Prep'A
Prép'A puts educational innovation at the service of your plans to prepare for a Category A competitive exam or develop the corresponding professional skills.
At a glance
Format
Hybrid and modular
Quota
Part-time
Objective
General administration cat. A
General overview
The Prép'A program is run by the Center for Preparation for General Administration (C.P.A.G.), the "competitive exam" expertise center at Sciences Po Grenoble – UGA.
It is fully in line with the historic mission of political science institutes: to train public service executives and contribute to excellence and diversity in civil service recruitment.
Education , accessible, and innovative Education , Prép’A enables:
to prepare for external, internal, and third-level category A competitive examinations (general administration, excluding the judicial branch and A+);
acquire a solid administrative background and mastery of the legal, financial, and managerial framework of public action;
to balance Education main activity (studies, employment, retraining, etc.).
Its hybrid format is based on structured educational engineering designed for distance learning. Prép'A is not Education online" Education in the passive sense of the term: it is based on real support, regular exchanges, and a collective dynamic.
Education is geared more towards state public administration, but the core syllabus can be useful in preparing for other competitive examinations.
The Education to the award of a "Prép'A" diploma (no European credits/ECTS).
"Remote, but not alone": that is the philosophy behind the system.
Target audiences
The diversity of profiles is an educational asset: it encourages mutual support, the sharing of experiences, and a practical approach to administrative realities. That is why this Education at people who are both:
- in Education :
- students
- young graduates who are employed and therefore unable to attend full-time preparatory classes
Please note that enrollment in Prép'A is not sufficient to qualify for a CROUS scholarship.
- than in Education :
- civil servants in categories B and C, and sometimes A, preparing for internal competitive examinations
- private sector employees preparing for the third competitive examination or wishing to advance their careers by adding administrative experience to their profiles
- people undergoing professional retraining
- job seekers wishing to strengthen the administrative aspect of their profile
Organization: a structured hybrid format
Education place fromOctober to May.
- Approximately 330 hours of student work
- Approximately 84 hours of optional in-person classes in Grenoble (two Fridays per month)
- Two-thirds of Education remote, one-third is optional in-person
Distance learning combines asynchronous content (video clips, structured materials, guided exercises) and synchronous time (video conferences, group discussions, corrections).
The program is based on a dedicated digital platform (tool: Moodle), organized in an ergonomic way, allowing learners to progress at their own pace while benefiting from a structured framework.
Most content is accessible upon registration. Only the topics of assignments are not known in advance in order to maintain the progressive nature of learning.
Face-to-face sessions are devoted to activities with high educational value: intensive training, role-playing, mock oral exams. They are optional and their content is systematically transferred to the platform so that it can be accessed at a later date by those who were unable to attend (written reports, mini-podcasts, video recordings, etc.).
CALENDAR FOR THE YEAR
- Start of Education
- access to asynchronous content as soon as registration is complete, provided that registration takes place during the IEP's open enrollment period
- Start of the academic year and synchronous content: Friday, October 2, 2026
- end of Education
- end of synchronous content: Friday, April 16, 2027
- closure of access to the platform: June 2027
Educational engineering designed for success
Prép’A was designed according to demanding educational engineering principles:
- structured progression of learning;
- granularization of content to promote assimilation;
- alternating between expository and active methods;
- regular training sessions and personalized feedback;
- individualized support ("coaching") throughout the year.
The objective is twofold: to consolidate fundamental learning and develop the skills required to perform managerial duties in public administration (analysis, structuring, argumentation, professional conduct).
The learning community is a central element of the program: forums, interactive sessions, group meetings, and coaching help to create a stimulating and supportive environment.
Program: Education leading to a degree
The Prep'A program is structured into 10 modules (6 subject-specific modules and 4 cross-disciplinary modules), which can be taken together or individually.
Upon completion of all modules, students will receive an institutional diploma (not ECTS credits; this is neither a bachelor's nor a master's degree). This institutional diploma can be obtained by completing all modules within a maximum of three consecutive years.
The validation of individual modules results in a corresponding certificate of completion.
Enrollment in the Education allows students to complete an optional internship. An internship agreement will then be drawn up.
The educational model is based on two complementary approaches:
1. Mastering the legal, financial, and managerial framework of public action (disciplinary modules)
Assured by Séverine Nicot, lecturer in public law at the Faculty of Law of Grenoble - UGA.
