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The Agrégation des Lettres Classiques like its peer, the Agrégation de Grammaire, is a higher level French competitive examination held in theory to recruit senior secondary school teachers (though many of its holders are in fact university teachers), who count as state civil servants. The number of posts offered varies slightly from year to year. The texts prescribed are partially renewed each year (and totally over two years).
Until 1946 this competition was a purely Classical examination. The Grammaire competition was a mixture mainly of Classics but also of Indo-European studies. A proportion of medieval and modern French literature was then added (slightly greater in Lettres Classiques than in Grammaire) making it virtually impossible for outsiders to succeed in the competition. The opening of these competitions to European citizens has had insignificant practical outcome.
The Greek and Latin texts chosen are of wider range than in most English-speaking universities. Philo of Alexandria and St. Ambrose have for example figured in recent years.
The examination last three days, one of the papers for five hours. Candidates bring a range of dictionaries (e.g. Gaffiot and Bailly amongst others) to the prose composition and version (translation into French) sessions, which allows them to concentrate on stylistic aspects.
The written papers are followed some weeks later by the oral examination.
Candidates who have reached the level of Maîtrise (currently replaced by Master) prepare for a year at leading universities, such as Paris IV or Nanterre (Paris X), or at grandes écoles such as the Ecole Normale Supérieure. It is quite frequent for them to make three or so attempts.