Preparation · TAGE MAGE

Prepare for the TAGE MAGE.
In the right order.

Six subtests. A concept-by-concept plan, built from your answers.

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New to the test? The Tage Mage guide

Institutions listed by FNEGE
The 29 institutions listed by FNEGE. Their inclusion does not imply a partnership. Schools that accept the TAGE MAGE
The strategy, applied to the TAGE MAGE

A question bank lets you choose. Upsilar tells you what to work on.

Upsilar’s three-step strategy, followed by a full-length TAGE MAGE practice test.

  1. What should I work on?

    Every concept has a status.

    • Take stock
    • Understand
    • Practice

    Your queue brings together open topics from the six subtests. “ Recommended for you ” points you to the next step.

  2. In what order?

    Prerequisites unlock what comes next.

    • Move forward

    Exploring a topic unlocks the next ones. Whether your answer is right or wrong, every submitted answer moves your plan forward.

  3. What about my progress?

    Your progress is saved.

    • Keep

    Your progress is saved. Pick up where you left off, with no forced review or reset.

  4. And on test day?

    A mock exam to prepare for test day.

    • Practice

    The six subtests in official order, with 15 questions and 20 minutes each, no breaks. Your results report identifies areas to work on.

Wherever you are starting from

  • The date is approaching

    Prioritize.

    Focus your first sessions on one concept to revisit.

  • You have time

    Build the foundations.

    Understand a concept, then practice the questions connected to it.

  • You’re retaking it

    Build on what you know.

    Review the approaches that still need work.

Methods

A strategy for every subtest.

Six subtests, six ways to reason. Each includes the strategy used in Upsilar’s program and a worked example.

  • 6subtests
  • 30chapters
  • 873topics, connected by their prerequisites

Subtest 1 · Verbal Skills

Reading Comprehension

Identify the information and the argument of a passage.

The method

  1. Identify the thesis and what the author concedes.
  2. Return to the passage that supports your answer.
  3. Rule out what the passage does not say, then choose.

In the program · 5 chapters, including

  • Active reading and local comprehension
  • Argument analysis, voice, and stance
  • Solving multiple-choice questions and managing the 20-minute limit
The Reading Comprehension section guide

A worked example using the method

Longtemps réservé aux cadres des grandes entreprises, le télétravail s’est largement diffusé à partir de 2020. Ses partisans y voient un gain de temps et d’autonomie ; ses détracteurs, un risque d’isolement. Les études disponibles, encore récentes, ne permettent pas de trancher.

D’après le texte, les effets du télétravail sur les salariés :

  1. Asont surtout positifs.
  2. Bsont surtout négatifs.
  3. Cne sont pas encore établis.Correct answer
  4. Dconcernent surtout les grandes entreprises.
  5. Eont été mesurés avant 2020.

The method in action

  1. The main idea: remote work has spread, but its effects are still debated. Supporters and critics are opinions reported by the author.
  2. The passage that answers the question: “The available studies are still recent and do not allow us to draw a conclusion.”
  3. A and B mistake an opinion for a fact; D discusses adoption, rather than effects; E adds a measurement date that the passage does not give. That leaves C.

The pitfall A or B: an opinion reported in the passage is not the passage’s conclusion.

Subtest 2 · Problem Solving

Calculation

Translate a prompt into a math problem.

The method

  1. Set up an equation from the prompt before calculating.
  2. Choose between estimating and calculating exactly.
  3. Check the result before marking an answer.

In the program · 6 chapters, including

  • Proportions, percentages, and quantitative problems
  • Algebra, equations, and sequences
  • Plane and solid geometry
The Calculation section guide

A worked example using the method

Un cycliste gravit un col de 18 km à 12 km/h, s’arrête 30 minutes au sommet, puis redescend par la même route à 36 km/h. Quelle est sa vitesse moyenne sur l’ensemble du trajet, pause comprise ?

  1. A12 km/h
  2. B14,4 km/hCorrect answer
  3. C16 km/h
  4. D18 km/h
  5. E24 km/h

The method in action

  1. Average speed = total distance ÷ total time: 36 km ÷ (1.5 hours uphill + a 30-minute break + 30 minutes downhill).
  2. The calculation is quick: 36 ÷ 2.5 = 14.4 km/h. Answer: B.
  3. Check: without the break, the average would be 36 ÷ 2 = 18 km/h; the break can only lower the average.

