to CISIA (the consortium that runs Italy's university entrance tests), the CEnT-S is for English-taught programmes in engineering, sciences, biology, pharmacy, economics, psychology and agriculture. In November 2025 it replaced the English versions of the TOLC tests (TOLC-E, TOLC-I, TOLC-F).

Each university states in its own call for applications (bando) whether it requires the CEnT-S, what score it expects, and whether it accepts results taken from home or only on campus, so always check the call of the programme you want. Medicine, dentistry and veterinary medicine use a different test, the IMAT.

Test structure

In the 2025–2026 cycle the CEnT-S has 5 sections:

Mathematics: 15 questions, 30 minutes
Reasoning on texts and data: 15 questions, 30 minutes
Biology: 10 questions, 20 minutes
Chemistry: 10 questions, 20 minutes
Physics: 5 questions, 10 minutes

Each question has 5 options and one correct answer. Every section has its own time limit. According to CISIA's announcement, you must use at least half of a section's time before moving on, and time you don't use in one section does not carry over to the next. The whole test is in English.

Topics: mathematics covers numbers, algebra, geometry, functions, exponentials and logarithms, probability and basic statistics; biology covers cells, inheritance and human physiology; chemistry covers atomic structure, reactions, acids and bases and organic chemistry; physics covers motion, forces, energy, fluids and electromagnetism. The reading part uses English texts at B2 level. Most of this will be familiar to anyone who studied science subjects in high school.

Scoring: do wrong answers cost points?

Correct answer: +1
No answer: 0
Wrong answer: -0.25

Because different test days use different questions, CISIA "normalises" the scores so that no one is disadvantaged by a harder set. Each university then converts the normalised score with its own system and sets its own pass mark.

Practical tip: guessing completely at random among 5 options averages out to 0 points (0.2 × 1 − 0.8 × 0.25 = 0). But if you can rule out at least one option for sure, guessing gains you points on average.

From home or at a university?

CEnT@HOME (CEnT@CASA): taken online in a Webex virtual classroom supervised by a university commission. You need a laptop with a built-in camera and a mobile phone, and you upload both sides of your ID when booking. VPNs are forbidden and you must take the test from the country you declared when booking, so you can take it from your home country without travelling to Italy.
CEnT@UNI: taken in the computer labs of universities in Italy.

Each university states which format it accepts. If you take the test from home, CISIA recommends doing at least one simulation beforehand. Do it, so any computer or connection problem shows up before test day.

Dates: how many times can I take it?

The test year is divided into periods (macro-periods) and you can take the CEnT-S once in each period. So you don't have a single shot: if the first attempt doesn't go well, you can try again in the next period.

2025–2026 cycle (for 2026/27 enrolment): 11 test days across 4 periods; the last test was on 15 October 2026.
New cycle (from November 2026, for 2027/28 enrolment): CISIA has announced that the number of periods rises to 5: November–January, February–March, April–May, June–July and August–September. The exact test days are still being updated; universities open them.

The CEnT-S runs only in the afternoon: ID checks start at 14:15 and the test at 14:30, Italian time.

Important if you need a visa: results are released at the end of each period, and your admission, Universitaly pre-enrolment and visa appointment depend on them. Take the test in the early periods, so you still have time for a second attempt if needed.

Fee and booking

For November 2025 – October 2026 the fee was €55, non-refundable, payable by credit card or MAV bank slip. CISIA sets the fee for each new cycle.
You book in CISIA's student area (Area riservata test CISIA): create an account, choose the format (home or university), the university and the date, then pay. The booking is confirmed only when the payment and enrolment receipt appears under "Manage bookings".
Bookings close about a week before the test; for a Thursday test, the deadline is 14:00 on the Friday of the previous week. Bookings can't be cancelled, but the date or university can be changed if seats are available.

How to prepare

Read the call of your target programme: what score does it ask for, which sections does it weight more, does it accept results taken from home?
Study the topics in English: even familiar topics need the English terms ("derivative", "stoichiometry", "mitosis"). Reviewing what you already know from English materials is the fastest route.
Practise against the clock: you have about 2 minutes per question in every section. Always time your practice tests.
Use CISIA's free resources: CISIA offers free online courses and practice areas on its website and publishes the official syllabus.
Start early, sit early: treat your first attempt as a rehearsal. With one attempt per period, most students feel much more comfortable the second time.

Bottom line

The CEnT-S sounds intimidating at first, but it has a clear structure, high-school-level topics and several chances a year. Choosing the right university and keeping to the calendar matter more than the test itself. We can check which programmes require the CEnT-S, what score they ask for and whether they accept results taken from home, and build a personal preparation timeline for you. Fill in the free assessment form to get started.

Last checked: 26 October 2026. Compiled from CISIA's official sources. We will update this article as CISIA publishes details of the new cycle.

What Is the CEnT-S? Structure, Scoring, Dates and How to Prepare