Program:
- The Constitution
- The executive, legislative, and judicial branches
- Relations between the branches of government / The political system of the Fifth Republic
- Democracy
Skills:
- Present the legal framework for public action
- Mastering legal vocabulary
- Explain simple legal rules orally
- Set out simple legal rules in writing
- Write concisely
- Applying legal rules to simple situations
Resources available upon completion of registration:
- 1 multiple-choice placement test
- 1 set of booklets
- 1 presentation video and 3 instructional videos
- 4 self-assessment multiple-choice questions
- 1 online forum
- 1 list of bibliographic references
Sequenced activities starting in October:
- In-person: Two 3-hour sessions on Fridays. Attendance is optional, and the content is always posted (usually later) on the platform.
- Video conference: 2 one-hour sessions + 3 one-hour sessions for homework correction
- 3 homework assignments to submit online
- 1 multiple-choice quiz at the end of the year to assess progress
Assessment methods: three homework assignments, two of which are compulsory; annual progress rate; active participation in the module; assessment of teaching and monitoring of career plans.
Estimated time required for the learner: 32 hours minimum.
Assured by Camille Morio, lecturer in public law at Sciences Po Grenoble - UGA
Program:
- Administrative institutions: state administrations, decentralized institutions, other public entities
- The purposes of administrative action: administrative policing, public service
- Legal means of administrative action: unilateral administrative acts and administrative contracts
- Judicial review of administrative action
- Modernization of administrative action
Skills:
- Present the legal framework for public action
- Mastering legal vocabulary
- Explain simple legal rules orally
- Set out simple legal rules in writing
- Write concisely
- Applying legal rules to simple situations
Resources available upon completion of registration:
- 1 multiple-choice placement test
- 1 set of booklets
- 1 presentation video and 3 instructional videos
- 4 self-assessment multiple-choice questions
- 1 online forum
- 1 list of bibliographic references
Sequenced activities starting in October:
- In-person: Two 3-hour sessions on Fridays. Attendance is optional, and the content is always posted (usually later) on the platform.
- Video conference: 2 one-hour sessions + 3 one-hour sessions for homework correction
- 3 homework assignments to submit online
- 1 multiple-choice quiz at the end of the year to assess progress
Assessment methods: 3 homework assignments, including 2 compulsory assignments; annual progress rate; active participation in the module; assessment of teaching and monitoring of professional project.
Estimated time required for the learner: 32 hours minimum.
Assured by Vérane Edjaharian, lecturer in public law at the Faculty of Law of Grenoble - UGA
Program:
- The major stages of European integration and the various enlargements
- The institutional and financial aspects of the European Union
- The main policies of the European Union
- Protection of fundamental rights
Skills:
- Present the legal framework for public action
- Mastering legal vocabulary
- Explain simple legal rules orally
- Set out simple legal rules in writing
- Write concisely
- Applying legal rules to simple situations
Resources available upon completion of registration:
- 1 multiple-choice placement test
- 1 set of booklets
- 1 presentation video and 3 instructional videos
- 4 self-assessment multiple-choice questions
- 1 online forum
- 1 list of bibliographic references
Sequenced activities starting in October:
- In-person: Two 3-hour sessions on Fridays. Attendance is optional, and the content is always posted (usually later) on the platform.
- Video conference: 2 one-hour sessions + 3 one-hour sessions for homework correction
- 3 homework assignments to submit online
- 1 multiple-choice quiz at the end of the year to assess progress
Assessment methods: 3 homework assignments, including 2 compulsory assignments; annual progress rate; active participation in the module; assessment of teaching and monitoring of professional project.
Estimated time required for the learner: 32 hours minimum.
Assured by Aude Dauphant, Senior Public Finance Inspector, DDFiP 38.
Program:
- History and scope of public finances
- The main principles of public finance
- The federal budget and finance laws
- Government revenue and expenditure
- Operational budget management
- Government accounting
- State financial controls
Skills:
- Present the financial framework for government action
- Mastering the fundamentals of public finance
- Present the budget process
- Distinguishing key players in public finance
- Understanding financial documents
- Write concisely
- Applying legal rules to simple situations
Resources available upon completion of registration:
- 1 multiple-choice placement test
- 1 set of booklets
- 1 presentation video and 3 instructional videos
- 4 self-assessment multiple-choice questions
- 1 online forum
- 1 list of bibliographic references
Sequenced activities starting in October:
- In-person: Two 3-hour sessions on Fridays. Attendance is optional, and the content is always posted (usually later) on the platform.
