Business schools: how to prepare for the new BCE and Ecricome 2023 tests

The BCE and Ecricome, Two post-secondary business school entrance competitions have renewed their tests in 2023. But are there any particular challenges compared to previous sessions? How to prepare for it? Here are a few tips.

According to the Association of Teachers of Preparatory Economics and Commerce (APHEC), the subjects here the most frequent changes are languages, mathematics and economics, sociology and history (ESH). But there is nothing to worry about for teachers and students.

Marginal developments for Ecricome language tests

“The most variable are the language tests. I recommend devoting two to three hours a week to it, more on the weekend,” says Sherina of the general route (ECG) in the second year of the economic and commercial preparation class. At the high school of Voltaire in Orleans (45), a 20-year-old student made a “cube”. He chose to repeat his second year of training and knows what he is talking about: he experienced the old tests of the 2022 competition and is preparing for the updated tests from September. .

“Ecricom has changed little : the grammar topic has become a journalistic topic, it will not fundamentally change the preparation or the exercise,” adds Christine Pirès, Spanish teacher at Voltaire High School, who is also APHEC’s vice president and coordinator of modern languages. the test is now as valuable as a “student-friendly” translation.

The language tests of the ELVI bank at the ECB are more complex

The most important changes are related to the ECBspecifically ELVI bank is used by nine business schools and is currently based on a current thematic file including, among other things, iconographic documents.

According to Christine Pires, the main difficulty lies in the expression test, which requires expressing an opinion on a subject. “I can only encourage candidates consider the first person singular because they have to express their opinion. Make it a habit for them to learn to access the international press and decipher current affairs cartoons. This can be an asset,” advises the professor.

Faced with these innovations, “it is what works for me make cards with expressions that allow you to express your personal opinion, compare or present a problem. But also do exercises to master grammar and tenses, adds Sheryna. Languages ​​should not be neglected. We are seeing rapid progress and he could score a lot on D-Day“he observes.

More computer-oriented applied mathematics

From the side math, “you have to memorize the course : properties, formulas. Once we have that, we can tackle the topics of the chronicles,” suggests Sherina. According to Violaine Aubertin (75), professor of mathematics at the lycée Henri IV in Paris, “tests in deep mathematics are not very advanced. Applied mathematics is more computer oriented. The computer language is changing to Python instead of Scilab”.

In economics, sociology and history (ESH), some changes too : deep economics will be integrated into the tests after it is added to the ESH program. “A four-hour dissertation is maintained, but the title of the topics may introduce macroeconomic or microeconomic concepts, such as monopoly, risk, information asymmetry…”, warns Christophe Viscogliosi, professor of ESH at Olympe de Gouges lycée. , at Noisy-le-Sec (93). “You have to try to build bridges between these concepts and chapters of economic history“.

suggests Christophe Viscogliosi familiarization with graphs of macro or micro instrumentseg consumer or producer equilibrium. “And practice translating the concepts in a literary way: a graphic description is not enough. It explains it.” This is confirmed by Sheryna, for whom “it takes a lot work graphs in deep economy“. And the young student gives one last piece of advice: “you really have to follow the news. It might be worth copying in these languages ​​or ESH.”