EPSO Auditors Open Competition (AD7, field of Audit)

In the EPSO Auditors (AD7) competition, what is the primary purpose of the field-related multiple-choice test (FRMCQ)?

• AAssess audit knowledge relevant to the advertised professional duties
• BAssess general reasoning without requiring any audit knowledge
• CVerify formal eligibility from diplomas and employment records
• DAssess written communication by grading an extended EU-matters essay

How many questions and how much time are allotted for the EPSO Auditors field-related multiple-choice test?

• A30 questions in 40 minutes
• B20 questions in 35 minutes
• C50 questions in 60 minutes
• D10 questions in 10 minutes

An audit unit has resources for only one of two proposed assignments. Programme A has high expenditure but stable controls; Programme B has lower expenditure, repeated control failures and a major regulatory change. What should guide the annual audit-plan decision?

• ACompare both programmes using documented risk and organisational objectives
• BSelect A because expenditure alone determines the audit priority
• CSelect B because every regulatory change requires an immediate audit
• DAllocate the assignment to the programme audited least recently

Which body organises the open competition for Administrators (AD7) in the field of audit for the EU institutions?

• AThe European Personnel Selection Office (EPSO)
• BThe European Court of Auditors (ECA) directly through its Luxembourg recruitment unit
• CThe Court of Justice of the European Union through its administrative registrar
• DThe European Central Bank (ECB) human-resources directorate in Frankfurt

An audit team includes a new graduate and a specialist in complex IT access controls. How should the engagement lead allocate and supervise the work?

• AMatch tasks to competence and risk, and review significant judgements
• BAssign the most complex access-control work to the graduate without review
• CGive all procedures to the specialist and dispense with supervision
• DDivide the procedures equally by number, regardless of their complexity

Under the IIA Global Internal Audit Standards, which arrangement satisfies the normal minimum frequency for an external quality assessment?

• AA qualified independent assessment at least once every five years
• BAn annual internal self-assessment with no independent validation
• CAn assessment every ten years by the chief audit executive alone
• DA review by the audited department whenever it requests one

What is the free-text EU-matters component (EUFTE) of the EPSO Auditors competition?

• AA written EU-matters essay assessing written communication
• BAn audit-knowledge MCQ assessing recall of financial standards
• CAn oral case interview assessing spoken communication
• DA grammar test assessing accuracy in Language 1

Which international framework governs the conduct of independent external financial audits and is widely referenced by EU auditors?

• AInternational Standards on Auditing (ISA) issued by the IAASB
• BThe General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) enacted by the European Parliament and Coun…
• CThe Basel III international banking capital and liquidity supervision accords
• DThe International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) accounting rules alone

Which body issues the International Standards of Supreme Audit Institutions (ISSAIs) used in public-sector auditing?

• AINTOSAI (International Organisation of Supreme Audit Institutions)
• BThe IAASB (International Auditing and Assurance Standards Board) in New York
• CThe IIA (Institute of Internal Auditors) Global Standards Board
• DThe IFAC (International Federation of Accountants) Board of Directors

Which professional body issues the International Professional Practices Framework (IPPF) and the Standards for internal auditing?

• AThe Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA)
• BThe International Organisation of Supreme Audit Institutions
• CThe European Court of Auditors in Luxembourg
• DThe International Auditing and Assurance Standards Board

The audit risk model is most commonly expressed as which of the following relationships?

• AAudit risk = Inherent risk x Control risk x Detection risk
• BAudit risk = Inherent risk + Control risk - Detection risk
• CAudit risk = Materiality / Sample size
• DAudit risk = Control risk x Sampling risk only

In the audit risk model, which component is the only one the auditor can directly control?

• ADetection risk
• BInherent risk
• CControl risk
• DBusiness risk

What is the definition of materiality in an audit context?

• AMisstatements that could influence financial-statement users’ economic decisions
• BMisstatements exceeding the same fixed percentage in every entity
• CMisstatements relevant only when an individual amount exceeds overall materiality
• DMisstatements that management agrees in writing to classify as material

An auditor sets overall materiality at EUR 500,000 and performance materiality at EUR 350,000. What is the main purpose of performance materiality?

• AReduce the risk that aggregate undetected and uncorrected errors exceed overall materiali…
• BSet a lower threshold below which all detected errors may be ignored
• CReplace the overall financial-statement materiality with a lower reporting threshold
• DEstablish that every individual error below EUR 350,000 is immaterial

Which of the following best describes sufficient appropriate audit evidence?

• ASufficiency concerns the quantity of evidence and appropriateness concerns its relevance…
• BSufficiency means the evidence originates from the client and appropriateness means it is…
• CBoth terms have the exact same operational meaning in auditing: a large volume of account…
• DSufficiency relates exclusively to oral inquiry and appropriateness applies only to writt…

Which source generally provides the most reliable audit evidence?

• AExternal confirmations obtained directly by the auditor from independent third parties
• BPhotocopies of accounting schedules provided to the team with verbal assurances from mana…
• CInformal oral representations obtained during an interview with a junior accounting emplo…
• DInternally generated spreadsheets that circulate within the entity without any controls

In a compliance or performance audit, the term 'criteria' refers to:

• ABenchmarks against which the subject matter is evaluated
• BThe evidence collected to prove that a deviation occurred
• CThe observed state of the audited activity or transaction
• DThe management actions proposed to correct an identified weakness

An audit finding is typically built from four elements. Which set correctly lists them?

• ACriteria, condition, cause, and effect
• BObjective, scope, timing, and resources
• CEvidence, sample size, confidence, and tolerable error
• DRecommendation, action owner, deadline, and follow-up status

Which framework is most widely used to design and evaluate an entity's system of internal control?

• AThe COSO Internal Control - Integrated Framework
• BThe International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) Conceptual Framework
• CThe General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) accountability framework
• DThe Basel Committee Core Principles for Effective Banking Supervision

How many components does the COSO Internal Control - Integrated Framework define?

• AFive
• BThree
• CSeven
• DTen

Segregation of duties is an internal control intended primarily to:

• ASeparate duties so one person cannot easily commit and conceal a misstatement
• BGive the transaction preparer authority to approve their own entries
• CReplace segregation with periodic reviews performed by the transaction preparer
• DCombine asset custody and ledger recording to simplify reconciliation

An auditor tests whether a control operated effectively throughout the period. This is best described as:

• AA test of controls
• BA substantive analytical procedure
• CA test of details of balances
• DAn external confirmation

Which of the following best describes professional scepticism?

• AAn attitude that includes a questioning mind and critical assessment of audit evidence
• BAn automatic presumption from the start of the engagement that management is always disho…
• CAccepting management explanations for unusual variances without further inquiry to save t…
• DRelying solely on conclusions carried forward from prior-year working papers without test…