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Key Facts: CAPES Exam
Catégorie A
Civil service status of certified secondary teachers (professeurs certifiés)
Statut général des fonctionnaires / Code général de la fonction publique
7,830 posts
CAPES externe posts offered in 2026 across bac+5 and bac+3 routes
Arrêté de répartition des postes session 2026, devenirenseignant.gouv.fr
<= 5/20
Eliminatory admissibility threshold; 0 at admission is eliminatory
Arrêté du 17 avril 2025 fixant les modalités du concours externe du CAPES
Bac+3 (Licence)
New entry diploma requirement established from session 2026
Décret n° 2025-352 du 17 avril 2025 réformant la formation initiale des enseignants
35 Minutes
Duration of the universal second oral admission test (épreuve d'entretien)
Arrêté du 17 avril 2025 (coefficient 3)
Art. L. 911-4
Code de l'éducation provision substituting State civil liability for teachers
Code de l'éducation / Loi du 5 avril 1937
The CAPES is France's premier competitive civil service recruitment examination for certified secondary teachers (Category A). Beginning in session 2026 under the landmark bac+3 reform, candidates are ranked nationally through two sequestered written admissibility papers and two rigorous oral admission tests. OpenExamPrep offers a 100-question English-language MCQ study adaptation targeting the common core: secondary curriculum architecture (collège and lycée général), general didactics, EPLE governance, inclusive education, and Republican civil service ethics.
Sample CAPES Practice Questions
Try these sample questions to review concepts for the CAPES exam. Each question includes a detailed explanation. Start the interactive quiz above for the full 100+ question experience with AI tutoring.
1Which educational levels and grades constitute Cycle 3 (cycle de consolidation) in the French school curriculum?
2What is the official designation and grade composition of Cycle 4 in the French secondary education system?
3What are the four distinct sub-components comprising Domain 1 ('Les langages pour penser et communiquer') of the Socle commun de connaissances, de compétences et de culture (S4C)?
4Which competencies and instructional objectives are specifically targeted by Domain 2 ('Les méthodes et outils pour apprendre') of the Socle commun (S4C)?
5What is the primary educational focus of Domain 3 ('La formation de la personne et du citoyen') in the French Socle commun?
6How does Domain 4 ('Les systèmes naturels et les systèmes techniques') define the relationship between scientific curiosity and technological problem-solving?
7What is the core pedagogical objective of Domain 5 ('Les représentations du monde et l'activité humaine') in the Socle commun?
8How is the final mark of the Diplôme National du Brevet calculated from the 2026 session onwards, following décret n° 2025-328 and the arrêté du 10 avril 2025?
9What is the basis of the 40% continuous-assessment component of the reformed Diplôme National du Brevet, and how does it differ from the arrangement it replaced?
10Which set of coefficients applies to the five final tests of the Diplôme National du Brevet at the 2026 session?
About the CAPES Exam
The Certificat d'Aptitude au Professorat de l'Enseignement du Second Degré (CAPES) is France's premier competitive recruitment concours for secondary education teachers (professeurs certifiés, Catégorie A civil servants). Administered by the Ministère de l'Éducation Nationale, the examination selects teachers across collèges (middle schools, Cycles 3 and 4) and lycées d'enseignement général et technologique (high schools). Beginning in session 2026 under the landmark bac+3 teacher recruitment reform (décret n° 2025-352 and arrêté du 17 avril 2025), candidates can sit the competitive examination at the end of their third undergraduate year (Licence), undertaking a compensated master's work-study professional program upon admission. While the written papers and the first oral lesson test are strictly disciplinary and section-specific (e.g., Lettres, Mathématiques, Histoire-Géographie, Sciences Physiques, Langues Vivantes, SVT, Philosophie, etc.), all candidates are evaluated against an identical institutional and legal framework. This common body of knowledge includes the secondary curriculum architecture (Cycles 3-4, Socle commun S4C, DNB, Lycée général reform, Grand Oral), general didactics and competency-based assessment, inclusive education mechanisms (PAI, PAP, PPS, PPRE, ULIS, AESH), school governance (CA, Conseil de classe, Conseil pédagogique), and the essential obligations of the public service (laïcité, neutrality, réserve, minor protection under Article 40 CPP, pHARe anti-bullying, and ecological transition).
Exam sponsor: Ministère de l'Éducation Nationale. The requirements and fees below concern the certification or admission exam, separate from our free practice resources.
