16.3 Exam-Day Protocol & From Reserve List to Recruitment

16.3 Exam-Day Protocol & From Reserve List to Recruitment

Sources: Notice EPSO/AD/427/26 (Sections 4.3.4 and 5; Annex I, Sections 5–7), EPSO's Instructions for online testing (TAO), March 2026, and the Staff Regulations of Officials (Articles 28, 33 and 34). The invitation letter for your own session prevails over any general guidance.

A strong candidate can still lose a place through a preventable technical or procedural slip. This section turns the official rules into a checklist, then explains what happens after the reserve list.

The Countdown Checklist

Check-in sequence: system diagnostics, webcam image test, ID capture, a 20–60 second room and desk scan (360° turn, desk surface, under the desk, around the chair, behind the screen), then the exam agreement. The test starts automatically after an instructions countdown.

During the test: stay seated and in view, with your face uncovered. Do not talk or read aloud, open other tabs, or click an "X" in the browser bar or any pop-up (either can take you out of full screen and end the session). Use only the TAO tools.

After the test: your answers are saved continuously. Log in again and take a screenshot of the "Finished sessions" tab as proof of attendance. An optional satisfaction survey is open for 72 hours; feedback there is not a formal complaint.

If Something Goes Wrong

1. Restart the computer. If the problem persists, call TAO support at once and stay on the line. Take screenshots only if the agent asks, using a separate device.
2. Inform EPSO in writing via the Single Candidate Portal within 3 calendar days, counting from the day after the test (Annex I, Section 7.1(3)). Give a detailed description and evidence of your contact with support, such as a photo of the call screen or a phone-bill extract.
3. Know what will not lead to a retest: a corporate laptop or missing admin rights, wrong peripherals, keyboard shortcuts or copy-paste, submitting early, late log-in, contacting support through the wrong channel, power loss because the device was not plugged in, a skipped prerequisite check, a wrong Proctorio version, or no valid ID.
4. Force majeure (for example illness or a regional power cut) must be reported as soon as possible, and no later than the complaint deadline, with supporting documents. Work or private commitments do not qualify.

A faulty MCQ question can be challenged within 3 calendar days of the test; the Board may "neutralise" it. Requests for review of Board decisions (5 calendar days) are not available for MCQ results. An Article 90(2) complaint has a 3-month deadline.

From Scores to the Reserve List

The notice (Sections 4.3.3–4.3.4) fixes the end game:

1. Part 1 results are scored and notified after the reasoning tests.
2. After Part 2, EU knowledge is scored first, then digital skills for those who passed EU knowledge. Everyone who passed all thresholds is placed in the preliminary ranking (40/30/30).
3. The EUFTE is marked and eligibility is checked in parallel for the top candidates, in principle up to 1.5 × 1,490 places, or more if candidates tie. Your supporting documents, uploaded by 7 October 2026, are compared with your application declarations at this stage.
4. Eligible candidates with at least 5/10 in the EUFTE are ranked on the final combined score (35/25/25/15). Names are added in order until 1,490 is reached, and everyone tied for the last place is included.
5. The reserve list is drawn up alphabetically and made available to the recruiting services. Candidates are notified of their Part 2 results and of the outcome of the eligibility check.

Legal status: inclusion on the reserve list does not confer any right to or guarantee of recruitment (Section 4.3.4(e)). The notice itself does not state how long the list remains valid. EPSO announces the validity period, and any extension, for its reserve lists, so check the EPSO website.

Being Recruited

The institutions, bodies and agencies recruit from the list according to their needs. In practice:

• Recruiting services contact laureates they are interested in, usually for an interview with the unit or directorate, sometimes after a written exercise. Keeping your EPSO candidate account and contact details up to date matters, because the notice requires a valid EU Login e-mail until the list is published.
• Be proactive: follow vacancy notices published by the institutions and agencies for laureates, identify the policy areas where your profile fits (for example trade, competition, climate, digital, budget), and make yourself known to recruiting units with a concise CV. Remember that AD5 is a generalist entry grade, and mobility between policy areas later is normal.
• Pre-appointment conditions (Article 28 Staff Regulations): EU citizenship with full rights, military-service obligations fulfilled, character requirements, physical fitness confirmed by a medical examination by the institution's medical officer (Article 33), and knowledge of two EU languages.

Probation and Establishment (Article 34 Staff Regulations)

Once established, an official's career progresses through promotion on merit. Typical AD duties, per Annex II of the notice, range from policy analysis and legislative drafting to programme management, stakeholder coordination and resource management.