- Video conference: 2 one-hour sessions + 3 one-hour sessions for homework correction
- 3 homework assignments to submit online
- 1 multiple-choice quiz at the end of the year to assess progress
Assessment methods: three homework assignments, two of which are compulsory; annual progress rate; active participation in the module; assessment of teaching and monitoring of career plans.
Estimated time required for the learner: 32 hours minimum.
Assured by Marie Chamosset, Administrator of National Education, Higher Education, and Research, Deputy HR Director – Grenoble Academy.
Program:
- The concept of public policy
- State structures and related public policies: France's territorial organization, public policies in the territories, and public transformation.
- Major public policy areas: environmental policy, health policy, education policy, foreign policy.
Skills:
- Present how the French government and its agencies organize their activities within the country.
- Measuring the variety of public policies and their main common characteristics
- Analyze the challenges that government public policies pose for our society.
- Present an overview of major public policies geared toward users
- Write concisely
Resources available upon completion of registration:
- 1 multiple-choice placement test
- 1 set of booklets
- 1 presentation video and 3 instructional videos
- 4 self-assessment multiple-choice questions
- 1 online forum
- 1 list of bibliographic references
Sequenced activities starting in October:
- In-person: Two 3-hour sessions on Fridays. Attendance is optional, and the content is always posted (usually later) on the platform.
- Video conference: 2 one-hour sessions + 3 one-hour sessions for homework correction
- 3 homework assignments to submit online
- 1 multiple-choice quiz at the end of the year to assess progress
Assessment methods: three homework assignments, two of which are compulsory; annual progress rate; active participation in the module; assessment of teaching and monitoring of career plans.
Estimated time required for the learner: 32 hours minimum.
Provided by Emmanuelle Petit, Head of Home Care, Prevention, and Support Services - Isère Department
Program:
- Human resource management in the civil service: major challenges and the role of managers
- Managing workforce and skills
- Supporting career paths
- Work organization, evaluation, performance, rights, and obligations: ensuring rules and fairness
- Mobilize and motivate teams
- Team management and decision-making in the civil service: fundamentals and practices
Skills:
- Mastering the managerial framework of public action
- Present the fundamentals of civil servants' rights and obligations
- Identify your managerial style
- Leading a working group
- Resolving moderately difficult managerial situations
- Write concisely
Resources available upon completion of registration:
- 1 multiple-choice placement test
- 1 set of booklets
- 1 presentation video and 3 instructional videos
- 4 self-assessment multiple-choice questions
- 1 online forum
- 1 list of bibliographic references
Sequenced activities starting in October:
- In-person: Two 3-hour sessions on Fridays. Attendance is optional, and the content is always posted (usually later) on the platform.
- Video conference: 2 one-hour sessions + 3 one-hour sessions for homework correction
- 3 homework assignments to submit online
- 1 multiple-choice quiz at the end of the year to assess progress
Assessment methods: three homework assignments, two of which are compulsory; annual progress rate; active participation in the module; assessment of teaching and monitoring of career plans.
Estimated time required for the learner: 32 hours minimum.
2. Develop a professional administrative culture
Assured by Marie Chamosset, Administrator of National Education, Higher Education, and Research, Deputy HR Director – Grenoble Academy.
Program:
- Methodology for the reasoned note for the IRA practical case
- Methodology of the appendices for the IRA practical case study
- Administrative writing methodology for the IRA practical case study
Skills:
- Analyze a decision maker's order
- Quickly analyze numerous documents of various types
- Synthesize
- Structure a short document
- Mastering administrative writing
- Formulate operational proposals for public action
- Positioning oneself within a hierarchy and administrative structure
Resources available upon completion of registration:
- 1 multiple-choice placement test
- 1 set of booklets
- 1 presentation video
- 1 online forum
- 1 list of bibliographic references
Sequenced activities starting in October:
- In-person: One 3-hour session on Friday. Attendance is optional, and the content is always posted (usually later) on the platform.
- Video conferencing: 3 to 7 one-hour sessions + 3 one-hour sessions for homework correction
- Three assignments to be submitted online or completed in real conditions at the IEP on Fridays.
- 1 multiple-choice quiz at the end of the year to assess progress
Assessment methods: 4 methodological exercises; 3 homework assignments or assignments carried out in real-life conditions at the IEP, including 2 compulsory assignments; annual progress rate; active participation in the module; assessment of teaching and monitoring of career plans.
Estimated time required for the learner: 32 hours minimum.
