International Exam Preparation for Students in Senegal
In Senegal, pupils sit the BFEM at the end of middle school and then, at the end of Terminale, the baccalauréat, organised by the Office du Baccalauréat of Université Cheikh Anta Diop de Dakar; others follow the French programme, the IB Diploma or an American curriculum. We prepare students for the international exams that sit alongside those routes, live online and in English, and plan them around the Senegalese exam calendar and the Campus France Sénégal deadlines.
- Live online lessons on Senegal time (UTC+0)
- Lessons taught in English; enquiries in English, French or Arabic
- Plans built around BFEM, bac and Études en France dates
- Lesson packages and course options
How school ends in Senegal
Pupils in the Senegalese system sit two national exams: the BFEM, run by the Ministry of National Education, and the baccalauréat, run by the Office du Baccalauréat. Some schools follow international programmes instead, and each route leads to universities in a different way.
| Stage | Exam | Run by | What it is used for |
|---|---|---|---|
| End of middle school (Troisième) | BFEM (Brevet de fin d’études moyennes) | Ministry of National Education | Certifies middle school; the ministry’s orientation guidance takes it into account for moving up to Seconde |
| End of secondary school (Terminale) | Baccalauréat général (series such as L, L-AR, S1 and S2) or technique (series such as STEG and STIDD), with papers in a first and a second group | Office du Baccalauréat, Université Cheikh Anta Diop de Dakar (UCAD) | The school-leaving diploma; abroad, it is the basis, for example, of an Études en France application or of an application to Université Laval in Canada |
| French programme | French baccalauréat | French Ministry of National Education | Taught in AEFE-network schools; the AEFE directory lists schools in Dakar, Diamniadio, Saint-Louis, Saly, Thiès and Ziguinchor, not all of which teach up to Terminale; applications to France go through Parcoursup |
| IB Diploma | IB final exams | International Baccalaureate | Offered by IB World Schools in Dakar, taught in English or in English and French |
| American curriculum | US-style high-school diploma awarded by the school | The school | Used for US applications, often with SAT or ACT scores; at least one Dakar school teaches a US curriculum with AP courses |
Sources: Office du Baccalauréat (officedubac.sn), 2026 session and papers; Ministry of National Education (education.sn and orientation.education.sn); AEFE, school directory for Senegal; IB, school listings for Dakar; schools’ own sites. Checked 8 October 2026.
Where students apply, and what is usually asked
Requirements differ by university and by course, and they change between admissions cycles. The rows below describe the general pattern; for any university on your list, check the university’s international entry requirements for the year you apply.
| Destination | Route and what is usually asked | Tests to plan for |
|---|---|---|
| France | For entry in 2027, Campus France Sénégal accepts Études en France applications from candidates who passed the bac in 2026 or will pass it in 2027, and asks holders of the bac arabe (series L-AR) for a French test at level B2; Senegalese pupils preparing the French baccalauréat choose courses on Parcoursup and then complete the Études en France procedure | Set by each university and course; for a course taught in English, check whether an English test is asked |
| Canada | Université Laval, for example, lists the Senegalese baccalauréat as the minimum diploma for undergraduate study; some programmes ask for above-average results or a minimum level of French, and an applicant who falls short may first need preparatory study | A French or English test where the university asks for one |
| United States | The full secondary-school record, essays and references; some selective universities require test scores again, others are test-optional | SAT or ACT where required; TOEFL or IELTS where the university asks for an English test; AP scores can support an application |
| Morocco | Students from across Africa study in Moroccan public universities through the Moroccan Agency for International Cooperation (AMCI), which also awards Kingdom of Morocco scholarships; French is the working language of Moroccan public higher education | Confirm the current procedure with AMCI and the university |
Sources: Campus France Sénégal, eligibility criteria and 2027 calendar; Campus France, Études en France procedure; Université Laval, applicants from Senegal; AMCI, academic cooperation. Checked 8 October 2026. Examples only; requirements differ between universities and courses.
Where the exam calendars collide
The Office du Baccalauréat had not published its 2027 calendar when this page was checked, so the Senegalese rows show the 2026 session. The SAT, AP, Campus France and French baccalauréat dates are for 2026–27.
| When | Senegalese and French exams and deadlines | International exams in the same window |
|---|---|---|
| October–December | Études en France files for courses connected to the platform are submitted from 1 October to 15 December 2026; bac registration opens in November (10 November 2025 to 11 January 2026 for the 2026 session) | SAT on 7 November and 5 December 2026 |
| January–March | Bac registration closes in January; Parcoursup registration for pupils preparing the French baccalauréat runs from January to March 2027 | Registration for the 6 March 2027 SAT closes on 19 February 2027 |
| April–May | The Études en France window for Parcoursup and other courses not connected to the platform opens on 1 April 2027; bac optional papers are sat in May; for connected courses, the choice on Études en France is confirmed by 31 May 2027 | SAT on 1 May 2027; AP Exams 3–7 and 10–14 May 2027, late testing 17–21 May 2027; IB May examination session |
| June | Bac sports tests begin; in 2026 the bac technique papers began on 15 June and the bac général papers on 30 June; in France, the written exams of the French baccalauréat général run from 14 to 21 June 2027 | SAT on 5 June 2027 |
| July–August | Bac papers continue into July and August; in 2024, the BFEM papers came a few days after the minister’s message to candidates of 22 July; files for courses not connected to the platform must be on Études en France before 15 July 2027, and the student-visa campaign runs from 15 May to 27 August 2027 | None of the 2026–27 SAT, AP or IB May dates falls in these months, which leaves room for focused SAT, TOEFL or IELTS work once the bac is over |
Sources: Office du Baccalauréat, 2026 session and 2026 chronogramme; Ministry of National Education, message to BFEM candidates (22 July 2024); Campus France Sénégal, 2027 calendar; Campus France, Études en France procedure; French Ministry of National Education, BO spécial of 25 August 2026 (dates for France; French schools abroad may differ); College Board, SAT dates and AP exam dates. Checked 8 October 2026. Confirm 2027 dates with the Office du Baccalauréat, the ministry and your school.
