A financial management competition is planned for September 2027. Finance is a field where EU competitions ask for years of documented work, not just a degree. Two competitions already described on this site show how EPSO has handled finance and audit profiles, and what they filter on.
The audit competition shows the shape
The nearest finance-type AD competition we have analysed is EPSO/AD/428/26, for auditors at AD 7. It sought 448 successful candidates, and its experience rules were strict: depending on the length of your university studies, you needed between five and seven years of professional experience, of which at least four years had to be in audit. The rest could come from a wide range of finance-related work, from accounting and procurement to anti-fraud and programme management.
The lesson is not about audit as such. It is that a finance competition can set a floor in one specific activity, and that this floor decides eligibility. Many strong finance professionals meet the total number of years and still fail the specific one. The full analysis is in our audit competition guide.
Finance at assistant level
Finance has also appeared at assistant grade. Recaps of the 2024 assistants round, EPSO/AST/156/24, list a financial management field, with a field-related multiple-choice test of 30 questions in 40 minutes and a pass mark of 15 out of 30. Treat that as a precedent as reported by a training provider; the notice itself is the only binding text. The same figures appear in the 2026 data management competition, EPSO/AST/158/26, which we cover in our guide to it.
How a finance competition is usually scored
In the two recent competitions we have verified, AD/428/26 and AST/158/26, the reasoning tests came first and were a pass-or-fail gate. The 30-question field test in the second language then ranked candidates, and a short essay was marked only for those near the top. We explain that stage in the field-related test guide. A September 2027 notice may change any of this, and it is the notice that counts.
What to do between now and September
- Build an evidence file. For each job, a certificate or contract with exact start and end dates and the duties that match finance work. Eligibility is checked against documents.
- Separate your years by activity. Audit, accounting, budget, procurement, grants, control. If a notice sets a minimum in one of them, you want to know your number before you read it.
- Keep your field knowledge current. The ranked test is about your field, so read about EU budget and financial rules as a practitioner would.
- Train the reasoning tests. They are the first gate and cost nothing to prepare for early.
Whatever the field, the first stage is the same set of reasoning tests. EU Testing has a free 5-question sample for each of verbal, numerical and abstract reasoning, so you can see the formats before you decide to train more. Try the free samples →
Frequently asked questions
Is there an EPSO financial management competition in 2027?
EPSO's planner, last updated on 22 September 2026, lists Financial management for September 2027, function group AD. The month, fields and grade are marked as to be confirmed.
How much experience does a finance competition ask for?
It depends on the notice. The recent audit competition, EPSO/AD/428/26, asked for five to seven years in total depending on your degree length, with at least four years in audit. Read the table in the 2027 notice.
Is there a finance competition for assistants?
A financial management field appeared in the 2024 assistants round, EPSO/AST/156/24, according to training-provider recaps. The 2027 planner lists no finance competition at assistant grade.
How is the field-related test scored in finance competitions?
In the audit competition AD/428/26 and the data management competition AST/158/26, the 30-question field test in language 2, with a pass mark of 15 out of 30, ranked the candidates who had passed the reasoning tests.
What should I prepare before the notice?
Documents proving each period of work with exact dates, a count of your years by activity, and the reasoning tests.
Planner: EPSO upcoming selection procedures, last updated 22 September 2026. Precedents: EPSO/AD/428/26, EPSO/AST/158/26; EPSO/AST/156/24 as reported by a training provider. As on 4 November 2026.