Baccalauréat
The baccalauréat (French pronunciation: [bakaloʁea] ; lit. 'baccalaureate'), often known in France colloquially as the bac, is a French national academic qualification that students can obtain at the completion of their secondary education (at the end of the lycée) by meeting certain requirements. Though it has only existed in its present form as a school-leaving examination since Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte's implementation on 17 March 1808, its origins date back to the first medieval French universities.