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Exam Review

Key Facts: TOLC-AV Exam

50 questions

Core exam questions across 6 sections

CISIA TOLC-AV Syllabus

100 minutes

Core test duration

CISIA Regolamento TOLC

€35

Standard CISIA registration fee per attempt

CISIA Official Fee Schedule

+1 / -0.25

Scoring: +1 correct, -0.25 wrong, 0 blank

CISIA Scoring Rules

30 questions

Optional English placement section (15 min)

CISIA Test Structure

Monthly

Allowed test frequency (once per calendar month)

CISIA Regolamento TOLC

The TOLC-AV is CISIA's standardized computer-based entrance examination for Italian university programs in agriculture, forestry, food science, and veterinary-related disciplines. It consists of 50 core questions in 100 minutes spanning biology, chemistry, physics, mathematics, logic, and reading comprehension, scored with a -0.25 penalty for incorrect answers.

Sample TOLC-AV Practice Questions

Try these sample questions to review concepts for the TOLC-AV exam. Each question includes a detailed explanation. Start the interactive quiz above for the full 99+ question experience with AI tutoring.

1Which of the following structural and biochemical features provides the strongest evidence supporting the endosymbiotic origin of mitochondria and chloroplasts in eukaryotic cells?
A.They possess a single outer membrane composed strictly of peptidoglycan.
B.They contain their own circular DNA molecules and 70S ribosomes similar to prokaryotes.
C.They synthesize all of their required proteins independently of the host nuclear genome.
D.They divide synchronously with the mitotic spindle during eukaryotic nuclear division.
Explanation: The endosymbiotic theory posits that mitochondria and chloroplasts originated as free-living prokaryotes engulfed by ancestral eukaryotic cells. Key evidence includes their circular, non-histone-bound DNA, 70S bacterial-type ribosomes, self-replication via binary fission-like processes, and double membranes.
2A fresh plant tissue sample is placed in a 10% sucrose solution (hypertonic relative to the cell sap). What cellular phenomenon will be observed under a light microscope, and what causes it?
A.Lysis, because water flows rapidly into the vacuole until the rigid cell wall bursts.
B.Turgor pressure increases, because sucrose molecules diffuse actively across the tonoplast.
C.Plasmolysis, because water exits the central vacuole by osmosis, causing the protoplast to shrink away from the cell wall.
D.Crenation, because the cell wall contracts symmetrically around the dehydrated cytoplasm.
Explanation: When plant cells are exposed to a hypertonic external medium, water leaves the vacuole and cytoplasm down its chemical potential gradient via osmosis. As a result, the plasma membrane and protoplast pull away from the rigid cell wall, a process known as plasmolysis.
3During which specific stage of eukaryotic meiotic cell division does genetic recombination (crossing over) take place between non-sister chromatids of homologous chromosomes?
A.Prophase I
B.Metaphase I
C.Anaphase II
D.Telophase I
Explanation: Crossing over occurs during the pachytene stage of Prophase I of meiosis. Homologous chromosomes synapse to form tetrads (bivalents), and non-sister chromatids exchange reciprocal segments of genetic material at chiasmata, producing novel combinations of maternal and paternal alleles.
4During the complete aerobic oxidation of one mole of glucose (C6H12O6), what is the direct net yield of ATP and reduced electron carriers generated solely by cytoplasmic glycolysis?
A.4 ATP (net), 2 FADH2, and 2 pyruvate
B.2 ATP (net), 2 FADH2, and 0 NADH
C.0 ATP (net), 4 NADH, and 1 acetyl-CoA
D.2 ATP (net), 2 NADH, and 2 pyruvate
Explanation: Glycolysis consumes 2 ATP during its energy-investment phase and produces 4 ATP during its energy-payoff phase, yielding a net 2 ATP via substrate-level phosphorylation. In addition, 2 moles of NAD+ are reduced to 2 NADH, and 2 moles of pyruvate are produced per mole of glucose.
5During semiconservative DNA replication in a proliferating cell, how does the molecular machinery synthesize the lagging strand, and which enzyme joins the resulting discontinuous fragments?
A.It is synthesized continuously in the 3'-to-5' direction by RNA primase and sealed by topoisomerase.
B.It is synthesized discontinuously as Okazaki fragments in the 5'-to-3' direction and sealed by DNA ligase.
C.It is transcribed into single-stranded mRNA intermediates that are converted into DNA by reverse transcriptase.
D.It is synthesized continuously away from the replication fork by DNA polymerase I without primers.
Explanation: Because DNA polymerases can only add deoxyribonucleotides in the 5'-to-3' direction, the lagging strand template running 5' to 3' into the replication fork must be replicated away from the fork in short stretches known as Okazaki fragments. Once RNA primers are excised and replaced with DNA, DNA ligase catalyzes phosphodiester bonds to join adjacent fragments.
6In pea plants, tall stem length (T) is completely dominant over dwarf stem length (t). If two heterozygous tall plants (Tt) are crossed, what is the expected phenotypic ratio among their offspring according to Mendel's Law of Segregation?
A.1 tall : 1 dwarf
B.9 tall : 3 dwarf
C.3 tall : 1 dwarf
D.1 tall : 2 intermediate : 1 dwarf
Explanation: A monohybrid cross of two heterozygotes (Tt x Tt) yields genotypes in the ratio 1 TT : 2 Tt : 1 tt. Because T is completely dominant over t, both TT and Tt express the tall phenotype (3/4), while only tt expresses the dwarf phenotype (1/4), resulting in a 3:1 phenotypic ratio.
7In cattle, black coat (B) is dominant over red coat (b), and polled (hornless, P) is dominant over horned (p). The two loci assort independently. If two dihybrid individuals (BbPp) are mated, what proportion of their offspring is expected to have the red, horned phenotype?
A.1/16
B.3/16
C.9/16
D.1/4
Explanation: Under independent assortment, the cross BbPp x BbPp produces a classic 9:3:3:1 phenotypic ratio: 9/16 black polled (B_P_), 3/16 black horned (B_pp), 3/16 red polled (bbP_), and 1/16 red horned (bbpp). The probability of inheriting both homozygous recessive traits is (1/4) * (1/4) = 1/16.
8A domestic mammal with blood group AB expresses both A and B antigens on the surface of its erythrocytes. Which genetic inheritance pattern is best exemplified by this phenomenon?
A.Epistasis
B.Incomplete dominance
C.Polygenic inheritance
D.Codominance
Explanation: Codominance occurs when both alleles in a heterozygote are fully and simultaneously expressed in the phenotype without blending. In individuals with blood group AB, both the A allele and the B allele produce their respective functional surface antigens.
9Hemophilia A in domestic dogs is an X-linked recessive disorder. If a clinically healthy female dog who is a carrier for hemophilia (XHXh) is mated with a normal male (XHY), what is the probability that a male pup born from this litter will be affected by hemophilia?
A.0%
B.50%
C.25%
D.100%
Explanation: Male puppies inherit their single X chromosome from their mother and a Y chromosome from their father. Because the mother is heterozygous (XHXh), she passes the mutant Xh allele to 50% of her sons (XhY) and the normal XH allele to 50% of her sons (XHY). Thus, 50% of male pups will have hemophilia.
10In a genetic mapping experiment involving two linked loci in agricultural plants, a testcross produces 820 parental-type offspring and 180 recombinant-type offspring out of 1000 total progeny. What is the genetic distance between these two loci?
A.0.18 centimorgans (cM)
B.9.0 centimorgans (cM)
C.18.0 centimorgans (cM)
D.82.0 centimorgans (cM)
Explanation: Recombination frequency is calculated as (number of recombinant offspring / total offspring) * 100%. Here, (180 / 1000) * 100% = 18.0%. By definition, 1% recombination frequency corresponds to 1 map unit or 1 centimorgan (cM), giving a genetic distance of 18.0 cM.

