Guides
Guides to the EPSO and Commission tests
How the screen, the tests and the pass marks work, with the figures and where they come from. Written for candidates and updated when the rules change.
Glossary · The terms of the notices, explained →
EPSO competitions 2026 and 2027
EPSO competitions 2026 and 2027: which are open and what each asks
The EPSO competitions of 2026 — AD5, AD7 ICT, AD8 AI and cybersecurity, AST3 data and archives, CAST — and those EPSO plans for 2027: places, deadlines and tests.
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AST3 data, libraries and archives
EPSO/AST/158/26: data, library and archives assistants (AST3)
964 AST3 places in data and statistics, librarianship and records management. Applications until 11 November 2026: eligibility, the five tests and what ranks you.
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EPSO AST3 in data and statistics: EPSO/AST/158/26
423 AST3 places in data processing, analytics and statistics. Apply by 11 November 2026: which diplomas and experience count, the tests and what the field test covers.
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EPSO AST3 in librarianship: EPSO/AST/158/26
243 AST3 places in librarianship and information science. Apply by 11 November 2026: which diplomas and experience count, the tests and the field test.
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EPSO AST3 in records and archives: EPSO/AST/158/26
298 AST3 places in records and archives management. Apply by 11 November 2026: which diplomas and experience count, the tests and what the field test covers.
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AD5, the 2026 competition
EPSO/AD/427/26: the 2026 AD5 competition, test by test
1,490 places, four tests and a weighted score: how the 2026 EPSO AD5 graduate competition works, from the notice — pass marks, dates and what happens after.
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AI, EPSO AD8
EPSO AD8 in artificial intelligence: EPSO/AD/430/26
240 AD8 places in AI. Applications closed on 13 October 2026. Who is eligible, the tests, what the AI field test covers and why it alone decides the ranking.
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Cybersecurity, EPSO AD8
EPSO AD8 in cybersecurity: EPSO/AD/430/26
254 AD8 places in cybersecurity. Applications closed on 13 October 2026. Who is eligible, the tests, what the field test covers and why it alone decides the ranking.
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ICT, EPSO AD7
EPSO AD7 in ICT: EPSO/AD/429/26, four fields and 782 places
ICT infrastructure, ICT project management, clouds and networks, and data science: 782 AD7 places. Eligibility, the tests and why only the field test ranks you.
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AST3 specialists
EPSO AST3 competitions: eligibility, tests and salary
AST3 assistant competitions by field: eligible without a university degree, the tests, why only the field test ranks you, and the €4,806.17 starting salary.
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How EPSO scores
How EPSO scores its tests: what ranks you in 2026
In AD5, numerical and abstract reasoning do not count for the ranking; in specialist competitions, not even verbal does. Test by test, from the 2026 notices.
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EU salaries
EU salaries: AD5, AST3 and contract agent pay, grade by grade
Step 1 basic monthly pay: AD5 €6,152.64, AST3 €4,806.17, contract agent FG IV €4,449.31, plus allowances, correction coefficients and deductions.
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Supporting documents
EPSO supporting documents: proving your degree and experience
What EPSO accepts as proof of a degree and of professional experience, how relevant work is counted, and what happens if a document is missing — from the general rules.
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EPSO pass marks
EPSO pass marks 2026: every test in every competition
The official pass marks and weights of the 2026 EPSO tests: AD5, AD7 ICT, AD8, AST3, CAST and the Commission internal competitions, from the notices.
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Reasoning tests
EPSO reasoning tests: verbal, numerical and abstract
Verbal: 20 questions in 35 min. Numerical: 10 in 20. Abstract: 10 in 10. Pass marks, what each question looks like, the tools you get and how to practise.
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The EUFTE essay
EUFTE: the EPSO essay on EU matters, explained
40 minutes, marked from 0 to 10 with a pass mark of 5, in your second language, on documents EPSO publishes in advance. The five criteria and how much it counts.
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EU knowledge test
EPSO EU knowledge test: format, topics and how it counts
30 questions in 40 minutes, pass mark 15/30, in your second language, and 30% of the AD5 ranking. What it asks, the traps it sets and the internal-competition version.
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Digital skills test
EPSO digital skills test: format, DigComp areas and pass mark
40 questions in 30 minutes, about 45 seconds each, pass mark 20/40, in your second language. The five DigComp areas, what the questions look like and how it counts.
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CAST Permanent
CAST Permanent: how the EU contract staff selection works
Always open, no deadline: register, get shortlisted, pass three reasoning tests and stay eligible for ten years. Function groups, pass marks and the 2026 test dates.
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TAO, EPSO's test platform
The EPSO TAO platform: screen, tools and rules of the tests
Since January 2026 EPSO runs its tests on the TAO platform, proctored by Proctorio: the screen, calculator and notepad, technical requirements and desk rules.
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The G+ test
The G+ test in the Commission's internal competitions
First stage of the 2026 Commission internal competitions: 24 interactive, adaptive questions in 36 minutes, with a 60th-percentile pass mark (40th in AST2).
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Commission internal competitions
Commission internal competitions 2026: stages, tests and pass marks
COM/AD/107, COM/AD/108, COM/AST/109 and the AST2 COM/AST/112, closed on 30 October: who can apply, the stages from the G+ test to the oral and each pass mark.
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