EU Career Paths
Competition-by-competition guides: format, eligibility, scoring weights and what each test actually measures.
A clear walkthrough of the 2026 EPSO AD5 Generalist competition (EPSO/AD/427/26): test format, scoring weights, pass marks, eligibility, and how to prepare. All tests are now remote, with no assessment centre.
The 2026 EPSO AD7 competition for IT professionals (EPSO/AD/429/26): the four fields (ICT infrastructure, project management, clouds & networks, data science), eligibility, the field-related MCQ test, scoring and how to prepare. Application deadline 10 June 2026.
The 2026 EPSO AD7 competition in the field of audit (EPSO/AD/428/26): eligibility and experience requirements, the field-related MCQ test, scoring and how to prepare for the EU auditor competition.
EPSO Preparation
Deep dives on each test: the format, the traps that catch candidates out, and worked examples in the official EPSO style.
The reasoning test that counts most towards your ranking — the 20-question format, what it measures, the recurring distractor traps (overreach, subtle swap, signed-vs-entered-into-force, unstated cause), and three worked examples in the official EPSO style.
Ten questions, twenty minutes, a calculator and a data table. The arithmetic is rarely the hard part — reading the table is. The table traps (unit confusion, absolute vs relative, clustered distractors, "impossible to answer"), and three worked examples.
Ten questions in ten minutes — the most time-pressured test in the EPSO selection. No language or knowledge needed, just shapes and parallel rules. The recurring rule patterns (rotation, side count, fill, position), the single-rule trap, and three worked examples.
The largest scored test in the AD-5 selection — 30 questions on institutions, treaties, decision procedures and competences. The recurring traps (Council confusion, signed-vs-entered-into-force, QMV vs unanimity, who initiates vs who decides), and three worked examples.
Forty questions built on the DigComp 2.2 framework — data literacy, communication, content creation, safety and problem-solving, with embedded GDPR and AI Act questions. The recurring traps (metadata vs telemetry, GDPR principles, AI Act tiers, IaaS/PaaS/SaaS), and three worked examples.