SESAME competition: everything you need to know to prepare for it

24 Oct 2025

The SESAME exam is the main gateway to post-baccalaureate programs at internationally-oriented management schools. It brings together 17 programs offered by 14 leading business schools, including IPAG Business School. 

Among the 17 programs offered by the SESAME exam entrance exam is the Grande École Program at IPAG Business School, which offers three courses of study: the Main Track, the American Track, and the Management & Engineering Track.

Admission to the first year is through Parcoursup and the SESAME entrance exam. Candidates with foreign degrees are admitted based on their application and an interview.

For parallel admissions (2nd, 3rd, or 4th year), selection is also based on application and interview, in French and English.

Joining the IPAG Grande École Program means gaining access to a recognized, accredited, and internationally-oriented Bac+5 degree program. Admission to the first year is via Parcoursup and the SESAME exam.

International candidates can also apply based on their application and an interview, in French and English. For parallel admissions (2nd to 4th year), selection is based on the application and an individual interview.

IPAG Business School Grande Ecole Programme

How to register for the SESAME exam?

SESAME is integrated into the national admissions platform Parcoursup. In practical terms, all information about the courses and the various programs covered by the competitive entrance exam will still be available on the SESAME website, but registration for the exam will now be done on Parcoursup. You will only need to submit one application, for SESAME.

Registration is done via the Parcoursup platform: you must submit a single choice, “Concours SESAME,” to which you can add several sub-choices of schools or courses. The registration fee for the 2026 session is set at €315.

You can apply for several IPAG programs at no extra cost:

What are the different tests of the exam and their coefficient?

Registration opens in mid-January 2026 and closes in mid-March 2026. The common written exams will take place on Wednesday, April 8, 2026 (one session only, no retakes). Eligible candidates will then be invited to oral exams held between late April and May 18, 2026. Admission results will be published in early June 2026.

Written exams

  • The written exams will take place on Wednesday, April 8, 2026, from the candidate's home, on a computer equipped with a camera and microphone. They are divided into three sections:
  • Section 1 “COMPREHEND” (1 hour 30 minutes): this includes tests on digital skills (20 questions – 20 minutes), contemporary issues (40 questions – 30 minutes) and mathematics (20 exercises – 40 minutes).
  • Section 2 “COMMUNICATE” (1 hour 30 minutes): this includes the French test (40 questions – 30 minutes), the English test (compulsory, 40 questions – 30 minutes) and another foreign language of your choice (40 questions – 30 minutes) from a choice of ten languages.
  • Section 3 “ANALYZE” (2 hours): this section is devoted to document analysis (20 questions – 2 hours) and consists of three parts: identification (in a document file), analysis (multiple choice answers) and synthesis (reconstruction of a checklist) with a specific scoring system.

Oral exams

Unlike written exams, oral exams are specific to each school and the grading scales are unique to each panel. Once you have been declared eligible, you make an appointment with the school or schools you wish to attend.

At IPAG Business School, the admission exams consist of:

1-Group interview (30 minutes)

The group test brings together a group of 4 to 6 candidates who are asked to discuss a specific issue, chosen at random on the day of the test. After a short period of individual preparation, you will discuss the issue for 25 minutes with the aim of reaching a joint decision. This discussion does not require any specific knowledge: it is your analytical skills, team spirit, active listening, creativity, and ability to move the group forward that will be evaluated.  

2-Individual interview (30 minutes)

This test consists of a discussion in English. It focuses on your background, your plans for the future, your personal values, and your ability to express yourself clearly. Our advice: be sincere and authentic. This is not about playing a role or delivering a rehearsed speech. There is no need to invent a career plan at the last minute or pretend to have a passion that you don't really have. If your ideas are not yet perfectly structured, that's not a problem: We seek to understand who you are, what motivates you, and how you see yourself in the future.

These tests allow us to gauge your motivation, your analytical skills, and your ability to thrive in a professional and international environment.

View the calendar

Grande École Program

How to prepare for the SESAME exam? 

There's no secret: to get into a top business school and succeed in your higher education, you need to prepare. The selectivity of certain programs and the limited number of places in certain post-baccalaureate courses mean that you need to give yourself the best possible chance of success. 

Languages, synthesis, reasoning, analysis—you'll find past exams and online quizzes on the prepaSESAME exam website or official app to help you familiarize yourself with the different tests. You can also opt for distance learning preparation courses or intensive courses during the holidays. 

Are you registered for the SESAME exam? Head to prepaSESAME to practice!

prepaSESAME