Every EPSO candidate spends weeks on verbal, numerical and abstract questions, and a few minutes on the software they will answer them in. It should be the other way round for at least one evening. The platform decides how fast you can calculate without paper, how you mark a question you want to come back to, and what happens when you click the wrong button between two tests. None of that is difficult. All of it is unfamiliar the first time, and the first time should not be the real test.
Two programs on one screen
TAO is the test platform, built by Open Assessment Technologies, a Luxembourg company. It is where your sessions are listed, where the questions appear, where the calculator and scratchpad live, and where you submit. Proctorio is a Chrome or Edge extension. It runs the checks before TAO opens — browser, camera, identity, room — and then records camera, microphone and screen for the whole test.
You will see both. TAO fills the screen; Proctorio adds a small movable toolbar of its own, with a view of your webcam image, zoom in and out, and a battery indicator that only appears when the laptop is not plugged in (green, yellow, then red below a third). If you ever see the battery indicator during a test, plug in at once — and read the section on chargers below, because plugging in has its own trap.
The settings that stop candidates before question one
The official requirements are modest: a laptop or desktop less than about ten years old, Windows 10, macOS 10.15 or Ubuntu 18.04 or later, Chrome or Edge, 2 GB of free memory, a camera and a microphone. An upload speed of well under 1 Mbps is enough. Phones and tablets are not supported. What fails is rarely the hardware. It is one of these settings:
| Setting | What EPSO requires | Why it catches people |
|---|---|---|
| Administrator rights | Full admin rights on the machine | Work laptops rarely have them, and a corporate device is on EPSO’s list of problems that do not automatically earn a retest. |
| Proxy | Any web proxy switched off | Many machines have one configured
without the owner knowing. In Chrome, chrome://settings/system → Open your computer’s
proxy settings: on Windows turn off automatic detection, the setup script and the manual proxy, then
restart; on a Mac turn off the web proxy (HTTP) and the secure web proxy (HTTPS). |
| VPN | No active VPN | Using a proxy during the test ends it automatically, and so does changing network connection. A VPN that drops or reconnects mid-test can do both. |
| Antivirus and firewall | Disabled for the test | They can block the webcam, and a faulty video feed does not automatically earn a retake. |
| Date and time | System clock set to your current time zone | A laptop last used abroad, or set manually, can be hours out. |
| Keyboard layout | A layout that supports the test language | Matters when a test asks you to type text, and for anyone who switches layouts by shortcut — keyboard shortcuts are on the same no-automatic-retest list. |
| Camera | One camera, facing you throughout | With an external webcam, disable the built-in one so the right camera is picked. Virtual cameras and third-party camera managers are not allowed: they can switch themselves off mid-test. |
| Screen recording (Mac) | The browser allowed to record the screen | macOS asks for this in System Settings → Privacy & Security, and the change often needs a browser restart. Do it days before, not at check-in. |
| Charger | Plugged in from the start | Some laptops show a pop-up when a charger is connected, and the system may treat that pop-up as a violation and end the test. Plug in before you begin, never during. |
Two smaller points. Install the Proctorio extension only from getproctorio.com, the address in
EPSO’s instructions; a wrong extension version is on the same list. And the
extension shows its instructions in your computer’s default language, falling back to English — which
is unrelated to the language of your test.
One piece of advice of our own: silence notifications at the level of the operating system (Focus on a Mac, Do not disturb on Windows), not app by app. EPSO’s instructions are blunt about pop-ups: clicking one takes you out of full-screen mode, and leaving full screen ends the session.
Two ways to meet TAO before the day
| Public TAO sessions | Technical prerequisite check | |
|---|---|---|
| Required? | No | Yes. Without it you cannot start the real test, and a complaint will be rejected. |
| How often | As often as you like | Once per competition. It cannot be repeated. |
| How to open it | TAO login page → Public Sessions → Start. Anonymous, no score. | From your invitation in the Single Candidate Portal, before the deadline it gives. |
| What it proves | That you can handle the interface. Not every EPSO feature is shown. | That this computer, with these peripherals and settings, works with the software. |
The order follows from the table: learn the interface in the public sessions, then spend the one prerequisite check on the exact machine, peripherals and room of test day. At the end of the check, click Submit and proceed; the session then moves to Finished sessions. TAO does not take you back by itself — refresh the page or use the browser’s back button.
While you are logged in, do two things the instructions ask for. Check that the upcoming sessions under My Sessions match your invitation — language, field, date — and report any difference to EPSO straight away through the Single Candidate Portal. And set the interface language you want under My account → My User Settings, then save and reload. The interface language you choose is on the list of complaints that do not automatically earn a retest, so choose it calmly now.
