Classe préparatoire aux grandes écoles

Schema representing various ways proposed in scientific CPGE.

The oldest CPGEs are the scientific ones, which can be accessed only by scientific Bacheliers. The different tracks are the following:

• BCPST1, Biologie, Chimie, Physique, Sciences de la Terre ("biology, chemistry, physics and earth sciences") in the first year, followed by BCPST2
• MPSI, Mathématiques, Physique, Sciences de l'Ingénieur ("mathematics, physics, and engineering science") in the first year, followed by either MP ("mathematics and physics") or PSI ("physics and engineering science")
• PCSI, Physique, Chimie, Sciences de l'Ingénieur ("physics, chemistry, and engineering science") in the first year, followed by PC ("physics and chemistry") or PSI ("physics and engineering science")
• PTSI, Physique, Technologie, Sciences de l'Ingénieur ("physics, technology, and engineering science") in the first year, followed by PT ("physics and technology") or PSI ("physics and engineering science")
• TB1, Technologie, Biologie ("technology and biology") in the first year, followed by TB2
• TPC1, Technologie, Physique et Chimie ("technology, physics and chemistry") in the first year, followed by TPC2
• TSI1, Physique, Technologie, Sciences Industrielles ("physics, technology, industrial science") in the first year, followed by TSI2
• ATS, Adaptation Techniciens Supérieurs ("Adaptation for Skilled Technicians") are specifically targeting BTS and DUT students and last only a year. They are mainly based on the curriculum of PTSI and PCSI and are subdvised into five branches : Biologie ("Biology"), Ingénierie Industrielle ("Industrial engineering"), Génie Civil ("Civil engineering"), Métiers de la Chimie ("Chemistry jobs") and Métiers de l'horticulture et du paysage ("Horticultural and landscape jobs").[6]

The classes that especially train students for admission to the elite schools, such as Écoles Normales Supérieures or ParisTech schools, have an asterisk added to their name. For example, MP*, are usually called MP étoile ("MP star") (except for the BCPST2 and TB2 classes, which all prepare to the elite schools).

Both the first and second year programmes include as much as ten to twelve hours of mathematics teaching per week, ten hours of physics, two hours of literature and philosophy, two to four hours of (one or two) foreign language(s) teaching and two to eight hours of minor options: either SI, engineering industrial science, chemistry or theoretical computer science,[7] biology-geology, biotechnologies.[8] Added to this are several hours of homework, which can amount to as much as the official hours of class.

The BCPST classes prepare for exams of engineering schools of life sciences (agronomy, forestry, environmental and food sciences) but also to veterinary schools, engineering schools of earth sciences, and the three Ecoles Normales Supérieures. Compare to the other classes, it teaches biology and geology.

In scientific CPGE, the first year of CPGE is usually called the maths sup, or hypotaupe (sup for "classe de mathématiques supérieures", superior in French, meaning post-high school), and second year maths spé, or taupe, (spés for "classe de mathématiques spéciales", special in French). The students of these classes are called taupins, which is a French word for "mole", referring to the lifestyle of students in classes preparatoires whose workload obliges them to spend most of their time studying instead of going out to enjoy social life.

There are two literary and humanities CPGEs.

The first of these prépas, nicknamed "hypokhâgne" for the first year and "khâgne" for the second year, is focused on a strong pluri-disciplinary course, including all humanities: philosophy, literature, history, geography, foreign languages, and ancient languages (Latin and Ancient Greek). The students are called the "hypokhâgneux" and the "khâgneux". These classes prepare for the entrance exam of the elite schools called Écoles Normales Supérieures, which are considered among the most difficult exams of the French system. Nevertheless, the students can now also apply for many other entrance exams.

There are three types of Khâgne:

• Khâgne "Ulm", which prepares more specifically for the A/L entrance exam of the ENS Paris;
• Khâgne "Lyon", which prepares more specifically for the A/L entrance exam of the ENS Lyon;
• Khâgne "B/L", which prepares for the B/L entrance exam of the four ENS. Its particularity is the presence of mathematics and social sciences.

Now, the grouping of many examinations make the difference between khâgnes "Lyon" and "Ulm" is slight, and many prépas have mixed classes with many students preparing for both ENS (or even the three for students specialising in English).

Khâgneux can apply to many grandes écoles, other high schools and all universities, among which are the following:

• The four "Écoles Normales Supérieures": ENS Paris, ENS Lyon, ENS Rennes, ENS Paris-Saclay (the last one being only for B/L or English)
• The École des Chartes
• The main French business schools (through complementary examinations at the final exam): HEC, ESSEC, ESCP, EDHEC Business School, EMLYON Business School, Grenoble Ecole de Management, KEDGE, SKEMA Business School...
• The main Instituts d'études politiques ("Sciences Po")
• Many journalism and communication schools (such as CELSA)

Similar but distinct to Khâgne, the Classe préparatoire à l'École des chartes is the second literary and humanities CPGE. This prépa is divided into two different branches, known as "Chartes A", with an emphasis on medieval history and ancient languages, and "Chartes B", with an emphasis on contemporary history.

