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GUIDES TO THE UNIVERSITY

2020-2021 A.Y.
Master of Science Programs in joint with Politecnico di Milano



6.
EXAMS


The information in this Guide refers only to activities and regulations in place at Bocconi University. For activities and regulations in place at Politecnico, please check the PoliMi widget available in the yoU@B Diary.

 

Assessment methods such as exams and other types of tests are designed to assess whether students have reached the required level of preparation in order to be awarded the relative credit points for the various educational activities.
Assessment methods must include a public moment of evaluation.
Exams are scheduled for the following educational activities included in the degree program requirements:
 

  • compulsory courses/compulsory courses chosen by the students;
  • elective courses;
  • foreign languages (in this last case, as an alternative to the Bocconi exam, students can opt for an international certification from among those recognized by the University).
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6.1.
Exam program

Exams, like lectures, are based on the topics described in the course program which is available in 2 versions: the course profile and the course syllabus.

The course profile includes the main topics dealt with in the course and is divided into the following sections: Course Mission and Course Content Summary, Intended Learning Outcomes, Teaching Methods, Assessment Methods, Teaching Materials, and where required, prerequisites. To help students choose courses, the course profiles are published on the website (at www.unibocconi.eu/courses) well before the start of lessons. Substantial variations to the course profiles are not envisaged during the year, except for some minor changes to the textbooks that may be made as a consequence of new publications or updated material that were not available when the profile was finalized.

The course syllabus for Bocconi courses explains more in detail the topics covered. For every learning session, if possible, the reference materials necessary for an in-depth appreciation and consolidation of the concepts dealt with in lectures and assessment methods are specified.
The course syllabus is prepared by the Course Director in conjunction with the views of the Master of Science Program Director. The syllabus is generally distributed during lectures and is generally available online (yoU@B student Diary e BBoard).  

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6.2.
Assessment methods

The assessment methods are indicated in a summarized form in the course profiles and are explained in further detail in the course syllabi (in the Assessment Methods section). In addition, they are also explained by the faculty during lectures and are generally available online.  

The assessment methods may be different for attending and non-attending students. Furthermore, some exams can only be taken by attending students.Students are considered "attending" if they meet the course attendance requirements established by the faculty member. 

The assessment of knowledge involves evaluation during the course (possible only for the attending students) or only a final evaluation (possible for non-attending students and also open to attending students).
In general terms, the in-progress evaluation provides for more evaluation moments and possibly more methods, such as (depending on teaching and according to the proportions specified in the course profile) partial written exams, oral exams, evaluation of the student's active participation in class and individual and / or group assignments given by the faculty during lecture weeks (assignments that can only provide written output or even an oral presentation).
The final assessment, however, provides for only one evaluation time in written and / or oral form.

For courses with multi-class groups belonging to the same MSc program, the exams are organized in the same way. 

It is important to always check how exam marks are registered either with the faculty member or with the secretary's office of the  Department (whether or not it is necessary to register for other exams to complete the requirement, etc.) and to check the expiration date of the mark of those written exams that are followed by an oral exam.

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6.3.
Past exam papers

The Course Director will decide on the availability of past exam papers, together with the correct answers. If a Course Director decides to distribute past exam papers it may be done through the following channels:

  • BBoard platform;
  • the Teaching box available in the yoU@B student Diary;
  • his/her own Personal Page available on the website. 

Past exam papers which are released are available for 12 months, unless otherwise stipulated by the Course Director.

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6.4.
Exam sequence

Exam sequence indicates the sequence that must be followed in terms of time and prerequisites in preparing exams and obliges students to pass some exams before sitting for others. There is no specific exam sequence for CYBER in the 2020-2021 a.y. In any case, even for courses that do require a specific sequence, exams should be taken in the order of teaching in terms of both year of program and semester.

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6.5.
Period of general/partial exams and timetable

6.5.1.
Exams and Partial Exams

The exam timetable is scheduled in periods (including 1 or more sessions) that do not coincide with the periods when lectures are held.

