Test prep

I plan on registering for the civil servant exams this spring to become a civil servant at the University, and this means lots of studying.

Because I haven't worked at the University long enough to be an internal candidate (4 years), I can only do the 'concours externe' and for the types of jobs I plan to apply for these all include written exams. If I pass the written part, I can go onto an interview in front of a jury during which you present yourself in a pre-formated kind of way (usually 5 minutes, no creative presentations).

I am participating in the prep course the HR department at the University offers, which means once I week I spend a morning learning about the different rules and regulations that govern French higher education. Some of the topics I already know well because of my work, but other topics (like accounting) are completely new to me. I knew going into it that I would need to study on the side to memorize all the information about which commissions make which decisions and what the law says about higher education, but I didn't realize the amount of French general knowledge I would need.

The University of Lyon has past civil servant exams online, so I printed out a bunch to study, and I kid you not, here are some of questions from the exam of a position I could apply for:

"En quelle année la première loi de décentralisation a-t-elle été publiée?
1969
1974
1982
1995"

"Citez une personnalité dont la "panthéonisation" a été décidée en 2014."

"A quoi correspond le phénomène physique de sublimation?
La transformation du plomb en or
Le passge de l'état solide à l'état liquide
La transformation de l'eau en glace
Le passage de l'état solide à l'état gazeux"

"Relier l'auteur à son oeuvre
La princess des Clèves    Montesquieu
Les yeux d'Elsa               Prosper Merimée
Carmen                            Louis Aragon
L'éducation sentimentale Gustave Flaubert
Jacques le fataliste et son maître  Raymond Radiguet
La bête humaine              Alain Fournier
Voyage au bout de la nuit  Emile Zola
Le grand Meaulnes           Honoree de Balzac
Le lys dans la vallée         Louis Ferdinand Celine
Les lettres persanes          Madame de La Fayette
Le diable au corps           Denis Diderot
La petite fadette             George Sand"


I would say about 40% of the questions on the past exams are general knowledge questions. You might wonder why someone hoping to work at the University (career center, study abroad, registrar office, etc) would need to know who was inducted into the Panthéon in 2014 or which author wrote which book, and you would be right. While civil servants should be reasonably well informed about current events, a lot of these questions simply serve to eliminate candidates. Two of my colleagues applied for a position a year or two ago, and they said for one open position 100 people were in the auditorium taking the test. If the test only includes questions about the University you might end up with 15 people with scores of 90/100. But if the test includes lots of random general knowledge questions you'll stretch out the bell curve.

I mentioned two books back in 2013, and I am proud to say I am 3/4 of the way through Administration.com. I'm only on page 60 of the civilization book (just over a quarter through), so I need to pick up the speed. I am really happy with Administration.com because I feel like it covers the history, current structure/organization, and vocabulary related to the French government but you quickly progress through the exercises. Sometimes the descriptions are a bit succinct, so Wikipedia/vie-publique.fr is a good companion, but everything you need for the exercises are in the workbook.

Speaking of Vie-publique.fr, I have found it to be a really good government website that clearly explains a number of topics.

In addition to finishing these workbooks, working through the past exams, and studying the materials I have from my prep classes at the University, I plan on making some good old flash cards. Hopefully all this will mean a good enough grade to keep me in the running for a position.