Should I do the DALF C1 Science or Humanities option?

[Sarafina]

I'm signing up to do the DALF C1. I've already registered and everything. But I don't know which option to go for. On one hand, my subject falls into the branch of humanities and most of my wider reading is centred around humanities subjects.

But on the other hand, I've heard about the science option is easier and more straightforward and less complicated however I haven't done much science since GCSE and I've forgotten most of what I've learnt from IB Biology. But I love Physics. But I don't think that it's going to be too prevelant in this exam.

[Cavesa]

Science.

Why? It is much more predictable. Both if we are talking about the content and about the level.

In the humanities, you can get subjects that are extremely trivial and you'll have a real problem writing the sufficient amount of stuff about it without repeating yourself a lot and sounding to yourself like a broken machine (a candidate doing my dalf with me described getting several stupid magazine articles regurgitating obvious opinions about whether it is good or bad for people psychologically to go to work). Or, you can get rather difficult subjects, like the history of the French language, or philosophy, that even the examiners say to be hard. Anything from a stupid magazine for women, to knowledge more appropriate for a specific humanities degree. Yes, the exam is supposed to be primarily about the language, but not knowing even a bit about the subject also comes with lack of confidence, low vocabulary, and too much energy spent on what should automatic.

Science, that is the level of popular science magazines, knowledge of someone with a normal high school education and average general knowledge. Magazines like Science et Avenir, or the more detailed thematic parts of le Monde, or the tv series Eureka, all those have been the perfect resources. Also, if you do the practice testbooks, you'll notice the subjects vary very little, compared to the humanities. Genetics, the internet, their ethics, the climate, and few more.

At least that's my impression from my C2 exam and the preparation for it. But it included C1 tests, and I had been originally preparing for that.