Luiss Test Scoring: How +1 / -0.25 / 0 Works and What to Do About It

Two candidates with the same knowledge can get different Luiss Test scores. The difference is understanding the marking scheme. This guide does the math.

The scheme

Per Luiss's official admission-test FAQ:

• +1 per correct answer
• -0.25 per wrong answer
• 0 per blank answer, and for questions with multiple answers marked
• Minimum 60/100 final score to be admissible; admission itself is by ranking, on test score only

The last point matters: Luiss has no school-grade component, and you sit the test once per session. Scoring strategy carries more weight here than in most admissions.

The math of guessing

Whether guessing pays depends on the number of answer options. Luiss states each question has one correct answer but has not published the option count, so here is the expected value of a blind guess in both standard formats:

• 4 options: EV = (1/4)(+1) + (3/4)(-0.25) = +0.0625. Slightly positive.
• 5 options: EV = (1/5)(+1) + (4/5)(-0.25) = exactly 0. A blind guess and a blank are worth the same.

Elimination changes this. Rule out one option and guess among the rest:

• 4 options, guessing among 3: EV = about +0.17
• 5 options, guessing among 4: EV = +0.0625

Rule out two and the numbers roughly double again. The rule that follows works in either format:

If you can eliminate at least one option, answer. If you cannot eliminate anything, leave it blank. A blank never costs you points.

The common mistake is answering everything out of momentum. A run of pure guesses adds up to a stack of -0.25s. Treat each unsure question as a quick elimination exercise, then decide.

The 60/100 floor is not the target

Luiss reports results out of 100 and requires 60 to be admissible. The raw-to-100 conversion is not published. The practical reading: you need roughly 60% of the available points to be considered at all. Places are then allocated by ranking per degree course, and popular courses fill well above the floor. See what score you actually need for the ranking logic and what applicants report.

Do not build a plan around scraping 60. Build one around answering every question you can genuinely work, protecting yourself on the rest, and seeing all 50 questions.

Pacing

75 minutes over 50 questions is 90 seconds each on average. Aptitude questions are not uniform, so a workable pattern from timed practice:

1. First pass, about 50 minutes: answer everything you can do in under 90 seconds. Mark slow questions and move on immediately.
2. Second pass, about 20 minutes: return to marked questions in order of confidence. This is where eliminate-then-answer earns its value.
3. Final minutes: apply the rule above to what is left. Eliminate one, answer. Cannot eliminate, leave blank.

The most common self-inflicted loss in practice is spending four minutes on one hard question. One question is one point. Four minutes is enough time to bank two or three easier ones.

One attempt

You take the Luiss Test once per session, and your course choice is binding. There is no cheap first attempt to learn from. The learning has to happen in practice, under the real clock and the real scoring, before the day that counts.