About the TOLC-AV Exam

The TOLC-AV (Test OnLine CISIA Agraria e Veterinaria) is an orientation and admission examination administered by CISIA for entry into undergraduate degree courses in Agricultural Sciences, Forestry, Animal Breeding and Production, Food Science and Technology, Biotechnology, Animal Care, and related veterinary sciences across participating Italian universities. The standard core exam comprises 50 multiple-choice questions administered in 100 minutes divided across six sections: Biology (8 questions, 16 min), Chemistry (8 questions, 16 min), Physics (8 questions, 16 min), Mathematics (8 questions, 16 min), Logic (8 questions, 16 min), and Reading Comprehension (10 questions, 20 min). An additional 30-question English placement test (15 min) is administered at the end. This question bank is an independent practice tool developed by OpenExamPrep to assist students in preparing for all core scientific and analytical domains of the TOLC-AV syllabus.

Exam sponsor: CISIA — Consorzio Interuniversitario Sistemi Integrati per l'Accesso. The requirements and fees below concern the certification or admission exam, separate from our free practice resources.

Assessment

50 multiple-choice questions across 6 sections in 100 minutes: Biology (8 questions, 16 min), Chemistry (8 questions, 16 min), Physics (8 questions, 16 min), Mathematics (8 questions, 16 min), Logic (8 questions, 16 min), Reading Comprehension (10 questions, 20 min), plus an English placement section (30 questions, 15 min). Core scoring: +1 correct, -0.25 wrong, 0 blank.