Assessment
Concours externe bac+3, organized from session 2026 under the décret n° 2025-352 and arrêté du 17 avril 2025. Article 3 of that arrêté sets two épreuves d'admissibilité and two épreuves d'admission for most sections, and three épreuves d'admissibilité for a small number of sections (langue corse, langues régionales, langues kanak, lettres classiques). Admissibilité: written papers of 4 to 5 hours each, whose exact form is section-specific — in histoire-géographie, a 5-hour composition (coefficient 2.5) and a 5-hour critical analysis of a documentary corpus (coefficient 2.5); in lettres modernes, a 5-hour dissertation (coefficient 2.5) and a 4-hour grammatical and stylistic study (coefficient 2.5); in mathématiques, two 4-hour papers (coefficients 3 and 2). Article 5 provides that, for the admissibility phase, 'une note globale égale ou inférieure à 5 est éliminatoire'. Admission: a first, section-specific oral test (3 to 4 hours of preparation, 1 hour before the jury split between a 20- to 30-minute exposé and a 30- to 40-minute exchange, coefficient 5); and a second oral test that is textually identical across every section — an entretien of 35 minutes without preparation (coefficient 3) comprising a 5-minute presentation of the candidate's background and motivation, a 10-minute exchange on that presentation, and 20 minutes on the values of the Republic including laïcité and on projection into the profession (civil service obligations, neutrality, non-discrimination, equality between girls and boys, pupil development, and the ecological transition). A mark of 0 at admission is eliminatory. The bac+5 external concours is maintained transitionally for sessions 2026 and 2027 under the modified arrêté du 25 janvier 2021 before its definitive closure.
Time Limit
8 to 10 hours of written admissibility (two or three papers of 4 to 5 hours) plus oral admission tests (a 1-hour disciplinary oral and a 35-minute interview)
Passing Score
Ranked competitive admission (numerus clausus) based on post quotas established annually by ministerial decree — 7,830 external posts in 2026 across bac+5 and bac+3 routes; an overall mark of 5/20 or below on admissibility is eliminatory, as is a mark of 0 at admission
Exam / Certification Fees
No examination registration fee is charged; candidates register free of charge via the national Cyclades portal. University tuition fees apply separately.
Exam sponsor websiteFees, eligibility, and exam policies can change. Confirm them with the exam sponsor before applying or paying.
Our practice resources: topics covered
We aim to reflect publicly available exam outlines and topic information in our study resources. Coverage, format, and difficulty may differ from the actual exam, and we cannot guarantee that every detail is accurate or current. Confirm exam requirements, fees, and policies with the official exam sponsor.
Secondary Curriculum Architecture (Collège & Lycée Général)
Pedagogical and curricular architecture of French secondary education: Cycle 3 (cycle de consolidation, combining CM1-CM2 and 6e in collège) and Cycle 4 (cycle des approfondissements, 5e, 4e, 3e). Mastery of the Socle commun de connaissances, de compétences et de culture (S4C) and its five fundamental domains. The Diplôme National du Brevet (DNB) as reformed for session 2026 by décret n° 2025-328 and the arrêté du 10 avril 2025: the 800-point socle-mastery scale is abolished and replaced by a final average out of 20 (diploma awarded at 10/20), combining 40% contrôle continu — the average of the annual marks in every compulsory 3e subject, all weighted equally — with 60% from five final tests (français coefficient 2, mathématiques coefficient 2, a two-hour paper marked separately for histoire-géographie coefficient 1.5 and EMC coefficient 0.5, sciences coefficient 2, and an oral project defence coefficient 2). Structure of the Lycée Général reform: 2de générale et technologique exploration, 1re générale and Terminale générale curriculum organization, common subjects (tronc commun), specialty disciplines (enseignements de spécialité: 3 in 1re, 2 retained in Terminale), optional courses, the Baccalauréat Grand Oral in its current two-part form (20 minutes of preparation, then a 10-minute exposé and a 10-minute exchange with the jury), Accompagnement Personnalisé (AP), and orientation frameworks including Parcoursup timelines.
General Didactics, Differentiation & Assessment
Fundamental didactic and learning theories: Yves Chevallard's didactic transposition model (savoir savant, savoir à enseigner, savoir enseigné, savoir appris) and the role of the noosphère; Guy Brousseau's didactic situations and devolution; situation-problème design (Meirieu, De Vecchi, Astolfi), cognitive conflict, and Bachelard's epistemological obstacles. Pedagogical differentiation strategies (Perrenoud, Meirieu): adapting content, processes, pacing, and structures to heterogeneous secondary classrooms. Evaluation typologies: diagnostic (prerequisite detection), formative (learning regulation and constructive feedback), formatrice (pupil metacognition and self-assessment), and summative/certificative assessment. Construction of critéried rubrics (grilles critériées), distinction between success criteria (critères de réussite) and realization criteria (critères de réalisation), and competency-based evaluation aligned with the official Référentiel de compétences (arrêté du 1er juillet 2013).
