préparatoire

Préparatoire is a French adjective and noun referring to something that prepares or is intended to prepare for a future step or event. In common usage, it designates preparatory stages or programs that precede a more advanced level. The noun forms include un cours préparatoire or une classe préparatoire, though the shortened term prépa is often used in practice.

In education, the most well-known use of the term is in France with the classes préparatoires aux grandes écoles (CPGE). These are intensive two-year programs that follow the baccalauréat and aim to prepare students for competitive entrance examinations to prestigious higher education institutions. CPGE tracks cover scientific, literary, and economics divisions and are typically organized by lycées. Admission is selective, and the curriculum emphasizes disciplines such as mathematics, physics, literature, history, or economics.

Beyond the CPGE framework, préparatoire can refer to any preparatory phase within a process. This includes an année préparatoire before university in some francophone systems or preparatory programs in arts, architecture, or design intended to develop foundational skills before the main program.

Other specialized uses include travaux préparatoires, the preparatory works and documents consulted to interpret treaty texts or legislation. In project management, a phase préparatoire encompasses activities like planning, data collection, and criteria definition conducted before execution. The term thus spans education, law, and organizational contexts, all sharing the core idea of preparation preceding a subsequent activity.