The numbers that define 2026

174,922 applicants competed for 1,490 reserve list positions. That is a success rate of 0.85% — the most competitive EPSO generalist competition on record. This is not discouragement — it is data. Understanding the test format, the scoring system, and how to prioritise your study time over 10–12 weeks will place you in the competitive tier.

At a glance: The competition structure

Item	Detail
Competition reference	EPSO/AD/427/26 — Graduate Administrators, grade AD5
Notice published	5 February 2026 (Official Journal C/2026/711)
Application deadline	10 March 2026, 12:00 (Brussels time)
Reserve list places	1,490
Number of applicants	174,922 — a record (≈3× the 2019 round)
Headline success rate	≈0.85% of applicants
Required degree	University degree of ≥3 years (any field); must be awarded by 30 September 2026
Languages	Language 1 (C1) for reasoning tests; Language 2 (B2) for everything else
Test platform	Remote-proctored TAO platform (home testing)
Tests scored toward ranking	Verbal reasoning 35% · EU Knowledge 25% · Digital Skills 25% · EUFTE essay 15%
Pass/fail gates	Numerical and abstract reasoning (combined ≥10/20 to pass)
Entry salary (AD5/1, 2026)	≈€5,100–€5,500 gross; ≈€5,800–€6,200 net with expatriation allowance

1. What AD5 actually is

AD5 is the entry rung of the Administrators function group — the policy and managerial track of the EU civil service. AD5 recruits are deployed across the European Commission, the European Parliament, the Council of the EU, the EEAS, the Court of Justice, and the agencies (EUIPO, EMA, Frontex, EFSA, and others).

The role description in the Notice of Competition is deliberately broad. Day-to-day tasks for a fresh AD5 typically include:

• Analysing policy options and drafting briefing notes for decision-makers
• Contributing to the preparation of legislative proposals (regulations, directives, decisions)
• Contributing to inter-institutional negotiations (trilogues)
• Coordinating with Member State administrations and stakeholder organisations
• Managing parts of EU programmes (procurement, grants, evaluation)
• Representing the institution in expert meetings and working parties

AD5 is the only EU generalist grade open with no professional experience required — it is built for new graduates and early-career professionals. Higher grades (AD6, AD7) demand 3 and 6 years of experience respectively and are recruited through occasional specialised competitions or via internal promotion.

Why this round matters

The last AD5 generalist concours ran in 2019 and produced a reserve list that EU institutions have leaned on heavily. Seven years later, EPSO has reopened it with 1,490 places — large by historic standards. Italy alone submitted 79,450 applications (about 45% of the total), followed by Spain (≈13,800), Germany (≈11,700) and France (≈10,900). For non-Italian nationals, the practical competition is meaningfully easier than the raw headline number suggests, because EPSO does not impose national quotas but recruiting departments do pay attention to geographic balance.

2. Eligibility — read this twice

The Notice of Competition is the legally binding document. If anything below conflicts with it, the Notice wins.

Citizenship

You must be a national of an EU Member State on the application date. UK nationals are no longer eligible following Brexit.

Education

A university degree based on at least three years of completed studies (bachelor's level or equivalent), in any field. The diploma must be obtained by 30 September 2026 — meaning final-year students can apply, but you must finish before that date. The field of study is irrelevant: law, history, biology, engineering and music graduates compete on equal footing.

Languages

You declare two official EU languages:

• Language 1 — minimum C1 (CEFR scale). This is the language of your verbal, numerical and abstract reasoning tests. Choose it carefully: verbal reasoning is the single most heavily weighted test.
• Language 2 — minimum B2, and must be different from Language 1. Used for the EU Knowledge MCQ, the Digital Skills MCQ, and the EUFTE essay.

You may declare your mother tongue as Language 1 — there is no longer a rule forcing you to take the reasoning tests in a "vehicular" language.

Other conditions

Civic standing in good order; military or civilian service obligations fulfilled where applicable; physical fitness to perform the duties of the post.

3. The selection process, end-to-end

The competition is a sequence of filters. You only move to the next stage if you pass the previous one. Provisional timing below reflects EPSO's published windows; exact slots are allocated in your candidate account closer to test day.

#	Phase	What you do	When (provisional)
1	Application	Complete the form in the Single Candidate Portal; upload scanned ID	5 Feb – 10 Mar 2026
2	Reasoning tests	Three remote-proctored MCQ tests (verbal, numerical, abstract) in Language 1, taken in one session	Late Mar – Jun 2026
3	EU Knowledge + Digital Skills MCQs	Two remote-proctored MCQs in Language 2, same booking window	Late Mar – Jun 2026
4	EUFTE essay	40-minute structured written task in Language 2, based on a dossier shared ~2 weeks earlier	Aug – Sep 2026 (only top-ranked ~1.5× reserve list get marked)
5	Eligibility check	EPSO verifies your supporting documents	Sep – Oct 2026
6	Reserve list	Alphabetical list of 1,490 successful candidates published	Oct – Nov 2026
7	Recruitment	Institutions and agencies contact candidates from the list	Rolling, often over several years

Being on the reserve list is a licence to be recruited, not an automatic job offer. You will still need to apply to specific vacancies and pass an interview with the hiring unit.

4. The tests, one by one

4.1 Reasoning tests (Language 1)

Reasoning tests do not test knowledge — they test how quickly and accurately your brain processes language, numbers and patterns. They are taken back-to-back on the TAO platform from home, with proctoring software watching your camera, microphone and screen.