Secondary School Governance & Inclusive Schooling
Institutional governance of local public secondary schools (EPLE - Établissements Publics Locaux d'Enseignement): role and composition of the Conseil d'Administration (CA, tripartite representation), Conseil Pédagogique (pedagogical coordination, cycle alignment), Conseil de Classe (class council, grading, orientation recommendations, role of Professeur Principal), Commission Permanente, and student voice bodies (CVL - Conseil des Délégués pour la Vie Lycéenne, CVC - Conseil de la Vie Collégienne). Academic monitoring tools: Livret Scolaire Unique (LSU) in collège and Livret Scolaire du Lycée (LSL). Legal and practical frameworks of inclusive schooling (École inclusive): distinguishing adaptation plans including PAI (Projet d'Accueil Individualisé for chronic medical conditions), PAP (Plan d'Accompagnement Personnalisé for learning/dys- disorders), PPS (Projet Personnalisé de Scolarisation for MDPH-recognized disabilities), and PPRE (Programme Personnalisé de Réussite Éducative). Operation of ULIS (Unités Localisées pour l'Inclusion Scolaire) in secondary schools and the pedagogical posture of AESH (Accompagnants des Élèves en Situation de Handicap). Educational partnership with CPE (Conseiller Principal d'Éducation), AED, social workers, and PsyEN.
Republican Values, Ethics & Civil Service Duties
The moral, civic, and legal foundations of the French teaching profession: Republican values (Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité, and Laïcité). Strict implementation of laïcité and secularism under the Law of 15 March 2004 (banning conspicuous religious signs in public schools) and the Charte de la laïcité à l'école; distinguishing agent neutrality from pupil freedom of conscience. Fundamental obligations of civil servants (Code général de la fonction publique): duty of strict neutrality, duty of reserve (discretion and restraint in public and social media discourse), hierarchical obedience (Article L. 121-10 CGFP and the narrow exception for manifest illegality compromising public interest), professional secrecy, discretion, and rules governing multiple activities (cumul d'activités). Legal protection and civil liability: Article L. 911-4 of the Code de l'éducation (State substitution for teacher civil liability). Child protection mandates: Article 40 of the Code de procédure pénale (mandatory reporting of crimes/misdemeanors to the Procureur) and transmission of informations préoccupantes (IP) to the CRIP. School climate policies: the pHARe national anti-bullying program (méthode de préoccupation partagée, student ambassadors), gender equality policies (égalité filles-garçons), and ecological transition initiatives (démarche E3D, role of éco-délégués).
Preparing for the CAPES Exam
What You Need to Know
- Passing score: Ranked competitive admission (numerus clausus) based on post quotas established annually by ministerial decree — 7,830 external posts in 2026 across bac+5 and bac+3 routes; an overall mark of 5/20 or below on admissibility is eliminatory, as is a mark of 0 at admission
- Assessment: Concours externe bac+3, organized from session 2026 under the décret n° 2025-352 and arrêté du 17 avril 2025. Article 3 of that arrêté sets two épreuves d'admissibilité and two épreuves d'admission for most sections, and three épreuves d'admissibilité for a small number of sections (langue corse, langues régionales, langues kanak, lettres classiques). Admissibilité: written papers of 4 to 5 hours each, whose exact form is section-specific — in histoire-géographie, a 5-hour composition (coefficient 2.5) and a 5-hour critical analysis of a documentary corpus (coefficient 2.5); in lettres modernes, a 5-hour dissertation (coefficient 2.5) and a 4-hour grammatical and stylistic study (coefficient 2.5); in mathématiques, two 4-hour papers (coefficients 3 and 2). Article 5 provides that, for the admissibility phase, 'une note globale égale ou inférieure à 5 est éliminatoire'. Admission: a first, section-specific oral test (3 to 4 hours of preparation, 1 hour before the jury split between a 20- to 30-minute exposé and a 30- to 40-minute exchange, coefficient 5); and a second oral test that is textually identical across every section — an entretien of 35 minutes without preparation (coefficient 3) comprising a 5-minute presentation of the candidate's background and motivation, a 10-minute exchange on that presentation, and 20 minutes on the values of the Republic including laïcité and on projection into the profession (civil service obligations, neutrality, non-discrimination, equality between girls and boys, pupil development, and the ecological transition). A mark of 0 at admission is eliminatory. The bac+5 external concours is maintained transitionally for sessions 2026 and 2027 under the modified arrêté du 25 janvier 2021 before its definitive closure.