The pitfall E, 24 km/h, averages the two speeds; D, 18 km/h, leaves out the break.

Subtest 3 · Logical Reasoning

Reasoning and Argumentation

Examine the logic of an argument.

The method

  1. Read the question before the passage.
  2. Distinguish facts, assumptions, and conclusions.
  3. Compare each option with the reasoning, not your own opinion.

In the program · 7 chapters, including

  • Anatomy and reconstruction of an argument
  • Deduction, implication, and basic syllogisms
  • Reasoning errors and time-management strategy
The Reasoning and Argumentation section guide

A worked example using the method

Depuis que la mairie a installé des caméras dans le centre-ville, les vols y ont baissé de 20 %. Les caméras sont donc efficaces contre les vols.

Quelle information affaiblit le plus ce raisonnement ?

  1. ALes caméras ont coûté cher à la commune.
  2. BSur la même période, les vols ont baissé de 20 % dans les villes voisines, qui n’ont pas de caméras.Correct answer
  3. CCertains habitants jugent les caméras intrusives.
  4. DLes vols ont surtout lieu le soir.
  5. ELa mairie prévoit d’installer d’autres caméras.

The method in action

  1. We are looking for evidence that weakens the link between the cameras and the drop in thefts.
  2. The fact: thefts fell by 20%. The conclusion: the cameras caused the decrease.
  3. B shows the same decrease without cameras: a broader trend could explain the result. This weakens the claim that the cameras caused the drop, without proving that they have no effect. Answer: B.

The pitfall A, C, and E are about the cameras, not their effect on thefts: they repeat the topic, not the reasoning.

Subtest 4 · Problem Solving

Data Sufficiency

Determine whether the information is sufficient to answer.

The method

  1. Identify what must be determined before reading statements (1) and (2).
  2. Evaluate each statement separately, then consider them together.
  3. Conclude without calculating the value.

In the curriculum · 3 chapters

  • Framework, sufficiency, and the A–E choices
  • Analysis protocol and metacognition
  • Standalone math toolkit for Data Sufficiency
The Data Sufficiency section guide

A worked example using the method

x et y sont deux entiers positifs. Peut-on déterminer x ?

(1) x + y = 10.(2) x − y = 4.

  1. AL’information (1) suffit seule, pas la (2)
  2. BL’information (2) suffit seule, pas la (1)
  3. CLes deux informations sont nécessaires ensembleCorrect answer
  4. DChaque information suffit seule
  5. ELes deux informations ensemble ne suffisent pas

The method in action

  1. There must be exactly one possible positive integer value of x; y is another unknown.
  2. Statement (1) alone leaves x between 1 and 9; statement (2) alone gives x = 5, 6, 7… Together, they are two independent equations with two unknowns.
  3. Two independent equations determine a single value of x: answer C, without needing to calculate it.

The pitfall Choosing B because one pair satisfies statement (2): x = 6 and y = 2 work, but so do x = 8 and y = 4.

Subtest 5 · Verbal Skills

Expression

Review your answers and rephrase a message.

The method

  1. Identify what the question asks you to do.
  2. Preserve the meaning and coherence of the whole.
  3. Choose the closest one, not the most polished.

In the curriculum · 3 chapters

  • Correcting awkward phrasing and following standard usage
  • Faithful paraphrase and synthesis
  • Coherence and discourse completion
The Expression section guide

A worked example using the method

Quelle phrase reformule le plus fidèlement : « Il n’est pas impossible que la réunion soit reportée. » ?

  1. ALa réunion sera reportée.
  2. BLa réunion ne sera pas reportée.
  3. CIl se peut que la réunion soit reportée.Correct answer
  4. DIl est impossible que la réunion soit reportée.
  5. ELa réunion aurait dû être reportée.

The method in action

  1. The question asks for a paraphrase: judge it by meaning, rather than usage.
  2. Preserve the meaning of “not impossible”: possible, but neither certain nor ruled out. A says it is certain; B and D deny it; E discusses something else.
  3. That leaves C, which preserves the possibility exactly. Answer: C.

The pitfall Reading “not impossible” as a negation or as certainty.

Subtest 6 · Logical Reasoning

Logic

Identify properties shared by the data.

