TOLC-I

Access to the degree course in Design sostenibile per il sistema alimentare (Sustainable Design for the Food System) is required to pass an admission test called TOLC-I. Information pertaining to the test can be found on the page on the course of study website.

Students who want to enroll in a first-cycle degree course in Engineering at the University of Parma are required to take an entrance test (TOLC-I). This is a orientational and non-selective assessment (and self-assessment) test. However, those who after the last session of the test (which takes place in October and November) have not taken the test or have failed to meet the prescribed score thresholds will be given an additional educational obligation (OFA). At the University of Parma, the TOLC-I test is considered passed if students obtains:

an overall total score of at least 16 points out of 50 (excluding the additional section for the "Test of English Language Proficiency) and a scores in the Mathematics section of at least 4 points out of 20. 

For the academic year 2024/2025 are considered valid test held in 2023 and 2024.

All details and information about the test can be found below or on the CISIA website www.cisiaonline.it

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The test is delivered on a computer platform and can be taken at the University of Parma facilities (TOLC@UNI) or at one's home TOLC@CASA.

I TOLC@CASA are in all respects identical to the TOLC@UNI.

The TOLC can be repeated several times, but no more than once a month, regardless of the university location where it is held.

For the degree programmes in engineering at the University of Parma, both test methods are considered valid: TOLC@UNI and TOLC@CASA.

The dates of the TOLC-Is for the year 2024 delivered by the University of Parma are given below:

• April 4, 2024 (Mod. TOLC@CASA)
• April 11, 2024 (Mod. TOLC@CASA)
• May 17, 2024 (Mod. TOLC@CASA)
• May 31, 2024 (Mod. TOLC@CASA)
• July 17, 2024 (Mod. TOLC@CASA)
• July 18, 2024 (Mod. TOLC@CASA)
• July 24, 2024 (Mod. TOLC@CASA)
• Sept. 6, 2024 
• Sept. 12, 2024 
• Sept. 13, 2024
• Oct. 10, 2024 
• Oct. 16, 2024 
• Oct. 17, 2024 

Students are reminded that TOLC@UNI or the TOLC@CASA can be taken at any university that joins CISIA by November 30th 2024 in order not to have the OFA awarded, without any difference in the mode of delivery and/or recognition of the same by the University of Parma.

You still need to register for the test in time, on the www.cisiaonline.it keeping in mind the following deadlines according to the date of execution:

We encourage students to take a look at the detailed information on how to take the test which is available at www.cisiaonline.it/area-tematica-tolc-cisia/regolamenti

In particular, with reference to the TOLC@CASA students, before booking, will need to ensure that they have the necessary devices listed in the regulations and that they can set up the room in which they will take the test as indicated by the document TOLC@CASA room setup, testing and network requirements. Those who sign up will need to view and accept these documents during the booking process. The best tool to figure out if their internet connection and computer are suitable to support the TOLC@CASA is to conduct the TOLC simulations in the exercise and placement area. It is important to remind them that in order to take the test, they must have uploaded in their Reserved TOLC area, in Reservation Management, the identification document by 10 a.m. of the day before the TOLC@CASA (by 10 a.m. on Friday if TOLC is on Monday) and have uploaded the photo in View/Edit Personal Data.

In the area dedicated to TOLCs on the CISIA website they will find information on the various steps:

• What is TOLC;
• How to register for TOLC;
• TOLC regulations;
• TOLC exercises;
• TOLC day.

It is important to remind them that in order to take the test they must have uploaded in their Restricted TOLC area, in Reservation Management, the 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 have uploaded the photo in View/Edit Personal Data.

The entrance test for engineering degree courses is designed to test whether applicants' aptitude and basic skills are adequate to successfully pursue a course of study in engineering.

The test covers topics in mathematics, logic, chemical and physical sciences, and verbal comprehension. The level of knowledge required to take the test 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 participate in the test. Participation of 4th year students is especially recommended.

