EAMAC Concours EAC common mistakes
EAMAC Concours EAC · Understand the traps and how to avoid them.
In Mathématiques, spending 20+ minutes on a single geometry or analysis exercise before moving on, leaving later short questions unanswered.
The EAC written paper mixes short and long questions; candidates treat every exercise as equally weighted and refuse to abandon a blocked proof, often because they fear leaving blank space looks bad.
What to do instead
Adopt a two-pass strategy in training: do a timed mock where you allot a hard cap (e.g. 1.5 minutes per mark) to any question, mark it with a cross, and return only after all 'easy' marks are secured. Practise abandoning a problem deliberately and check that your score improves.
In Physique, writing the numerical answer first and then hunting for a formula, or omitting units and significant figures in mechanics and electricity problems.
Candidates memorise formulas in isolation without linking them to the physical situation; under time pressure they grab the most familiar equation and force the numbers into it, and the habit of skipping units comes from school exercises where marks were not deducted.
What to do instead
Train a fixed three-line protocol for every calculation: (1) list given quantities with units, (2) state the law and the literal expression before substituting, (3) give the result with unit and a sanity check on order of magnitude. Do 10 mixed mechanics/electricity drills applying only this protocol and self-mark units strictly.
In Physique (thermodynamics and optics), confusing sign conventions and reference directions, e.g. mixing work received and work supplied by a gas, or misplacing object/image distances in a lens formula.
Sign conventions differ between the first-law statement used in class and the geometric conventions for lenses/mirrors; candidates learn formulas by rote and never draw the system, so a single sign error propagates through the whole question.
What to do instead
Before any thermodynamics or optics calculation, draw the system (piston, gas, optical axis) and annotate the chosen positive direction explicitly on the sketch. Redo past exercises using only the sketch-first method and compare signs with the corrected solution, listing each convention on a one-page revision sheet.
In Français compréhension, answering questions with personal opinion or paraphrasing the whole passage instead of quoting and analysing the precise textual element requested.
Candidates read the text once quickly and answer from general impression; they have not been trained to identify the type of question (factual, inference, lexical, author's intention) and its expected evidence.
What to do instead
Practise a question-typing drill: label each comprehension question as 'explicit fact', 'inference' or 'vocabulary in context' before answering, then force yourself to cite the line or short phrase that supports the answer. Build answers as 'element from text + short interpretation', keeping opinion out.
In Français expression écrite and grammaire, losing marks on agreement of past participles, subjunctive after conjunctions, and inconsistent tense sequencing within a paragraph.
These are the structures French examiners systematically test, but candidates revise grammar passively by reading rules rather than producing and correcting sentences, so recognition never becomes production.
What to do instead
Keep an error log: after each practice essay, list every agreement/tense error, write the corrected sentence, and invent two new sentences using the same structure. Do short targeted exercises (10 sentences) on participe passé with avoir/être and on subjunctive triggers such as 'bien que', 'pour que', 'avant que'.
In Anglais, translating word-for-word from French in written expression and answering comprehension questions with vocabulary lifted verbatim from the text.
Limited active vocabulary and fear of making mistakes push candidates toward literal translation; copying the text feels safe but shows no comprehension and is penalised.
What to do instead
Build a personal list of 15 high-frequency aviation/current-affairs collocations per week and practise reformulating comprehension answers in your own words using synonyms. For writing, draft in short simple sentences, then upgrade with connectors (however, therefore, whereas) rather than translating complex French structures.
In Anglais compréhension, misreading question stems that use negation or inference ('which is NOT stated', 'the author implies'), and answering the opposite of what is asked.
Candidates skim the question and pattern-match keywords to the passage; negative and inferential stems are rare in school English tests and are not automatised.
What to do instead
Underline the operator word in every question (NOT, implies, according to the author) before reading options. Do a set of 20 deliberately tricky stems where you justify elimination of each wrong option in one line, to train attention to the question rather than the topic.
In Culture générale et actualité, revising only static facts (capitals, aircraft types) and being unable to discuss recent developments in African civil aviation, air transport liberalisation, or meteorological phenomena.
Candidates rely on old school notes and general knowledge, assuming the current-affairs section rewards memorised lists; they do not follow aviation and African news regularly.
What to do instead
Create a monthly one-page briefing: track a small number of themes (e.g. African air transport policy, airline openings, safety and meteorology events, climate and weather extremes) using official sources such as ICAO, IATA, Afcac/african civil aviation bodies and national meteorological services, and write three sentences of analysis per theme.
In Informatique et logique, answering logic puzzles by intuition and guessing on syllogisms, number series or seating arrangements instead of applying a systematic method.
The logic section is often treated as an aptitude test that cannot be prepared; candidates do not know that most items reduce to a few schemas (Venn diagrams for syllogisms, difference/ratio analysis for series, grid tables for ordering puzzles).
What to do instead
Learn and drill the schemas explicitly: draw Venn diagrams for all syllogism forms, tabulate differences and ratios for series, and use a grid for ordering puzzles. Time yourself on sets of 10 items and review only the ones where your method failed, not just the answer.
In Informatique, confusing basic concepts such as bit/byte, RAM vs storage, file extensions, and the difference between an algorithm and a program, and being unable to trace a simple loop or flowchart by hand.
Candidates often use computers daily but have never studied the underlying notions; the exam asks conceptual definitions and hand-execution of simple algorithms, which everyday use does not teach.
What to do instead
Revise a short checklist of definitions (bit, octet/byte, RAM, ROM, CPU, OS, algorithm, program, compiler vs interpreter) and practise tracing loops and flowcharts on paper with a variable table, executing each iteration line by line until the output is reached.