All courses have 3 exam sessions, with the exception of foreign languages that have 5. Exam distribution includes 2 sessions held at the end of the teaching semester; the third session (the last one) is considered a supplementary session.
Lectures are suspended at mid-semester in both the first and second semester for 1st partial exams. 2nd  partial exams are held at the end of the semester of lessons. The dates of partial exams may or may not coincide with the dates fixed for general exams. Students can take exams in all sessions once the semester lectures included in their study plan have finished. For some types of exams and for some courses, there may be some limitations to access the exams.
For details on exam dates (exam timetable) for PoliMi courses, see the ‘PoliMi’ widget available in the yoU@B diary.

FIRST YEAR

Exam sessions for Bocconi first year courses are organized as indicated in the table below:

Period

1st semester courses

2nd semester courses

From

To

2nd session

 

 

 

07/01/21

02/02/21

2 sessions for the Bocconi seminar Introduction to Cyber Risk

 

3rd session

 

 

 

15/03/21

20/03/21

 

 1st partial exam

4th session

 

 

 

12/05/21

31/05/21

 

2nd partial exam
1 session

01/06/21 (**)

19/06/21 (**)

 

2nd partial exam

1 session

5th session

 

 

 

26/08/21

07/09/21

 1 session for the Bocconi seminar Introduction to Cyber Risk

 

 (**) For the compulsory courses and compulsory courses to be chosen by the students, curriculum compulsory courses the second partial exam, if written, is generally scheduled in both sessions of the exam periods at the end of the exam periods.

As a consequence, for the course typologies above, a second partial exam is generally scheduled:

  • with reference to the second semester, a second partial exam is generally scheduled in the period 1-19 June 2021 as an alternative to the partial exams session of the period 12 to 31 May 2021.

There are rules and limitations to access the second partial exam. For all details, check paragraph 6.6. Exam registration procedure.

SECOND YEAR

Exam sessions for Bocconi second year courses are organized as indicated in the table below:

Period

 

1st Semester courses

2nd Semester courses

From

To

   

Period I

 

     

19/10/20

24/10/20

1st Partial exams

1 session 2019-2020 academic year

Period II

     

09/12/20

22/12/20

2nd Partial exams
1 session

 

07/01/21

19/01/21

 

20/01/21 (**)

03/02/21 (**)

2nd Partial exams
1 session

 

Period V

     

26/08/21

07/09/21

 1 session

 

(**) For the compulsory courses and compulsory courses to be chosen by the students, curriculum compulsory courses and for the elective courses included in A,B, C groups of the ESS MSc program, the second partial exam, if written, is generally scheduled in both sessions of the exam periods at the end of the exam periods.

As a consequence, for the course typologies above, a second partial exam is generally scheduled:

  • with reference to the 1st semester, in the period 20 January to 3 February 2021 as an alternative to the partial exams session of the period 7 - 19 January 2021.

There are rules and limitations to access the second partial exam. For all details, check paragraph 6.6. Exam registration procedure.


Notes on consulting of the exam calendar

  • "Session" refers to both exams of the current year and the previous years;
  • the third session for 2nd semester courses will be held in  October 2021 period;
  • the sessions for French, Spanish, Italian, German will be held in: December/January (first period), January (second period), March/April, June, August/September.

There is NO overlapping between compulsory course exam sessions of the same year of studies and Master of Science degree program; therefore no two exams are usually scheduled on the same day. The exam timetable for the October 2020 - September 2021 period is published by the half of September on the University website at www.unibocconi.eu/exams.

The timetable of an exam session may be changed during the year (only to a later date or time). In that case, students do not need to re-register for the exam since their registration is automatically transferred to the new timetable.
Exam dates are updated daily on the website. In addition, any changes to the exam timetable can be viewed on the yoU@B student Diary.
Please note that exam start times and the length of the exam (when available) should be considered purely indicative. Exam start and end times may vary depending on the type of exam (online, paper, etc.), the presence of more than one group, possible postponements, etc. Students should therefore follow the instructions related to the day, time and classroom that are usually communicated on the afternoon of the business day before the date of the exam in yoU@B>Exams – Breakdown of the students in the classroom.

The different types of exams are identified in the exam timetable by the following letters:

  • PI Partial exam
  • S Written exam
  • O Oral exam
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6.5.2.
Classroom and student allocation

Students can check the classroom, day and time assigned for their Bocconi exam via the yoU@B student Diary generally in the afternoon of the working day prior to the exam date. The assigned time may differ from the exam start time published on the Exam Timetable due to organizational needs or exam groups.