The test is organized by the CISIA (Interuniversity Consortium Integrated Systems for Access), a consortium formed by most Italian engineering offices and is called "TOLC-I" (CISIA OnLine Test for Engineering), or more briefly "TOLC".

It can be taken on multiple dates from March to July ("Early TOLC-I"), or on one of two dates in the first half of September ("Ordinary TOLC-I"), or on one date in October and November ("Make-up TOLC-I"), see the appropriate Session Calendar.

The TOLC-I test can be taken at any of the CISIA member universities; in addition, the TOL Test taken at Politecnico di Milano is also recognized, and students with previous careers (i.e., those who enroll coming from other courses of study) may be exempt from the test under certain conditions. Those who find themselves in any of the said situations are urged to carefully read the Exemption Criteria (Tests taken elsewhere and past careers) section.

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

Those who have passed the test (see the Scores and passing thresholds) will not be given any further notice.

Registered students who after the last test session of their first year of matriculation (which takes place in October and November) have failed the test or not taken it at all and do not fall among the waiver cases in the Waiver Criteria section, will be assigned an Additional Formative Obligation (OFA), described in the appropriate section. The final allocation of the OFA will take place after the October test session, and students found to be subject to the obligation will be notified by a special letter sent to them via email a few weeks later.

Registration in an engineering degree program and taking and passing the test are separate and independent procedures and neither automatically implies the other. Matriculation can take place even in the absence of the test; however, taking and passing the test by the remedial session (October and November) is necessary so that the matriculate is not assigned an additional educational obligation (OFA) (see below).

For matriculation in Parma, the score obtained in the test taken Parma or in any of the sites consortiumed 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 consortiumed with CISIA, although each location may have different passing criteria and consider only certain test methods valid.

Those who wish to matriculate in Parma having taken the TOLC-I test at other university locations that are members of CISIA in the current or previous year do not have to take any special action: the scores they obtained will automatically be recognized as valid for Parma as well. Those who had taken the Milan Polytechnic's TOL test or who are enrolling coming from other courses of study can find in the Criteria for exemption from the Parma entrance test section the information and the necessary steps to obtain recognition of the test taken or the previous career.

The TOLC-I is an individual test, different for each candidate, composed of questions automatically and randomly selected from the CISIA TOLC database through proprietary software made and managed by CISIA. All generated TOLC-I of the same type have a similar difficulty.

The TOLC-I test consists of a series of 50 multiple choice questions, only one of which is correct, broken down into the following sections:

To determine whether or not the test is passed, the Parma office uses only the scores achieved in the first four sections, thus excluding the additional section for the "English language proficiency test". The latter is still dispensed because the score in it could be used by other venues.

The duration of the TOLC-I test is 1 hour and 50 minutes (110 minutes) + 15 minutes for the English language section. Students not interested in the English language section may close the test before beginning that section.

At the following link you will find a list of topics on which the test ("Syllabus") is focused.

The level of knowledge required to take the test is that acquired in high school.

For more information on the TOLC test you can consult the relevant page on the CISIA website.

The maximum score obtainable on the TOLC-I is 50, and is calculated according to the following scheme:

• 1 point for each correct answer
• 0 points for each answer not given
• -0.25 points for each incorrect answer

At the University of Parma, the TOLC-I test is considered passed if you obtain:

an overall total score of at least 16 out of 50 points
and
a score in the Mathematics section of at least 4 out of 20 points.

The scores achieved are visible immediately 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 the www.cisiaonline.it.

On the Statistics of the CISIA website are the distributions of the scores obtained by students nationwide in previous years as well as many other useful statistical data on the test.

For matriculated students who after the last session of the test ("TOLC-I make-up", which takes place in October and November) have not taken the test or have failed the prescribed score thresholds and are not among the cases provided for in the Exemption criteria will be given an additional educational obligation (OFA), described in the specific section, and will be notified by a special letter sent to them via email some time after the last session of the test ("TOLC-I remedial") is held.

