Guides to the university

2023-2024 A.Y.

World Bachelor Business (3-y)



6. EXAMS

Assessment methods such as exams and other types of tests are designed to assess the students' required level of preparation in order to be awarded the credit points for the various educational activities. Assessments are marked out of thirty (for exams) or given a pass/fail grade and are always individual.
Assessment methods must guarantee authenticity of the student's output and third party check.


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6.1. Exam program

Exams, like lectures, are based on the topics described in the course program, 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 following sections: Course Mission and Course Content Summary, Intended Learning Outcomes, Teaching Methods, Assessment Methods, Teaching Materials and, where applicable, prerequisites. Students can access the course profiles on the Bocconi website (at page http://www.unibocconi.eu/courses).

To help students choose courses on the basis of the course contents, the course profiles are published on the site well before the start of lectures. Substantial variations to the course profiles are not expected during the year, except for some 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 purpose of the course syllabus together with the information published online is to explain in more detail the topics covered. For every learning session of the course, if possible the reference materials necessary for an in-depth consolidation of the concepts dealt with in the lectures and assessment methods are specified and tutors are available (see "Teaching assistants"). The course syllabus is prepared by the Course Director in conjunction with the views of the Program Director. The syllabus is generally distributed during lectures and is generally also available online (Blackboard, in the course profile, in the yoU@B student Diary).


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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 syllabuses (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.


In general terms, in-progress evaluation provides for more evaluation moments and many 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 in the same Bachelor of Science 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 sign up for other exams to complete the requirements, 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. The Course Director may do this through:

  • the Blackboard platform;
  • the Teaching box available in the yoU@B student Diary;
  • his/her personal page available on the website.
     

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


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6.4. Period of general/partial exams and timetable

 

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6.4.1. General and partial exams

The exam timetable is scheduled in periods that do not coincide with the lectures. Each exam period consists of one or more sessions.
The exam timetable allocates 4 exam sessions for all courses; 2 of them are scheduled after the teaching semester, the third and fourth sessions are considered as supplementary sessions. For language courses 5, exam sessions are scheduled.

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. Partial exam dates may or may not coincide with those fixed for general exams.

Students can generally take exams in all sessions as long as they meet the attendance requirements (semester course lectures in the study plan must be finished). For some courses, there may be some limitations to access the exams.
The exam periods and exam sessions (reference period: October 2023 - September 2024) are scheduled as follows.

 

 Period

 1st semester Courses

 2nd semester Courses

From

To

   

Period I
20/10/23


31/10/23


1st Partial exams

 

Period II
11/12/23 (*)


21/12/23 (*)


2nd Partial exams
1 session

 

08/01/24

20/01/24
 

 

22/01/24 (**)

03/02/24 (**)

2nd Partial exams
1 session

1 session (related to 2022-2023
academic year)

Period III
11/03/24


19/03/24

 

1st Partial exams

Period IV
13/05/24


31/05/24


 


2nd Partial exams
1 session

01/06/24 (**)

19/06/24 (**)

 

2nd Partial exams
1 session

20/06/24

09/07/24

1 session

 

Period V
26/08/24


07/09/24

 
1 session


1 session

 

(*) In the period 11-21 December 2023 an exam session, open to all enrolled students, is scheduled for 1 or 2 compulsory courses per program/year of studies. This replace the January - first period - 2024 exam session which, as a consequence, will not be scheduled.

(**) For the compulsory courses, the second partial exam, if written, is scheduled in both sessions of the exam periods scheduled at the end of the teaching period.

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

  • with reference to the first semester, in the period 22 January to 3 February 2024 as an alternative to the one scheduled in the period 8 to 20 January 2024 (or to the one scheduled for the period 11 - 21 December 2023 if it is a call open to all students);
  • with reference to the second semester, in the period 1 to 19 June 2024 as an alternative to the one scheduled in the period 13 to 31 May 2024.

There are rules and limitations to access the second partial exam. For complete details, see paragraph 6.5. Exam registration procedure.
 