The followed curricula vary from year 1 to year 2:

• In first year (sometimes called “hypochartes”), Chartes A students follow courses in medieval history, modern history, French literature, foreign languages, Latin to French translation (known as version), plus a choice between French to Latin translation (known as thème) and ancient Greek to French translation. Chartes B, on the other hand, follow courses in modern history, contemporary history, French literature, foreign languages, plus a choice between Latin version, art history, geography and a second foreign language.
• In second year, Chartes A and B students take the same set of courses as in year 1, with the addition of contemporary history for A students, and medieval history for B students.

The CPGE Chartes curricula are specifically tailored to prepare students for the entrance exam of the Ecole Nationale des Chartes, but students can also apply to CELSA and several Instituts d'études politiques.

Those CPGEs, which are focused on economics (which prepare the admission to Top French business schools such as HEC Paris, ESSEC, ESCP, EMLYON, EDHEC Business School, etc.), are known as Prépa HEC (preparing for the Hautes Ecoles de Commerce) and are split into three parts:

Since 2021, ECE and ECS classes have been merged into a single "ECG" course, the French baccalauréat having been reformed (notably, the iconic "S", "ES" and "L" filières, which until now served to divide students between ECS and ECE classes, have been abolished).

Classe préparatoire ECS are for those who graduated with the general Baccalauréat S (Scientific), Classe préparatoire ECE are for those who graduated with the general Baccalauréat ES (Economics and Social sciences), while the Classe préparatoire ECT are for those who obtained a Baccalauréat Technologique.

Both the first and second year programms include ten hours of mathematics teaching per week completed by 6 hours of geopolitics, six hours of French and philosophy, and three hours of each language (2 languages) in the "ECS" section. The same applies to the "ECE" section, the difference being that students study for 8 hours Economics and Sociology with a historical focus instead of geopolitics.

There is also the D1 and D2 CPGE, also known as ENS Cachan CPGE:

• D1 (law and economy): the students attend both university (taking courses at the law faculty) and CPGE's School. They study civil law, economics, and they choose business law, public law or mathematics; one language (mostly English, German, Spanish and Italian), but they can study a second language for the Écoles de commerce, and general culture. At university, they study constitutional law, criminal law and administrative law. At the end of the two years, students go to ENS Rennes, École de commerce, Sciences Po or some selective university of law. This CPGE is open for Baccalauréats L, ES and S.
• D2 (economy and management): students attend both to university (taking courses in economics or mathematics) and CPGE's school.

D1 and D2 are very rare but offer a complete and multidisciplinary training.

• ATS (Economics and Management), "Economie et Gestion", pathway is also available for BTS and DUT students who wants to go on to a business school via entry in the 4th post-baccalaureate year instead of the 3rd like most CPGE.[12]

The amount of work required from the students is exceptionally high.[13]

In addition to class time and homework, students spend several hours each week completing exams and colles (very often written "khôlles" to look like a Greek word, this way of writing being initially a literary prépa joke). The so-called "colles" are unique to the French academic education in CPGEs. They consist of oral examinations twice a week, in maths, physics, chemistry, biology and earth sciences (in BCPST classes), French and a foreign language, usually English, German or Spanish. Students, alone or in groups (generally three people), spend 20 minutes to an hour facing a professor in a room, answering questions and solving problems. Similarly, in "ECE/ECS classes", students generally undergo 2 khôlles a week, each subject being regularly tested. Weekly exams often happen on Saturday mornings and last 3 to 4 hours, depending on the subject being tested.

In "hypokhâgne/khâgne", the system of "colles" is a bit different. They are taken every quarter in every subject. Students usually have one hour to prepare a short presentation that takes the form of a French-style dissertation (a methodologically codified essay, typically structured in three parts: thesis, counter-thesis, and synthesis) in history, philosophy, etc. on a given topic, or that of a commentaire composé (a methodologically codified commentary) in literature and foreign languages; as for the Ancient Greek or Latin, they involve a translation and a commentary. The student then has 20 minutes to present part of their prepared work to the teacher, who ends the session by asking some questions on the presentation and on the corresponding topic.

"Khôlles" are important as they prepare the students, from the very first year, for the oral part of the competitive examination. They are also useful to make sure they learn and understand lessons by testing them on a regular basis.

A student (in a scientific CPGE) who repeats the second year obtains the status of cinq demis ("five halves"). They were only trois demis ("three halves") during their first second-year and un demi ("one half") in the first year. The explanation behind these names is that the most coveted engineering school is the École polytechnique, nicknamed the "X" (as the mathematical unknown). A student who enrolls in (the word for which is "integrates" in French) this school after the second year of preparatory class is traditionally called a "3/2" because this is the value of the integral of x from 1 to 2.

${\displaystyle \int _{1}^{2}\!x\,\mathrm {d} x\ ={\frac {2^{2}}{2}}-{\frac {1^{2}}{2}}={\frac {3}{2}}}$

The same idea is valid for cinq demis: the integral of x from 2 to 3 is "5/2".

${\displaystyle \int _{2}^{3}\!x\,\mathrm {d} x\ ={\frac {3^{2}}{2}}-{\frac {2^{2}}{2}}={\frac {5}{2}}}$

Students in their first year of literary and business CPGEs are called bizuths and, in their second year, carrés ("squares"). Students enrolled in their "second" second year are also called "cubes" or "khübes", it being a synonym of "cinq-demi", and a few turn to bicarrés for a third and final second year. Some ambitious professors encourage their top students to avoid or postpone admittance to other prestigious schools in order to try to get a better school.