UB Concours d'Entrée study materials
UB Concours d'Entrée study resources

UB Concours d'Entrée study plan

UB Concours d'Entrée · Give each week a clear focus.

8 weeks · About 7 hours per week

Week 1

Mathematics & French Language and Literature

  • Diagnose current level in Mathematics and French by completing a timed 60-question baseline test under exam conditions

  • Build a personal error log listing every mistake from the baseline with its cause (knowledge gap, misreading, time pressure)

  • Relearn the five highest-weight Mathematics topics identified by the error log, working two worked examples each

  • Draft a memorised outline of the French dissertation structure (introduction, three parts, conclusion) with transition phrases

Your checkpoint

A one-page diagnostic sheet showing baseline scores per domain and the ranked list of the ten weakest Mathematics and French sub-topics

Week 2

Mathematics

  • Solve 40 algebra and function problems by hand without a calculator, checking each answer against a model method

  • Memorise the standard derivative and integral tables and recite them from memory twice

  • Practise three full-length Mathematics exercises under a strict 45-minute timer

  • Rewrite every wrong answer into a corrected solution with a one-line explanation of the rule applied

Your checkpoint

A corrected problem set of 40 exercises with all errors resolved and dated, ready for later revision

Week 3

Mathematics & Physics and Chemistry

  • Complete a timed Mathematics mock section and score it against the official marking scale

  • Summarise the core formulas of mechanics (kinematics, Newton's laws, energy) onto a single revision card

  • Solve 15 physics numerical problems involving units and significant figures

  • Explain aloud, in three minutes each, the chemistry concepts of mole, concentration, and pH without notes

Your checkpoint

A scored Mathematics mock with a written analysis of which question types cost the most time

Week 4

French Language and Literature & Physics and Chemistry

  • Analyse five unseen French literary extracts, identifying register, figures of speech, and authorial intent in 20 minutes each

  • Write two full French commentaries using the dissertation structure drafted in week 1

  • Solve 15 chemistry problems on stoichiometry and acid-base reactions with full working shown

  • Recite the physics and chemistry formula cards from memory and mark any gaps

Your checkpoint

Two complete French commentaries of exam length, self-marked against a written checklist of structure, vocabulary, and argument quality

Week 5

French Language and Literature & Philosophy

  • Write one timed French essay in 90 minutes on a past-paper-style topic without notes

  • Memorise 30 precise French connectives and literary terms and use at least 15 of them in the essay

  • Summarise the arguments of three major philosophical positions on freedom and determinism on one page each

  • Draft a philosophy essay plan that states a thesis, an antithesis, and a synthesis with supporting examples

Your checkpoint

One timed French essay plus one philosophy essay plan, both reviewed against model criteria

Week 6

History and Geography & Natural Sciences / Biology

  • Build a dated timeline of the 20th century covering the two world wars, decolonisation, and the Cold War

  • Label a blank world map from memory with major physical features, climates, and population centres

  • Draw and explain the processes of photosynthesis, cellular respiration, and cell division from memory

  • Answer 30 multiple-choice questions on history, geography, and biology and log every error

Your checkpoint

A hand-drawn annotated timeline and world map plus a scored 30-question quiz with corrections

Week 7

English or Second Modern Language & General Knowledge and Current Affairs

  • Complete two timed English reading and grammar sections and score above the target threshold

  • Write a 200-word English argumentative paragraph using five advanced structures (inversion, cleft, conditional, passive, participle clause)

  • Compile and memorise 25 current-affairs facts from the past year with dates and sources

  • Summarise three major international institutions and their current roles in one sentence each

Your checkpoint

A fact sheet of 25 dated current-affairs items plus two scored English sections with corrections

Week 8

Mathematics & French Language and Literature & Philosophy & History and Geography & Physics and Chemistry & Natural Sciences / Biology & English or Second Modern Language & General Knowledge and Current Affairs

  • Sit two full-length timed mock exams under real conditions and score both

  • Review the error logs from all previous weeks and re-solve every previously missed question

  • Memorise the final revision cards for formulas, dates, and vocabulary

  • Rehearse time allocation per section and write a personal exam-day strategy sheet

Your checkpoint

Two scored full mock exams with a written final review identifying remaining weak areas and the exam-day time plan

Milestones

Week 2: Baseline Mathematics score has improved by at least 15 percent on a re-taken timed section, and the error log shows fewer knowledge-gap errors than misreading errors

Week 4: Two French commentaries completed within exam time and self-scored at or above the target band on structure and argument criteria

Week 6: History, geography, and biology quiz score reaches at least 70 percent, with the timeline and map reproduced from memory without notes

Week 8: Both full mock exams scored, with every section completed inside its allotted time and a written plan for the remaining weak areas