The detail almost nobody notices: tool settings from the prerequisite check are not saved. A contrast theme, a larger font, the answer-elimination switch — you will set them up again when the real test begins. Decide in advance which ones you want, so it takes seconds.
Reading the test screen
- Two clocks. Each test opens on a welcome page with its own countdown for reading the instructions. Then the test timer sits at the top of the screen, showing the minutes and seconds left for the current section.
- The navigation bar. Numbered buttons take you straight to any question; an arrow takes you to the next one. You can move freely between questions within the same test part.
- The bookmark. Every question carries a bookmark icon. Flag answered or unanswered questions alike; click again to remove the flag.
- The overview panel. It lists every question of the current part, with a Bookmarked section that counts your flags and lets you jump to each one.
The overview panel uses four symbols, and it is worth knowing them before the clock is running:
| What you see on the number | What it means |
|---|---|
| Light grey circle | Not displayed yet |
| Black outline only | Seen, but not answered |
| White number in a black circle | Answered |
| Small arrow under the number | The question you are on |
Our advice: in the last minute of any test, open the overview and look for outlines. An outlined number is a question you saw and left blank, and since there is no negative marking, a blank is a guess you declined to make.
The tools, and what each one is good for
The tools sit in a fixed toolbar at the top right. Click an icon to turn a tool on (an outline around the icon means it is active) and click again to turn it off. They change only what you see; nothing you do with them is marked. Which tools appear depends on the test.
| Tool | What it does | Where it earns its place (our view) |
|---|---|---|
| Calculator | Type with the keyboard or click the buttons. Evaluate with the equals sign, not Enter. Drag it by its header; resize it. | Numerical. Park it where it does not cover the table, once, at the start. A separate keyboard with a numeric keypad is allowed. |
| Scratchpad | A window to write and draw in: select, text box, freehand brush, rectangles, ellipses and lines, eraser. Enter starts a new line. | Numerical. Typing intermediate results into a text box is faster than drawing digits with a mouse or trackpad. |
| Highlighter | Select text, pick a colour; erase one mark or clear all. Works on text, not images. Only you see it. | Verbal: mark the qualifiers the answer turns on — all, most, may, must. |
| Line reader | A horizontal strip that greys out everything else. Resize it with the arrows on the left, move it with the lines icon in the middle. | Long verbal passages, and dense data tables read row by row. |
| Answer elimination | Strikes through an option you have ruled out; click again to restore it. | Everywhere, but especially abstract reasoning, where you often find the answer by removing the others. |
| Answer masking | Hides an option entirely until you click it again. | For candidates who find a struck-through distractor still distracting. |
| Attached documents | A PDF viewer on the right of the screen, with text search, zoom and page jump. EPSO’s instructions are always available there during the test. | Tests that come with a document to work from. |
| Accessibility | Contrast themes (dark and high-contrast among them), a larger or coloured cursor, and a choice of font, font size, line height, word spacing and letter spacing. | Anyone who finds the default page tiring. Try them in a public session and pick yours. |
Answer elimination and masking are off until you switch them on: open their settings icon, toggle the one you want, and close the menu. That is the step candidates miss, and it is one more thing to redo at the start of the real test. Our advice for zoom: use the Proctorio toolbar rather than the browser. Browser zoom means keyboard shortcuts, and those are on the list of complaints that do not automatically earn a retest.
In short: practise numerical reasoning with no paper and a calculator you operate by keyboard, and verbal reasoning with a habit of marking, not rereading. Our guides to numerical reasoning and verbal reasoning cover the technique; the tools only have to stop getting in its way.
Rehearse the habits before you meet the platform
Timed EPSO-style verbal, numerical and abstract questions with a worked explanation for each. Cross out the options you have ruled out, as TAO’s answer elimination does, and keep the desk empty while you practise.
Start practising → First 25 questions free · no account needed to trySubmitting: the dialogs between test parts
When you submit a test part, TAO asks you to confirm. There are four versions of the dialog, and they differ in two ways: whether you are leaving a part or the whole test, and whether you still have unanswered questions.
- Everything answered: Review my answers takes you back, if time is left; Submit and proceed (or Submit the test at the end) confirms.
- Questions still unanswered: the button to go back reads Keep answering instead. Treat that wording as an alarm, not a formality.
Navigation is free only within the part you are in, so read confirming a part as leaving it. Submitting before the time runs out is your choice, and it is on the list of complaints that do not automatically lead to a retest — so if you finish early, spend the spare minutes on your flagged questions first.
Your answers are saved continuously as you go. When everything is over, log back in with EU Login and open Finished sessions: a screenshot of that list is your proof of attendance. A short satisfaction survey stays open for 72 hours from the day after the test; it is optional.
