Madrid PAU French (Segunda Lengua) exam-day guide
Madrid PAU French (Segunda Lengua) · Prepare for the day ahead.
Your checklist
Official ID document (DNI, passport or NIE)
Bring the original, valid, physical document. Photocopies and photos on a phone are normally not accepted. The name must match your enrolment. Confirm with your centre which documents they accept for the PAU.
Exam admission slip / proof of registration
Print or download whatever your university or Consejería issues showing your assigned centre, room and subjects. Some centres check it at the door; confirm with the provider whether a printed copy is required.
Blue or black ballpoint pens (at least two)
Write the French paper in ink. Bring spares; pencil is only for multiple-choice answer sheets if your exam uses one.
Pencil, eraser and sharpener
Needed if the French paper includes a multiple-choice section with a machine-readable answer sheet. Confirm with the provider whether the 2024+ model includes one.
Wristwatch (non-smart)
Exam rooms do not always have a visible clock. Smartwatches and phones are not allowed on the desk, so a plain analogue or digital watch is the safe option.
Clear water bottle with labels removed
Usually permitted if it is transparent and the label is off. Rules vary by centre; confirm with the provider.
Printed summary of the exam structure and timing
One page with the sections, marks and suggested minutes per section. Revise it in the final 24h, then leave it in your bag during the exam.
Know your exact centre, building and room
Check the assignment the day before. Campuses are large and rooms can change; arriving at the wrong building is a common avoidable problem.
Plan transport and arrival time
Aim to be at the centre well before the call time, typically 30 minutes early. Confirm with the provider the exact call time for your room.
Leave phone and smart devices in your bag, switched off
A phone on your person, even switched off, can be treated as misconduct. Confirm with the provider where bags are stored.
Check whether a dictionary is allowed
Monolingual or bilingual dictionaries are generally NOT permitted in the PAU French paper, but policy is set by each autonomous community. Confirm with the provider before relying on this.
Confirm the exact paper format and duration with your school
The length, number of questions and weighting of the French second-language paper follow the current regional model. Ask your teacher or check the official university page for your community.
Plan the day
Do a full timed mock under exam conditions: no dictionary, no phone, one sitting, using the official model paper for your community. Mark it against the answer key and list your three weakest areas. Spend the remaining time on those three, not on everything.
Re-read your one-page summary of the paper: how many questions, how many marks each carries, and the order you will answer them in. Decide now whether you will start with the reading comprehension or the writing, based on which you find more time-hungry.
Practise the writing task once, by hand, on the answer sheet format you expect, and count the words. Learn to hit the required length within about 10 percent, because both too short and far too long cost marks.
Review high-frequency grammar that examiners reward in the writing: agreement, tense choice (passé composé vs imparfait), pronoun placement, and connectives (cependant, par conséquent, en revanche, d'abord, ensuite). Make a personal list of five errors you keep making.
Do light revision only: one reading passage, one listening excerpt if the paper has listening, and your error list. Do not start new material. Sleep is worth more than an extra grammar drill.
Pack your bag: ID, admission slip, pens, pencil, eraser, watch, water. Lay out clothes. Check the centre address, room and call time, and plan the route with a backup option.
Eat a normal breakfast and arrive at the centre about 30 minutes before the call time. Do not revise new content in the corridor; reread only your five-error list and your writing plan.
Switch your phone off and put it in your bag before entering the room. Have your ID and admission slip in hand at the door.
Read the whole paper before writing anything. Note the marks per question and write your time allocation in the margin. Do not start with the longest task.
Answer the reading comprehension questions in the order you planned, quoting or locating the relevant line before choosing an answer. For gap-fills, decide the word class first (verb, noun, preposition), then the form.
Leave the last 20 to 25 minutes for the writing task. Spend 3 to 4 minutes planning: bullet points, the tenses you will use, and the connectives. Then write, then reserve 3 minutes to check agreement, tense endings, accents and word count.
Make sure every answer is transferred to the official answer sheet, that your name and details are filled in, and that no question is blank. A guessed answer costs nothing; an empty one cannot score.
Rules to check
Bring the original valid ID document that matches your enrolment. If you have lost it, ask the centre in advance what temporary proof they accept; do not assume a photocopy will do. Confirm with the provider.
Phones, smartwatches and any connected device must be switched off and out of reach for the whole session. Having one on your person, even unused, can be recorded as misconduct and can void your paper.
You may not bring notes, books or a dictionary into the room unless the provider has explicitly authorised it for this paper. Confirm with the provider before the exam day.
Once the exam has started, you normally cannot leave the room during the first part of the session, and if you leave you generally cannot return. Ask the invigilator before the paper begins if you think you will need to leave. Confirm with the provider.
Write in the language and format the question asks for. In the French paper, answers in Spanish or English where French is required score zero for that item, and answers outside the required word count can be penalised.
Raise your hand and wait for an invigilator if you need more paper, have a problem with your answer sheet, or feel unwell. Do not communicate with other candidates at any point.
Marking is anonymous and follows the official scoring criteria for your autonomous community; the French second-language paper is scored against published descriptors for comprehension and production. Ask your teacher to show you the criteria before the exam. Confirm with the provider.
If you believe there is an error in a question, note it and answer as best you can; do not leave it blank. Formal appeals go through the official procedure published by your university, not through the invigilator.