The IE University Admissions Test: Complete Guide (2027/28)

The IE University Admissions Test is an online, English-only test of numerical reasoning, verbal reasoning, deductive logic and memory, taken at home whenever you choose, and — depending on your programme — followed by a Mathematics Assessment. IE's own estimate is 70 to 90 minutes. You can sit it exactly once, and you will never be told your score.^[1]

That last sentence is not a typo, and most of this guide follows from it.

First, which IE are you applying to? This covers bachelor programmes at IE University. It is not about IE Business School's master's, MBA or MIM programmes, and it is not the ieGAT — that's a different test with a different structure. If you're applying to a bachelor programme, you're in the right place.

What's on it

Every candidate takes these four sections:

Section	Time	Tasks	What it asks
Numerical reasoning	12 min	37	judge whether a statement is true given numerical data
Verbal reasoning	12 min	49	judge whether a statement is true given a passage
Deductive logical thinking	6 min	not published	find the pattern in a graphic, fill the empty cell
Learning efficiency	5 min	not published	recall objects shown briefly, in the right order

Look at the first two rows again: 37 tasks in 12 minutes, then 49 tasks in 12 minutes. That's roughly 19 seconds and 15 seconds per task. IE's own instruction is "finish as many as you can" — these are speeded tests, designed so nobody finishes.

How long in total? IE publishes two numbers on the same page: a total duration of "one-and-a-half to two hours, including reading the instructions and completing the practice problems", and an average completion time of "between 70 and 90 minutes". Both are official. Block two hours and you won't be rushed.

There is no break once the test starts.

The Mathematics Assessment — and which one you sit

Here's the part most guides miss entirely, because it's new. There was no maths assessment at all until recently: IE's own test page carried none in 2024, added the Science & Technology one by 2025, and added a second for business and economics programmes for this cycle. Any guide older than that is describing a test that no longer exists.

There are two, they're mutually exclusive, and your programme decides which one you get.

Science & Technology programmes

Applied Mathematics · Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence · Data and Business Analytics · Environmental Sciences for Sustainability · and their Dual Degrees.

60 minutes, 20 questions. IE publishes the full breakdown:

Topic	Questions	Time	Share
Algebra	6	14 min	30%
Calculus	5	18 min	25%
Linear algebra	3	11 min	15%
Geometry	3	10 min	15%
Probability & statistics	3	7 min	15%

Algebra covers number sets, algebraic rules, powers, the Fundamental Theorem of Arithmetic, exponents, radicals, logarithms, intervals, inequalities, absolute values, quadratics and factorisation. Calculus is functions, limits, derivatives and integrals. Linear algebra is vectors, matrices and systems up to three variables. Geometry includes cross product, 3D objects and trigonometry. Probability covers descriptive statistics, probability and distributions.

IE provides a mathematical-vocabulary glossary for this assessment — worth knowing if you studied maths in another language.

⚠️ A quirk worth flagging: this breakdown is published on IE's Spanish page. The English version of the same page lists only the five topic names. If you've only read the English page, you haven't seen the weights.

BBA, BIE and PPLE

Business Administration · Economics · Philosophy, Politics, Law and Economics · and Dual Degrees with those.

15 minutes. Algebra and calculus — equations, inequalities, limits, derivatives and integrals — aimed at "quantitative reasoning and core mathematical concepts relevant to business, economics, and social sciences". IE states no calculator is required. No question count is published.

Anything else

No maths assessment. Just the four aptitude sections.

Scoring: five facts that change how you sit it

IE publishes how the scoring works, but none of the numbers. Here's everything that's official:

1. Your score combines correctness and speed. Verbatim: "The total score is a result of correctness and the time it takes to answer the questions."
2. Wrong answers lose points. IE answers "Can I lose points for answering questions incorrectly?" with a flat "Yes." The size of the penalty is not published.
3. Questions and sections are not weighted equally, and the weighting takes into account the programme you're applying to.
4. There's no pass mark. "Is there a specific number of answers needed to pass the test?" — "No."
5. You never see your result. "Your results will be sent directly to the IE University Admissions Committee and will not be shared with you."

