1.1 Notice EPSO/AD/427/26: Competition Architecture & the Two-Part Testing Model
Key Takeaways
- Notice EPSO/AD/427/26 seeks 1,490 successful candidates for grade AD 5; EPSO counted 174,727 final applicants, below a 1% success rate.
- The amending notice of 30 June 2026 split testing into Part 1 (reasoning tests, from October/November 2026) and Part 2 (EU knowledge, digital skills, EUFTE, in 2027).
- The preliminary ranking weights verbal reasoning 40%, EU knowledge 30% and digital skills 30%; the final ranking adds the EUFTE at 15% (35/25/25/15).
- EUFTE scripts are marked, and eligibility checked, only for top preliminary-ranked candidates, in principle up to 1.5 times the 1,490 places sought.
- Eligibility requires EU citizenship, a three-year degree awarded by 30 September 2026, Language 1 at C1 and a different Language 2 at B2, with no experience required.
1.1 Notice EPSO/AD/427/26: Competition Architecture & the Two-Part Testing Model
Legal basis: Notice of open competition EPSO/AD/427/26 – Administrators (AD 5), Official Journal C/2026/711 of 5 February 2026, as corrected on 16 June 2026 (C/2026/90048) and amended on 30 June 2026 (C/2026/3362). EPSO publishes an unofficial consolidated version for information; only the notice, the corrigendum and the amending notice are legally binding.
The Graduate Administrators competition is the main open door into a permanent administrator career in the EU institutions. EPSO is looking for 1,490 successful candidates to place on a reserve list from which the institutions, bodies and agencies recruit officials at grade AD 5. Annex II of the notice groups the typical duties into three families: policy development and formulation, policy implementation and operational delivery, and resource management (staff, finances, budget estimates, risk).
Demand for these places is extreme. Applications ran from 5 February to 10 March 2026 at 12.00 (midday), Brussels time. EPSO's final breakdown counted 174,727 applicants (an earlier rough count was 174,922), compared with 22,000–23,000 for each AD5 competition in 2017, 2018 and 2019. Italy alone supplied 79,343 applicants. With 1,490 places, that is about one place for every 117 applicants, a success rate below 1%.
Eligibility: Four Conditions Checked Late in the Process
Candidates declare eligibility when they apply, but the Selection Board only checks the supporting documents for the limited group whose essays are marked (see the scoring pipeline below).
| Condition | What the notice requires |
|---|---|
| Nationality | National of an EU Member State enjoying full rights as a citizen; any military-service obligations fulfilled; character requirements met |
| Languages | Thorough knowledge (minimum C1) of one of the 24 official EU languages and satisfactory knowledge (minimum B2) of a different official language. The minimum applies to each ability in the application form (listening, reading, spoken interaction, spoken production, writing). No language certificate is required |
| Education | Completed university studies of at least three years, attested by a diploma whose award was decided no later than 30 September 2026. This is an exception to the usual rule that qualifications must exist by the application deadline |
| Experience | None required |
Two document deadlines matter: a scanned identity card or passport had to be uploaded by 10 March 2026, and all other supporting documents (diplomas, evidence of study duration) must be uploaded by 7 October 2026 at 12.00 Brussels time. Candidates must keep the e-mail address linked to their EU Login valid until the reserve list is published, and check their candidate account at least every three calendar days (Annex I, Section 1).
Which Language Is Used Where
| Phase | Language |
|---|---|
| Application form | Any of the 24 official EU languages |
| Reasoning tests (verbal, numerical, abstract) | Language 1 |
| EU knowledge test | Language 2 |
| Digital skills test | Language 2 |
| Free-text essay on EU matters (EUFTE) | Language 2 |
Language 2 can be any official language different from Language 1. It is not limited to English, French or German.
The Amended Testing Model: Two Separate Parts
The original notice put all tests into one testing phase. After the unexpected volume of applications, the amending notice of 30 June 2026 split testing into two parts.
- Part 1 – reasoning tests. Every candidate who applied on time is invited. EPSO announced that Part 1 takes place as of October/November 2026; each candidate sits verbal, numerical and abstract reasoning in one session on one day. Candidates are spread over different dates and receive an individual invitation letter several weeks in advance. Rescheduling is not possible.
- Part 2 – EU knowledge, digital skills and the EUFTE. Only candidates who reach the Part 1 pass marks are invited. EPSO has said these tests take place in 2027, on dates to be announced. The order of tests within a part may differ from the order in the notice.
All tests are held and proctored remotely (see Section 1.2).
| Test | Language | Questions | Time | Scoring | Pass mark |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Verbal reasoning | L1 | 20 | 35 min | 0–20 | 10/20 |
| Numerical reasoning | L1 | 10 | 20 min | 0–10 | Combined numerical + abstract: 10/20 |
| Abstract reasoning | L1 | 10 | 10 min | 0–10 | (combined with numerical) |
| EU knowledge | L2 | 30 | 40 min | 0–30 | 15/30 |
| Digital skills | L2 | 40 | 30 min | 0–40 | 20/40 |
| EUFTE (written) | L2 | – | 40 min | 0–10 | 5/10 |
Scoring: Preliminary Ranking vs Final Ranking
The notice (Table 6) uses two different weightings. This distinction is easy to get wrong.
| Test | Preliminary combined score | Final combined score |
|---|---|---|
| Verbal reasoning | 40% | 35% |
| Numerical + abstract reasoning | Not counted | Not counted |
| EU knowledge | 30% | 25% |
| Digital skills | 30% | 25% |
| EUFTE | Not counted | 15% |
The pipeline runs in this order:
- Part 1 scoring. Reasoning tests are scored and candidates are told their results. Anyone below 10/20 in verbal reasoning or 10/20 combined in numerical plus abstract is out. Numerical and abstract marks above the threshold carry no ranking value.
- Part 2 scoring. The EU knowledge test is scored first. Digital skills is scored only for candidates who reached 15/30 in EU knowledge.
- Preliminary ranking. Candidates who pass every MCQ threshold are ranked on verbal (40%) + EU knowledge (30%) + digital skills (30%).
- EUFTE marking and eligibility check, in parallel, for a limited number of top-ranked candidates. In principle this is no more than 1.5 times the places sought (1.5 × 1,490 = 2,235), but the Board may raise it where candidates tie.
- Final ranking. Candidates with at least 5/10 in the EUFTE who are found eligible are ranked on verbal (35%) + EU knowledge (25%) + digital skills (25%) + EUFTE (15%).
- Reserve list. Names are added in descending order until 1,490 is reached; everyone tied for the last place is included. The list itself is published alphabetically, and inclusion does not guarantee recruitment.
Practical consequence: the EUFTE is written in the Part 2 session by every invited candidate, but a script only counts if its author is high enough in the preliminary ranking to have it marked.
Under Table 6 of Notice EPSO/AD/427/26, which weighting is used for the preliminary combined score that determines whose EUFTE is marked?
Following the amending notice of 30 June 2026, which tests make up Part 2 of the AD5 testing phase?
Which statement correctly describes the AD5 eligibility and language rules in Notice EPSO/AD/427/26?