In case of a test repeated several times (in Parma or elsewhere), the final outcome attributed to the student will be the one corresponding to the highest total score (among the outcomes that do not give rise to OFA, if any).

PLEASE NOTE - The criteria for passing the test may differ from different Universities.

The test is considered passed if the minimum thresholds for the total score and the score achieved in the Mathematics section are reached. Matriculated students who, after the remedial test sessions of their first year of matriculation, have not passed the test or have not taken it at all and do not fall among the cases envisaged by the waiver criteria, will be given an Additional Educational Obligation (OFA) consisting in the obligation to take one of the two exams in Mathematics scheduled in the first year (*) before being able to take any exam in the 2nd year.Students who at the time of enrollment in 2nd Year had not yet removed the OFA may still enroll in 2nd Year, but as long as one of the said two exams has not been passed they may take only those exams in 1st Year for which they may have owed. These OFA removal conditions also apply to students who matriculated in previous academic years. Those who, having exhausted the remedial sessions, have obtained the OFA (even in previous years) will not be able to remove it by repeating the normal test in the calendar years following the year of matriculation, but only by passing one of the Mathematics exams provided for the degree program (*).

(*) For the degree course in Ingegneria delle tecnologie informatiche (Computer Technologies engineering) and for the degree course in  Ingegneria infromatica, elettronica e delle telecomunicazioni (Computer, Electronic and communications Engineering): "Mathematical Analysis" or "Geometry and Algebra"; for the degree course in Ingegneria Gestionale (Management Engineering): "Mathematical Analysis A" or "Geometry"; for the other degree courses in Engineering: "Mathematical Analysis 1" or "Geometry".

Students who score high in the "Mathematics" section of the TOLC may be awarded the following increments that will be applied to the grade obtained in one of the exams listed below taken at one of the University of Parma's engineering degree courses:
- 1 extra point for those who score at least 12 points out of 20;
- 2 extra points for those who score at least 16 points out of 20.
The increments will be given to the grade of "Geometry" for those enrolled in the degree course in Ingegneria Gestionale (Management Engineering) and Ingegneria Civile e Ambientale (Civil and Environmental Engineering), the grade of "Mathematical Analysis" for those enrolled in the degree courses in Ingegneria delle Tecnologie informatiche (Computer Technologies Engineering), and the grade of "Mathematical Analysis 1" for those enrolled in the other degree courses. To obtain the increment, it will be necessary to submit the printout of the certification of the score achieved in the test, which can be downloaded from the personal area of the CISIA website, to the lecturer, according to his instructions.

Registrations for the TOLC tests are made on the appropriate page on the CISIA website, after registration.
 

Participation in the TOLC costs €30 payable by credit card or MAV bank slip. Registration is 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 that must be shown, together with the payment receipt, to the classroom committee on the day of the test, in case you test in presence.

As part of the registration procedure for the test to be taken on the CISIA website, students may declare whether they have disabilities or have specific learning disorders (DSA); in such cases, specific aids and/or additional time may also be requested depending on the declared disability or disorder. When registering for the test, the necessary attestations and certifications to document disability or DSA status must be submitted to the office through a special document upload form provided by CISIA. The University Service for Students with Disabilities and DSAs (www.dis-abile.unipr.it) will then make contact with each student to make known the measures planned for him or her to take the test.

• Online Training Test
  The CISIA provides an "Training Test". This is a version of the test with a reduced number of questions and time available, but with questions of the same type and difficulty as those in the full test.
• Solved Tests
  A series of tests with solutions, which have been administered in past years, is posted 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.

Those who wish to matriculate in one of the (three-year) degree programs in Engineering in Parmahaving taken the TOLC-I test in any of the CISIA member universities in the current or previous year, do not have to perform any particular action because the scores thus obtained will be automatically recognized.
In the case of a test repeated several times (in Parma or elsewhere) the final result attributed to the student will be the one corresponding to the highest total score (among the results that do not give rise to OFAs, if any).

