Conference Interpreting Admissions
Admission requirements
- Have an excellent understanding of French and English.
- Have a minimum of 12 consecutive months of in-country experience using your B or C languages. Learn about A, B and C working languages.
- Have completed 3rd-year at ISIT or hold a licence, bachelor’s, master’s or other equivalent degree.
- Demonstrate exceptional fluency in all selected active (A and B) languages and an excellent understanding of all passive (C) languages.
Admissions calendar
This year, the pre-admissions exams will take place only in Spring 1, Spring 2, and Summer 2 sessions.
If visa for study in France is needed, do not apply to Summer 2 session: it will be too late for visa administrative steps.
| Session | Application deadline | Pre-admission exams |
| Spring 1 | 13th March 2022 | 19th March 2022 |
| Spring 2 | 22nd May 2022 | 28th May 2022 |
| Summer 2 | 16th August 2022 | 25th August 2022 |
Pre-admission exam fees: €250 by online payment.
Pre-admission exam
Candidates for ISIT’s Conference Interpreting program are evaluated on their mastery of languages and their knowledge of international political and economic issues.
- Listening comprehension includes 2 speeches in French and 2 speeches in English. Candidates listen to the speeches, then answer to multiple-choice questions designed to test their comprehension. Candidates may take notes.
- The general knowledge assessment is based on two multiple-choice general knowledge tests on current political, economic and international affairs, one in English and one in French.
Candidates are invited to sit the ISIT entrance exam based on test scores and an application review that includes an evaluation of their cover letter and overall experience.
How to prepare for pre-admission exams
- Stay up to date with current events by reading newspapers and magazines in your working languages. Radio, television and internet are other valuable sources of information. Discover our recommended readings (in French).
- Practice delivering the message from your B and C languages into your A language, and if your language combination permits it, from your A language into your B language. Listen carefully to the speaker’s message, be sure you fully understand it, then deliver it in the first person, making sure to communicate the main ideas.
- Practice with the 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021 pre-admission exams:
| March 2019 |
May 2019 | August 2019 | ||||
| Compréhension de discours français | ||||||
| Discours 1 (FR) |
Christine Lagarde |  |
Denis Mercier | |
Florence Parly | |
| Discours 2 (FR) |
Thierry Braillard | |
Jacques Attali | |
Cécile Duflot | |
| English comprehension | ||||||
| Speech 1 (EN) |
BBC News | |
Imran Khan | |
John Roberts | |
| Speech 2 (EN) |
CNN News | |
Waleed Aly | |
Australian TV News SBS | |
| Culture générale | ||||||
| QCM (FR) | |
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| Quiz (EN) | |
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| May 2018 |
August 2018 |
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| Compréhension de discours français | ||||
| Discours 1 (FR) |
Macky Sall | |
Nicolas Hulot | |
| Discours 2 (FR) |
Jean-Michel Blanquer | |
Agnès Buzyn | |
| English comprehension | ||||
| Speech 1 (EN) |
John Kerry | |
BBC Newsnight – Grenfell Tower | |
| Speech 2 (EN) |
David Lammy / Amber Rudd | |
Sky News report | |
| Culture générale | ||||
| QCM (FR) | |
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| Quiz (EN) | |
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Download the 2017 pre-admissions exam (compressed file)
Entrance exams
- Over the course of several interviews, the jury assesses candidates based on their understanding, ease and richness of expression in their A and B language, as well as their general knowledge, especially about the countries where their languages are spoken. Candidates are also evaluated based on their level of curiosity and motivation.
- During interpretation exercises, candidates listen to a 3-minute speech in their B or C language, and then deliver the message in their A language in the first person. If their language combination permits it, they are also asked to work from A into B.
Candidates are not allowed to take notes during the speeches—this test evaluates concentration and analytical skills, as well as the ability to summarize ideas.
Prepare for entrance exams
- See ORCIT website (Online Resources for Conference Interpreter Training), an European Commission-funded project producing interactive pedagogical tools for trainers and students of conference interpreting, in which ISIT is involved.
- Watch our videos about language preparation on ISIT’s YouTube channel.
