EUFTE: the EPSO essay on EU matters, explained

A written test of communication skills. EPSO uses three written formats, depending on what the recruiting services need: a written test on the field of the competition, a field-related written test that also checks knowledge of the field, and the EUFTE, an essay on EU matters that assesses written communication only.

The notices are explicit about what it is not: it is neither a language test nor a test of factual knowledge. What is marked is how you write, not what you know.

You have 40 minutes to respond to one or more assignments, in your language 2. The assignments are based on documentation on EU matters that EPSO makes available on its website before the test date; during the test you receive the same documents, together with the assignment.

You write it during the testing phase, with the other tests, but it is marked later and only for some candidates: see below.

On five "anchors" that EPSO publishes, the elements it considers when it assesses written communication. In EPSO's words, the candidate:

1. Structures written communication with a logical flow of ideas.
2. Writes concisely, avoiding unnecessary words and sentences.
3. Presents subject matter in a clear and understandable way.
4. Adapts and tailors writing to suit the intended audience and purpose.
5. Uses the information provided effectively to address the assignment.

The fifth one is the most often forgotten: the documentation is there to be used. An essay that ignores it and writes from general knowledge misses one of the five things being marked.

In every case, the essay is only marked for the candidates at the top of the ranking from the other tests. In AD5, the preliminary score (verbal reasoning, EU knowledge and digital skills) decides whose essay is marked; in the AD8 competition, it is in principle no more than 1.5 times the number of places. See how EPSO scores its tests.

The Commission's internal competitions have their own written test, 90 minutes and marked out of 50: it is not the EUFTE. See the guide to the internal competitions.

1. Read the documentation as soon as EPSO publishes it. Note the main points, the figures and the positions before the day, so that in the test you only have to find them.
2. Write in your language 2, against the clock. Forty minutes is short: plan for a few minutes to outline, most of the time to write and a few to reread.
3. Give it a visible structure: an opening that answers the assignment, one idea per paragraph, and a close.
4. Cut every sentence that does not add something. Concision is one of the five criteria.
5. Write for the reader the assignment names, in the tone and format that reader expects.
6. Use the documents, in your own words. Do not bring in outside facts: it is not a knowledge test.
7. Try EPSO's sample written test to see the platform. It is available in English and French.