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Exam Review

Key Facts: EPSO AD5 Exam

110

Multiple-Choice Questions

EPSO AD5 2026 competition structure

5 tests

Computer-Based Components

EPSO / EU Careers

1,490

Reserve-List Places (2026)

EPSO/AD/427/26 notice

EUR 0

Application Fee

EU Careers

35%

Verbal Reasoning Weight (final)

EPSO AD5 scoring rules

5 areas

DigComp 2.2 Digital Skills

European Commission DigComp

EPSO AD5 is the EU's graduate administrator open competition. Its computer-based phase has 110 MCQs across five tests: verbal reasoning (20 Q/35 min), numerical plus abstract reasoning (20 Q/30 min, pass/fail), EU knowledge (30 Q/40 min), and digital skills (40 Q/30 min). Verbal (35%), EU knowledge (25%), and digital skills (25%) are scored toward the final ranking. There is no application fee, and a separate written essay follows for top candidates.

Sample EPSO AD5 Practice Questions

Try these sample questions to review concepts for the EPSO AD5 exam. Each question includes a detailed explanation. Start the interactive quiz above for the full 144+ question experience with AI tutoring.

1Passage: 'Public consultations must remain open for at least twelve weeks. The Commission may extend a consultation, but it may not close one early once it has been announced.' Based only on this passage, which statement is correct?

A.An announced consultation cannot close early

B.The Commission may shorten a consultation once announced

C.Consultations must always run for exactly twelve weeks

D.Only the Council may extend a public consultation period

Explanation: The passage sets twelve weeks as a minimum and says the Commission may not close a consultation early once it has been announced. Announcement therefore locks in the full period.

2Passage: 'All Member States participating in the eurozone use the euro. Not all EU Member States are in the eurozone, but every eurozone country is an EU Member State.' Which conclusion necessarily follows?

A.Any eurozone country is an EU Member State

B.Every EU Member State uses the euro currency

C.No EU Member State remains outside the eurozone

D.Eurozone membership is identical to EU membership

Explanation: Verbal reasoning tests valid deduction. The passage states 'every eurozone country is an EU Member State,' so any eurozone country (using the euro) must be an EU Member State. The other options overstate or reverse the relationship.

3Passage: 'The report notes that renewable energy capacity grew in all surveyed regions, though growth was slowest in regions with the lowest initial investment.' Which statement is supported?

A.Every surveyed region recorded some growth

B.Regions with low investment recorded no growth at all

C.The fastest growth occurred where investment was lowest

D.Renewable capacity declined in at least one region

Explanation: The passage says capacity 'grew in all surveyed regions,' so every region had some growth. The slowest growth merely correlated with lowest initial investment, not zero or negative growth.

4Passage: 'Only candidates who submitted their application before the deadline and uploaded a valid diploma were admitted to the testing phase.' A candidate was NOT admitted. Which must be true?

A.The candidate failed at least one requirement

B.The candidate missed the application deadline

C.The candidate uploaded no valid diploma

D.The candidate met neither of the requirements

Explanation: Admission required both conditions ('and'). Failing to be admitted means at least one condition was not met, but we cannot determine which one specifically. Only the inclusive statement is logically necessary.

5Passage: 'The ordinary legislative procedure requires agreement between the European Parliament and the Council. If they disagree after the second reading, a Conciliation Committee is convened.' What follows if Parliament and Council agree at first reading?

A.No Conciliation Committee is needed

B.A Conciliation Committee must still convene

C.The Commission vetoes the act

D.The Council decides alone

Explanation: The Conciliation Committee is triggered only by disagreement after the second reading. Agreement at first reading means the procedure concludes earlier, so no committee is required.

6Passage: 'Some agencies are based in Brussels; all Brussels-based agencies report annually to the Commission. Agency X reports annually to the Commission.' Which conclusion is valid?

A.It cannot be concluded that Agency X is in Brussels

B.Agency X must be based in Brussels

C.Agency X cannot be in Brussels

D.All agencies reporting to the Commission are in Brussels

Explanation: The statement is one-directional: Brussels agencies report annually, but not every annually reporting agency must be in Brussels. Reporting does not prove location, so no firm conclusion about Agency X's location is valid.

