Part 1 decides who stays in the AD5 competition. Part 2 decides most of the ranking: EU knowledge and digital skills together carry 60% of the preliminary score, and the essay is marked only for the candidates at the top of it. EPSO has not set the dates yet, but the notice of competition fixes almost everything else. Here is what is certain, what EPSO will publish before the tests, and what you can prepare now.
Who sits Part 2
Only the candidates who pass Part 1: at least 10 out of 20 in verbal reasoning, and at least 10 out of 20 for numerical and abstract reasoning combined. Since the amendment of 30 June 2026, the notice says that the reasoning tests are scored after Part 1 and that candidates are notified of their results. The candidates who passed are then invited to Part 2.
The three tests
| Test | Format | Pass mark | Weight, preliminary score | Weight, final score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EU knowledge | 30 multiple-choice questions, 40 minutes | 15/30 | 30% | 25% |
| Digital skills | 40 multiple-choice questions, 30 minutes | 20/40 | 30% | 25% |
| EUFTE, the free-text essay on EU matters | Written assignment, 40 minutes, scored 0 to 10 | 5/10 | — | 15% |
| Verbal reasoning, from Part 1 | 20 questions, 35 minutes | 10/20 | 40% | 35% |
All three Part 2 tests are in your language 2: the second language you declared, at level B2 or above, which must differ from your main language. The reasoning tests were in language 1. Numerical and abstract reasoning count for nothing from here on: they were a pass mark only.
How Part 2 is scored, in order
- EU knowledge is scored first.
- Digital skills is scored only for candidates who reached 15/30 in EU knowledge.
- Preliminary score. Candidates who passed every test so far get a preliminary score from verbal reasoning (40%), EU knowledge (30%) and digital skills (30%), and are ranked by it.
- Essay and eligibility, for the top only. The EUFTE is marked, and eligibility is checked, only for a limited number of candidates from the top of that ranking. The notice says this number will in principle not exceed 1.5 times the number of successful candidates sought. With 1,490 places, that is about 2,235 candidates, more if there are equal scores.
- Final score and reserve list. Candidates who reach 5/10 in the EUFTE and are found eligible get a final score: verbal 35%, EU knowledge 25%, digital skills 25%, EUFTE 15%. The reserve list is filled from the top until the 1,490 places are taken. Everyone tied for the last place is included.
Two things follow, and both are our reading of the notice. First, the essay only matters once you are inside that top group, so the preliminary score is the real gate. Second, EU knowledge is a gate as well as a weight: below 15/30, the digital skills test is not even marked. How the weights play out in numbers is in how EPSO scores and ranks AD5.
When, and what EPSO publishes first
- Dates. Not announced. EPSO said on 30 June that Part 2 takes place in 2027 on dates to be announced later, and on 13 October that more information will follow at a later stage.
- EU knowledge references. EPSO will publish on its website the references to the material used to develop the EU knowledge test, approximately two months before the test date. Until then, EPSO points to a selection of EU publications from the Publications Office, which it says are for guidance only and are not the official texts used for the test.
- EUFTE documentation. The essay is based on documentation about EU matters. EPSO will publish it on its website ahead of the test date, and you receive the same documentation during the test, together with the assignment.
So the references are your signal: once they are out, you will have roughly eight weeks of focused revision. Everything below can be done before that.
What to prepare now
EU knowledge. The notice describes it as a test about the EU, its institutions, procedures and main policies. The core does not depend on the reference list: what each institution is and does, the treaties, the ordinary legislative procedure, the division of competences, the budget, and the main policy areas. Our advice: build that core now, then map it onto the references when they appear. EPSO’s own sample questions are on its website, and our EU knowledge guide covers the traps the questions are built on.
Digital skills. The notice ties the test to DigComp 2.2, the European Digital Competence Framework, and lists its five areas: information and data literacy, communication and collaboration, digital content creation, safety, and problem solving. Read the framework once, area by area. Our digital skills guide shows what the questions look like.
EUFTE. EPSO says the essay assesses written communication and is neither a language test nor a test of factual knowledge. It is marked against five published anchors:
- structures written communication with a logical flow of ideas;
- writes concisely, avoiding unnecessary words and sentences;
- presents subject matter in a clear and understandable way;
- adapts and tailors writing to suit the intended audience and purpose;
- uses the information provided effectively to address the assignment.
Our advice: practise 40-minute answers to an assignment built on a few pages of EU documents, written in your language 2 and typed, not handwritten. Then check each one against the five anchors. The last anchor is easy to overlook: the essay rewards using the documents you are given, not what you know beyond them.
Language 2. Every Part 2 test is in your second language. Read EU texts in that language now, on the EU’s own websites, so the institutional vocabulary is familiar before the clock starts.
Start on EU knowledge now
EPSO-style EU knowledge questions on institutions, treaties and procedures, with an explanation for every answer.
Practise EU knowledge → First 25 questions free · no account needed to tryA plan for the months in between
Our advice, for candidates who sit Part 1 in November:
- Until your test day: reasoning only. Part 2 is worth nothing if Part 1 ends your competition.
- From the day after your test: start the EU knowledge core and your language 2 reading. You do not need the result to begin, and the weeks before it arrives are free time.
- When the references are published: about eight weeks of focused EU knowledge revision, with digital skills and one timed essay a week alongside.
For the steps before and after Part 1, see from the invitation letter to test week and AD5 Part 1 results.
Frequently asked questions
When is AD5 Part 2?
EPSO has not announced dates. It has said only that Part 2 takes place in 2027, on dates to be announced later. The references for the EU knowledge test will be published approximately two months before that test.
Who is invited to AD5 Part 2?
Only candidates who pass Part 1: at least 10 out of 20 in verbal reasoning and at least 10 out of 20 for numerical and abstract reasoning combined. Under the amended notice, candidates are notified of their Part 1 results before the Part 2 invitations.
In which language are the AD5 Part 2 tests?
In your language 2, the second language you declared at level B2 or above. This applies to the EU knowledge test, the digital skills test and the EUFTE essay. The reasoning tests of Part 1 are in language 1.
Will EPSO publish what the EU knowledge test is based on?
Yes. EPSO will publish on its website the references to the material used to develop the EU knowledge test, approximately two months before the test date. Until then it points to a selection of EU publications, which it says are for guidance only.
Is the EUFTE essay marked for every candidate?
No. It is marked only for a limited number of candidates at the top of the preliminary ranking, in principle no more than 1.5 times the number of places sought, which is about 2,235 for 1,490 places. That number can be higher if candidates have equal scores.
Do my numerical and abstract scores count in the AD5 ranking?
No. Numerical and abstract reasoning are only a combined pass mark of 10 out of 20 in Part 1. The ranking is built from verbal reasoning, EU knowledge and digital skills, with the EUFTE added in the final score.
Based on the notice of competition EPSO/AD/427/26 as amended on 30 June 2026, EPSO’s AD5 testing page, its AD5 frequently asked questions and its announcements of 30 June, 18 September and 13 October 2026, read on 19 October 2026. Advice marked as ours is exactly that.