It records no score and takes a few minutes, and it can still go wrong in more ways than its length suggests. The pre-requisite test is EPSO’s technical check on the TAO platform. From 20 October to 6 November 2026, every AD5 candidate can take it. This guide follows EPSO’s instructions for online testing for this competition, step by step.
What it is, and what it is not
The pre-requisite test confirms that your computer works with the test software: TAO, the platform where you answer, and Proctorio, the browser extension that invigilates. It checks your camera, microphone, screen sharing and connection, and it takes you through the identity check and the room scan that you will repeat on test day. It also lets you explore the platform’s tools. No score is recorded, and it has no effect on your result.
Required, and done once
EPSO’s announcement of 13 October calls it the required pre-requisite test. The instructions add a nuance worth knowing exactly. You can technically still sit the test without it. But if you have not done it and then have a technical problem during the test, the related complaint will be dismissed. A completed pre-requisite test is the first condition the instructions list for a technical complaint to be admissible. In practice, treat it as compulsory.
The instructions also say you can do it only once per competition, unless your invitation letter says otherwise. So it is not a rehearsal you can repeat. If you want to get used to the interface first, use EPSO’s public TAO sessions: on the TAO login page choose Public Sessions. They are anonymous, give no score and do not use up your attempt, but they may not show every feature of your competition.
Fix these before you start
Do the check on the computer, devices and settings you will use on the day, ideally in the same room. Before you launch it:
| Setting | What the instructions ask |
|---|---|
| Device | A desktop or laptop computer. Phones and tablets are not supported. |
| Administrator rights | Full administrator rights on the computer. Work devices are not recommended, because they usually do not grant them. |
| System and browser | Windows 10 or later, macOS 10.15 or later, or Ubuntu 18.04 or later; Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge, version 148 or later. |
| Proctorio | The extension installed from getproctorio.com in that browser. |
| Resources | 2 GB of free memory and 250 MB of free disk space, a camera and a microphone. The upload speed needed is low, well under 1 Mbps. |
| Security software and proxy | Antivirus, firewall, VPN and any web proxy switched off. |
| Clock and keyboard | The system date and time on your current time zone, and a keyboard layout that supports your test language. |
| Screen and peripherals | One display. With an external monitor, the laptop lid must be closed. No docking station; a USB multi-port adapter is allowed. |
| Camera | One camera facing you. With an external webcam, disable the built-in one. No virtual cameras or camera-manager programs. |
| Network | The same place, network and device as on test day. A cable or strong, uncrowded Wi-Fi; streaming, downloads and other devices on the same connection paused. |
On a Mac, also allow your browser to record the screen in System Settings › Privacy & Security before you begin. Screen sharing is required, and macOS asks for this permission separately.
The six steps
Log in to the Single Candidate Portal, open the TAO link from your invitation, sign in with EU Login and go to My Sessions. Launch the pre-requisite test from there, at the time your invitation specifies. Then:
- Before you begin. A page lists the test settings and anything you must do first, such as closing other browser tabs or disconnecting a second screen. If you cannot click Continue, follow the instructions in red at the bottom of the page.
- System diagnostics. Checks your webcam, microphone, internet connection and desktop. Click Allow for the camera and microphone. To share your screen, click the preview image first, then Share. If you see no pop-up, it may be hidden behind another window.
- Webcam image test. A series of photos to confirm your face is visible. Sit with the light in front of you, not with a window behind you, which makes a face too dark to detect. Take off hats. Reading glasses can glare: remove them for the photo or change your position.
- Identification check. Hold your ID card or passport in front of the camera until it sits inside the green frame and is captured. If automatic capture fails, use the manual scan option; if the image is blurry, click Retake. The document should show your name and photo on the same side.
- Room and desk scan. A video scan of 20 to 60 seconds. Start with a slow full turn showing the walls, doors and windows, then the desk, under the desk, around your chair and behind the screen. Remove notes, books, headphones and forbidden devices first, and any personal item that could reveal your religion, politics, lifestyle or sexual orientation.
- Submit. Click Submit and proceed. The check then appears under Finished sessions. TAO does not take you back by itself: refresh the page or use the browser’s back button.