Assured by Lionel Bruni, State Administrator, Deputy Director of the State and Resources Division, DDFiP 38
Program:
- Administrative writing in the note test
- Analysis of the subject and reading of documents
- Draft preparation
- Structure and argumentation
Skills:
- Analyze a topic on various themes
- Quickly analyze numerous documents of various types
- Synthesize
- Structure a short document
- Mastering administrative writing
Resources available upon completion of registration:
- 1 multiple-choice placement test
- 1 set of booklets
- 1 presentation video
- 1 online forum
- 1 list of bibliographic references
Sequenced activities starting in October:
- In-person: One 3-hour session on Friday. Attendance is optional, and the content is always posted (usually later) on the platform.
- Video conferencing: 3 to 7 one-hour sessions + 3 one-hour sessions for homework correction
- Three assignments to be submitted online or completed in real conditions at the IEP on Fridays.
- 1 multiple-choice quiz at the end of the year to assess progress
Assessment methods: 4 methodological exercises; 3 homework assignments or assignments carried out in real-life conditions at the IEP, including 2 compulsory assignments; annual progress rate; active participation in the module; assessment of teaching and monitoring of career plans.
Estimated time required for the learner: 32 hours minimum.
Provided by Cyril Daubargues, public relations and communications consultant, former member of elite units
Program:
- Emotional management in times of stress
- Profiling contacts and building trust
- Features of an oral exam
- Construction of the FIR / RAEP / CV
- The oral presentation
- Frame positioning
- Answering questions, managing unexpected events
Skills:
- Presenting yourself in writing and orally during a job interview
- Managing your emotions in a stressful situation
- Ability to communicate
- Developing a culture of public policy
- Envisioning oneself in a professional situation as a public administration executive
Resources available upon completion of registration:
- 1 multiple-choice placement test
- 1 set of booklets
- 1 presentation video
- 1 online forum
- 1 list of bibliographic references
Sequenced activities starting in October:
- In-person: Six 3-hour sessions on Fridays. Attendance is optional, and the content is always posted (usually at a later date) on the platform.
- Video conference: 6 sessions of 1 hour each
- 1 FIR or RAEP or CV to be submitted online
- 1 multiple-choice quiz at the end of the year to assess progress
Assessment methods: oral interviews, in person or via video conference; FIR or RAEP or CV; annual progress rate; active participation in the module; assessment of lessons learned and monitoring of career plans.
Estimated time required for the learner: 32 hours minimum.
Assured by Simon Godard, senior lecturer in history at Sciences Po Grenoble - UGA
Program:
- Regular reading of up-to-date information about national and international public policies
- Production of press reviews by learners
Skills:
- Ability to synthesize
- Developing a culture of public policy
- Present a written or oral document in a structured manner
- Identify reliable documentary sources
- Prioritize information
- Organizational skills
- Teamwork
Resources available upon completion of registration:
- 1 methodology booklet
- 1 presentation video
- 1 online forum
Sequenced activities starting in October:
- In-person: One 3-hour session on Friday. Attendance is optional, and the content is always posted (usually later) on the platform.
- Weekly or bi-monthly press review, provided alternately by the teacher and the learners
- Video conference: 2 to 4 sessions of 1 hour each
Assessment methods: completion of press reviews; peer assessment of press reviews; active participation in the module; assessment of teaching and monitoring of professional projects.
Estimated time required for the learner: 30 hours minimum.
What's more, subscribing to any module gives you access to the following:
Learners are assigned to a tutor, a member of the teaching team, according to their educational or professional project.
The aim is to be in contact with a mentor who can guide the learner through the Education reviewing results, helping the learner balance their main activity with Prép'A, etc. Their Education strategy Education academic or professional prospects after Prép'A can also be discussed in this context.
This coaching includes up to one hour-long meeting per month, either in person or via video conference.
This support is one of the manifestations of the Prép'A philosophy: "distant, but not alone."
A methodology for the general short-answer question (SAQ) test is provided. This exercise is the preferred format for assignments to be handed in.
As a student enrolled at Sciences Po Grenoble UGA, learners have access to all conferences organized by the institution, particularly those organized by its CPAG.
Examples: presentation of the IRA in Lyon, professional development week, conferences on crisis management, etc.
Please note that not all events necessarily take place during Prep'A students' attendance times and are not necessarily rebroadcast.
If you are eligible for an exam that Prép'A prepares you for, we will do our utmost to offer you one or two mock oral exams.
In return, the candidate agrees to make their training available to other CPAG preparatory students.
White oral exams are therefore an Education initiative Education benefits everyone.
