Here is what the WiSo Aufnahmeprüfung looks like in practice: what WU tests, how the two-stage process works, how scoring behaves, and how to start preparing without mixing WiSo up with BBE.
WiSo (Wirtschafts- und Sozialwissenschaften) is WU Vienna’s German-taught bachelor in Business, Economics and Social Sciences. When registrations exceed available places, admission includes a written entrance exam. This hub walks you through that exam the way a prep teacher would: format, subjects, scoring, what usually feels hard, and where to start.
WiSo shares an admissions calendar with BBE but is a separate exam and a separate applicant pool. If you only remember one difference, remember this: the language pillar is German reading comprehension, not English.
Places
2703
Duration
2h
Questions
32
Language
German
Stage 1: Registration + Online Self-Assessment (OSA). Register in the official window (March 2 – May 19, 2026), pay €50 per programme (non-refundable), and fully complete the OSA by May 28, 2026, 12:00 CEST. The OSA is ungraded and does not affect ranking, but an unfinished OSA blocks you from the exam. If registrations do not exceed places, the written exam can be skipped.
Stage 2: Aufnahmeprüfung. In-person only at VIECON on June 30, 2026, 10:00–12:00 CEST. Entirely multiple choice across three content areas. Enrollment after passing (2026 cycle): July 9 – September 5, 2026.
Full admission timeline →The exam covers three areas. Question counts below reflect the most recent exam.
| Section | Questions |
|---|---|
| Economics | 10 |
| German reading comprehension | 9 |
| Mathematics | 13 |
Wirtschaftliche Grundkenntnisse from WU’s official study guide Wirtschaft verstehen (Feurstein, Fuhrmann et al.): four chapters covering foundations, sustainability, firms, and digitalisation.
Secondary-school business math: algebra, statistics, calculus, and logical reasoning under time pressure. There is no official WU math skriptum.
Academic German reading comprehension focused on interpretation and argument, not a grammar drill copied from BBE English.
WU reissues Wirtschaft verstehen each cycle (typically late February). Chapter titles stay stable; study the current PDF anyway.
WU’s Teilpunktesystem WISO PDF describes the same partial-credit idea as BBE: each question has a maximum; correct marks earn a share; incorrect marks cost a share; the question cannot go below zero. Single-correct stems can be all-or-nothing.
| Dimension | BBE | WiSo |
|---|---|---|
| Language | English | German |
| Places (2026/27) | ~240 | 2703 |
| Questions (most recent) | 34 (10 / 11 / 13) | 32 (10 / 9 / 13) |
| Semester start | Winter only | Winter or summer |
| Language pillar | English | German reading |
| Economics guide | Fuhrmann (English) | Wirtschaft verstehen (German) |
| Scoring | wi2 / partial credit | Identical Teilpunktesystem |
Math usually demands the most timed practice, while economics rewards careful reading of German definitions from Wirtschaft verstehen. German reading is more about stamina and careful scope than last-week vocabulary lists. The larger intake versus BBE does not mean the paper is “easy”; when the exam is held, relative ranking still decides selection.
Start with format and scoring, then work through Wirtschaft verstehen (including the WiSo-only chapters), keep German reading going weekly, lock in math fluency, and only then move to timed mocks on WiSo URLs.
Try WiSo prep on its own URLs
Demo practice, mocks, and flashcards for WiSo live under /wiso/..., so you stay on the German track instead of drifting into BBE English drills.