If the exam is held in more than one classroom or in more than one timetable slot, students are allocated following criteria set by the Department the course refers to and informed via an appropriate message sent on their yoU@B diary. In any case, students must follow the instructions on the day, time and room specified in the message.

The list of classrooms assigned for exams is also published on the website (following the same timelines explained above) at www.unibocconi.eu/classrooms.
It is also posted daily on the monitors located on the ground floor of the University building in piazza Sraffa 13.

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6.6.
Exam registration procedure

Registration for exams is compulsory and it can be carried out through the menù 'Exam dates>Registration exam sessions up to the fourth last working day before the exam itself. The following days and periods are classified as non-working days and therefore are not included:

  • Saturdays and Sundays;
  • Holidays and periods when the University is closed, as indicated below:
    • for 2020: 7, 8 and 25 December;
    • for 2021: (up to the September exam period): 1 and 6 January, 5 April, 2 June.

 

Registration for exams and partial exams is allowed as long as the student is not suspended (e.g. for the unrecorded payment of tuition and fees and any penalty fees, for a disciplinary sanction, for irregularity checked by one of the University Services, etc.).


Through the yoU@B Diary menu "Exam dates>Registration exam sessions" a list of the un-passed courses included in the study plan appears. Via the Exam dates menu item, students can complete exam registration for each course code and assessment method, for one of the two exam sessions following the displaying date.


By clicking on the appropriate icon besides an exam session, in accordance with the set deadlines. students can carry out the following operations:

  • Register for an exam
  • Cancel an exam registration.


The registration/cancellation operation is carried out only if confirmations asked for is given by the system. If confirmation is not given, registration/cancellation for the specific activity will NOT take place.

After having carried out the exam registration, students can print the receipt of each operation completed via the function "Exam dates>Registration exam sessions" by clicking on the appropriate icon beside the selected exam session; students must check  if the registration/cancellation operation has been correctly carried out upon accessing the 'Exams' widget which includes the list of exam registrations carried out by the student.

If the system does not allow you to register for an exam or cancel an exam registration carried out, it may be as a result of one of the following:

  • the registration deadline has  expired;
  • the course is not included in the study plan;
  • the student has already passed the exam;
  • the student is suspended for non-payment of university fees and tuition;
  • the student does not have the right to sit the exam because the exam is scheduled before lectures finish (end of semester); this does not apply to partial exams.

With reference to the second partial exam scheduled in the second exam session of the exam periods at the end of the teaching semesters for some course typologies, the system may not allow you to register for or cancel from an exam if:

  • the student is already registered for the 2nd partial exam in the first exam session;
  • the student is already registered for the general exam in the first exam session (written or oral).


When the registration to the session has closed, the above criteria will be checked again. If the criteria has not been met the student cannot sit the exam. Students who are suspended after registering for one or more exams and/or partial exams are sent a message on their yoU@B student Diary informing them that they cannot sit the exam. Students who clear their position before registration closes have the right to sit the exam. Once students clear their position they will receive a message via the above channels.

For further detailed information on rules for exam registration, please check paragraph 6.6.1 Notes for Exams Registration: Regulations and Requirements.

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6.6.1.
Notes for the Bocconi exams registration: regulations and requirements

In addition to the rules mentioned in paragraph 6.6 Exam and partial exam registration procedure, some important information regarding exam registration is available below:

