What CEnT-S Score Do You Need for Admission?

“What score do I need?” is incomplete without a degree course, academic year and applicant category. Under the CISIA CEnT rules, universities can apply their own evaluation system and section weights and publish their thresholds. A number from another degree or a student discussion is not a substitute for your bando.

Which score are you looking at?

The current CISIA scoring page states +1 for a correct answer, 0 for a blank and −0.25 for a wrong answer, then a normalisation coefficient is added. The official normalised result becomes available after the relevant macro-period. You cannot calculate that coefficient from a practice score alone.

For an arithmetic illustration, 30 correct answers and 8 wrong answers give a raw score of 30 − 8 × 0.25 = 28; any remaining answers are blank. This is a worked example, not an admission target. A university may then consider particular sections or a conversion stated in its own rules. Do not call that raw 28 a normalised 28.

Official threshold examples, checked 18 October 2026

These are deliberately narrow examples for 2026/27, not a forecast for 2027/28. Both come from the University of Messina's official table of thresholds to avoid OFA in open-access engineering courses. The department's explanatory notice links the table and explains the OFA process.

The table explicitly uses “risposte esatte”, meaning correct answers. We preserve that wording rather than converting it into a raw or normalised score. The 45 is a selected set of questions used by these courses, not the length of the whole CEnT-S. Confirm with the university how the table applies to your sitting and application year, especially if documents describe different test versions.

Admission eligibility, ranking and OFA are different

• Eligibility minimum: a condition for entering an application or selection process, if the bando sets one.
• Ranking outcome: whether your position wins an available place for your applicant category and selection round.
• OFA threshold: whether additional learning requirements are assigned under the course's rules.

A published minimum does not predict the final ranking cutoff. An OFA condition does not become a competitive admission cutoff because it contains a number. CISIA's admissions FAQ distinguishes open-admission and restricted-admission courses and directs students to the university notice.

How to choose your own target

1. Find the current bando for your exact degree and applicant category.
2. Record the accepted test version and score validity dates, the sections counted, the score definition and any minimum.
3. Separate that minimum from rankings and OFA conditions. Copy the relevant wording and page reference into your application notes.
4. Check when the official result will be available against the application deadline.
5. If the calculation is unclear, ask the university's admissions office before treating a practice score as sufficient.

Use practice results to identify weaknesses and track improvement under consistent conditions. Do not set a universal “safe score” from these two examples. For section selection, see Do you have to take every section?; for uncertain answers, see our penalty and guessing guide.