Preparation for the Spanish Agrégation Exam

Since the 2021–2022 academic year, the Department of Hispanic and Latin American Studies (DEHLAM) has been offering an innovative program: the opportunity toprepare for the external Spanish teaching certification exam in person or remotely, as part of a study groupdesigned to foster collaboration among all participants (both in-person and remote), supervised by the faculty. This program is thus open to anyone who cannot come to campus or who wishes to combine their remote preparation with another activity, or even prepare from abroad.

Students enrolled in the distance learning program will be able to follow the in-person courses asynchronously; these courses will be recorded via videoconference and uploaded to the AMUpod platform. They will have the opportunity to contact the preparatory instructors to receive personalized support. This support will be provided via Zoom during predefined time slots. 

In addition, distance learners will be able to connect with candidates attending the in-person preparation program in Aix-en-Provence to collaborate on assignments and share documents via a collaborative workspace. Like in-person candidates, those enrolled entirely in the distance learning program will participate inboth mock exams(held in December and February, whereas currently, in most prep centers, there is only one mock exam), with their exams graded andmodel answers provided afterward. They will also be able to submit assignments prepared at home throughout the preparation period (introductions, outlines, or other tasks as chosen by the instructor).

Hours and Schedule: Preparation for the written exam runs from mid-September through the end of February, while preparation for the oral exam (including mock exams conducted under actual exam conditions) covers the period from mid-March through the end of May.

• 2 hours per week for preparation of each question on the syllabus
• 2 hours per week for the translation exam [theme / translation] (then 1 hour and 30 minutes per week starting in January)
• 2 hours per week for linguistics
• 2 hours per week for each of the elective languages (Latin, Catalan, Portuguese)

(These time allocations are approximate and may vary depending on the number of questions on the syllabus, online course materials, and discussion and interaction with students.)

2026 Curriculum:

• The Program: External Agrégation in Modern Foreign Languages: Spanish – 2026 Session Program
• For dates of the written and oral exams, visit the Cyclades website:
  Cyclades is an official website of the Ministry of National Education and the Ministry of Higher Education and Research. On this site, you will find all the information regarding the conduct of secondary school teacher certification exams.
  Cyclades allows you to:
  • register for the exams,
  • to receiveyour exam notification for the qualifying and admission exams
  • viewthe schedules for the qualifying and admission exams,
  • findthe locations of the qualifying and admission exams,
  • viewthe results of the eligibility and admission exams.

Target audience: French or Spanish-speaking students (citizens of an EU member state), teachers holding a CAPES certification, and individuals undergoing career transition.

Required degree: Entry level: 5 years of higher education. Admission requirements: Must have already completed the MASTER 2 in “Romance Studies ” (verified as of the date of publication of the eligibility results) or a similar master’s degree, Spanish LLCER, OR possess the qualifications required to apply for the competitive exam (tenured civil servant in a teaching or educational staff corps classified in Category A).

Language proficiency: CEFR Level C2 in Spanish and French for Spanish-speaking candidates.

Prior education:

It is strongly recommended that candidates have completed a degree program in Romance Studies with a specialization in Hispanic Studies, “filología hispánica,” or “historia.”

It is preferable to have basic prior proficiency in one of the three optional oral exams: Catalan, Portuguese, or Latin.

General Conditions: All information regarding the conditions for registering for the competitive exam, practical details (schedule, nature of the exams, etc.), and archives of past exam questions and jury reports are available on the website of the Ministry of National Education, Higher Education, and Research: SIAC2

Two types of registration are required to prepare for the agrégation at AMU and to be eligible to take the exam:

• First, registration for the exam itself on the ministry’s website (beginning in mid-September; the registration period lasts approximately one month).
• Second, administrative registration for exam preparation at Aix-Marseille University.
   

