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Key Facts: TOLC-PSI Exam
50 questions
Core exam questions across 5 sections
CISIA TOLC-PSI Syllabus
100 minutes
Core test duration (+ 15 min English)
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
English placement section (15 min)
CISIA Test Structure
Monthly
Allowed attempt frequency (once per calendar month)
CISIA Regolamento TOLC
The TOLC-PSI is CISIA's standardized computer-based entrance examination for Italian university psychology programs (L-24). It features 50 core questions in 100 minutes across reading comprehension, basic mathematics, verbal reasoning, numerical reasoning, and biology, scored with a -0.25 point penalty for wrong answers.
Sample TOLC-PSI Practice Questions
Try these sample questions to review concepts for the TOLC-PSI exam. Each question includes a detailed explanation. Start the interactive quiz above for the full 100+ question experience with AI tutoring.
1Read the following passage: 'Cognitive dissonance theory, introduced by Leon Festinger in 1957, posits that individuals experience acute psychological discomfort when holding two or more contradictory cognitions—such as beliefs, attitudes, or actions. Because this dissonance is psychologically aversive, humans are fundamentally driven to reduce it. They achieve this either by altering their behavior, acquiring new consonant information, or, most frequently, rationalizing their existing beliefs to align with their actions. For instance, when individuals engage in an arduous initiation to join an underwhelming group, they consistently rate that group as significantly more attractive than those who gained entry with minimal effort, resolving the conflict between their heavy investment and the group's mediocre reality.' According to the passage, what is the primary motive behind an individual's attempt to reduce cognitive dissonance?
2Based on the passage about cognitive dissonance in Question 1, which of the following scenarios most directly exemplifies the phenomenon described in the initiation example?
3In the passage from Question 1, what does the term 'consonant' most nearly mean in the phrase 'acquiring new consonant information'?
4Read the following passage: 'The concept of critical periods in neural development suggests that the nervous system is particularly sensitive to specific environmental stimuli during circumscribed temporal windows. Pioneering studies by Hubel and Wiesel demonstrated that monocular visual deprivation in kittens during early postnatal life led to an irreversible reorganization of the primary visual cortex, such that cortical neurons ceased responding to input from the previously closed eye. Crucially, identical deprivation in adult cats produced no such cortical rewiring. While earlier theorists viewed these developmental windows as rigid, all-or-nothing stages governed solely by genetic timers, contemporary developmental cognitive neuroscience prefers the nuanced term 'sensitive periods.' This reflects empirical evidence that plasticity, while dramatically heightened in early life, rarely declines to zero and can be partially reopened through pharmacological interventions or intensive behavioral training.' Which statement best captures the main thesis of the passage?
5According to the passage in Question 4, what specific physiological effect did early monocular deprivation produce in Hubel and Wiesel's experimental kittens?
6Based on the passage in Question 4, what can be reasonably inferred about potential therapies for adults recovering from early sensory deficits or neurological trauma?
7Read the following passage: 'In Alan Baddeley and Graham Hitch's tripartite model of working memory, the central executive acts as an attentional control system coordinating slave storage systems. Unlike the older unitary short-term memory store proposed by Atkinson and Shiffrin, working memory is conceptualized as an active workspace. The central executive regulates cognitive focus, switches strategies between concurrent tasks, and inhibits irrelevant environmental distractions. Crucially, it does not possess storage capacity of its own; instead, it delegates verbal-acoustic maintenance to the phonological loop and spatial-visual processing to the visuospatial sketchpad. Later revisions incorporated an episodic buffer, an integrative multimodal store bridging working memory with long-term semantic and autobiographical knowledge.' According to the passage, what is the primary role of the central executive in working memory?
8Based on the working memory passage in Question 7, how does Baddeley and Hitch's model fundamentally diverge from Atkinson and Shiffrin's classical model?
9Suppose a participant in a cognitive experiment is asked to mentally navigate an imagined floor plan of a house while simultaneously tracking a moving light on a screen with a joystick. Based on Baddeley's model described in Question 7, what is the expected outcome and theoretical explanation?
10Read the following passage: 'John Bowlby's ethological theory of attachment posits that human infants are biologically predisposed to seek proximity to a primary caregiver, an adaptive evolutionary behavior ensuring protection from predators. Mary Ainsworth operationalized this bond using the 'Strange Situation' paradigm, observing infant behavior across brief separations and reunions with the mother. Ainsworth classified infants into distinct attachment patterns: secure, insecure-avoidant, and insecure-resistant/ambivalent (with disorganized attachment identified in subsequent research). Securely attached infants utilize the caregiver as a safe base from which to explore unfamiliar environments, exhibit distress upon separation, but are readily soothed upon reunion, quickly returning to play. In contrast, avoidant infants exhibit outward indifference to parental departure and actively avoid proximity upon reunion, although physiological measures reveal elevated heart rates and cortisol levels indicating underlying distress.' Which behavior is characteristic of a securely attached infant during the Strange Situation?
