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88+ Free ENSSMAL Access Contest Practice Questions

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2026 Statistics

Key Facts: ENSSMAL Access Contest Exam

30 June 2026

Official contest date at ENSSMAL campus in Dely Ibrahim, Algiers

ENSSMAL Official Call 2026–2027

2 papers × 2 hours

Two compulsory 2-hour written papers, each weighted at coefficient 2

ENSSMAL Official Call 2026–2027

4 subject options

Paper 1 (Organic Chem or Biochem) and Paper 2 (Microbiology or Genetics)

ENSSMAL Official Call 2026–2027

SNV Cycle Préparatoire

Eligibility based on 2 successful years in SNV higher schools or universities

ENSSMAL Access Contest Notice

Written only

Constructed-response written tests without oral or practical components

ENSSMAL Access Contest Notice

Free 88-question English MCQ study bank for the 30 June 2026 ENSSMAL second-cycle access contest. The official competition has two compulsory two-hour written papers, each coefficient 2; this is a study adaptation, not an official translation or format simulation.

Sample ENSSMAL Access Contest Practice Questions

Try these sample questions to test your ENSSMAL Access Contest exam readiness. Each question includes a detailed explanation. Start the interactive quiz above for the full 88+ question experience with AI tutoring.

1Which set of reaction conditions is most characteristic of a classic bimolecular nucleophilic substitution (SN2) pathway?
A.A primary alkyl halide reacting with a strong, unhindered nucleophile in a polar aprotic solvent
B.A tertiary alkyl halide reacting with a weak nucleophile in a polar protic solvent
C.A tertiary alkyl halide heated with a bulky base such as potassium tert-butoxide
D.A secondary alcohol heated with concentrated sulfuric acid at 180 °C
Explanation: An SN2 mechanism occurs in a single concerted step requiring backside nucleophilic attack. Primary alkyl halides minimize steric hindrance, strong unhindered nucleophiles attack rapidly, and polar aprotic solvents (like acetone or DMF) enhance nucleophilicity by failing to solvate the nucleophilic anion through hydrogen bonding.
2What is the primary stereochemical outcome when (R)-2-bromobutane undergoes an SN2 reaction with sodium cyanide (NaCN) in DMSO?
A.Racemization yielding an equimolar mixture of (R) and (S) enantiomers
B.Complete Walden inversion yielding (S)-2-methylbutanenitrile
C.Retention of configuration yielding (R)-2-methylbutanenitrile
D.Formation of an optically inactive meso compound
Explanation: In an SN2 mechanism, the nucleophile attacks the electrophilic carbon directly opposite to the departing leaving group (backside attack). This concerted displacement leads to a complete Walden inversion of configuration, converting (R)-2-bromobutane to (S)-2-methylbutanenitrile.
3Which of the following alkyl halides undergoes solvolysis via an unimolecular (SN1) pathway at the fastest rate in aqueous ethanol?
A.1-Chlorobutane
B.2-Chlorobutane
C.2-Chloro-2-methylpropane
D.Chloromethane
Explanation: The rate-determining step in an SN1 reaction is the ionization of the alkyl halide to form a carbocation. 2-Chloro-2-methylpropane forms a tertiary carbocation (tert-butyl cation), which is strongly stabilized by hyperconjugation and inductive effects from three alkyl groups, allowing it to solvolyze much faster than primary or secondary halides.
4According to Zaitsev's rule, what is the major alkene formed when 2-bromo-2-methylbutane is treated with sodium ethoxide in ethanol?
A.2-Methyl-1-butene
B.3-Methyl-1-butene
C.3-Methyl-1-butyne
D.2-Methyl-2-butene
Explanation: Zaitsev's rule states that base-induced beta-elimination typically favors the formation of the more highly substituted, thermodynamically more stable alkene. In the E2 elimination of 2-bromo-2-methylbutane using a small, unhindered base like sodium ethoxide, proton removal from C3 yields the trisubstituted alkene 2-methyl-2-butene as the major product.
5What is the major organic product obtained from the addition of hydrogen bromide (HBr) to propene in the absence of peroxides?
A.2-Bromopropane
B.1-Bromopropane
C.1,2-Dibromopropane
D.Cyclopropane
