Taking Your CAP Pastry Exam as a Self-Study Candidate: How to Prepare?

I told you we’d talk about the CAP again soon, and here we are! I know more and more of you are taking the plunge, and I want to share throughout this year the experience I gained when I took my own CAP as a self-study candidate. I really want to support you and offer more CAP recipes (in a more comprehensive way than those covered in my ebook: 11 CAP techniques to master all pastries which you can download for free).

I’ve already written an article about what to expect during your journey and the breakdown of my exam day. I also strongly encourage you to think about your future plans and whether the CAP is really the right choice (for that, the interview with Lila from Le Meilleur Pâtissier is excellent!).

Far be it from me to discourage you, but there’s something you need to be aware of: professionals don’t hire staff with a self-study CAP. This was feedback I’d received from candidates and I was able to confirm it with bakers and pastry chefs who are unanimous: no self-study candidates! The reasons are many, but it’s mainly because economically, it’s not worthwhile.

A self-study candidate, even motivated and well-meaning, isn’t profitable given their skill level. They haven’t been trained to handle the constraints and pace of a professional kitchen. If your goal is a career change, choose a program that includes work placements or even an apprenticeship if your situation allows it. The only viable professional project is if you plan to start your own business afterwards — then no problem.

Whatever your choice after getting the diploma, know that it will be tough (unless, like me, you’re doing it just for the challenge). We don’t fully appreciate how demanding and difficult the profession is. The hours are brutal: you often start at 3 or 4 in the morning and finish around noon in a bakery, weekends and evenings are taken in restaurants… And it’s a very physical job: standing all day, running around and carrying heavy loads (even the practical exam itself is a physical challenge).

And last but not least, you’ll start with a handicap: at least 10 years behind your colleagues who got their CAP at 16. I had a friend who was hired for the night shift at a hotel — the first 6 months were a nightmare: she was slow and didn’t have the right reflexes compared to her experienced colleagues. It eventually settled down but she nearly threw in the towel several times…

Right, is everyone still here? Haven’t I put off the troops? Have I? Good! I want you to know what you’re getting into! Passing the CAP as a self-study candidate isn’t actually that difficult if you work properly (I did it alongside a new job without spending 15 hours a week on it), but it’s what comes after that’s complicated if you have professional ambitions. Know why you’re doing it and keep your goal in mind (some people do succeed, but you’ll need to work incredibly hard and get an excellent score).

For my part, I never had professional goals behind it — I just wanted to give myself a challenge to improve. I passed without flying colors but with a lot of pride! I didn’t take regular classes but I was part of Facebook groups where candidates shared their creations (feel free to post on my Facebook page, I’ll be happy to advise you!). On your own, it’s not easy to know if your work meets CAP standards (it’s a very structured exam where every technical point is graded — no room for artistic flair). It’s really helpful to exchange with others about the struggles and what needs improving.

I had the chance to take a few occasional classes but they can be quite expensive. Save them for the preparations that give you the most trouble. However, if you get the opportunity, I highly recommend doing at least one mock CAP exam under real conditions in a professional lab. They’re not easy to find, but I believe more and more labs are offering this type of session. I completely failed my first mock exam and the second was just barely passable. Without those two practice runs, I would surely have failed the final exam too.

In upcoming articles, I’ll cover the equipment I recommend and the timeline for properly preparing for your exam!