Most candidates practise by doing more questions. The ones who improve fastest also do something duller: they write down every mistake, name its cause, and drill the cause, not the topic. Two tests can cost you the same three questions for completely different reasons, and the cure for each is different. This page gives you a one-page error log you can keep in a spreadsheet or a notebook, the seven causes that explain almost every wrong answer, and a weekly routine that turns the log into a study plan.
Know your budget first
Before you can say a question was “too slow”, you need the time it is allowed. These are the AD5 formats (see the 8-week prep plan):
| Test | Questions | Minutes | Time per question |
|---|---|---|---|
| Verbal reasoning | 20 | 35 | 1:45 (105 seconds) |
| Numerical reasoning | 10 | 20 | 2:00 (120 seconds) |
| Abstract reasoning | 10 | 10 | 1:00 (60 seconds) |
Treat these as averages. A quick question gives time to a hard one. Abstract has the tightest budget, so a question that takes two minutes there costs you two others.
What to write down
One line per wrong answer. Also log the right answers that felt like guesses, because they are wrong answers waiting to happen. Seven columns are enough:
| Date | Test and card | Question | Seconds taken | Cause | What I did | Rule for next time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 Nov | Numerical | Q4 | 170 | C | Divided by the new value | Change ÷ old value |
| 3 Nov | Verbal | Q11 | 95 | E | Answered from what I know | Only what the text says |
| 5 Nov | Abstract | Q7 | 140 | G | Stuck on shapes, guessed | Skip at 75 s, return last |
Illustrative rows, invented for this page.
“Rule for next time” is the column that matters. Write it as an instruction you could follow with your eyes shut, in one line. If you cannot write one, you have not understood the mistake yet: open the explanation and keep reading until you can.
The seven causes
Give each wrong answer one letter. If two apply, pick the one that, if fixed, would have saved the question.
- Misread the question. You answered something near the question: the wrong country, year, unit or “not”. Fix: underline the ask before you look at the data.
- Wrong table cell or passage line. The method was right and the input was wrong. Fix: point at the cell with the cursor, say its row and column.
- Wrong operation or classic trap. Divided by the new value, averaged two averages, added growth rates. Fix: the shortcut and its trap, from the numerical shortcuts.
- Arithmetic or magnitude slip. The right sum with a slipped digit, or millions against billions. Fix: estimate first and write the unit beside every number.
- Went beyond the text. In verbal, an answer that is true in the world but not stated, or stronger than the passage allows. Fix: find the sentence that supports the answer, or drop it.
- Missed a rule. In abstract, one of the parallel rules was not noticed. Fix: list the attributes (position, shape, size, colour, count) one by one, see the abstract reasoning rules.
- Out of time or guessed. You knew how, or half knew how, and ran out of road. Fix: a hard cut-off per question and a rule for what you do at the cut-off.
The letters in the sample log above are A to G in this order, so row 1 was a trap, row 2 went beyond the text, row 3 was time.
The weekly routine
- Practise in short timed blocks, ten to twenty questions. After each block, log every wrong or guessed answer straight away, while you still remember what you were thinking.
- Read the explanation before you move on. Every question on the site has one, and the explanations name the rule or trap. Copy it into “Rule for next time” in your own words.
- Once a week, count the causes. A tally of letters is enough. The biggest pile is your focus for the next week.
- Drill the cause, not the card. If the top cause is C, do ten percentage questions slowly and say the trap out loud. If it is G, practise only the cut-off: leave a question at the time limit even when you are close.
- Redo the wrong questions. Try them again after about two days, then after a week, then after about three weeks. This is a common pattern for spaced review, not an EPSO rule. If you get one right three times, retire it from the log.
Reading your own numbers
- Mostly A, B, D (careless)? You know the material. Slow down at the start of each question and estimate before calculating. Speed will come back by itself.
- Mostly C, E, F (concept)? More volume will not help. Study the rules, then redo the missed questions.
- Mostly G (time)? Compare your seconds column with the budget table above. If your wrong answers are slow and your right ones fast, set a cut-off about 25% over the average and move on at that point.
- Spread evenly? Pick the test with the lowest score and give it your first practice block of each day.
The pass marks are per test, not in total (verbal 10 out of 20; numerical and abstract share 10 out of 20, see scoring and ranking), so spend extra time where you are furthest below the mark rather than polishing your strongest test.
Start your log with five free questions
Do a free 5-question sample for each reasoning test, log what you miss, and name the cause for each. When you know your top cause, the Focus cards have 60 questions each, with an explanation for every answer.
Start the free numerical sample → Also verbal and abstractFrequently asked questions
What is an error log?
A list of the questions you got wrong or guessed, with the cause of each mistake and a one-line rule for next time. It shows which kind of mistake costs you most, which a score alone does not.
How many questions should I practise per day?
Enough to log properly. Ten to twenty questions in a timed block, followed by logging and reading the explanations, is worth more than fifty questions done without review.
How long should each question take?
On the AD5 formats, about 1 minute 45 seconds in verbal reasoning (20 questions in 35 minutes), 2 minutes in numerical (10 in 20) and 1 minute in abstract (10 in 10). These are averages across the test.
Should I skip hard questions in the EPSO tests?
Setting a cut-off and returning later is a sound approach on a test with an average budget per question, since a hard question can cost the time of two others. Decide your cut-off in practice, not on the day.
When should I redo a question I got wrong?
A common pattern is after about two days, again after a week, and once more after about three weeks. This is a suggestion from study practice, not an EPSO rule.
Test formats as in the AD5 notice EPSO/AD/427/26; the log and routine are a study method, not an EPSO requirement. As on 1 November 2026.