Explanation: Electrophilic addition of HBr to an unsymmetrical alkene follows Markovnikov's rule. Protonation of propene generates the more stable secondary carbocation intermediate at C2 rather than an unstable primary carbocation, followed by bromide nucleophilic attack to yield 2-bromopropane as the major product.
6Which reagent system achieves the anti-Markovnikov, syn-stereospecific hydration of an alkene to yield an alcohol?
A.Oxymercuration-demercuration: Hg(OAc)2, H2O followed by NaBH4
B.Hydroboration-oxidation: BH3·THF followed by H2O2, NaOH
C.Dilute aqueous sulfuric acid (H2SO4, H2O) at 100 °C
D.Osmium tetroxide (OsO4) followed by sodium bisulfite (NaHSO3)
Explanation: Hydroboration-oxidation adds water across an alkene with anti-Markovnikov regiochemistry and syn stereochemistry. In the first step, BH3 adds concertedly across the double bond with boron attaching to the less hindered, less substituted carbon; oxidation with alkaline hydrogen peroxide then replaces the boron atom with a hydroxyl group with retention of configuration.
7In electrophilic aromatic substitution, which substituent is classified as an ortho/para-director that deactivates the benzene ring toward further substitution?
A.Hydroxyl group (–OH)
B.Nitro group (–NO2)
C.Chlorine atom (–Cl)
D.Methoxy group (–OCH3)
Explanation: Halogens (–F, –Cl, –Br, –I) are unique in electrophilic aromatic substitution because they are ortho/para-directing yet ring-deactivating. Their strong electronegativity exerts an electron-withdrawing inductive effect that lowers overall ring electron density, but lone pair resonance donation stabilizes the arenium ion specifically at the ortho and para positions.
8Which of the following organic compounds will give a positive silver mirror in Tollens' test?
A.Acetone (propan-2-one)
B.Ethyl acetate
C.Diethyl ether
D.Ethanal (acetaldehyde)
Explanation: Tollens' reagent contains the diamminesilver(I) complex [Ag(NH3)2]+, a mild oxidizing agent that selectively oxidizes aldehydes to carboxylic acids while being reduced to metallic silver, forming a characteristic reflective mirror. Ethanal is an aldehyde and tests positive, whereas ketones, esters, and ethers are resistant to oxidation by Tollens' reagent.
9What is the correct stereochemical relationship between (2R,3R)-tartaric acid and (2R,3S)-tartaric acid?
A.Diastereomers
B.Enantiomers
C.Constitutional isomers
D.Identical compounds
Explanation: (2R,3R)-tartaric acid and (2R,3S)-tartaric acid are non-superimposable stereoisomers that are not mirror images of each other, which defines diastereomers. In tartaric acid, the (2R,3S) isomer is an optically inactive meso compound due to an internal plane of symmetry, whereas (2R,3R) is a chiral, optically active stereoisomer.
10What is the major organic product formed when 1-butyne reacts with water in the presence of mercuric sulfate (HgSO4) and aqueous sulfuric acid (H2SO4)?
A.Butanal
B.Butan-2-one
C.1-Butanol
D.Butanoic acid
Explanation: Hydration of terminal alkynes catalyzed by mercuric sulfate and sulfuric acid follows Markovnikov regiochemistry, adding the hydroxyl group to the more substituted internal carbon (C2). The resulting enol intermediate (but-1-en-2-ol) rapidly undergoes keto-enol tautomerization to yield the more thermodynamically stable ketone, butan-2-one.

About the ENSSMAL Access Contest Exam

The Concours d’Accès au Second Cycle de l’ENSSMAL is the national written competition for admission to the second cycle at the École Nationale Supérieure des Sciences de la Mer et de l'Aménagement du Littoral in Dely Ibrahim. Eligible candidates choose Organic Chemistry or Biochemistry for the first two-hour paper and Microbiology or Genetics for the second; each paper has coefficient 2. This practice bank provides 88 English-language MCQs across the four published syllabus options. The official response language and item count are unpublished, and this bank is neither an official translation nor a constructed-response format simulation.

Assessment

Two compulsory two-hour written papers, each coefficient 2: candidates choose between Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry for Paper 1, and between Microbiology and Genetics for Paper 2.

