The OFA concern the assessment of the initial preparation required for enrolment in the Bachelor’s Degree in Mathematics. They do not prevent enrolment: you can enrol, attend classes and begin your degree programme, but some examination activities remain restricted until the OFA have been fulfilled.
What are the OFA?
The OFA are not specific to the Mathematics programme at the University of Pisa. They derive from national regulations, which require Bachelor’s degree programmes to assess students’ initial preparation and to assign additional learning requirements when the assessment is not successfully completed.
National regulations
require Bachelor’s degree programmes to assess students’ initial preparation and, when the assessment is not successfully completed, to assign OFA to be fulfilled during the first year.
University of Pisa
implements this principle through its Academic Regulations, establishing the general framework within which individual degree programmes organise the assessment.
Degree Programme in Mathematics
decides which knowledge and skills are assessed, which tests are recognised, which thresholds apply, and how the OFA can be fulfilled.
University of Pisa Academic Regulations, Art. 18, paragraph 2.
The OFA are not an admission test and do not turn the Mathematics degree programme into a programme with restricted admission. They simply indicate that the requirement concerning initial preparation has not yet been met.
What can I do if I have OFA?
✓ You can enrol in the Bachelor’s Degree in Mathematics
✓ You can attend all classes
✓ You can take any in-course tests offered as part of your courses
✓ You can take the written examinations for Arithmetic, Mathematical Analysis 1 and Geometry 1
✕ You cannot take the other examinations until the OFA have been fulfilled
In practice, the OFA do not prevent you from studying, attending classes or taking part in assessments during your courses. However, you must meet the initial preparation requirement before you can proceed freely with the other examinations.
How can I fulfil the OFA?
There are three ways to fulfil the OFA:
1. Before the beginning of classes: through a CISIA TOLC test
You can fulfil the OFA by taking either a TOLC-S or a TOLC-I, provided that you achieve the threshold established by the Degree Programme.
TOLC-S
At least 15 points overall from the Basic Mathematics and Reasoning, Problems and Text Comprehension sections combined.
TOLC-I
At least 15 points overall from the Mathematics and Logic sections combined.
For information on the test structure, registration procedures and test centres, please consult the CISIA website.
If you intend to use this option, you must write to the Teaching Office attaching your TOLC results so that the fulfilment of the OFA can be recorded.
2. At the beginning of the academic year: through the Initial Knowledge Assessment Test
The Degree Programme organises a test immediately after the Preparatory Course. Achieving the required threshold fulfils the OFA.
In this case, you do not need to request recognition: the Degree Programme will receive the result directly.
3. During the first year: through a written test
The OFA can also be fulfilled by passing a written test, either as an in-course assessment or as part of an examination session, in at least one of the following courses:
- Arithmetic
- Mathematical Analysis 1
- Geometry 1
As soon as you pass one of these tests, the OFA are considered fulfilled and the restriction preventing you from taking the other examinations is lifted.
If you fulfil the OFA in this way, you must inform the Teaching Office so that the fulfilment can be recorded.
Beyond the formal requirement
Fulfilling the OFA is necessary to remove the restriction on your academic career, but this is only the formal aspect of the matter. If the initial assessment has highlighted gaps in your basic mathematical knowledge, the most important thing is to actually fill those gaps.
Elementary knowledge of algebraic calculations, equations and inequalities, functions, geometry and mathematical language is used continuously throughout the first-year courses. Passing a test removes the OFA; consolidating these foundations will make it much easier to successfully tackle your subsequent studies.