Minimum passing score in an Italian concorso pubblico

There is no single minimum passing score that applies across every Italian concorso pubblico. Each bando sets its own threshold and its own scale, and the two most common conventions you will meet are a mark out of thirty, where 21 out of 30 is a frequent pass threshold, and a mark out of one hundred, where 70 out of 100 shows up repeatedly in national teaching and civil service competitions. Reading the specific bando is the only reliable way to know the exact figure for the exam you are sitting.

Why does the pass mark change from exam to exam?

Because the scale and the threshold are set by the administration running the competition, not by a single national rule, and they typically reflect the format of the test. Multiple-choice written tests marked out of thirty, common in RIPAM-coordinated procedures such as the Concorso Unico RIPAM Assistenti, commonly require at least 21 out of 30 to pass. Longer, higher-stakes competitions marked out of one hundred, such as the written test in the Concorso Docenti, commonly require 70 out of 100, applied separately to both the written and the oral stage.

Does a wrong answer lower my score below what I actually got right?

Often, yes, when the bando includes a negative marking scheme. A typical scheme in a multiple-choice test might award a fraction of a point for each correct answer, zero for a blank, and deduct a smaller fraction for each wrong answer, which means guessing carelessly can push a candidate below the threshold even if most of their answers were correct. Because the exact weights differ by bando, working the numbers with the site’s negative marking calculator before exam day is far more reliable than estimating by feel.

Does the pass mark differ between the written test and the oral exam?

In competitions that include both stages, yes, and they are graded independently. The Concorso Docenti, for example, requires at least 70 out of 100 on the written computer-based test to be admitted to the oral, and then a separate 70 out of 100 on the oral exam itself, which includes a simulated lesson, to be admitted to the ranking. Falling short on either stage ends participation regardless of the score on the other.

Is the passing score the same as the score used for the final ranking?

Not exactly. The pass mark is the minimum to avoid elimination at that stage; the graduatoria di merito is then built from the actual scores of everyone who cleared every threshold, ranked from highest to lowest. Two candidates can both pass comfortably and still end up far apart in the final ranking, which is what ultimately decides who gets an offer. How that ranking converts into an actual job offer, including scorrimenti when the original winners decline, is covered in what a graduatoria is and how scorrimento works.

Does a preselettiva have its own pass mark too?

Yes, when one is used, but it is a separate gate with a separate logic: it exists only to filter down the number of candidates before the real written test, and its score is not carried forward into the final ranking. The mechanics of that stage specifically are explained in how the prova preselettiva works.

Frequently asked questions

What is a typical minimum score out of thirty in an Italian concorso? 21 out of 30 is a commonly used threshold in written tests scored on that scale, though the exact figure is always the one stated in the individual bando.

What is a typical minimum score out of one hundred? 70 out of 100 recurs in several national competitions, including teaching recruitment, applied separately to the written and oral stages where both exist.

Can the pass mark change after the exam has been sat? No. The threshold is fixed in the bando before the test and cannot be lowered or raised afterward for a given session.

If I score exactly at the threshold, am I admitted? Generally yes, since bandi typically phrase the requirement as “at least” that score, meaning the threshold itself counts as passing, though the exact wording should always be checked in the specific notice.

Does the pass mark guarantee a job offer? No. It only guarantees inclusion in the final ranking. Whether that translates into a job depends on your position relative to the number of posts advertised.