Notes on the exam calendar

  • "session" refers to both exams of the current academic year and the previous years;
  • the fourth exam session for 2nd semester courses will be held in January - second period 2025;
  • exam sessions for language courses are scheduled for: October 2023; January - second period, June, July and August/September 2024;


A reserved exam session has been scheduled in December (11-21 December 2023), for 1st semester courses, open only to students who are engaged in curricular internships abroad or in Italy in the January/February 2024 period.

Only those students whose teaching activities described above start before the January exam session - second period - ends (3 February 2024) can participate. With reference to this reserved exam session please note that students CANNOT sit exams for previous year's courses which have not been passed.

There is NO overlapping between compulsory course exam sessions of the same year and Bachelor of Science program; therefore no 2 exams on the same day are usually scheduled, except for December, January - second period (22 January -  3 February 2024) and August/September exam periods, as the available days for exams are limited.

Such overlapping rules refer ONLY to compulsory courses of the year in which the student is enrolled and do not refer to previous years' exams which have not been passed yet and/or to elective courses. With reference to the elective courses we tend, when possible, to guarantee the non-overlapping between courses referring to the same subject area.


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6.4.2. Exam timetable

The exam timetable for the October 2023 - September 2024 period is published by the end of July 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, 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 exams are identified in the exam timetable by the following letters:

  • I Partial exam
  • S Written exam
  • O Oral exam 

 


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6.4.3. Classroom and student allocation

Students can check the day, time and classroom assigned for their 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 and in more slots, students are allocated following criteria set by the Department the course refers to and they receive a message relating to this via the yoU@B Diary in the Exam Breakdown in the student box.  

In any case, students must follow the instructions relating to the day, time, room and mode of exam (written or oral exam on paper or on student's PCs) 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/rooms.
 


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6.5. Exam and partial exam registration procedure

Registration for written, oral and partial exams is compulsory and must be carried out via the yoU@B Diary > Registration exam session function up to the fourth last working day before the exam itself, i.e. by the deadline listed in Registration exam sessions and posted in the Exams section of the University website. The following days and periods are classified as non-working days:

  • Saturdays and Sundays;
  • Holidays and periods when the University is closed, as indicated below:
    • for 2023: 1 November; 7, 8, 25 and 26 December;
    • for 2024 (up to August/September exam period): 1 January; 1 and 25 April; 1 May and 15 August.

Registration for the exam session and for partial exams may be allowed only if the student has not been suspended (e.g. if the payment of tuition and fees and/or any penalty fees has not been recorded, for a disciplinary sanction, for any irregularities discovered by one of the University Services, etc.).

To register, after accessing the 'Registration exam session' function of the yoU@B student Diary, students can view a list of the un-passed courses included in the study plan.

Via yoU@B you can register for only one of the two exams which follow the displaying date, for each code and type of exam.

By clicking on the appropriate icon beside the exam session, according to the deadlines for the exam registration, the following operations can be carried out:
 

  • Exam registration
  • Exam cancellation

The registration/cancellation operation is carried out only if the confirmation prompt is given by the system. If registration is completed correctly, the system will  provide the reservation number. If confirmation is not given, registration for the specific activity will NOT take place.

After registering for the exams it is possible to print the receipt for every operation carried out via yoU@B Exams > Registration Exam sessions by clicking on the appropriate icon besides the selected session; however, immediately after registering, 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 or cancel from an exam, 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 exam has already been passed;
  • 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 2nd 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 not allows 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 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 6.5.1 Notes for Exams Registration: Regulations and Requirements.


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6.5.1. Notes for the exams registration: regulations and requirements

In addition to the rules mentioned in paragraph 6.5 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 language exams only one registration is required.
  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 sit for 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, regardless of whether the student attends the exam held in the first session after the teaching period.
      For further detailed information on exam periods and the course typologies involved, please check paragraph 6.4.1 General and partial exams.

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6.6. Examining boards

Examining boards are appointed by the Rector or one of his/her delegates. They consist of at least 2 members, including a President, and are presided over by the Course Director. When necessary, exam commissions may be divided into sub-examining 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 for various class groups, in which case, students sit exams with a faculty member or faculty members of one of the class groups, or with an expert in the subject.


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6.7. Exam procedure

   

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6.7.1. Procedure

Exams are held in person on Campus.