What follows practically: not finishing is normal and explicitly fine — IE says "You should always try to answer as many questions as possible correctly." Don't stall on a single item when the clock is part of your score. And because no scale is published, nobody can tell you what a "good score" is — anyone who does is guessing.

You get one attempt

"IE University's Admissions Test can only be taken once."

No retakes, no best-of-two, no superscoring. Combined with never seeing your result, there's no feedback loop at all: you sit it once, it goes to the committee, and you find out through the admissions decision.

You can sit it before submitting your application, provided at least 25% of the application is complete, including payment of the application fee.

You don't have to take it at all

IE accepts alternatives, and publishes exact bars for them — which is more than it does for its own test:

Instead of the IE test	Minimum
SAT	1300 (IE University code 6293)
ACT	28 (IE University code 5360)
LNAT	22

Applying to a Science & Technology programme with an SAT score? IE expects at least 700/800 in SAT Mathematics.

⚠️ These went up this cycle. IE previously published SAT 1200 and ACT 24. A lot of advice online still quotes the old numbers — we cover what changed in the SAT and ACT minimums went up.

The trade-off is real: the SAT and ACT run on fixed dates and can be retaken; the IE test is bookable whenever you want but only once.

When to apply

IE reviews applications in rounds, each with an application deadline and a decision deadline. Earlier rounds have greater capacity — IE says so directly — and after the final round applications are considered "subject to program availability".

Two things worth understanding: the decision dates are deadlines, not release days (IE's wording is "the latest date by which you can expect to receive an admissions decision"), and outcomes aren't just yes or no. IE lists definitive admission, conditional admission, no admission, deferral to a later round, or a recommendation to consider a different programme.

The rest of the application

The test is one stage of several, and IE weights none of them publicly:

• the online application form;
• the Admissions Test (or SAT/ACT/LNAT);
• an online assessment with video and written questions — applicants call this the Kira assessment;
• a personal interview with the Admissions Committee;
• a final committee decision.

You'll also need transcripts from your previous two academic years plus any grades from the current year, and at least one letter of recommendation ("You must submit one, but more are welcome"). Portfolios, diplomas and prizes are welcome as optional extras.

English requirements

The whole process runs in English, and IE assesses your English during admissions rather than only at enrolment. Non-native speakers need a certificate:

Certificate	Minimum
TOEFL	100 (105 recommended)
IELTS	7.0 (7.5 recommended)
Duolingo English Test	130

You're exempt if you've recently lived in an English-speaking country for more than two years, or studied in an English-medium system (American High School, IB in English, A-levels) for all your education or at least your last two years of school.

Can you actually prepare for it?

IE's position is explicit, and you should read it before buying anything from anyone:

"There are no authorized or official centers that can prepare candidates to take our Admissions Test. Thus, any website claiming to offer Admissions Test preparation is not affiliated with IE University."

IE's own advisors say it isn't a test you can study for.

Here's the honest version. The four aptitude sections are speeded psychometric tests — you can't study content for them, but knowing the format, the timing, and that you're not meant to finish is worth something on the day. IE gives you material to do that for free: example problems, screencast videos, a practical example per section, and practice questions inside the test session itself. Use them.

The Mathematics Assessment is a different matter. It has a published syllabus, published weights and real subject matter. That's ordinary maths revision, and it's the one part of this test where studying does what studying normally does.

Quick answers

Can I take it twice? No. Once.

Will I see my score? No. It goes straight to the Admissions Committee.

Is there a pass mark? No.

Do wrong answers hurt? Yes — IE says so. It doesn't say by how much.

What if I don't finish? Expected. 37 tasks in 12 minutes are not meant to be finished.

Is it the ieGAT? No — see which test are you actually sitting.

Can I use a calculator? IE says none is required for the BBA/BIE/PPLE assessment. It doesn't say one is provided or prohibited — we couldn't confirm either way.

What language is it in? English only, regardless of programme.

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Every fact in this guide comes from IE University's official admissions, admissions-test, admissions-rounds, application-form and fees pages, in both their English and Spanish versions, plus archived snapshots for what changed. Last verified: 18 August 2026. IEPrep is independent and not affiliated with or endorsed by IE University.