  1. Both a written exam and a partial exam or both an oral exam and a partial exam in the same day.
    If the exam calendar includes both a written exam and a partial exam or both an oral exam and a partial one on the same day students cannot register for both types of exams at the same time. Therefore students must choose which of the 2 types of exam they want to register for (written or partial exam; oral or partial exam).
  2. Both a date for the written exam and a date for the oral exam in the exam timetable
    If the exam timetable shows both a date for the written exam and a date for the oral exam, students must register for both (even if they are on the same day). If students do not register for both, they cannot sit the exam. For foreign languages, see Exam Rules section available on the Bocconi website>Language Center.
  3. Registration in groups
    In some cases when registering for an exam students will be asked to make a specific choice from among a group of alternatives ("registration in groups"), for example "attending students". After selecting the type and date of the exam for which they want to register/cancel, a window will automatically appear giving students the possibility of selecting the group they want to register for.
  4. Partial exams
    If the exam consists of different partial exams, students must pass all of them in order to pass the exam. If students do not sit for one of the partial exams they must take the general exam. For further detailed information on exam assessment methods for each individual course, please check the course profiles published on the website at www.unibocconi.eu/courses.
  5. Rules for sitting/registering for the second partial exams
    With reference to the second partial exam scheduled in both exam sessions of exam periods at the end of the teaching semesters, there are the following rules and exam access limitations:
    • students can sit for the 2nd partial exam only once: students registered for the 2nd partial exam in the first exam session after the teaching period will not be allowed to register for the 2nd partial exam in the second exam session after the teaching period;
    • students registered for the general exam in the first exam session after the teaching period will not be allowed to register for the 2nd partial exam in the second exam session after the teaching period. 

Checks for accessing the 2nd partial exam in the second exam session after the teaching period will be made on the basis of the exam registration, independently from the student’s attendance at the exam.
 

For further detailed information on exam periods and the course typologies involved, please check paragraph 6.5.1 General and partial exams.

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6.7.
Marks

Exams are marked out of thirty. 
Assessments are always individual.

A mark of between 0 and 17 out of thirty is considered unsatisfactory.
A mark of between 18 and 30 out of thirty is considered satisfactory and allows students to gain the credit points provided for by the program structure.
Examining board may award "lode" (cum laude) to students who achieve thirty out of thirty (30/30).

Exams that are awarded an unsatisfactory mark are considered to have been failed and must therefore be repeated (this applies to both partial and general exams).

Exams that are awarded a satisfactory mark are considered to have been passed and cannot be retaken.

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6.8.
Exam procedure in Bocconi

6.8.1.
Procedure

ONLY students who have duly registered for exams can sit for them.

Students must turn up to exams equipped with their Bocconi ID card.

For written exams, students certify their presence by signing the exam paper (this is not an acceptance of the grade). Students must write only with an indelible ink pen in blue or in black color for written exam. For oral exams, attendance is usually certified by the faculty member using the related online procedure.

During exams students may decide to withdraw, in which case their papers are not considered valid and the exam result is not registered.
For written exams, students are deemed to have withdrawn if they hand in their exam papers with "withdrawn" written on them. Usually, in case of written exams, students who withdraw must stay in the room up to the end of the exam; for oral exams, students may only withdraw before the teacher declares the mark. Withdrawing from an exam is equivalent to not taking the exam.
Handing in written exam papers (whether they are partial or general exams) specifically means accepting the mark the teacher gives the paper, no matter what it is. 
Only passed exams are recorded.

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6.8.2.
Exam conduct

Exams are official assessments which must be taken in full compliance with the rules.

During an examination students may not:

  • offer or receive any assistance from students or any other party, nor can they use notes unless authorized by the teacher;
  • attempt to obtain confidential information about the specific questions of the exam;
  • assume the identity of another nor allow others to assume their identity during an exam; nor can students present as their own a piece of work which has been copied, entirely or partially;
  • keep mobile devices on their desks (e.g. mobile phones, MP3 players, smartwatches, etc.). 

Violation of the above rules or the instructions given by the faculty member during exams, is cause for cancellation of the exam, and the start of disciplinary procedures. The disciplinary sanctions applied at Bocconi include:

  • official warning;
  • temporary ban from one or more courses;
  • exclusion from one or more exams for one or more exam periods;
  • temporary suspension from the University and loss of exam periods (not more than three years).

All disciplinary sanctions are registered in the student's academic career, written in the transfer form, and in all university documents used in determining the student's graduation grade. A disciplinary sanction more serious than a warning precludes any student benefits (scholarships, housing, etc.). 

These rules do not substitute the university in the monitoring of the exams. The university will maintain strict exam procedures. The university moreover will do its best to ensure that exams are taken in adequate rooms, with enough space and silence to allow students to concentrate. Faculty members are required to set clear questions, allowing students to show their ability and degree of understanding of the subject area.

Finally, students are strongly recommended to carefully read the content of the Honor Code, which is published on the website at www.unibocconi.eu/honorcode where they can find a summary of the unfair and illegal behaviors and the relating sanctions.

