Is the college patent an easy exam to pass today? Were the tests more demanding in 1955? You only have to judge for yourself the exercises of the time.
It was in 1986 that the first session of the college certificate – as we know it today, more or less – took place. But before that, from 1866, college students were not spared from exams and had to obtain the primary school certificate (CEP). This old diploma, abolished in 1989, was the ancestor of the patent since its purpose was to ensure that children aged 11 to 13 mastered the basics in French and mathematics but also in history and science.
According to the memories of grandparents and those who grew up during the post-war period, school was much more difficult at the time and the exams more demanding. Why not check it out with CEP exams from 1955? We have found this year’s history-geography and science tests. We also invite you to discover our article on the 1955 college certificate calculation test Of course the questions are adapted to the time, but are they really harder?
The 1955 geography history patent test
If today the test of the patent of the colleges in history is composed of three parts and must be carried out in two hours, at the time the examination consisted of two questions which had to be answered in twenty minutes. The questions were the same for all students and here are those from 1955:
- How did the peasants live and work in feudal times (crops, harvests, houses, etc.)?
- What are the major French fishing ports? Say on which seas they open and what kind of fishing is practiced there.
The 1955 science patent test
As for history geography, the science test for the primary school certificate was done in twenty minutes and consisted of answering two questions. But for this subject, a difference was made between the pupils of the towns and those of the countryside on one of the two questions.
- Common question : What are the different functions of the skin? Why and how to keep it clean?
- For boys’ and girls’ schools in the city: Electric current can be used for different purposes in a household. List the jobs you know and specify the precautions to be taken when handling any of these devices.
- For boys’ and girls’ schools in the countryside: What improvements could be made to sanitary facilities in our villages: (a) In dwelling houses? b) In yards, barns, stables?
Verdict? More or less difficult than this year’s event? Keep in mind that at the time the requirements were mainly about mastering French, with reading and writing, and mathematics. In these two subjects, the pupils took two tests: writing, spelling and reading for one, calculation and mental arithmetic for the other.