When something goes wrong
EPSO’s instructions set out an order, and following it is what keeps a later complaint admissible:
- Restart the computer first. If the problem persists, call TAO support. The number is in your instructions; save it in your phone before test day. Support answers Monday to Friday, 09:00–18:00 CET, in English or French. Calls and emails are recorded, and EPSO does not refund the cost of the call.
- The phone stays off the desk, muted and out of reach. To call support you may stand up to fetch it, but come straight back and stay seated in front of the camera for the whole call.
- Screenshots only when an agent asks, and taken from a separate device, without leaving the testing environment.
- One broken test is not a broken day. If you have several tests in the same procedure, you must still try to connect to each of the remaining ones.
- Then tell EPSO in writing, through the Single Candidate Portal only, with a detailed description and evidence: a photo of your exchange with support, or an extract of your phone bill showing the time, length and number of the call. It must arrive by the deadline in the notice of competition.
A technical complaint is rejected outright if you skipped the prerequisite check, did not contact support at the time of the test, sent no evidence by the deadline, or complained late. If a complaint succeeds, EPSO may offer a new slot — and accepting it cancels your original result. And say plainly that you are lodging a complaint: EPSO treats feedback about the testing experience as feedback, not as a complaint.
Candidates with approved special needs may have additional breaks. The break screen has its own timer, the next part starts automatically when it runs out, and the proctoring continues throughout.
A platform checklist
| When | Do this |
|---|---|
| Two weeks before | Do a public TAO session. Try every tool, the accessibility options included, and decide which ones you will use. |
| Before the check deadline | Admin rights confirmed, proxy and VPN off, clock and keyboard layout right, one camera, Mac screen recording allowed. Then run the prerequisite check on that machine, in that room, and submit it. |
| The day before | Support number saved in your phone. Sessions under My Sessions match the invitation. Operating-system notifications silenced. |
| Fifteen minutes before | Charger in, other applications closed, antivirus and firewall off. Log in a few minutes early; a greyed-out session only means it has not started — refresh. |
| First minute of the test | Switch on your tools again: they did not carry over from the check. |
| After | Screenshot Finished sessions. If your ID shows name and photo on different sides, upload the two-sided PDF by 23:59 CET the next day. |
For the day itself — the room scan, the desk and the list of actions that end a test on the spot — read what remote proctoring actually involves, and then the test-day mistakes that cost marks.
Frequently asked questions
What platform are EPSO tests taken on?
EPSO’s tests run on TAO, a test platform built by Open Assessment Technologies, together with the Proctorio browser extension, which handles remote invigilation. EPSO’s online-testing page also lists a second platform, TestWe, so the platform that applies to you is the one named in your invitation letter.
Can I practise on TAO before my EPSO test?
Yes. The TAO login page offers public sessions: anonymous practice tests that produce no score and can be repeated. They do not show every EPSO feature. Separately, you must complete one technical prerequisite check per competition, which cannot be repeated, so use the public sessions to learn the interface and the check to test your actual set-up.
Can I take the EPSO online tests on a Mac or on Linux?
Yes. TAO supports Windows 10 or later, macOS 10.15 or later and Ubuntu 18.04 or later, in Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge with the Proctorio extension. Phones and tablets are not supported. On a Mac, allow the browser to record the screen in System Settings, Privacy & Security, well before test day.
How does the calculator work in TAO?
You can type with the keyboard or click the on-screen buttons, and you must press the equals sign rather than Enter to get the result. The calculator can be moved and resized. A separate keyboard with a numeric keypad is allowed on the desk.
Are my tool settings from the prerequisite check kept for the real test?
No. EPSO’s instructions state that settings made during the prerequisite check are not saved, so you set up your preferred tools again when the real test begins. Answer elimination and masking in particular are off until you switch them on in their settings menu.
What should I do if TAO stops working during the test?
Restart the computer first. If the problem persists, call TAO support, whose number is in your instructions, Monday to Friday between 09:00 and 18:00 CET. Afterwards, inform EPSO in writing through the Single Candidate Portal with evidence, such as a photo of your exchange with support or a phone bill extract, before the deadline in the notice of competition. Complaints are rejected if the prerequisite check was not done or support was not contacted at the time.
Based on EPSO’s Instructions for online testing (TAO), March 2026 edition, which EPSO sends with every invitation letter, and on EPSO’s page “Online testing – what you must know”, both read on 27 September 2026. Advice marked as ours is exactly that. Your invitation and EPSO’s instructions are the texts that bind; if a newer edition reaches you, it prevails.