7Passage: 'The directive must be transposed into national law within two years. Member States that fail to transpose on time may face infringement proceedings.' What does the passage allow us to infer?

A.Late transposition can lead to infringement proceedings

B.Directives apply directly without national transposition

C.All Member States always transpose directives on time

D.Infringement proceedings start automatically on day one

Explanation: The passage explicitly links failure to transpose on time with possible infringement proceedings. The word 'may' indicates a possibility, not automatic or guaranteed action.

8Passage: 'The survey found that staff who attended the training reported higher satisfaction. However, the study did not control for prior experience.' Which criticism is best supported?

A.Factors other than the training may explain the result

B.The training definitely caused the higher satisfaction

C.Prior experience had no effect on the reported results

D.Satisfaction was entirely unrelated to the training

Explanation: Because prior experience was not controlled, an uncontrolled variable could explain the difference. EPSO verbal reasoning rewards recognizing that correlation without controls does not prove causation.

9Passage: 'Every proposal reviewed by the committee was either approved or deferred. No proposal was rejected outright.' A proposal was not approved. What follows?

A.The proposal was deferred

B.The proposal was rejected outright

C.The proposal was withdrawn

D.The proposal was never reviewed

Explanation: The passage gives only two outcomes for reviewed proposals: approved or deferred. If a reviewed proposal was not approved, it must have been deferred, since outright rejection is excluded.

10Passage: 'The Court of Justice of the European Union ensures EU law is interpreted and applied uniformly across Member States.' Which statement is most consistent with the passage?

A.The Court promotes uniform interpretation of EU law

B.The Court drafts new EU legislation

C.The Court sets Member States' national budgets

D.The Court elects the European Commission

Explanation: The passage describes the Court's role as ensuring uniform interpretation and application of EU law. The other roles belong to different institutions and are not in the text.

About the EPSO AD5 Exam

The EPSO AD5 Graduate Administrators open competition is the main entry route into a permanent administrator (AD) career in the EU institutions, with the 2026 competition referenced as EPSO/AD/427/26 targeting 1,490 places on a reserve list. The computer-based phase consists of five multiple-choice tests: verbal reasoning (20 questions, 35 minutes), numerical reasoning (10 questions, 20 minutes) and abstract reasoning (10 questions, 10 minutes), EU knowledge (30 questions, 40 minutes), and digital skills (40 questions, 30 minutes) based on the DigComp 2.2 framework. Every candidate also writes the free-text essay on EU matters (EUFTE) in the same session; it is not multiple-choice, and only the scripts of roughly 1.5 times the number of places, drawn from the top preliminary-ranked candidates, are marked. All tests are taken remotely in a single proctored session, with no in-person assessment centre in the 2026 reform.

Exam sponsor: European Personnel Selection Office (EPSO), via the EU's TAO platform with remote proctoring. The requirements and fees below concern the certification or admission exam, separate from our free practice resources.

Questions

110 questions

Time Limit

Verbal 35 min; numerical 20 + abstract 10 min; EU knowledge 40 min; digital skills 30 min; free-text essay 40 min (single remote session)

Passing Score

Verbal 10/20; combined numerical + abstract 10/20 (not scored further); EU knowledge 15/30; digital skills 20/40; essay 5/10; final ranking weights verbal 35%, EU knowledge 25%, digital skills 25%, essay 15%

Exam / Certification Fees

No application fee

Exam sponsor website

Reported exam pass rate: Not published. EPSO does not publish a single first-time pass rate; for 2026 (EPSO/AD/427/26) about 174,922 candidates applied for 1,490 reserve-list places. Exam sponsor website

Fees, eligibility, and exam policies can change. Confirm them with the exam sponsor before applying or paying.

Official sources

Our practice resources: topics covered

We aim to reflect publicly available exam outlines and topic information in our study resources. Coverage, format, and difficulty may differ from the actual exam, and we cannot guarantee that every detail is accurate or current. Confirm exam requirements, fees, and policies with the official exam sponsor.