About the TOLC-PSI Exam
The TOLC-PSI (Test OnLine CISIA Psicologia) is the standardized computer-delivered entrance and evaluation examination administered by CISIA for admission into undergraduate degree courses in Psychological Sciences and Techniques (Scienze e Tecniche Psicologiche, Class L-24) across participating Italian universities. The official core examination comprises 50 multiple-choice questions administered in 100 minutes divided across five sections: Reading Comprehension (10 questions, 30 min), Basic Mathematics (10 questions, 20 min), Verbal Reasoning (10 questions, 15 min), Numerical Reasoning (10 questions, 15 min), and Biology (10 questions, 20 min), followed by an English placement section (30 questions, 15 min). This question bank is an independent practice tool developed by OpenExamPrep to assist prospective psychology students in mastering all analytical, mathematical, and biological concepts covered by the TOLC-PSI 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 5 core sections in 100 minutes: Reading Comprehension (10 questions, 30 min), Basic Mathematics (10 questions, 20 min), Verbal Reasoning (10 questions, 15 min), Numerical Reasoning (10 questions, 15 min), and Biology (10 questions, 20 min), followed by an English placement section (30 questions, 15 min). Core scoring: +1 correct, -0.25 wrong, 0 blank.
Time Limit
100 minutes (+ 15 minutes for English section)
Passing Score
Scored +1 for correct, -0.25 for wrong, 0 for blank. Program ranking and OFA thresholds defined autonomously by university psychology faculties.
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.
Reading Comprehension
Textual analysis, identifying main arguments, drawing inferences, and understanding scientific and academic prose
Basic Mathematics
Set theory, arithmetic, linear and quadratic equations, analytic geometry, percentages, and basic probability
Verbal Reasoning
Verbal analogies, semantic relationships, deductively valid inferences, syllogisms, and propositional conditions
Numerical Reasoning
Number sequences, tabular and graphical data interpretation, quantitative deduction, and arithmetic problem solving
Biology
Cell structure and function, Mendelian and molecular genetics, nervous system, sensory organs, and the endocrine system
Preparing for the TOLC-PSI Exam
What You Need to Know
- Passing score: Scored +1 for correct, -0.25 for wrong, 0 for blank. Program ranking and OFA thresholds defined autonomously by university psychology faculties.
- Assessment: 50 multiple-choice questions across 5 core sections in 100 minutes: Reading Comprehension (10 questions, 30 min), Basic Mathematics (10 questions, 20 min), Verbal Reasoning (10 questions, 15 min), Numerical Reasoning (10 questions, 15 min), and Biology (10 questions, 20 min), followed by an English placement section (30 questions, 15 min). Core scoring: +1 correct, -0.25 wrong, 0 blank.
- Time limit: 100 minutes (+ 15 minutes for English section)
- Exam / certification fees: €35 Official sources
Using Our Practice Resources
- Work through all 100 available questions
- Review every answer and explanation
- Track weak areas and revisit them
- Use our AI tutor for tough concepts
TOLC-PSI: Suggested Study Strategy
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the TOLC-PSI and which university programs require it?
The TOLC-PSI is a standardized admission and orientation test designed by CISIA for entry into undergraduate degree courses in Psychological Sciences and Techniques (Scienze e Tecniche Psicologiche, Degree Class L-24) across participating Italian public and private universities.
How is the TOLC-PSI structured and scored?
The official core examination has 50 questions to be solved in 100 minutes: 10 Reading Comprehension (30 min), 10 Basic Mathematics (20 min), 10 Verbal Reasoning (15 min), 10 Numerical Reasoning (15 min), and 10 Biology (20 min). Correct answers receive +1 point, incorrect answers receive a penalty of -0.25 points, and unanswered questions receive 0 points. An additional 30-question English placement test (15 min) is scored with no negative penalty.
Where and when can I take the TOLC-PSI?
Candidates can take the exam either in person at an accredited university computer lab (TOLC all'università) or remotely from home (TOLC@CASA). The test is offered multiple times per year between February and November, and candidates may attempt the test once per calendar month.
What are Additional Educational Obligations (OFA)?
Each university department autonomously determines minimum threshold scores, often in Basic Mathematics or Biology. If an admitted student scores below the required cutoff in a specific section, they are assigned Obblighi Formativi Aggiuntivi (OFA), which require completing remedial coursework or passing an internal assessment during the first academic year.
Are these practice questions affiliated with CISIA?
No. These practice questions are an independent study resource developed by OpenExamPrep. They are not endorsed, licensed, or administered by CISIA. They are crafted in accordance with the publicly available official TOLC-PSI syllabus to provide comprehensive exam preparation.