I took the Miss France general knowledge test, in real conditions, with the candidates

“It’s easier this year.” Having barely arrived in Côte d'Ivoire, the organization wants to be reassuring. This is because the trauma of last year's general knowledge test is still raw… Thursday, as they continue their preparatory journey for the election of Miss France 2025, the thirty candidates took part in the terrifying ordeal. of general culture. The journalists were also able to take the test under the same conditions as the Misses.

An appointment was made at the end of the day in an open-air restaurant at the Sofitel in Abidjan, where the Miss France delegation is staying. After a busy day between photo shoots, catwalk lessons with Maëva Coucke and loincloth workshop in stifling humid heat, you have to sit at an examination table at 8 p.m. Doubt then takes precedence over curiosity and the songs of the noisy toads who live in the hotel garden. What if my journalistic dignity took a hit? Seeing the Misses rather serene in the face of adversity, we say to ourselves that there is no question of shying away.

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As they take their place next to them, candidates say: “See you at the exit for the debrief, good luck!” » 95% kindness, 5% teasing. It's fair game, for all those years when journalists waited for them at the exit to watch for shipwrecks. We are welcomed into this restaurant transformed into a classroom by a black Bic and three sheets: the first entitled “Maths and logic – 10 questions – 10 points”, then “General knowledge test” and “Dictation in 6 points” . A menu which, strangely, only moderately whets the appetite.

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Logic, or the test within the test

The connected watch displays an abnormally high heart rate, when Frédéric Gilbert, the president of the Miss France Society, launches hostilities. “First step, dictation, then a quiz of ten timed questions, and finally, culture g, you have one hour. » A sip of water later, Cindy Fabre, director of the national competition, begins the dictation entitled “Le Bal des mots” (created especially for this test by Sonia Salhi, to whom we owe the “Dictation for all” ). From the first sentence, we stumble on a word: “It’s in the land of Éburnie [autre nom donné à la Côte d’Ivoire, NDLR] that our beauty queens have arranged to meet. » There are those who had revised the history of the host country of this trip, and me, who thought I would follow the test as a simple observer…

Then it's time for the logic test. “The answer is often right in front of you. Make good use of the draft provided to you,” recommends Eve Gilles, Miss France 2024 and a math enthusiast. There are the fans of Cyril Féraud and his show “100% logic” who are impatient, and me, who thought that launching into a journalistic career where letters reign would spare me this kind of suffering.

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For their part, the Misses remain focused and watch for the start of the first question, in front of cameras watching for the slightest grimace. “In thirty seconds: what is the result of the operation below? 458 divided by 4. » Some put the pen down after 22 seconds, and I, at 31 seconds, I still wonder if I should put the operation on – do I still know how to do it? – or find the logical pirouette supposed to be before my eyes.

10 games and 80 points to win in 1h30

A few squares, dominoes and cars later, we attack the big part: the general knowledge test, which begins with ten questions on the news of recent months. “How many medals did France win at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games? » Oops, the hole, I'm fumbling. 75? No, 64. “In which country did the 29th COP take place? » But who knows how to write Azerbaijan anyway… “Who is the most followed personality on Instagram with more than 642 million subscribers? » Taylor Swift or Ronaldo? Bingo, the footballer.

The “Art and culture” part in 9 questions and 9 points makes a nod to the filmography of the late Michel Blanc and to François Hardy’s Paco Rabanne dress. We smile when reading the proposals to the question on the names of the three musketeers of Dumas. “Athos, Porthos and Aragon? » Surreal yes. Marie-Josée Pérec, Charles Leclerc and Rafael Nadal are in the spotlight in the sports section, before 8 new questions on the French language. There is understatement, emptiness, an ephemeris (or a?) and a hippopotamus. No, it's not a “Kamoulox”.

Some are catching up on questions relating to the history of the Miss France competition, while others have forgotten the name of Laure Belleville (the very first crowned), or that of the most successful region (Île-de-France , and not Nord-Pas-de-Calais). There are 13 points left to score in history and geography, before launching into a short essay in English: “If you become Miss France, what committed woman will you be? » If I struggle to respond to the writing, alone in front of my copy, I can't even imagine doing it on stage in a princess dress, facing Jean-Pierre Foucault, as the candidates do when the time comes for the questions from viewers…

The candidates around me have just put down their pens when the time comes to hand in the papers. I hand mine to Eve Gilles, ready to play proofreader with Cindy Fabre. Unsurprisingly, Miss France 2024 pounces on my “maths and logic” sheet and begins, without too much judgment, to explain to me why I got it wrong (almost everywhere). Fortunately, the honor is safe on dictation and general knowledge, arriving without much fanfare at the mark of 12.5. The feeling is then like this result: lukewarm, no need to cut out the press card, but no return with fanfare to the office either.

It's stupid, but under pressure I struggled with the spelling of “hippopotamus”.

Miss Guyana also did not shine in the logic test, being abrupt in her thinking due to very short times. The names of the three musketeers also destabilized her: “I spent a lot of time on them, I didn't know if it was Aragon, Aramis… I'm waiting to check on my phone the answers to the questions that asked me raised doubts. » Miss Languedoc is happy with her logical part: “it went rather well, although I expected it to be a disaster. But what posed a problem for me was English. My mother may be a flight attendant and speak English fluently, but I don't (laughs). »

Miss Île-de-France was, on the contrary, able to score points “thanks to English and dictation”: “And we came across questions that we expected in general knowledge, on the Olympics, on the Coast d'Ivoire, on Futuroscope [où se tiendra l’élection le 14 décembre, NDLR]… I had revised well.” His friend Miss Nord-Pas-de-Calais is also confident, having passed a similar test during her regional election last month. “I had already revised the news well. On the other hand, it's stupid, but under pressure I struggled with the spelling of “hippopotamus”… Far be it from me to sneer, when my pitiful attempt to make a division comes to mind , twenty minutes earlier. The Miss general knowledge test, or the most effective lesson in humility.