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Mathematik (CBK) at WU Vienna: exam, scoring, dates and preparation

How the exam is scored, who needs it, the dates in the winter semester 2026/27, how often it ends in a fail and how to prepare.

By unipass editorial team, 7 min read

Last updated: 27 September 2026. Sources last checked on 26 September 2026.

Mathematik is a course in the Common Body of Knowledge, the CBK: the part of WU Vienna's bachelor's programme in Business, Economics and Social Sciences (WiSo) that follows the introductory phase. If you study WiSo, you have to pass it before you can choose a specialisation; in the Business Law programme it is one of several options within the CBK. Your grade rests on a single written multiple-choice exam, and the course is taught in German, as is the exam.

Many attempts end in a fail, and WU publishes its own figures for every exam week. You can prepare for free: the lectures, the exercises and the forum on Canvas, WU's learning platform, the walk-in tutorial where you work through exercises with a tutor, and the textbook by the course's own lecturer, which is free online.1

How the Mathematik (CBK) exam is scored

The exam has 20 multiple-choice questions with 5 options each, exactly one of them right. A right answer earns 1 point, a wrong one costs 0.25 points, a blank counts 0. WU counts your first 3 wrong answers like blanks. You need 11 points to pass.1

Running score across the questions of an answer sheetExample: 11 right, 4 wrong, 5 blank
Running score over 20 questions, axis from 6.5 points. Every right answer lifts it by 1. The wrong answers at questions 9, 11 and 14 change nothing, they are the first three. After question 15 it stands at 11, on the pass mark. The fourth wrong answer at question 17 costs 0.25: final score 10.75, below the pass mark of 11.7891011pointspass mark 11−0.2510.751.2.3.4.15101520question7891011pointspass mark 11−0.2510.751.2.3.4.15101520question
Our calculation

Our own example sheet, not a real exam. We chose the order of the answers; for the points only the numbers of right, wrong and blank answers count.

Right at questions 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, 12 and 15; wrong at 9, 11, 14 and 17; blank at 13, 16, 18, 19 and 20. The points axis starts at 6.5 so that the 0.25 points can be seen.

11 · 1 − (4 − 3) · 0.25 = 10.75. The first three wrong answers cost nothing; only the fourth costs 0.25.

Source: WU Vienna, syllabus of the course Mathematik (CBK), course catalogue.

The figure shows what the rule means in practice: 11 right answers are enough only as long as no more than 3 wrong ones come with them. A fourth wrong answer puts you at 10.75. With 12 right you can afford 7 wrong. Whether guessing pays therefore depends on how many answers you are sure of, and the negative-marking calculator works that out for any combination. The syllabus does not say how many points you need for a grade better than Genügend, the lowest pass on the Austrian scale from 1 (Sehr gut) to 5 (Nicht genügend). Nor does the 2026/27 syllabus mention any bonus points.

You may use a calculator without functions for differentiation, integration or matrices, without a function for solving systems of linear equations and without text memory, for example the TI-30XS MultiView. If German is not your first language, you may bring a dictionary. The syllabus allows nothing else.1

Everything else is set by WU's exam guideline. Unless the syllabus says otherwise, watches of any kind, formula sheets and lecture notes are among the things not allowed. Whether a formula sheet is handed out in the exam is stated neither in the syllabus nor in this guideline.2

Who needs the Mathematik (CBK) exam

In the WiSo 2023 curriculum, Mathematik belongs to the CBK, in the subject area Mathematics and Statistics, worth 4 ECTS, as a course assessed by one final exam (LVP, Lehrveranstaltungsprüfung). To be admitted to a specialisation you need at least 20 ECTS from the CBK, which must include Jahresabschluss und Unternehmensberichte, Mathematik and Statistik.3

You can only register once you have passed every exam of the introductory and orientation phase, the STEOP.4

WU's exam timetables still list Mathematik under the heading STEOP/CBK.5

In the WiSo 2023 curriculum it is not part of the STEOP but of the CBK, which requires the STEOP to be passed first.3 How the STEOP exam in VWL + ZuWi works is explained in our VWL + ZuWi (STEOP) guide.

In the Business Law programme (Wirtschaftsrecht) you choose two of seven courses in the CBK, and Mathematik is one of them.6

Dates and registration for the Mathematik (CBK) exam

The exam is held in WU's exam weeks (Prüfungswochen), three per semester. The dates for the winter semester 2026/27 have been published; you register in LPIS, WU's registration system.7

Exam weekMathematik examRegistration in LPIS
October 2026Thu 8 October 2026, 13:30–15:3021 September (2 pm) to 1 October 2026 (noon)
November 2026Fri 27 November 2026, 9:00–11:009 November (2 pm) to 19 November 2026 (noon)
January 2027Tue 26 January 2027, 14:30–16:30811 January (2 pm) to 21 January 2027 (noon)

The times come from the timetables of the three weeks. The timetable books two hours; the syllabus does not state how long you actually write. The timetables say changes are possible until the start of the semester.9

WU announces the room and exact time in LPIS shortly before each exam week.7

The registration windows, the day LPIS shows your room, what to bring on exam day and the summer semester weeks are collected on our page of Mathematik (CBK) exam dates.