Time Limit

100 minutes (+ 15 minutes for optional English section)

Passing Score

Scored +1 for correct, -0.25 for wrong, 0 for unanswered. Admission thresholds or OFA requirements set by university degree programmes.

Exam / Certification Fees

€35

Exam sponsor website

Fees, eligibility, and exam policies can change. Confirm them with the exam sponsor before applying or paying.

Our practice resources: topics covered

We aim to reflect publicly available exam outlines and topic information in our study resources. Coverage, format, and difficulty may differ from the actual exam, and we cannot guarantee that every detail is accurate or current. Confirm exam requirements, fees, and policies with the official exam sponsor.

16%

Biology

Cellular structures and functions, bioenergetics, genetics and heredity, plant and animal physiology, and ecology

16%

Chemistry

Atomic structure, chemical bonding, stoichiometry, solutions and equilibria, acids and bases, and basic organic functional groups

16%

Physics

Kinematics, dynamics and Newton's laws, energy and work, fluid statics, and thermodynamics

16%

Mathematics

Algebraic manipulations, equations, inequalities, analytic geometry, trigonometry, and probability/statistics

16%

Logic and Reasoning

Propositional logic, syllogisms, conditionality, deductions, and analytical reasoning problems

20%

Reading Comprehension

Textual analysis, identifying main arguments, drawing inferences, and understanding technical and academic prose

Preparing for the TOLC-AV Exam

What You Need to Know

  • Passing score: Scored +1 for correct, -0.25 for wrong, 0 for unanswered. Admission thresholds or OFA requirements set by university degree programmes.
  • Assessment: 50 multiple-choice questions across 6 sections in 100 minutes: Biology (8 questions, 16 min), Chemistry (8 questions, 16 min), Physics (8 questions, 16 min), Mathematics (8 questions, 16 min), Logic (8 questions, 16 min), Reading Comprehension (10 questions, 20 min), plus an English placement section (30 questions, 15 min). Core scoring: +1 correct, -0.25 wrong, 0 blank.
  • Time limit: 100 minutes (+ 15 minutes for optional English section)
  • Exam / certification fees: €35 Official sources

Using Our Practice Resources

  • Work through all 99 available questions
  • Review every answer and explanation
  • Track weak areas and revisit them
  • Use our AI tutor for tough concepts

TOLC-AV: Suggested Study Strategy

1Master the penalty calculation: wrong answers deduct 0.25 points, meaning guessing blindly among four options has an expected value of +0.0625, but random guessing when completely clueless carries significant risk; only guess if you can eliminate at least one incorrect alternative.
2Review foundational high-school biology and chemistry thoroughly, especially cell metabolism, Mendelian genetics, plant tissues, stoichiometry, and aqueous acid-base equilibria.
3Practice solving numerical physics and math problems without a calculator, as electronic calculators and reference tables are strictly prohibited during the TOLC-AV.
4Time management is critical: each scientific section allocates exactly 16 minutes for 8 questions (2 minutes per question), while reading comprehension allocates 20 minutes for 10 questions.
5Carefully read each comprehension passage once for overall argument and structure before tackling the passage-specific questions.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the TOLC-AV and which degree courses require it?

The TOLC-AV is a standardized entrance and placement examination administered by CISIA for admission to Italian bachelor's degree courses (Laurea Triennale) in Agricultural Sciences, Food Science and Technology, Forestry and Environmental Sciences, Animal Production Sciences, Animal Care, and related veterinary and agricultural biotechnology programs.

How is the TOLC-AV structured and scored?

The official core TOLC-AV contains 50 multiple-choice questions to be completed in 100 minutes: 8 Biology (16 min), 8 Chemistry (16 min), 8 Physics (16 min), 8 Mathematics (16 min), 8 Logic (16 min), and 10 Reading Comprehension (20 min). Each correct response earns +1 point, unanswered questions receive 0 points, and incorrect responses deduct -0.25 points. An additional 30-question English placement section (15 min) is evaluated separately with no penalty for wrong answers.

Where can the TOLC-AV be taken?

Candidates can take the exam either in person at an accredited university computer laboratory (TOLC all'università) or remotely from home using a supervised computer and mobile device setup (TOLC@CASA).

What are Additional Educational Obligations (OFA)?

Universities establish specific threshold scores for individual sections (most commonly Mathematics, Biology, or Chemistry). If a matriculating student scores below the university's threshold in a section, they are assigned Obblighi Formativi Aggiuntivi (OFA), which must be fulfilled through supplemental coursework or exams during their first academic year.

Are these practice questions official CISIA exam materials?

No. These practice questions are an independent study resource developed by OpenExamPrep. They are not endorsed, licensed, or administered by CISIA. They are modeled after the publicly available scientific syllabus to help candidates master test concepts.