Time Limit

4 hours total (two 2-hour written papers held on 30 June 2026)

Passing Score

Competitive ranking based on composite score across both papers; no universal minimum pass mark is published in the official announcement.

Exam Fee

No separate exam fee is published in the official announcement. (École Nationale Supérieure des Sciences de la Mer et de l'Aménagement du Littoral (ENSSMAL))

ENSSMAL Access Contest Exam Content Outline

Paper 1 option (Coeff 2; 17 questions)

Organic Chemistry

IUPAC nomenclature, hydrocarbons and functional groups, stereochemistry, electronic effects, SN1/SN2 and E1/E2 mechanisms, additions, and electrophilic aromatic substitution.

Paper 1 option (Coeff 2; 25 questions)

Biochemistry

Amino acids, peptide bonds, protein architecture, enzyme kinetics (Km/Vmax), bioenergetics, carbohydrate catabolism, and beta-oxidation.

Paper 2 option (Coeff 2; 25 questions)

Microbiology

Bacterial ultrastructure, cell envelopes, growth phases and generation times, antimicrobials, fermentation pathways, and virology.

Paper 2 option (Coeff 2; 21 questions)

Genetics

DNA structure and replication, chromosomes, Mendelian inheritance, bacterial gene transfer, transcription and translation, gene regulation, mutation, and population genetics.

How to Pass the ENSSMAL Access Contest Exam

What You Need to Know

  • Passing score: Competitive ranking based on composite score across both papers; no universal minimum pass mark is published in the official announcement.
  • Assessment: Two compulsory two-hour written papers, each coefficient 2: candidates choose between Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry for Paper 1, and between Microbiology and Genetics for Paper 2.
  • Time limit: 4 hours total (two 2-hour written papers held on 30 June 2026)
  • Exam fee: No separate exam fee is published in the official announcement.

Keys to Passing

  • Work through all 88 available questions
  • Review every answer and explanation
  • Track weak areas and revisit them
  • Use our AI tutor for tough concepts

ENSSMAL Access Contest Study Tips from Top Performers

1Master the reaction mechanisms of organic chemistry: focus on curly-arrow notations, nucleophilic attack geometries (inversion in SN2), carbocation stabilities, and thermodynamic vs kinetic control.
2Revisit enzyme kinetics thoroughly: practise Lineweaver-Burk and Michaelis-Menten plots to clearly distinguish competitive, non-competitive, and uncompetitive inhibitors by their effects on Km and Vmax.
3Solidify bacterial cell envelope architecture: understand peptidoglycan transpeptidation, lipopolysaccharide endotoxin structure in Gram-negative bacteria, and how cell envelope differences determine antibiotic susceptibility.
4Practise quantitative genetics problems: calculate recombination frequencies to determine genetic map distances in centimorgans, and apply Hardy-Weinberg equations under varying allele frequencies.
5Review SNV preparatory-cycle constructed-response problems as well as these MCQs, because this bank does not simulate the official written-paper format.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the format and date of the 2026 ENSSMAL Access Contest?

The contest is held on 30 June 2026 at ENSSMAL in Dely Ibrahim, Algiers. It comprises two compulsory two-hour written papers, each with coefficient 2. Candidates choose Organic Chemistry or Biochemistry for Paper 1, and Microbiology or Genetics for Paper 2.

Who is eligible to participate in the ENSSMAL Access Contest?

Eligibility covers students who have successfully completed two preparatory years in SNV (Sciences de la Nature et de la Vie) higher schools, specified rerouted preparatory students, and university SNV students with at least two completed years without repeating, subject to the official notice's second-degree restriction.

Is there an oral or practical examination?

No. The official 2026–2027 announcement specifies a purely written competition based on the two chosen academic papers. The candidate dossier verifies eligibility but is not a scored case study or interview.

Is the official exam a multiple-choice test in English?

No official response language or item count is published in the 2026–2027 call. This English-language MCQ bank is a study adaptation for the published subject programs; it is neither an official translation nor a simulation of the constructed-response papers.

What is the passing score or quota for admission?

Admission is strictly competitive based on the weighted ranking of candidates (composite score across the two papers, each coefficient 2) within the quota of available places. No universal minimum pass mark is published in advance.

Is there a registration fee for the contest?

No separate candidate examination fee is published in the official announcement. Administrative requirements are handled via the institutional application dossier.