In the summer semester 2027 the exam weeks are 1–6 March, 26–30 April and 21–26 June. WU has not yet published which day Mathematik falls on.7

Only register if you are going to sit the exam, or deregister in time. If you miss an exam you are registered for without deregistering, you are blocked from that exam for 10 calendar weeks from its date, although you do not lose an attempt; the only exception is a documented important reason, such as a doctor's certificate. Missing the October date therefore also rules out November, missing November rules out January, and missing January rules out the March exam week.10

Attempts and fail rate in Mathematik (CBK)

For every exam outside the STEOP you have 5 attempts, counted across all your WU bachelor's programmes together. If your last attempt is graded as a fail, your enrolment in the programme is closed. A passed exam may be retaken once within 12 months, for example for a better grade. As soon as you sit the retake, your old grade no longer counts, even if the new one is worse.11

According to WU's statutes, the third and fourth retake, that is your fourth and fifth attempt, are board examinations.12

Registration and the exam itself are the same, but it is graded by a board of examiners.11

WU publishes how often the exam ends in a fail, for every exam week since the winter semester 2023. Across the 18 weeks up to the summer semester 2026, the share of attempts graded Nicht genügend (fail) ranged from 33% to 78%. Across all weeks it was about half.13

Share of fails per exam weekWU, Mathematik, 18 exam weeks from WS 2023 to SS 2026
Source

WU, “Notenverteilung für Bachelor-Planpunkte in der Großprüfung”, data as of 21 July 2026, block “LVP Mathematik”, rows “Anzahl der angetretenen Studierenden” (attempts) and “davon Nicht genügend” (fail). Each semester has three exam weeks; each bar is one. WU rounds the shares to whole percent.

SemesterStart: attempts, failedMiddle: attempts, failedEnd: attempts, failed
WS 2023186, 78%162, 63%603, 35%
SS 2024436, 45%568, 62%358, 58%
WS 2024385, 41%213, 58%594, 53%
SS 2025695, 55%663, 34%699, 54%
WS 2025618, 60%430, 45%801, 33%
SS 2026973, 58%744, 55%684, 52%

The table counts attempts, not people: someone who sits the exam twice appears twice. We weighted WU's rounded shares to get the average, which is why we say about half and give no more precise figure. Every week also had top grades, so points above 11 count towards your grade.13

Topics of the Mathematik (CBK) exam

The syllabus lists nine topics. The textbook "Mathematik für Wirtschaftswissenschaften" by Birgit Rudloff, who leads the course, and Achim Zeileis covers the same nine topics in the same order, one chapter each. It is free online, in German, under a Creative Commons licence that rules out commercial use.14

Our articles follow these nine chapters, each with the method, the typical mistakes and three practice questions of ours in the exam format. We plan two for every chapter.

The course in 9 chapters

8 articles

Chapter 1: Linear and quadratic functions

In the textbook: lines, parabolas, arithmetic sequences

Chapter 2: Elementary financial mathematics

In the textbook: interest, terms, geometric sequences, annuities, compounding within the year, exponential function and logarithm

Chapter 3: Differential calculus

In the textbook: derivatives, interpreting them, curve sketching, optimisation

Chapter 4: Integral calculus

In the textbook: antiderivatives, methods, applications

  • Articles for this chapter are coming
  • Articles for this chapter are coming
  • Articles for this chapter are coming.

Chapter 5: Probability

In the textbook: basics, conditional probability, expected value and variance, normal and binomial distribution

Chapter 6: Systems of linear equations

In the textbook: vectors, solving, applications

  • Articles for this chapter are coming
  • Articles for this chapter are coming
  • Articles for this chapter are coming.

Chapter 7: Matrices

In the textbook: matrix multiplication, planning, inverse, input-output analysis

  • Articles for this chapter are coming
  • Articles for this chapter are coming
  • Articles for this chapter are coming.

Chapter 8: Differential calculus with functions of two variables

In the textbook: partial derivatives, optimisation, chain rule, implicit functions, constrained optimisation

  • Articles for this chapter are coming
  • Articles for this chapter are coming
  • Articles for this chapter are coming.

Chapter 9: Bivariate probability

In the textbook: covariance, portfolio optimisation

  • Articles for this chapter are coming
  • Articles for this chapter are coming
  • Articles for this chapter are coming.