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6.9.
Bocconi Examining Boards

Examining boards are appointed by the Rector or one of his/her delegates and consist of at least 2 members, including a President, and are presided over by the Course Director. When necessary, examining boards may be divided into sub-boards.
On the basis of a Proposal by the Head of the Department of reference of the subject, examining Board members can be:

  • All members who have teaching commitments for the course in the academic year, excluding the Visiting Professors short-term and those only engaged in guest speaking or seminars;
  • Teaching Assistants (with a graduate degree) assigned to the course;
  • All those who were part of the Examining Board of the previous years even if they do not teach in the current year;
  • Other Bocconi teaching staff (tenured staff and not tenured) who are experts in the subject;
  • The Head of the Department of reference of the course.


Students will generally sit exams with the faculty member(s) of their assigned class group if they take the exam in the first exam period after the end of the course. In subsequent exam sessions, exams may also be organized in various class groups. In that case, student may sit exams with either a faculty member or faculty members of one of the class groups or with an expert in the subject. The class group may not be the same that was assigned to the students.

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6.10.
Publication of exam results

The results of written exams (partial, in itinere or general exams), managed by the Secretary's Office of the Department responsible for the courses, are generally published on the yoU@B student Diary > Exams Results. Marks are communicated in yoU@B for informational purposes only,

Only in the case of general exams, once the result of an exam has been registered, students are advised to check that it has been correctly recorded in their academic career by using the Career>Study plan menu at Punto Blu via the yoU@B Diary.

In compliance with the Honor Code, the Bocconi teaching staff are committed to carrying out the assessment fairly way and to be available to analyze the quality of the exam taken with the student. In this context, one date dedicated to reviewing the exam paper must also be scheduled for written exams.

During the exam paper review, there is no negotiation between the teacher and the student regarding the awarded grade; at this stage, the student is required to maintain an attitude oriented to understanding any mistakes made, to take the opportunity to learn from direct confrontation with the faculty member. Students are not allowed to delegate third parties to view their exams papers.

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6.11.
Recording, registering and certifying

The final results of exams are recorded with a mark out of thirty and are registered in the student's academic career by the Office for Study Planning Program.

The exams for courses subdivided in modules are considered passed, and may be recorded in the academic career and certified, only after passing both exams of which the course is made up. The final grade is obtained by the grade point average (compared to the credits of each module) of the two marks achieved.
The appropriate offices periodically check the grades recorded in the academic careers of all students.

Each student's "Official academic transcript" contains all the exams included in the study plan (both Bocconi and PoliMi), together with the date when the exam was passed, the marks and the credit points awarded and subject group for the exams that have been recorded.

The unofficial academic transcript contains all the exams, including those that have been passed, i.e. the exams for which students have been awarded a sufficient mark. The positive partial mark achieved in the exams of each module (if included in the program structure) can be viewed. This document (NOT valid as certification) is valid only within the University (e.g. ISU Scholarship ranking, exchanges, etc.).
Only passed exams are certified.

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6.12.
Credit for international foreign language certifications

For the first and second foreign language courses, a list of international language certifications are recognized as an alternative to Bocconi exams.
For more detailed information regarding these assessment methods see 'Foreign languages'.

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6.13.
How to calculate the Grade Point Average (GPA)

The Grade Point Average (GPA) is calculated by the mathematical average weighted on the credit point values of all courses with marks expressed out of thirty recorded in the student's academic career. 

Credits earned for educational activities with assessments that are not expressed with a grade out of 30 (e.g. seminars, internships, etc.) are not included in the calculation of the grade point average.

When calculating the GPA, exams that have been awarded "lode" (cum laude) are given the value 31.
A maximum of 2 additional exams can be included in the calculation of the GPA. If a student has passed more than 2 additional exams, the 2 best results are considered (if grades are the same, those additional courses with more credit points are considered). 
The exams ratified for students transferring from other Italian universities, universities abroad and exams taken at other universities by Bocconi students are assigned the mark awarded by the university where the exam was originally taken. If the original marks are expressed in different numerical scales or in letters, they are converted to marks out of thirty on the basis of the specific conversion table.

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