- Time limit: 8 to 10 hours of written admissibility (two or three papers of 4 to 5 hours) plus oral admission tests (a 1-hour disciplinary oral and a 35-minute interview)
- Exam / certification fees: No examination registration fee is charged; candidates register free of charge via the national Cyclades portal. University tuition fees apply separately. Official sources
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CAPES: Suggested Study Strategy
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the CAPES examination in France and what qualification does it confer?
The Certificat d'Aptitude au Professorat de l'Enseignement du Second Degré (CAPES) is France's premier national competitive civil service recruitment examination (concours de Catégorie A) organized by the Ministère de l'Éducation Nationale. Passing the CAPES confers appointment as a certified secondary teacher (professeur certifié), qualifying laureates to teach their academic discipline in public collèges (middle schools) and lycées d'enseignement général et technologique (high schools) across France.
How did the 2026 teacher recruitment reform change the CAPES eligibility and structure?
Pursuant to décret n° 2025-352 and the arrêté du 17 avril 2025, the external CAPES concours was reformed starting in session 2026 to recruit candidates at the bac+3 level (enrolled in or holding a Licence degree) rather than bac+5. Laureates enter a two-year master's program as paid civil-servant trainees (fonctionnaires stagiaires). To ensure equity during the transition, a bac+5 external concours is maintained transitionally for sessions 2026 and 2027 under the modified arrêté du 25 janvier 2021 before being permanently phased out.
How does the CAPES balance section-specific disciplinary tests with common professional requirements?
The CAPES is divided into independent disciplinary sections (e.g., Modern Literature, Mathematics, History-Geography, Physics-Chemistry, English, Life and Earth Sciences, Philosophy). The two written admissibility papers and the first oral lesson test are strictly disciplinary and section-specific. However, all sections share an identical institutional architecture, notation scale, and a textually identical second oral admission test: a 35-minute interview (coefficient 3) assessing the candidate's grasp of Republican values, laïcité, public service ethics, pupil development, and the ecological transition. This common pedagogical and institutional foundation forms the basis of OpenExamPrep's practice bank.
What are the scoring rules and eliminatory marks in the CAPES concours?
Article 5 of the arrêté du 17 avril 2025 provides that the tests are marked from 0 to 20 and that, for the admissibility phase, 'une note globale égale ou inférieure à 5 est éliminatoire' — an overall admissibility mark of 5/20 or below disqualifies the candidate from proceeding to the orals. In the oral admission phase, a mark of 0 on either of the two tests is eliminatory. Final admission is determined strictly by merit ranking within the published quota of posts (7,830 external posts opened in 2026 — 3,697 at bac+3 and 4,133 at bac+5 — fixed by two arrêtés of 19 February 2026).
What is the format and scope of the common second oral admission test (épreuve d'entretien)?
The second oral admission test is a 35-minute interview (coefficient 3) without preparation. It comprises: (1) a 5-minute presentation by the candidate detailing their educational background, trajectory, and professional motivations; (2) a 10-minute exchange with the jury exploring the presentation; and (3) a 20-minute exchange based on practical professional scenarios exploring two mandatory domains: the values of the Republic including laïcité, and projection into the profession covering civil service obligations (neutrality, non-discrimination, gender equality, pupil protection, and the ecological transition).
How are secondary school curricula organized between Collège and Lycée Général?
Secondary education in France is structured across distinct educational cycles: Collège encompasses the final year of Cycle 3 (6e, cycle de consolidation, linking with primary CM1-CM2) and the whole of Cycle 4 (5e, 4e, 3e, cycle des approfondissements), culminating in the Diplôme National du Brevet (DNB). From session 2026 the DNB is awarded on a final average out of 20, combining 40% contrôle continu drawn from the annual marks in every compulsory 3e subject with 60% from four written tests and an oral project defence. Lycée Général comprises 2de générale et technologique (common exploration), 1re générale, and Terminale générale. Under the reformed Baccalauréat, students follow a common core curriculum and choose three specialty subjects (spécialités) in 1re, keeping two in Terminale, assessed through continuous control, terminal written exams, and the Grand Oral.