Most candidates prepare for EPSO’s reasoning tests by working on the questions. That is the right instinct, but it is not where the cheapest marks are lost. On the day, marks go to three other things: a setup that fails before the first question, a clock that is badly spent once the test is running, and a handful of actions that end the session outright. None of them is about ability, and all of them are avoidable.
First, know what the clock allows
| Test | Questions | Time | Per question | What it counts for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Verbal reasoning | 20 | 35 min | 1 min 45 s | 10/20 pass mark and 35% of the final ranking score |
| Numerical reasoning | 10 | 20 min | 2 min | 10/20 combined pass mark; nothing in the final score |
| Abstract reasoning | 10 | 10 min | 1 min |
Keep the right-hand column in mind while you read the rest: several of the mistakes below are about spending effort where it earns nothing. The full reasoning is in our guide to how EPSO scores and ranks AD5.
Mistakes before the first question
1. Spending the technical check on the wrong machine. The mandatory technical prerequisite check can be run once per competition and cannot be repeated. A check passed on a home desktop says nothing about the laptop you will actually use. Run it on the exact computer, peripherals and room of test day. For getting used to the interface, EPSO’s public TAO practice sessions cost you nothing.
2. Sitting the test on a work laptop. The proctoring software needs administrator rights, which corporate devices usually withhold. A corporate laptop without them is on EPSO’s list of problems that do not automatically earn a retest — together with an improper peripheral setup, a late login, a laptop that ran out of battery because it was not plugged in, and a missing valid ID.
3. Silencing notifications in the wrong place. Clicking a pop-up notification during the test can end the session. Muting your messaging app is not enough; silence notifications at the operating-system level before you start.
4. Leaving paper on the desk out of habit. Writing materials are forbidden, and handwritten notes during the test can invalidate the session. The room scan at check-in is not the moment to discover a notebook. More importantly, if you have practised numerical reasoning with a pencil, you have practised a version of the exam that does not exist — see mistake 9.
5. Panicking at a greyed-out session. Sessions stay inactive until their scheduled start time. Log in a few minutes early; if the session looks unavailable, refresh rather than close anything. The full check-in sequence is in our test-day guide.
Mistakes while the clock is running
6. Leaving questions blank. There is no negative marking. A blank answer and a wrong answer score the same, so a blank is simply a guess you declined to make. Before the time runs out, every question should have an answer.
7. Fighting one question for four minutes. Our advice: set yourself a limit a little above the per-question budget in the table — about two minutes in verbal, less in abstract. When you hit it, pick the most likely option, flag the question with the bookmark and move on. The overview panel lets you come back if time allows. A question you cannot crack is costing you the two easy ones further down.
8. In verbal: choosing what is true instead of what is stated. EPSO verbal items are judged strictly against the passage. The classic wrong answer is correct in the real world, plausible to an informed reader, and not supported by the text. Watch the qualifiers too — may and must, all and most — because the distractors are built on them. If you sit verbal in your second language, this is where most marks go; see verbal reasoning in your second language.
9. In numerical: meeting the on-screen tools for the first time. Instead of paper you get an on-screen calculator and scratchpad. Both are slower than a pencil until they are familiar. One small detail catches people: in the calculator you press the equals sign, not Enter, to evaluate. Our advice for the table questions: read the title, the units and any footnote before the numbers, and be clear whether an answer wants a percentage or a change in percentage points.
10. In abstract: treating one minute like three. Abstract reasoning gives you ten questions in ten minutes. Our advice: if no rule has appeared after a first pass over the series — shape, count, position, rotation, shading — guess, flag and move on. Because numerical and abstract share one combined pass mark, a strong numerical paper can carry a weaker abstract one; stalling on abstract can put both at risk.
11. Polishing the tests that do not count. Once the combined numerical and abstract pass mark is safe, extra marks there buy nothing. Verbal is the only Part 1 test that counts towards the ranking. In practice, the time and attention you have left belong to verbal.
12. Practising each test on its own. The three tests are sat in one session, back to back. A candidate who has only ever done twenty-minute practice sets meets fatigue for the first time in the real exam. Rehearse at least a few full sessions in a row, under the real desk conditions.
Practise under the conditions you will sit
Timed EPSO-style verbal, numerical and abstract sets with a worked explanation for every answer. Do them with an empty desk and all three back to back.
Start practising → First 25 questions free · no account needed to tryMistakes that end the test outright
Some behaviours are judged afterwards by EPSO and the selection board. These end the test immediately. The ones candidates trigger by accident:
| What you do | Why it ends the test |
|---|---|
| Click the “X” in the browser’s address bar, or a pop-up notification | It exits full screen, which terminates the session |
| Open a new tab, close or reload the test tab | New tabs are closed automatically and can remove you from the session |
| Connect a second screen | Only a single display is allowed |
| Lose your connection for more than two minutes, or switch networks | Disconnection over two minutes and network changes both terminate |
| Press CTRL+ALT+DEL or open Task Manager | Navigating away from the test page terminates |
The two-minute limit is the one to plan for. If your home connection is unreliable, use a cable, and save the TAO support number in your phone before the day. The complete list of twelve automatic terminations is in the test-day guide.
Mistakes after you submit
13. Forgetting the ID upload. If your identity document does not show your name and photograph on the same side, you must upload a single PDF with both sides to your candidate account by 23:59 CET on the calendar day after the tests. Missing it risks disqualification for a test you may have passed.
14. Treating the reasoning tests as the only deadline. For AD5, supporting documents are due by 7 October 2026 at midday Brussels time, which may fall before your test date. A strong score does not survive a missing document; our guide to the supporting-documents check explains what is verified.
A one-minute checklist for the day before
- Technical check done, on the machine you will use
- Laptop plugged in; administrator rights confirmed
- Notifications silenced at operating-system level; one display only
- Desk cleared to the permitted items; valid ID ready
- Cable connection if you have one; TAO support number saved in your phone
- Plan: answer everything, flag and move at two minutes, spend spare attention on verbal
Frequently asked questions
Is there negative marking in EPSO reasoning tests?
No. A wrong answer and a blank answer score the same, so you should answer every question before the time runs out. If you cannot resolve a question, choose the most likely option, flag it and come back if time allows.
What happens if my internet connection drops during an EPSO test?
A brief interruption is survivable, but being disconnected from the proctoring software for more than two minutes terminates the test automatically, as does changing your network connection during the test. Use a wired connection if you can, and save the TAO support number before test day.
Can I use pen and paper in the EPSO online tests?
No. Writing materials are forbidden on the desk, and handwritten notes during the test can invalidate the session. The test platform provides an on-screen calculator and scratchpad instead, so practise numerical reasoning without paper.
How long should I spend on each question?
The formats allow about 1 minute 45 seconds per verbal question, 2 minutes per numerical question and 1 minute per abstract question. A practical rule is to stop at roughly two minutes, pick the most likely answer, flag the question and move on.
Can I get a retest if something goes wrong on my side?
Not automatically for problems within your control. EPSO lists a corporate laptop without administrator rights, an improper peripheral setup, a late login, a laptop that ran out of battery because it was not plugged in, and a missing valid ID among the complaints that do not automatically lead to a retest.
The test formats, pass marks and weights are those of EPSO/AD/427/26. The rules on the technical check, the desk, automatic terminations, retests and the ID upload come from EPSO's instructions for online testing. Technique advice marked as ours is exactly that. The notice of competition and EPSO's instructions sent with your invitation are the texts that bind.