WU does not publish how the 20 questions are spread across the chapters. "Known from the WISO entrance test" is our comparison with the 13 topics WU lists for the maths part of the WISO entrance test.15

If you prepared for the entrance test, you know functions, interest, derivatives and the binomial distribution, as our guide to WISO maths shows. Four of the nine topics are entirely new: integral calculus, matrices, functions of two variables and bivariate probability.

How to prepare for Mathematik (CBK)

  1. For each topic, read the textbook chapter and work the exercises on Canvas. Ask questions in the forum there or at the walk-in tutorial. The syllabus says Matura level (the Austrian school-leaving exam) is enough as prior knowledge, and attendance at the lectures is not compulsory.
  2. After the first chapters, put together a mock exam of 20 questions, for example from the textbook's chapter Gemischte Aufgaben (mixed exercises), work it against the clock and score it with the exam's rule, deductions from the fourth wrong answer included.
  3. Look at which chapters cost you points, and whether through calculation errors or bad guesses. Drill exactly those chapters and that kind of mistake, then sit the next mock.
  4. Use the negative-marking calculator to decide in advance at how many sure answers you stop guessing blind in the exam.

When you review your marked exam, you have no right to copies of the multiple-choice questions and their options. We write all our questions ourselves, in the exam format.11

The unipass course for Mathematik in the CBK opens before the January 2027 exam week. It is planned with our own questions for all nine chapters and mock exams of 20 questions, scored with exactly this negative-marking rule. Until then you can join the waitlist and we'll email you when it opens.

Sources

  1. 1Syllabus 0003 Mathematik (LVP), Wintersemester 2026/27WU Wien, Vorlesungsverzeichnis · undated page · checked on 27 September 2026
  2. 2Richtlinie zur Abhaltung von Präsenzprüfungen, 2026 (PDF)WU Wien · document dated 2 March 2026 · checked on 27 September 2026
  3. 3Studienplan Bachelorstudium Wirtschafts- und Sozialwissenschaften 2023, Fassung vom 04.02.2026 (PDF)WU Wien · document dated 11 February 2026 · checked on 26 September 2026
  4. 4STEOP & CBK, Bachelorstudium Wirtschafts- und Sozialwissenschaften (BAWISO23)WU Wien · undated page · checked on 26 September 2026
  5. 5Prüfungsplan Semesterbeginn WiSe 2026/27, Prüfungswoche Oktober 2026 (PDF)WU Wien, Prüfungsorganisation · document dated 12 March 2026 · checked on 27 September 2026
  6. 6Studienplan Bachelorstudium Wirtschaftsrecht 2023, Version 2025/4 (PDF)WU Wien · document dated 26 February 2025 · checked on 26 September 2026
  7. 7Termine und Fristen: Terminplaner 2026/27WU Wien · undated page · checked on 27 September 2026
  8. 8Prüfungsplan Semesterende WiSe 2026/27, Prüfungswoche Jänner 2027 (PDF)WU Wien, Prüfungsorganisation · document dated 30 March 2026 · checked on 27 September 2026
  9. 9Prüfungsplan Semestermitte WiSe 2026/27, Prüfungswoche November 2026 (PDF)WU Wien, Prüfungsorganisation · document dated 30 March 2026 · checked on 27 September 2026
  10. 10Großprüfungswoche, Bachelorguide für deutschsprachige ProgrammeWU Wien · undated page · checked on 27 September 2026
  11. 11Prüfungsinfos, Bachelorguide für deutschsprachige ProgrammeWU Wien · undated page · checked on 27 September 2026
  12. 12Satzung der WU, IV. Hauptstück: Studienrechtliche Bestimmungen (PDF)WU Wien · document dated 20 June 2025 · checked on 26 September 2026
  13. 13Notenverteilung für Bachelor-Planpunkte in der Großprüfung, Datenstand 21.07.2026 (PDF)WU Wien, Akademisches Controlling · document dated 21 July 2026 · checked on 26 September 2026
  14. 14Rudloff, Zeileis: Mathematik für Wirtschaftswissenschaften (Online-Buch, Version 2023)mathe4wiwi.org · undated page · checked on 26 September 2026
  15. 15Aufnahmeverfahren Bachelorstudium Wirtschafts- und SozialwissenschaftenWU Wien · undated page · checked on 26 September 2026

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Next step · 8 min

Mathematik (CBK) exam dates

The three dates, the LPIS registration windows, when you learn your room, what to bring and what comes after a fail.

The unipass Mathematik (CBK) course opens before the January 2027 exam week

Planned: our own questions in the exam format and mock exams, scored with its negative marking. Sign up and we’ll email you when it opens.

Join the waitlist