# EPSO AST3 in records and archives: EPSO/AST/158/26

URL: https://epsometro.com/guias/epso-ast-158-26-archivos · Updated 2026-10-16

The records and archives management field of EPSO/AST/158/26 offers 298 places for AST3 assistants in the EU institutions. Applications close on 11 November 2026 at 12:00 Brussels time, and you cannot also apply for data and statistics or librarianship. You need a post-secondary diploma of at least two years in archival science, records management, documentation, digital humanities, history or heritage (or law, business or social sciences with a specialisation in those areas) plus three years of experience, or secondary education plus six years. Only the 30-question field test ranks candidates; the reasoning tests and the essay only have to be passed.

- Notice: EPSO/AST/158/26, field 3, Official Journal C/2026/4963, 6 October 2026
- Grade: AST3, assistants
- Places: 298 (the other two fields have 423 and 243)
- Applications: Until 11 November 2026, 12:00 Brussels time, with a copy of your ID or passport
- Supporting documents: By 11 March 2027, 12:00 Brussels time
- Eligibility: Post-secondary diploma of 2 years or more in an accepted area and 3 years of experience, or secondary diploma and 6 years
- Tests: Reasoning · field test, 30 questions in 40 min · essay (EUFTE), 40 min
- What ranks you: The field test only, with a pass mark of 15/30
- Candidates checked: In principle no more than 1.5 times the places: about 447

## What is the records and archives field of EPSO/AST/158/26?

EPSO/AST/158/26, published on 6 October 2026 (Official Journal C/2026/4963), builds reserve lists of **AST3 assistants** in three fields. Field 3 is **records and archives management**, with 298 places; the others are [data and statistics](/guias/epso-ast-158-26-estadistica), with 423, and [librarianship](/guias/epso-ast-158-26-biblioteconomia), with 243. You apply for one field only. The [guide to the whole competition](/guias/epso-ast-158-26) covers what the three share.

Annex II of the notice lists 12 typical duties, carried out "in line with relevant international standards" and under the supervision of administrators. Grouped, they follow a record from creation to the archive:

| Area | What the notice asks for |
| --- | --- |
| Policy | Developing, implementing and monitoring records and archives policies |
| Controls | Classification schemes, metadata schemes and disposition authorities (retention rules) |
| Lifecycle | Managing records at every stage in the relevant systems, with digital curation and preservation; deciding which records to capture and how long to keep them |
| Systems | Technical requirements for records and archives systems, testing, rollouts and migrations |
| Description | Describing archives selected for permanent preservation: inventories, finding aids and guides |
| Security and access | Risk management of storage and business continuity; access controls, confidentiality markings and security requirements; requests for information from inside and outside |
| Support | Guidance and training for staff, outreach on records management |

## Who is eligible for the records and archives field?

Besides EU citizenship and two EU languages (one at C1, another at B2), you need one of two routes on 11 November 2026:

- **Post-secondary studies of at least two years** with a diploma in an accepted area, and **at least three years** of relevant experience after that diploma. A postgraduate diploma or master's in an accepted area, taken after a bachelor's in anything, also counts.
- **Secondary education giving access to post-secondary studies,** and **at least six years** of relevant experience after it.

The accepted areas are archival science or records management; information or documentation science or management; digital humanities; history; and cultural or digital heritage. A diploma in **business, administration or organisation studies, law, linguistics or literature, international relations or social sciences** also counts, but only if the studies included a specialisation in one of those five areas: a law degree alone is not enough, a law degree with an archives specialisation is.

Experience counts only if it matches the **Annex II duties** of this field, with no extra list of areas. Records management in a company or an administration counts as much as work in a historical archive, if the tasks fit. If you rely on the post-secondary route, you also need a letter from the institution stating the standard length of the programme.

## What are the tests?

All the tests are remote and proctored. Everyone who applies on time is invited.

| Test | Language | Questions and time | Pass mark | Role |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Verbal reasoning | Language 1 | 20 in 35 min | 10/20 | Pass or fail |
| Numerical reasoning | Language 1 | 10 in 20 min | 10/20 combined with abstract | Pass or fail |
| Abstract reasoning | Language 1 | 10 in 10 min | 10/20 combined with numerical | Pass or fail |
| Field test, records and archives | Language 2 | 30 in 40 min | 15/30 | Ranks candidates |
| EUFTE essay | Language 2 | 40 min | 5/10 | Pass or fail |

The field test is specific to this field: about 80 seconds a question, in your second language. The essay is marked on written communication, not on knowledge. See the [guide to the reasoning tests](/guias/razonamiento-epso) and the [guide to the EUFTE](/guias/eufte).