ONLY students who have duly registered for exams can be admitted to sit for them.
Students must come to exams equipped with their personalized Bocconi ID card.

The exam attendance is usually certified by the faculty member using the related online procedure.
For written exams, students also 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. 

Students may decide to withdraw from an exam, in which case their papers are not considered valid and the exam result is not registered.
For written exams, students who wish to withdraw must declare their decision at the end of the time allocated for the exam following the instructions given by the faculty member; for written exams on paper, students are deemed to have withdrawn if they hand in their exam papers with "withdrawn" written on them.

As a general guide, in case of written exams, students who withdraw must stay in the room until the end of their exams; for oral exams, students may only withdraw before the faculty member 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 faculty member gives the paper, no matter what it is.


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6.7.2. 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 faculty member;
  • 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 entirely or partially copied;
  • keep mobile devices (e.g. tablet, smartphones, mobile phones, smartwatches, MP3 players, etc.) on their desks or on their person which must be properly stowed in bags or backpacks (unauthorized possession of such devices during exams, regardless of their actual use, is prohibited).


Violation of the above rules or 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 this University include:
 

  • official warning;
  • temporary ban from one or more courses;
  • suspension from one or more exams for one or more exam periods;
  • temporary exclusion 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 the exams are taken in adequate rooms, with enough space and silence to allow students to concentrate. Faculty members are required to set clear questions and to mark exams following clear rules, 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 published on the website www.unibocconi.eu/honorcode and, in particular, in the Code of Conduct for Students where they can find a description of the unfair behaviours and the relating sanctions.


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6.8. Marks

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.

The examining board may award "lode" (cum laude) to students who are awarded thirty out of thirty (30/30).


Exams that are awarded a satisfactory mark are considered to have been passed and cannot be retaken (whether they are partial exams or general exams).


Exams that are awarded an unsatisfactory mark are considered to have been failed and must therefore be taken again.


As far as written exams are concerned, if the final grade does not meet all the requirements of the partner Universities, the Examining Board may require a supplementary exam.


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6.9. Publication of exam results

The results of written exams, managed by the Secretary's Office of the Department responsible for the courses, are generally published on the yoU@B student Diary. Marks are communicated for informational purposes only, therefore 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 yoU@B in the "Career > Study plan" menu on the yoU@B > Punto Blu.

The result notification sent to the student includes information on the result of the written exam, the date for inspection of the exam paper and, if decided by the Examining Board, also a call for any integrative exam.

In compliance with the Honor Code, the Bocconi teaching staff are committed to carrying out the assessment fairly and to be available to analyze the quality of the exam taken with the student. In this context, in the case of written exams, the University requires that a session be scheduled by the faculty member, usually on a single date, dedicated to reviewing the exams subject to evaluation for students who have taken the exam.


During the exam paper review, there is no negotiation between the faculty member 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 exam paper.


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6.10. 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 Study Planning Office.
The exam for courses subdivided into 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 credit points of each module) of the two marks achieved.

The appropriate offices periodically check the grades recorded in the academic career of all students.


Each student's "Official academic transcript" available only through the cert@B procedure available at yoU@B Diary>Certifications, contains all the exams included in the study plan, together with the date when the exam was passed, marks and credit points awarded and subject groups for the exams that have been recorded.

The "unofficial academic transcript", which can be printed by accessing the yoU@B Diary>Punto Blu tab via the terminals located at the University only, contains all exams including those that have been passed, i.e. the exams for which students have been awarded a sufficient mark.

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 mark of the exams of each module (if included in the program structure).

Only passed exams are certified.


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6.11. Credit for language certifications

For the second language courses, some international language certifications (the mark is converted into a mark out of thirty) are recognized as an alternative to Bocconi exams.
For more detailed information see "Languages and Computer Skills"


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6.12. 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.
A 30 "cum laude" is awarded the value of 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 (those for which students received the highest marks, if grades achieved are the same, the ones with the highest number of credit points are considered).


Exams ratified for students transferring from other Italian universities are assigned the mark awarded by the university where the exam was originally taken.


Exams ratified for students transferring from universities abroad 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.


Exams taken at other universities that have an agreement with Bocconi University 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 conversion tables.


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