Charts
Bar, line, pie, stacked and less common charts read as tables in picture form. Charts is tested in the Numerical reasoning section of the Bocconi Test, which has 6 of the 50 questions (75 minutes in total, 2027/28 format). This guide covers it in 3 lessons, each with the rule that solves it and a diagram.
Bar and line charts
Read the legend and the axis unit, then turn the bars or points you need into numbers. The steepest segment of a line is the largest change between consecutive points; an axis that does not start at zero exaggerates differences.
Pie, stacked and 100% charts
These charts show shares. A share can fall while the count behind it rises, because totals differ. In stacked bars a segment is top minus bottom; to combine groups, go back to counts.
Scatter, waterfall and pyramid charts
In a scatter plot the direction of the points shows a correlation and an isolated point is an outlier; correlation is not cause. A waterfall adds changes to a starting value; a population pyramid shows age groups as shares.
What is the Bocconi Test format?
Online Bocconi Test for admission in academic year 2027/28, as published by Università Bocconi.
- Questions / time
- 50 / 75 minutes
- Distribution
- 24 mathematics · 11 reading · 6 numerical reasoning · 9 critical thinking
- Scoring
- +1 correct · 0 blank · −0.2 wrong
- Question languages
- English · Italian
- Three-option questions
- Some critical thinking questions have three options; a wrong answer there costs −0.33
- Minimum score
- Below 17 points the test is not considered for selection
- AI degree
- Mathematical and Computing Sciences for Artificial Intelligence also needs at least 11 of 24 points in mathematics
- Law test
- A separate test, 50 questions / 75 minutes: 5 mathematics · 11 reading · 6 numerical reasoning · 18 logic and critical thinking · 10 verbal reasoning; same scoring
Source: Università Bocconi, Online Bocconi Test page (checked October 7, 2026)
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