“DSCG in progress.” These three words, which appear on a large share of CVs in the French accounting track, raise more questions than they answer. How many units have been passed? Which ones? Since when? Has the chartered accountancy traineeship started? A firm partner or finance director who is recruiting knows how these diplomas work and wants to see within a few seconds where you stand. This article explains why the education section matters so much in this sector, how to present each stage (diploma in progress, partly passed, obtained), where to place it, with precise wording and the mistakes that blur the message.
Why recruiters pay attention to it
The French chartered accountancy track is built on three successive state diplomas. According to Onisep, the DCG is obtained with an average of at least ten out of twenty across thirteen exams; the master’s-level DSCG with the same average across seven exams, which candidates may take in any order, with passed units kept for eight years; finally, the DEC is prepared over three years after a five-year degree, during the chartered accountancy traineeship.
This unit-based system explains recruiters’ attention:
- a diploma can be obtained over several years, alongside a job; the date of award is therefore not enough, the recruiter needs to know where the candidate stands;
- units are not equally relevant to all jobs: the DSCG “accounting and audit” unit interests an audit firm, the legal, tax and employment management unit an accounting firm, the finance unit a finance department;
- equivalences and exemptions are numerous: a CCA master’s, a business school degree or a BTS give exemptions that you need to be able to read;
- progress determines what comes next: you can only register for the chartered accountancy traineeship with the DSCG, or with some of its units under conditions, and you can only sign as a chartered accountant after the DEC.
For a recruiter, the education section is therefore operational information: it says what you can do, when you will be available for exams and what career horizon you are aiming for.
Distinguishing levels: knowledge, practice, expertise
In the accounting track, these three levels translate into three situations to present differently.
The diploma in progress, with no unit passed. You are in the first year of the DCG or DSCG. State the institution, the year of study and the planned exam date. The recruiter then knows you have the knowledge from that year’s programme, no more.
The diploma partly passed. This is the most common situation, and the worst presented. Give the number of units passed out of the total, and name those that serve the target job. Add the planned session for the remaining units. This detail shows real practice of the programme and an exam strategy.
The diploma obtained. State the year of award and, if they are worth showing, the honours or marks in certain exams. For the DEC, add the dissertation topic, which indicates a specialism.
To these three situations is added the chartered accountancy traineeship, which is not a diploma but a regulated stage: year of traineeship, regional council of the Order you are registered with, reports up to date. Our article on the DEC traineeship details these elements.
Where to put it on your CV
At the top of the CV for a student or young professional. Up to two or three years of experience, education comes before experience: it is your main argument.
After experience for an experienced profile. Education then takes two or three lines, but the status of the DEC is still mentioned, possibly in the summary: “Audit lead, trainee chartered accountant in the third year, dissertation being written.”
In the summary, when progress is an argument. A candidate who has passed six of the seven DSCG units or who has just obtained the end-of-traineeship certificate should say so in the first sentence.
In a separate section for the traineeship and dissertation. If you are on the chartered accountancy traineeship, a dedicated line avoids scattering the information between education and experience.
Wording examples with measurable results
A DCG student
- Before: “DCG in progress.”
- After: “Lycée — DCG, second year (direct entry after the BTS in accounting and management): 8 of 13 exams passed, including advanced accounting and tax law; remaining exams at next year’s session.”
A DSCG candidate
- Before: “DSCG (in progress).”
- After: “DSCG: 5 of 7 units passed, including accounting and audit (14/20) and finance; professional-relations unit dissertation in progress on inventory audit in SMEs.”
A CCA master’s graduate
- Before: “CCA master’s.”
- After: “Master’s in accounting, control and audit, on a work-study basis (exempt from five DSCG exams); legal, tax and employment management and accounting and audit exams passed as an independent candidate.”
A trainee chartered accountant
- Before: “DEC traineeship.”
- After: “Trainee chartered accountant, second year (registered with the regional council of the Order); dual-purpose traineeship in accounting services and statutory audit; half-yearly reports up to date.”
A qualified chartered accountant
- Before: “DEC.”
- After: “Chartered accountancy diploma: dissertation defended on implementing electronic invoicing in very small businesses, with a diagnosis and deployment method for a firm.”
The useful figures here are the number of units passed out of the total, the year of traineeship and, possibly, an outstanding mark. They are a good replacement for adjectives.
How to prove it at interview
A recruiter who reads a precise education section uses it to steer the interview. Prepare for three questions.
“How did you organise your exams?” The recruiter wants to understand your strategy: units taken first, units postponed, reasons. A structured answer shows an organisational ability the profession requires.
“What did a particular unit give you?” For the accounting and audit unit, expect a technical question on the risk-based approach or on a consolidation point; for the legal, tax and employment management unit, on a tax regime or a restructuring transaction.
“Where will you be in two years?” The firm wants to know when you will sit the DEC and whether your plans fit its needs. Be precise about the steps and realistic about the timetable.
Our article on accounting questions at interview helps you revise the technical basics these questions assume.
Mistakes to avoid
- Writing “in progress” without detail: the recruiter does not know whether you have one unit or six.
- Listing every unit with its mark: only those that serve the job deserve to be named.
- Confusing the CCA master’s and the DSCG: they are two distinct diplomas, with a set of exemptions; say which one you hold and what it gave you.
- Forgetting exemptions: a BTS in accounting and management, a BUT GEA or a business school degree may provide them; they explain an atypical path.
- Presenting the chartered accountancy traineeship as ordinary experience: it is a regulated stage, to be described as such.
- Leaving a gap in the timeline: if you suspended your exams for a period, a line of explanation (full-time job, relocation) avoids assumptions.
To see these rules applied on complete CVs, the audit assistant CV example presents a partly passed DSCG, and the trainee chartered accountant CV example a completed CCA master’s and a traineeship in progress. Our audit CV method places the education section within the whole document. To format yours, the CV editor aligns diplomas, dates and details without layout effort, and produces a PDF that firms’ screening software reads without mixing up the years.
Sources
- Onisep, the DCG accounting and management diploma 🔗, the DSCG 🔗 and the DEC 🔗.
- Ordre des experts-comptables, the chartered accountancy curriculum 🔗.
Frequently asked questions
Should you give the marks obtained in the exams?
Only if they are good and serve the job. A high mark in the accounting and audit unit will interest an audit firm; a complete list of marks weighs down the section.
How should you present an abandoned DSCG?
Give the units passed and the year: they remain valid for several years and show a level. If you chose another path, a brief explanation in the summary is enough.
Is the DCG enough to work in a firm?
Yes, for assistant or staff accountant positions. The rest of the track (DSCG, traineeship, DEC) becomes necessary to progress towards running engagements and signing.
Where should the DEC dissertation be mentioned?
On the DEC line, with the topic and its progress (summary approved, writing, defence planned). A topic linked to the target job is an argument in its own right.