Problem solving
Word problems turned into equations: speed and work, mixtures and ratios, money and interest, and the strategies that save time on a multiple-choice test. Problem solving is tested in the Mathematics section of the Bocconi Test, which has 24 of the 50 questions (75 minutes in total, 2027/28 format). This guide covers it in 5 lessons, each with the rule that solves it and a diagram.
From words to equations
Name the unknown, write every quantity in terms of it, find the sentence that states an equality, and check the answer in the words. In age problems, every age moves by the same number of years.
Speed and work
d = v · t. Average speed is total distance over total time, not the average of the speeds. Towards each other the speeds add, chasing they subtract. Working together, rates 1/T add.
Mixtures and ratios
A ratio a : b : c splits a whole into a + b + c equal parts. In mixtures, follow the pure substance: pure amounts and totals add, and the concentration is pure ÷ total, a weighted mean of the ingredients.
Money problems
Profit = revenue − cost; a markup is on the cost, a margin on the selling price. Successive changes multiply and are undone by dividing. Simple interest: C(1 + rn); compound interest: C(1 + r)ⁿ.
Exam strategies
Use the options: check them starting from the middle, substitute easy numbers when they contain letters, estimate when they are far apart, and eliminate impossible values. With a penalty, a blind guess is worth little; guess after eliminating.
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)
Practise this topic
Take the free diagnostic to see where this topic sits against the other 47, then work through the question bank.
Start the free diagnostic