Critical thinking · 9 questions in the exam

Deduction

Chains, conditionals, quantifiers and Venn diagrams: what follows from premises, and what does not. Deduction is tested in the Critical thinking section of the Bocconi Test, which has 9 of the 50 questions (75 minutes in total, 2027/28 format). This guide covers it in 4 lessons, each with the rule that solves it and a diagram.

Chains of premises

All A are B and all B are C give all A are C; comparisons line up the same way. Chains never reverse, “all” followed by “some” breaks the link, and items not connected keep an unknown order.

RuleA > B > C, D > C: D vs A unknown

If–then statements

From “if P then Q” you may conclude Q from P and not P from not Q. Q does not give P, and not P does not give not Q. “P only if Q” is P ⇒ Q; “P unless Q” is not Q ⇒ P.

RuleNot cancelled ⇒ it did not rain

All, some, none and negation

“Some” means at least one, possibly all. The negation of “all A are B” is “some A are not B”; the negation of “some A are B” is “no A is B”. The negation is not the opposite.

RuleNot all trains were late = at least one was on time

Reasoning with Venn diagrams

Draw all as inside, no as apart, some as an overlap with a mark. A conclusion follows only if no drawing that fits the premises breaks it. Two “some” premises give nothing.

RuleSome A are B, no B is C ⇒ some A are not C

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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