Sitting international tests from Senegal
The official IELTS centre listing shows the British Council in Dakar offering IELTS Academic, General Training and the UKVI versions on computer. For the SAT and TOEFL, the official College Board and ETS search tools are the only reliable lists of current centres and seats; check them before choosing a date, because a full centre can change the whole plan.
If the 2027 session follows the 2026 pattern, a pupil in Terminale sits optional papers in May, sports tests in June and written papers from mid- or late June into July and August, so the SAT dates in November, December and March come well before the busy weeks, while the May and June dates fall just before the written papers. Pupils who also apply to France work to the Campus France Sénégal deadlines, the first of which is 15 December 2026.
How online lessons work from Senegal
Send an enquiry
Write in English, French or Arabic, with the school route, the exams in view and the universities on the list. We answer in English, French or Arabic.
Free intro call
A conversation, not a test, about the exam dates, the destinations and how much time school leaves. For the SAT, a free full-length diagnostic follows before any plan; for IB and AP, the first lesson includes an assessment.
A plan around the Senegalese calendar
Lessons are scheduled in Senegal time. Senegal stays on Greenwich Mean Time (UTC+0) all year with no summer time, so a lesson time does not move between seasons.
Live lessons in English
Lessons are live online and taught in English, which is also the language of the SAT, TOEFL and IELTS. A tutor who can also explain a point in French or Arabic is confirmed case by case and never promised.
Prices before you commit
Open your programme’s pricing page to compare packages, lesson rates and available group courses.
What we do not claim
A page about a country should say what the company is and is not in that country.
No office in Senegal
Lessons are live online. There is no centre in Dakar or Saint-Louis, and no address to visit.
No Senegalese results or testimonials
We do not publish scores, admissions or reviews from students in Senegal, and we do not promise a score or a university place.
No partnerships or affiliations
We have no partnership with any Senegalese school or university and are not affiliated with the Office du Baccalauréat, UCAD, the Ministry of National Education, the AEFE, Campus France, the IB or College Board.
No BFEM or baccalauréat course
Our programmes cover international exams and school qualifications such as the IB Diploma and AP. We do not run a programme for the BFEM, the Senegalese bac or the French baccalauréat.
Further reading
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TOEFL iBT and IELTS Academic side by side: sections, timing, the 1–6 and 0–9 scales, speaking format, delivery, results and validity, and how to choose.
SAT vs ACT
Digital SAT and enhanced ACT side by side: sections, timing, scoring, adaptivity, calculators and optional Science, and how to decide which to take.
AP vs IB
AP and the IB side by side: single exams scored 1 to 5 each May against a two-year diploma out of 45, how universities use each, and how to combine them.
How it works
From free intro call to exam day: how each programme sets a starting point, how plans are written, how lessons run online and how progress is reported.
Pricing
Choose your course to compare lesson packages, group courses and available self-study products at TestPrep Africa.
FAQ
Answers about online lessons, languages, prices, diagnostics, group courses, tutors and how TestPrep Africa works across African countries.
Programmes Senegalese students most often need
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SAT prep course online for students in Africa: one-to-one or live group classes, Reading and Writing and Math specialists, a free full-length diagnostic.
TOEFL Preparation
Online TOEFL iBT tutoring for the 2026 format: adaptive sections, the new task types and the 1–6 score scale, for students across Africa.
IELTS Preparation
IELTS prep course online for students in Africa: one-to-one tutor or live group classes, line-by-line Writing and Speaking feedback, Academic and General.
IB Diploma Tutoring
Online IB Diploma tutoring: HL and SL subjects in all six groups, IA and EE supervision within IB rules, TOK and revision courses.
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Online AP tutoring for the May 2027 exams: calculus, sciences, economics, history, English and more, for American-curriculum students across Africa.
GMAT Preparation
GMAT prep course online for MBA and master’s applicants in Africa: one-to-one or group, Quant, Verbal and Data Insights specialists, free diagnostic.
GRE Preparation
GRE prep course online for master’s and PhD applicants: one-to-one or group classes, Verbal and Quant specialists, the Issue essay, a free diagnostic.
IGCSE Tutoring
Online IGCSE tutoring for Cambridge IGCSE and Pearson Edexcel International GCSE: tiers, papers, practicals by board, first-lesson assessment.
Frequently asked questions
Short, direct answers. If yours is not here, ask us.
Plan your exams around the Senegalese calendar
Send us your school route, your exam dates and the universities on your list. The free intro call turns them into a timetable for the year.