Civil service entrance exams in Cameroon
In Cameroon, entry into the civil service largely goes through competitive exams, run either by the Ministry of Public Service and Administrative Reform (MINFOPRA) or by the ministries and schools that train their own staff. Each exam is opened by an order setting the number of places, the age limit, the required diploma, the fees and the timetable: that text, and only that text, is authoritative.
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MINFOPRA's exam season
MINFOPRA opens a âseasonâ of exams every year. For 2026 the minister signed 36 orders on 4 June 2026, for about 2,265 places: 290 at ENAM, 60 at INJS and CENAJES, more than 880 in direct recruitment (doctors, nurses, engineers, agriculture, telecommunications, customs), 1,000 places as auditeurs libres in teaching and 100 places for technical education instructors. On top of these come professional exams, open only to serving staff (agriculture, forestry, Treasury, customs, education). By comparison, the 2018 season had 23 exams for 1,759 jobs.
Registration is online at concoursonline.minfopra.gov.cm, and results are published by order: those of the 2026-2027 ENAM entrance exam were signed on 13 October 2026.
The main exams: requirements and fees
| Exam | Places | Diploma and age | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| ENAM, cycle B, administrative division (2025-2026) | 60, including 25 in general administration and 15 in labour administration | Baccalauréat or GCE A/L (2 subjects); 32 or under on 1 January 2025; serving civil servants excluded | 25,000 CFA |
| ENAM, trainee judges (2025-2026) | 40: 20 judicial, 10 administrative, 10 audit | See the order | See the order |
| ENS and ENSET teacher training colleges (2025-2026) | 2,500 across five ENS and four ENSET | Baccalauréat or GCE A/L (first cycle); bachelor's degree (second cycle) | 20,000 CFA (Yaoundé special science classes) |
| Yaoundé Polytechnic, first year | 200 | Science baccalauréat or GCE A/L; 25 or under | 20,000 CFA |
| Medicine, Garoua faculty (2024-2025) | 85 | Baccalauréat C or D, GCE A/L biology and chemistry; 23 or under | 20,000 CFA |
| Gendarmerie recruits (2025) | Not stated in the sources consulted | BEPC, CAP or GCE O/L; aged 18 to 25 on 31 December 2025 | Not verified |
For ENAM 2025, the call for applications was launched on 15 April 2025, files had to reach ENAM or MINFOPRA's regional delegations by 6 June 2025, and the cycle B written papers were held in Yaoundé on 28 and 29 June 2025. Candidate lists are published on the concours.enam.cm portal.
Police (DGSN), armed forces (including the Joint Military Academy, EMIA), customs and tax exams are run by the administrations concerned; no recent, verifiable data on their places, requirements or fees is published online. The number of candidates per exam is generally not published in the results orders.
Where to find official notices
- minfopra.gov.cm and concoursonline.minfopra.gov.cm: civil service exams, online registration, results.
- concours.enam.cm: the National School of Administration and Magistracy.
- minesup.gov.cm: grandes Ă©coles and medical faculty exams, results.
- Cameroon Tribune, the state daily, which publishes exam notices.
- MINFOPRA's regional delegations, where files can also be submitted.
Beware of scams
MINFOPRA has repeatedly warned against fraud. On 20 July 2018 the minister, Joseph Le, warned that no group was authorised to prepare or âselectâ candidates for money; on 9 July 2019 he denounced fake Facebook profiles and phone calls using his name to promise success in return for payment, stressing that admission to an exam âcannot be the subject of any bargainingâ. According to Camer.be, Article 163-1 of the Penal Code punishes corruption in exams with two to five years in prison and fines of 200,000 to 2 million CFA.
Fake exams also circulate: in June 2026, a so-called âCIMAPâ exam in Kribi charging candidates 5,000 CFA was disowned by the Port Authority of Kribi. Warning signs: circulation only on WhatsApp or Facebook, a phone number with no address, pressure to act fast, and no order on any official website.
Frequently asked questions
What is the age limit for the ENAM exam?
For cycle B of the administrative division in 2025, candidates had to be 32 or under on 1 January 2025; the same limit of 32 applied to cycle A in 2026. The limit varies by division and cycle and is set in each session's order. For MINFOPRA's 2026 direct exams it was 34 (grades A and B) and 29 (C and D).
How much is the ENAM exam fee?
The registration fee was 25,000 CFA for the 2025 session.
Where do you register for civil service exams in Cameroon?
Online at concoursonline.minfopra.gov.cm for MINFOPRA exams, or at the ministry's regional delegations; ENAM has its own portal, concours.enam.cm.
How many places were there in the 2026 civil service exams?
The 36 orders signed on 4 June 2026 opened about 2,265 places, including 290 at ENAM.
Can you pay to pass an exam in Cameroon?
No: MINFOPRA stresses that any promise of success for money is a scam, and corruption in exams is punishable under the Penal Code.
How many places were there in the 2025-2026 ENS exam?
Cameroon Tribune reported 2,500 places at the ENS in Bambili, Bertoua, Buea, Maroua and Yaoundé and the ENSET in Ebolowa, Bambili, Douala and Kumba.
Handle with care
The Polytechnic notice reproduced online mixes 2024 dates with a 2025-2026 heading; Wikipedia gives 300 places per entry level at ENSPY, and the 2026-2027 exam for the engineering-science bachelor's opened 70. The 2025 gendarmerie requirements come from an unofficial news site. Sites that reproduce the orders (Kamerpower, Infos Pratiques) sometimes give conflicting figures: only the order itself and the Official Gazette are authoritative.