35%

Verbal Reasoning (Language 1)

20 questions in 35 minutes; pass mark 10/20; 35% of the final score

25%

EU Knowledge (Language 2)

30 questions in 40 minutes on the EU, its institutions, procedures and main policies; pass mark 15/30; 25% of the final score

25%

Digital Skills (Language 2)

40 questions in 30 minutes across the five DigComp 2.2 areas; pass mark 20/40; 25% of the final score

15%

Free-text Essay on EU Matters (Language 2)

40-minute written-communication essay on EPSO-supplied EU documentation, scored 0-10 (pass 5/10); 15% of the final score; not a language or factual-knowledge test

Pass/fail

Numerical and Abstract Reasoning (Language 1)

10 numerical questions in 20 minutes plus 10 abstract questions in 10 minutes; combined pass mark 10/20; eliminatory only, not counted in the ranking

Preparing for the EPSO AD5 Exam

What You Need to Know

Passing score: Verbal 10/20; combined numerical + abstract 10/20 (not scored further); EU knowledge 15/30; digital skills 20/40; essay 5/10; final ranking weights verbal 35%, EU knowledge 25%, digital skills 25%, essay 15%
Exam length: 110 questions
Time limit: Verbal 35 min; numerical 20 + abstract 10 min; EU knowledge 40 min; digital skills 30 min; free-text essay 40 min (single remote session)
Exam / certification fees: No application fee Official sources

Using Our Practice Resources

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EPSO AD5: Suggested Study Strategy

1Treat verbal reasoning as your highest-value reasoning test — it carries 35% of the score, so drill timed passages for accuracy and speed.

2Build a fast mental toolkit for numerical reasoning: percentage change, ratios, averages, and reading values from tables, charts, and pie sectors.

3For abstract reasoning, learn to spot multiple simultaneous rules (rotation, colour alternation, count changes) and identify the odd one out quickly.

4Study EU knowledge from primary sources: institutions and their roles, the Rome/Maastricht/Lisbon treaties, ordinary legislative procedure, the MFF, and policies like the Green Deal.

5Master the five DigComp 2.2 areas with a focus on safety (phishing, MFA, backups, GDPR rights) and information literacy (evaluating sources, spotting misinformation and AI errors).

6Simulate the remote CBT conditions: practise under each test's exact time limit and check your device, webcam, and connection before the proctored session.

7Practise the EUFTE essay from the start — every candidate writes it in the same session, and only the top preliminary-ranked scripts are marked, so a clear, structured 40-minute response to an EU background document decides your final ranking.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the EPSO AD5 competition?

EPSO AD5 (Graduate Administrators) is the main open competition for entry-level administrator posts in the EU institutions. The 2026 edition is referenced as EPSO/AD/427/26 and targets 1,490 places on a reserve list from which the institutions recruit.

How many tests and questions does the AD5 exam have?

The computer-based phase has five multiple-choice tests totalling 110 questions: verbal reasoning (20), numerical reasoning (10), abstract reasoning (10), EU knowledge (30), and digital skills (40). A separate free-text essay (EUFTE) follows for top-ranked candidates.

What are the pass marks?

You must score at least 10/20 in verbal reasoning, 10/20 combined in numerical plus abstract reasoning, 15/30 in EU knowledge, and 20/40 in digital skills to remain in the competition.

Which tests count toward the final ranking?

Verbal reasoning (35%), EU knowledge (25%), digital skills (25%), and the EUFTE essay (15%) are scored. Numerical and abstract reasoning are pass/fail only — you must clear the 10/20 hurdle, but the score does not affect your ranking.

Is there an application fee?

No. There is no fee to apply for or sit the EPSO AD5 competition. You need a suitable device and internet connection for the remotely proctored online tests.

Who is eligible to apply for AD5?

You need EU citizenship, a completed university degree of at least three years, and knowledge of two official EU languages (Language 1 at C1, Language 2 at B2). No work experience and no age limit are required.

Is the AD5 exam taken remotely?

Yes. Under the 2026 reform, all five multiple-choice tests are taken online in a single remotely proctored session on the EU's TAO platform, with webcam, screen sharing, and identity checks. There is no in-person assessment centre.

What is the digital skills test based on?

The digital skills test is based on the European Commission's DigComp 2.2 framework, covering five areas: information and data literacy, communication and collaboration, digital content creation, safety, and problem solving.