The method

  1. Find the criterion for each sequence separately.
  2. Check the rule against all relevant data.
  3. Test each option against both criteria.

In the program · 6 chapters, including

  • Extracting and inhibiting parameters
  • Intersections and number sequences
  • Visual sequences and spatial frameworks
The Logic section guide

A worked example using the method

Chaque série regroupe des nombres partageant une propriété de divisibilité. Série horizontale : 14 · 21 · 35 — série verticale : 22 · 55 · 99. Quel nombre peut appartenir aux deux séries ?

  1. A91
  2. B55
  3. C77Correct answer
  4. D88
  5. E63

The method in action

  1. Consider each sequence separately: the horizontal one contains only multiples of 7, and the vertical one only multiples of 11.
  2. Check divisibility for every term: 14, 21, and 35 are multiples of 7; 22, 55, and 99 are multiples of 11.
  3. Test each option against both criteria: only 77 is a multiple of both 7 and 11. Answer: C.

The pitfall Looking for a sequence of calculations: 91 and 63 fit only the horizontal sequence; 55 and 88 fit only the vertical one.

Upsilar’s TAGE MAGE curriculum, recorded from September 26 to 27, 2026. The examples are written by Upsilar in the format of each subtest. The scenarios are fictional.

A question, then its review

The answer matters. The method matters more.

A Data Sufficiency question, explained as on Upsilar: the strategy, the steps, and the pitfall.

Data Sufficiency · subtest 4 Written by Upsilar
Un article est remisé de 20 %. Son prix avant remise est x euros. Peut-on déterminer x ?

(1) Après remise, l’article coûte 48 euros.(2) La remise est de 12 euros.

Choose an answer.

The solution, step by step

Correct answer: D — each statement is sufficient on its own.

The method

We are not looking for x : determine whether each statement lets you find it. First (1) alone, then (2) alone, and only then the two together.

The method in action

  1. (1) alone. After a 20% discount, 80% of the price remains: 0.8 × x = 48. Exactly one possible value: it is sufficient.
  2. (2) alone. The discount is 20% of the price: 0.2 × x = 12. Exactly one possible value: it is also sufficient.
  3. Conclusion. Each is sufficient alone: D. No need to combine them or calculate the value of x.

The pitfall

Choosing C automatically because the prompt gives two statements. Evaluate each statement on its own before combining them.

Key takeaways

A statement is sufficient if it leaves exactly one possible value.

Next · the Forge

Same method, new exercise.

Un article est remisé de 25 %. Peut-on déterminer son prix avant remise ? (1) Après remise, il coûte 45 euros. (2) La remise dépasse 10 euros.

This time, A. Statement (1) gives a single price, €60; statement (2) allows infinitely many prices, all above €40.

What you can evaluate us on

A method you can explain.

Clear principles, identified sources, and a guide that explains the test in detail.

01 · The model

A model that learns from every answer.

Your answers inform a Bayesian model that estimates your understanding of each concept and recommends what to work on next from the concepts unlocked by prerequisites. Your progress keeps track of the work you have done; it does not guarantee that you have mastered every concept you explore.

How the model decides
03 · The benchmarks

Understand the test before you prepare for it.

Test format, scoring, and rules: the TAGE MAGE guide provides the key facts, based on FNEGE’s pages, and a reference sheet covers each subtest.

The Tage Mage guide
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Frequently asked questions

Before you get started.

Five short answers. See the guide for the test itself.

Do I need to know the test before I start?

No. The TAGE MAGE guide explains the test, scoring, and schools; on the platform, your queue shows you where to start. The Tage Mage guide

How much time should I allow to prepare?

It depends on your starting point, test date, and available time. Start by identifying one priority, then adjust the pace of your sessions.

Is it free?

Yes. The free account covers one test, with progressive access to the curriculum and monthly quotas. Basic, Premium, and Pro are described on the pricing page, but subscriptions are not open yet. They include access to the full curriculum without unlock quotas, in prerequisite order. See pricing

Is the app available in French?

The application’s interface is in English. The website, guides, and section guides are available in French and English.

Do wrong answers lose points?

No. Under the current scoring rules, a wrong answer and an unanswered question both earn zero points and carry no penalty. Tage Mage scoring

Prepare for the TAGE MAGE

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