## How is the reserve list decided?

1. Reasoning is marked first, and only for candidates who completed every test.
2. Those who pass it have the field test marked. Everyone with at least 15/30 is ranked by that score.
3. From the top of that ranking, a limited number of candidates, in principle no more than **1.5 times the places**, have their essay marked and their eligibility checked. In this field that is about **447** candidates, plus any ties at the cut-off.
4. Those who pass the essay and are eligible go onto the reserve list, in ranking order, until the 298 places are filled.

So the field test is the only score that counts, and it decides who even gets checked. There is no interview before the list. See [how EPSO scores its tests](/guias/como-puntua-epso).

## What does the records and archives field test cover?

The notice publishes no syllabus: the test is "specific to the field". The closest thing is **Annex II**, which is also what your experience is measured against, and which refers to "relevant international standards". Read duty by duty, it points to questions on:

- **The records lifecycle:** capture, classification, retention and disposition, transfer to the archive.
- **Controls:** classification schemes, metadata schemes, retention schedules and disposition authorities.
- **Digital preservation:** curation, formats, migrations, the requirements of records management systems.
- **Archival description:** inventories, finding aids, levels of description.
- **Security and access:** confidentiality markings, access controls, risk and business continuity, handling requests for documents.

The usual international references for those duties are the ISO 15489 standard on records management, the ISAD(G) standard on archival description and the OAIS reference model (ISO 14721) for digital preservation. For the EU context, two rules are worth knowing, although the notice does not name them: **Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001** on public access to documents of the institutions, and **Regulation (EEC, Euratom) No 354/83** on opening the historical archives of the institutions to the public.

## How to prepare

1. **Check your eligibility now.** If your degree is in law, business, linguistics or social sciences, gather the proof of your archives or records specialisation: transcript, ECTS or thesis. Count your years of experience from the date of the diploma you rely on, and ask for the letter with the standard length of the programme. The documents are due by 11 March 2027, but a gap found then cannot be fixed.
2. **Do not underestimate reasoning.** It only has to be passed, but it comes first. Numerical and abstract share one pass mark, so a strong abstract can carry a weak numerical.
3. **Put most of your time into the field test,** in your language 2, covering both sides of the field: current records in an organisation and historical archives.
4. **Learn the vocabulary in your second language.** Retention schedule, finding aid or disposition authority will reach you in that language.
5. **Get used to the screen.** EPSO's tests run on [TAO](/guias/tao), with an on-screen calculator and notepad; paper is not allowed.
6. **Apply before the last day.** The deadline is 11 November 2026 at 12:00 Brussels time, and the ID copy must be uploaded by then too.

## Frequently asked questions

**How many places are there in records and archives in EPSO/AST/158/26?**

298, at grade AST3. The same notice has 423 places in data and statistics and 243 in librarianship, but each candidate can apply for only one of the three fields.

**Can I apply with a law or history degree?**

History is an accepted area on its own. Law, business, linguistics, international relations or social sciences count only if the studies included a specialisation in archival science, records management, documentation, digital humanities or heritage.

**What experience counts?**

Only experience that matches the typical duties of records and archives management in Annex II of the notice: records policies, classification and retention, digital preservation, archival description, security and access, staff guidance. It must have been acquired after the diploma you rely on.

**Which test decides the ranking?**

The field test: 30 questions in 40 minutes, pass mark 15/30, in your language 2. The reasoning tests and the essay are pass or fail and do not count towards the ranking.

**What is the deadline?**

11 November 2026 at 12:00 Brussels time, including the copy of your ID or passport. The other supporting documents are due by 11 March 2027 at 12:00.

**How many candidates have their eligibility checked?**

In principle no more than 1.5 times the places, taken from the top of the field test ranking: about 447 in this field, plus any ties at the cut-off.

## Sources

- Official Journal of the EU, C/2026/4963: Notice of open competition EPSO/AST/158/26 – Assistants (AST 3): data processing, analytics and statistics; librarianship and information science; records and archives management (https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/C/2026/4963/oj)
- EPSO: Specialists (Administrators – AD6 to AD9): tests (https://eu-careers.europa.eu/en/help/what-written-test)
- Official Journal of the EU: Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001 regarding public access to European Parliament, Council and Commission documents (https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2001/1049/oj)
- Official Journal of the EU: Council Regulation (EEC, Euratom) No 354/83 concerning the opening to the public of the historical archives of the EEC and Euratom (https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/1983/354/oj)