In the following additional two cases (waiver cases) the taking of the TOLC-I test is not required, provided the requirements specified further below are met:
1) Students who have taken the Milan Polytechnic's TOL test;
2) Students who are enrollingcoming from other courses of study (i.e., with previous careers)

In these two cases, students must explicitly request recognition of the test taken (case no. 1)or prior career (case no.2),by performing the specific procedure indicated below under each situation. In the case of a procedure carried out after the indicated date or not carried out at all, the student will be awarded the additional educational obligation for missing test (OFA, see above).

1. Milan Polytechnic TOL test taken in the years 2023 or 2024

In this case, taking the TOLC-I test is not required as long as the sum of the TOL scores (i.e., those found in the test outcome document [screenshot] downloaded from PoliMI, in the "Test Details" section, "Score" column) obtained in the areas: "Mathematics," "Verbal Comprehension," and "Physics" is greater than or equal to 16 and the score obtained in the section of "Mathematics" is greater than or equal to 12; the scores calculated in this way are valid only for the purpose of the exemption and the consequent non-attribution of the OFA.

--- The procedure to be performed in this case #1 is as follows:

1. Download the test result document (screenshot) from the Politecnico di Milano website and save it.
2. Rename said file as follows: TOL_surname_name.xxx, where xxx is the file type which can be: pdf (preferred), png, jpg, jpeg bmp, doc, docx.
3. Follow the online procedure is located at: www.ce.unipr.it/tolc/TOL_PoliMI, no later than 30/11/2024.

2. Previous academic career pursued at other courses of study or other universities

For students in this situation, the following two subcases are distinguished:

2.1 Student transferring from an engineering degree course of the Department of Engineering and Architecture of the University of Parma to another engineering course of the same Department.

In this case the student does not have to take the test or carry out any action or procedure because the previous situation remains valid as if the transition had not taken place, i.e.: in case of a passed test in the year of enrollment or OFA already removed, no test is required; on the other hand, if an OFA not removed still existed the student will not be able to take the test and will still have to remove the OFA by taking one of the scheduled mathematics exams before being able to take the second-year exams of the new degree course.

2.2 Student from a degree program different from the Engineering degree programs of the Department of Engineering and Architecture of the University of Parma who switches or transfers to an Engineering course of that Department.
In this case the test is not required only if at the time of passing or transferring to the chosen degree course at least 5 CFUs acquired in the course of origin are validated, excluding foreign language skills. In this case, in order to obtain the exemption from the test, it is necessary to perform the procedure below.

--- The procedure to be performed in case 2.2 is as follows:

1. In your personal area of the Esse3 management system reach the file "Self-certification Enrollment with exams", with the path: Secretariat > Self-certifications etc.
2. Make sure that in said file your enrollment in the degree program to which you transferred (and not the one you came from) and any exams taken or recognized in the transfer are indicated. Since this document will contain the said indications only after the Degree Council has approved the request for transfer or passage, it is necessary to periodically check that it is updated because until this document is updated, one cannot proceed
3. When in said file ("Self-certification Enrollment with Examinations") one's enrollment in the new degree course appears and any exams taken are indicated, download the file.
4. Rename said file thus: CFU_surname_name.pdf
5. Follow the online procedure found at: www.ce.unipr.it/tolc/CFUpregressa.

The procedure must be carried out as soon as the required Self-Certification document is available in one's personal area,without date limitation.

This is an intensive math course conducted in September in the weeks immediately preceding the start of classes that is designed to recall or provide students with the minimum knowledge necessary to profitably attend courses taught during the first year. Course attendance is strongly recommended for all students, even those who have passed the entrance test. The pre-course is then a particularly useful tool for those who have not yet passed the test to successfully tackle the remedial TOLC-I in October.
The Precourse schedule can be viewed within the following page.
 

If the information reached by these links turns out to refer to the previous year it should be considered as a useful example pending the publication of valid information for the current year.