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 in 2026
EPSO competitions in 2026: which are open and what each asks
The 2026 EPSO competitions at a glance: AD5, AD7 in ICT, AD8 in AI and cybersecurity, AST3 and CAST — places, deadlines, tests and which one you can still apply to.
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AI, EPSO AD8
EPSO AD8 in artificial intelligence: EPSO/AD/430/26
240 AD8 places in AI. Apply by 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. Apply by 13 October 2026. Who is eligible, the tests, what the field test covers and why it alone decides the ranking.
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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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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 specialist competitions: how they work
Assistant competitions by field: eligibility without a university degree, the tests, and why only the field test ranks you. With the example of EPSO/AST/157/25.
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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: what an AD5, an AST3 and a contract agent earn
The official basic salaries of every EU grade and step, the allowances, the correction coefficient of each country and what is deducted, from the Official Journal.
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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
TAO: the platform you will sit your EPSO tests on
Since January 2026 EPSO runs its computer-based tests on TAO, supervised by Proctorio. What the screen looks like, the tools, the technical requirements and the desk rules.
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The G+ test
The G+ test in the Commission's internal competitions
The first stage of the 2026 internal competitions: 24 interactive, adaptive questions in 36 minutes, numerical, inductive and deductive, with a 60th-percentile pass mark.
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Commission internal competitions
Commission internal competitions 2026: stages, tests and pass marks
COM/AD/107, COM/AD/108 and COM/AST/109: who can apply, the stages from the G+ test to the oral, the pass mark of each and what changes compared with EPSO.
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