preparatoire

Préparatoire, in the context of the French education system, refers to preparatory classes for entrance to the grandes écoles. These are intensive post-baccalauréat programs designed to ready students for highly competitive admission exams to elite higher education institutions.

The most common form is the Classe préparatoire aux grandes écoles (CPGE), usually lasting two years. The curriculum is organized into tracks that align with different fields of study. Scientific tracks emphasize mathematics, physics, and chemistry; economic and commercial tracks focus on mathematics, economics, and social sciences; literary tracks concentrate on humanities, languages, and philosophy. Courses are dense and structured around problem solving, coursework, and frequent assessments, with a strong emphasis on preparing for concours (competitive exams).

Admission typically occurs after the baccalauréat and is highly selective. Students are often admitted on the basis of their lycée transcripts, recommendations, and sometimes entrance tests or interviews. Success in the concours enables entry to prestigious institutions such as engineering schools, business schools, or senior civil-service schools. Not all who begin a prépa succeed in gaining admission to a grande école; some students transfer to universities or pursue other professional paths.

The préparatoire system is associated with intense workloads and long study hours, which has sparked discussions about stress and accessibility. Outside France, the term is used in a broader sense to describe foundation or preparatory programs that prepare students for higher education, though the structure and stakes can differ.