If you cover your head for religious reasons, the instructions ask you to show your ears during the environment check; during the test itself your head and ears can stay covered. If a medical reason prevents this, contact EPSO’s accessibility team through the online contact form as early as possible.
Use it to choose your tools
EPSO’s instructions suggest using the pre-requisite test to try each tool, so that you know on test day which ones help you. The toolbar can include a calculator, a scratchpad, a highlighter, a line reader, answer elimination and masking, an attached-documents viewer and accessibility settings such as contrast themes, cursor size and text spacing. Two details are easy to miss:
- The calculator takes a dot. Type decimals with a dot; the comma is not supported as a decimal separator. You can get the result with the equals sign or the Enter key.
- Elimination and masking start switched off. Open their settings icon, switch on the option you want and close the menu.
You can also change the interface language under My account › My User Settings, then save and reload. Our tour of the platform, inside TAO, describes each tool.
If something fails
- Restart the computer and try again.
- Contact TAO support. The phone number and the e-mail address are in your instructions. Support works Monday to Friday, 9:00 to 18:00 CET, in English and French; e-mail is only for problems during the pre-requisite test. Save the number in your phone now: on test day it is the only way to reach them.
- If support cannot solve it, inform EPSO through the Single Candidate Portal. Keep evidence of your contact with support, such as the e-mail exchange or a photo of the call log.
Do not use your single attempt on a machine you will not test on just to see what happens. A check passed on another computer tells you nothing about the one you will use.
What the check cannot tell you
It proves that your set-up worked once. It cannot promise the same on test day. Three things are still in your hands:
- The connection on the day. More than two minutes disconnected from Proctorio ends the test, and so does a change of network during it, including one your computer makes by itself. If anyone else in the house streams or downloads at that hour, ask them not to.
- The charger. Plug it in before the test starts. Some laptops show a pop-up when a charger is connected, and plugging in after the start can end the test.
- Notifications. Exiting full screen ends the test, and clicking a pop-up notification can do exactly that. Our advice: silence notifications for the whole system, not app by app.
For the full calendar up to 13 November, see from the invitation letter to test week. For the rules on the day, see what remote proctoring actually involves.
Practise the questions, not just the set-up
Timed EPSO-style verbal, numerical and abstract questions with a worked explanation for every answer. Use the calculator with a dot as decimal separator, as on TAO.
Start practising → First 25 questions free · no account needed to tryFrequently asked questions
When can I take the AD5 pre-requisite test?
From 20 October to 6 November 2026. You open the TAO platform through the link in your invitation letter in the Single Candidate Portal, sign in with EU Login and launch the pre-requisite test from My Sessions at the time your invitation specifies. Do it early: TAO support answers only Monday to Friday.
Is the EPSO pre-requisite test compulsory?
EPSO calls it required. Its instructions say you can still sit the test without it, but if you then have a technical problem during the test, the related complaint will be dismissed. Treat it as compulsory.
Can I repeat the pre-requisite test?
No. EPSO’s instructions allow it once per competition, unless your invitation letter says otherwise. For practice with the interface, use the public TAO sessions on the TAO login page: they are anonymous, give no score and do not use up your attempt.
Does the pre-requisite test affect my score?
No. No score is recorded. It only confirms that your computer, camera, microphone and connection work with TAO and Proctorio, and lets you try the tools.
What should I do if the pre-requisite test fails?
Restart the computer and try again. If it still fails, contact TAO support, whose number and e-mail address are in your instructions, Monday to Friday from 9:00 to 18:00 CET. If support cannot solve it, inform EPSO through the Single Candidate Portal and keep evidence of your contact with support.
Which computer should I use for the pre-requisite test?
The one you will sit the test on, with the same devices and settings, ideally in the same room and on the same network. It must be a desktop or laptop on which you have administrator rights. Phones and tablets are not supported.
Based on EPSO’s instructions for online testing (TAO) for EPSO/AD/427/26, October 2026 edition, and EPSO’s announcement of 13 October 2026, read on 19 October 2026. Advice marked as ours is exactly that.