Agrégation d'histoire

The agrégation externe d'histoire is a French competitive examination for the recruitment of associate professors who teach history or geography at the collège, or lycée level.

[1] Since 2010, it has been necessary to have a master's degree to take this exam, one of the most attractive and selective literary agrégations[2] and remains de facto required to teach history in Classe préparatoire aux grandes écoles or at university.

The 2021 session was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic due to mandatory distancing and wearing of masks within examination centres by all candidates, during written and oral tests.

In 1892, it was Ferdinand Lot (who was chartered, not an agrégé and ended his career as a professor of medieval history at the Sorbonne) who judged "that the agrégation is an evil institution which, more than any other, has contributed to our scientific degradation, that it is a gnawing canker which devours the intelligence of teachers and students."

[19] The two historians behind the subject, Catherine Vincent and Denyse Riche, resigned from the jury after their error was revealed by the French media.

The Ministry of Education officially took a position by announcing that this error, although not in line with the required scientific rigour, did not lead to the cancellation of the test since the principle of equality between candidates had not been violated.