French word of the day: Les Concours
Published on: May 1, 2025
And it is back to work/school this week after having the last 2 weeks off for school holidays! (When do these French kids learn, really?)
Yes, believe or not, we’re in the final stretch before les grandes vacances! And to practise for those big summer holidays, we the French have all May long to practice our pondering and relaxation techniques.
Because in the next 4-5 weeks we have the following public holidays:
- May 1 Labor day
- May 8th Victory in Europe 1945
- May 28th Ascension
- June 9th Pentacôte (Whit Sunday)
This year several of these public holidays fall on a Thursday, all the more reason to take that Friday off for an extra-extra-long weekend. (No need to be jealous, I’m just stating facts.)
In between all these holidays, it is also the period for high schoolers to sit their final exams to plan where they are going in September. (My kids are still in primary, but I am nothing if not curious about the process.)
Because it is not as simple as just applying to your local state university. Along with those regular ole’ universities, France has a system of grandes écoles (grand schools) which is a bit…different.
Specifically, I’m referring to the 3 grandes écoles (affectionately referred to as ENA, ENS, X(Poly) which are so “special”, the schools actually pay the students between €900-1600/month to attend. Yes, you read that right: the school pays the students, not the other way around.
ENS and X were set up after the 1789 revolution, while ENA after the WWII. The schools were specifically set up to gear the best and the brightest towards working in French administration.
And these students are considered the elite of the elite, as each school only accepts between 60-140 students a year from the entire country.
The idea is that after graduating, these elite and highly motivated students work in government administration for 10 years, in order “to repay society”. And in fact, most people in the upper echelons of France’s government have graduated from one of these grandes écoles, including President Macron, previous Presidents Hollande, Chirac, Pompidou, etc.
How do you get into one of these grandes “crème de la crème” écoles? A set of very difficult entrance exams (known as les concours). The rate of acceptance is so low and dissuasive, I don’t actually know anyone in my immediate circle who even attempted to attend. (They’re all either dumb, pragmatic or pessimists..?)
So I was quite curious when I saw the subject for the 2025 philosophy entrance exam for the aforementioned ENS (École Normale Supérieure). Just two words in quotation marks, to write a 6 hour exam:
“Tu dois” (“You must”)
Well then. There are several other exams of course, depending on the stream chosen such as literature, mathematics, engineering, etc. But the philosophy exam is perhaps what separates the cream from the milk.
Now philosophy courses are not very common in North America, but it is actually de rigeur in France. Starting in high school, all French kids take philosophy courses in school and need to pass a series of exams to graduate.
The idea behind creating all these mini-philosophers is that even technical and scientific professions should know how to consider and evaluate the impact of their decisions:
The scientist is not a person who gives the right answers, he’s one who asks the right questions.
― Claude Lévi-Strauss
So with an interest in asking the right questions, I decided to ask the closest willing philosopher around, aka ChatGPT how to answer such a question:
“A minimal yet profound prompt designed to test a candidate’s ability to explore ethical obligation, freedom, moral law, and perhaps metaphysical duty.
While “vous” might imply generality or distance, “tu” universalizes through subjectivity: each person addressed as a moral agent, individually.
The use of “tu” strips away social hierarchy. Is it the law, the state, or society telling you what to do? Duty or coercion?
Which raises the question: must you, because it is right? Or because it is expected?”
Well then. Back in 2015, there was another famous philosophy entrance exam question at the ENS, a single word: “Expliquer” (to explain) to write about for 6 hours.
But there is actually a method to it. The usual route of passing these difficult concours is to spend 2 years in a class known as a “prépa” whose entire job is to prepare you for said concours.
And I would suspect, having written a few professional exams, that there is usually a specific way to answer in the format that the marker is looking for to get the maximum number of marks.
So maybe the real philosophical question to ask is, should a group of highly specialized students toiling away in the same classes for several years to think and work the same way, be allowed to eventually end up running the country?
And is it the same in other countries, such as the big Ivy league names in the U.S. and the U.K.? Do 11 forwards make a football (soccer) team?
You have 6 hours to answer, and calculators are not allowed.
In other news:
- Le Figaro notes that fêtes traditionnelles is disappearing from small villages across France. This is quite sad actually, a close friend remembers as a 6-year-old learning to play the galoubet (a type of pipe) and taking part in these charming festivals. I don’t even know where to buy a galoubet these days…
- President Macron enforcing French stereotypes: Le Point magazine wrote an actual article about how Macron uses so much cologne, government aides can tell whenever he has passed by a particular area at the Elysée Palace. Pew!
- The burglars who held up Kim Kardashian in a luxury Paris hotel in 2016 are finally having their day in court and providing details of what happened.
- This week marks the 80th anniversary of women getting the right to vote in France, after World war II.
And in the blog:
Discover France’s top festivals, from vibrant carnivals and music events to unique local traditions, offering unforgettable cultural experiences year-round.
This sumptuously cheesy potato egg scramble recipe makes an excellent savory breakfast or an easy lunch or dinner.
Creamy chicken and brussels sprouts
Chicken and brussels sprouts are cooked in a delicious homemade cream sauce for a protein-filled meal that has a ton of flavor.