On our educational platform, you will find a wealth of cross-disciplinary resources on competitive examinations, a forum for monitoring competitive examinations and job or internship offers, links to inspiring resources, tutorials on how to use the platform, and more.
Indicate on the platform one or more types of career opportunities that interest you, inform the school of past exams and results, and fill out a course evaluation form.
Module validated without a grade, meaning that failure to complete it prevents validation of the Education.
Admission
Criteria:
Education accessible from the high school level onwards.
Candidates' applications must be part of a project, whether professional, academic, or personal. The application must therefore clearly explain the project behind the Prép'A enrollment and the reasons behind this project.
For students in Education , career plans may legitimately still be vague. However, it is important to explain whether there is an overall plan to enter the civil service, and above all why. Candidates should not hesitate to indicate whether there are any areas that particularly interest them and why.
It is important that candidates learn as much as possible about the world of civil service examinations. This criterion will be essential for candidates who plan to prepare for an examination.
Candidates may also seek to strengthen their personal knowledge: a better understanding of the administrative environment, the legal and financial framework of public policy, the management of public policy, etc. In this case, it is important to explain what interests them and why.
More generally, consistency between the project, motivations, and Education strategy Education choice of modules, in particular) will be valued.
In all cases, the application must also explain:
– what work organization methods are envisaged in terms of time management, since in most cases Education must be combined Education a main activity
;
– how the distance learning aspect is approached.
Procedure and schedule:
Selection is based solely on the application. There is no oral admission interview, however, the selection committee may request a telephone interview if further clarification is needed regarding an application.
The application file consists of your high school diploma, a resume, and a cover letter of one to two pages. You must indicate whether you wish to take the entire Education only certain modules, which ones, and why, if applicable.
Professionals who do not have a high school diploma may apply for admission via the personal and professional experience validation procedure (more information here).
Candidates who are civil servants must submit their application through their line manager in order to obtain authorization from their administration for the corresponding absences.
FIRST WAVE
Applications from Monday, April 13, 2026, at 12 p.m. to Friday, June 12, 2026, at 12 p.m.
publication of admission results: Tuesday, June 16, 2026
SECOND WAVE
applications from Friday, July 3, 2026, at 12 p.m. to Thursday, August 20, 2026, at 12 p.m.
publication of admission results: Friday, August 21
THIRD WAVE
Applications from Monday, August 24, 2026, at 12 p.m. to Thursday, September 17, 2026, at 12 p.m.
publication of admission results: Friday, September 18
SUMMER CLOSURE OF THE IEP
Applications may be received but cannot be processed, and questions cannot be answered from Wednesday, July 22, 2026, in the evening until Thursday, August 20, 2026, in the morning.
Apply on the competition platform
Job opportunities
In addition to strengthening administrative skills and developing personal culture, Prép'A helps prepare students for the following competitive exams:
Public service institutes (ISP, e.g., regional institutes of administration)
Public finance inspection
Administrative attaché and administrative secretary for education and higher education
The content and methods provided can be usefully supplemented by independent work to prepare for other competitive examinations, such as attaché, director of youth protection services, etc.
Rates (subject to approval by the Board of Directors in June 2026)
Education :
| Complete Education | |
| General rates | 1500 € |
| Job seeker | 1000 € |
| Scholarship student | 0 € |
| Prépa Talents student (tax-free) | 0 € |
| Individual modules (price per module): | |
| General public Education | 250 € |
Education :
| Complete Education | |
| Trainee paid by an employer or Education fund | 3500 € |
| Intern not supported by an employer or Education fund | 2500 € |
| Job seeker, regardless of whether or not they are receiving benefits | 1000 € |
| Public official, regardless of whether or not they are responsible for the case | 1000 € |
| Prépa Talents trainee | (coming soon, subject to change) |
| Individual modules (price per module): | |
| Intern taken on | 350 € |
| Intern not covered | 250 € |
Awaiting authorization for the Prép'A program to be eligible for the personal Education account Education CPF Education .
The answer will be posted here in June 2026.
Contact
Currently recruiting
Education Technician Education School Administration
Tel: 04 76 82 60 35
Madison Leclercq
Schooling Manager
Tel: 04 76 82 60 36
contact-cpag@sciencespo-grenoble.fr
Camille Morio
Lecturer in public law at Sciences Po Grenoble-UGA
CPAG Director
camille.morio@sciencespo-grenoble.fr
Tel: 04 76 82 83 65 (voicemail messages are not retrieved)