Specific supporting documents required for the application and to be submitted via the eCandidat platform

To register for the open competitive exam, you must, as of the date the eligibility results are published, hold:

• a master’s degree or a degree or diploma recognized as equivalent,
• or a degree or diploma certifying completion of a post-secondary program of at least five years’ duration obtained in France or in another country (in this case, the degree or diploma must be certified by the country in which it was issued and translated by a certified translator).

Administrative Contact

Program Director: Stéphane Pagès

Start of hybrid and asynchronous courses (with recorded lectures): mid-September 2026.

For your information, the requirement to prepare for the internal agrégation is to have been employed for 5 years.

For this particularly demanding program, which requires maintaining a high level of commitment and independent study throughout the year as part of a highly diverse curriculum, the teaching team places special emphasis on group cohesion and integrating each candidate’s individual work into a collaborative effort, within the context of small class sizes and regular academic monitoring.

Group dynamics are indeed a major factor in success, as evidenced by former candidates: it’s about staying motivated, staying organized by sharing documents and required critical readings, dividing up note-taking and summaries, and, above all, being able to form study groups and build linguistic connections between French and Spanish speakers. All these aspects can be developed within a mixed-format preparation group: some candidates attend in-person classes while others participate remotely, but all can stay in contact to collaborate and engage in regular exchanges with instructors, according to established guidelines.

“I also think it’s necessary to work in groups and share notes and handouts, because the preparation time is too short to read everything on our own.” ^[1]

Working in pairs or in groups based on shared interests is a major advantage, which can be guided by the teaching staff depending on the various topics in the curriculum. This is a particularly effective strategy for the modern language agrégation, where interaction with Spanish-speaking candidates is beneficial for French speakers and, conversely, for Spanish speakers.

One candidate describes their experience preparing for a language certification exam:

“Studying with a bilingual person makes the process much easier: I learn new words, I correct my pronunciation… Especially since learning a language requires a significant amount of preparation time.”

“I’d like to thank you for your availability, the quality of your training, and your dedication to the certification course, which have been an immense support to me during this third year of preparation. This unique format allowed me to work while taking the course in my free time, at my own pace. I felt supported throughout this arduous preparation process; in particular, I greatly appreciated the organization of the two mock exams, which provided me with thorough, constructive, and highly personalized feedback.

I would therefore like to thank and commend the team for having the vision and courage to offer a hybrid program, with all the flexibility and adaptability that this requires. Thank you to the instructors for their availability, their flexibility in delivering classes both in person and remotely, and their generosity—especially in recording the classes.”

(Ana. B., graduate of the class of 2022–2023).

Recent results regarding eligibility and admission to the external agrégation exam for candidates who prepared at DEHLAM demonstrate that the candidates’ personal commitment, their willingness to work as a team, and the support provided by the teaching staff are paying off. The preparation program offered at the University of Aix-Marseille has, in fact, achieved one of the highest success rates in France.

In 2019–2020: Four candidates enrolled in the preparation program for the external Agrégation in Spanish, and all of them qualified and were admitted. Success rate: 100%

In 2020–2021: 4 candidates enrolled; 3 qualified and 3 were admitted.Success rate: 75%

In 2022–2023: 12 enrolled, 10 qualified, 5 admitted.

In 2023–2024: 12 applicants, 4 met the eligibility requirements, 1 was admitted

In 2024–2025: 14 applicants, 4 qualified, 2 admitted

In 2025–2026: 27 applicants, 14 eligible, 6 admitted (including the top-ranked applicant and 3 on the waitlist). Success rate: 42.9%

These excellent success rates are, of course, due to the candidates’ individual dedication, but also by the effectiveness of small-group instruction and the teaching team’s consistent support for students, both in preparing for written exams and in practicing for oral exams—which are particularly important for ultimate admission success.

Person in charge of preparation (external and internal certification):

• S. Pagès

DEHLAM Secretary: 

• ^Ms.Varnier

For any specific or administrative inquiries regarding preparation for the internal certification exam: Sylvain Dhieux (Aix-Marseille Regional Education Office).