Test	Items / Time	Pass Mark	Counts toward ranking?
Verbal reasoning	20 MCQs in 35 min (≈105 s/question)	10/20	Yes — 35%
Numerical reasoning	10 MCQs in 20 min	combined ≥10/20 with abstract	No — pass/fail only
Abstract reasoning	10 MCQs in 10 min	combined ≥10/20 with numerical	No — pass/fail only

Verbal reasoning

Verbal reasoning presents a short dense passage (often EU-policy flavoured) and asks which of four or five statements is supported by the text. EPSO writes its distractors carefully — the wrong answers usually involve a small but decisive shift: a universal quantifier where the passage uses a hedge ("must" vs "may"), a fact reordered in time, or an inference that is one logical step too far. The fastest readers on this test look for the reason an option must be wrong rather than scanning for the "right" one — three confident eliminations are quicker than verifying one answer.

Numerical reasoning

Numerical reasoning is arithmetic, percentages, ratios, simple algebra and graph/table reading. The on-screen basic calculator is provided. Speed comes from estimation: most multi-step problems have an answer that is the only option in the right order of magnitude, so doing the first significant figure of the calculation often resolves the question before you finish.

Abstract reasoning

Abstract reasoning asks you to identify the next image in a 5- or 6-image pattern. The patterns combine a small number of independent rules (rotation, count, shading, position, shape morphing). The systematic approach is to isolate one rule that explains motion from frame 1 → 2, confirm it explains 2 → 3, then look at what else must be changing — and finally test each candidate answer against all isolated rules.

Key insight: Numerical and abstract are pass/fail "gatekeepers". You only need to comfortably clear 10/20 combined. Do not over-optimise here — every hour above the comfort threshold is an hour stolen from verbal reasoning, where each percentage point genuinely moves you up the ranking.

4.2 EU Knowledge test (Language 2)

Thirty multiple-choice questions in 40 minutes. Pass mark: 15/30. Weight: 25%.

The syllabus has not changed dramatically from previous cycles. Roughly:

• Treaties and institutional architecture — competences (exclusive, shared, supporting), the role of each institution, decision-making (ordinary legislative procedure, special legislative procedures, comitology), the Court of Justice, the Court of Auditors, the ECB.
• History of European integration — from the ECSC to the Lisbon Treaty, enlargements, Brexit.
• Policy areas with current salience — the Green Deal and Fit for 55, the Digital Decade (DSA, DMA, AI Act), Common Foreign and Security Policy, the Single Market, EMU and the euro, justice and home affairs, cohesion policy.
• EU budget and MFF — own resources, NGEU/RRF.
• External relations — enlargement (Western Balkans, Ukraine, Moldova), trade policy, neighbourhood.

A surprising proportion of questions test institutional plumbing rather than headlines: who appoints whom, what majority is needed for what, who has the right of initiative. Memorise the Treaty articles that govern the ordinary legislative procedure (Art. 294 TFEU), the Council's voting rules (Art. 16 TEU, Art. 238 TFEU), and the Commission's appointment (Art. 17 TEU).

The single most cost-effective study source is the official "How the EU works" overview on europa.eu, paired with the consolidated Treaties (TEU + TFEU). For current affairs, scan the Commission's annual State of the Union address and Work Programme, and skim the European Council conclusions from the last twelve months.

4.3 Digital Skills test (Language 2)

Forty multiple-choice questions in 30 minutes — roughly 45 seconds each. Pass mark: 20/40. Weight: 25%.

This is the newest test in the EPSO toolkit and the one candidates most often under-prepare for. It is structured around the European Commission's own DigComp 2.2 framework, which defines five competence areas:

1. Information and data literacy — finding, evaluating and managing information online; spotting misinformation and assessing source credibility.
2. Communication and collaboration — appropriate use of email, messaging and collaborative platforms; digital identity and reputation; netiquette in a professional/EU context.
3. Digital content creation — formats and their licences, basic copyright (CC licences, EU public-sector information rules), structured documents, basic data presentation.
4. Safety — protecting devices, personal data (GDPR basics), wellbeing (screen time, digital footprint) and the environment (e-waste, sustainable IT).
5. Problem solving — choosing the right tool for a task, troubleshooting basics, identifying gaps in your own digital competence.

Question formats vary: short scenarios ("a colleague forwards you a suspicious attachment — what do you do?"), tool selection ("which feature would you use to track changes from multiple authors?"), conceptual MCQs ("which file format preserves layout but is not editable?") and policy literacy ("which EU instrument regulates X?").

The 45-second pace means you cannot reason your way through items you have never seen the type of before — practice volume matters more than depth.

4.4 EUFTE — EU Free-Text Essay (Language 2)

A 40-minute written exercise in Language 2. Pass mark: 5/10. Weight: 15%.

You receive a dossier of background documents about two weeks in advance — typically a mix of EU communications, news articles, position papers and statistics on a chosen theme. On exam day, you are given a specific instruction: write a briefing note to a Commissioner, a policy memo, an analytical summary for a Director, or similar. You write in the testing interface.

EUFTE is not a language test. Markers assess four things:

1. Relevance — did you actually answer the question and use the dossier?
2. Structure — does your text have a clear opening, a logical body, and a recommendation/conclusion?
3. Clarity — short sentences, plain Eurospeak, signposting, no unexplained jargon.
4. Audience appropriateness — does the register and level of detail match the addressee?

Only the candidates already top-ranked on the MCQs (typically up to ~1.5× the reserve list size) get their EUFTE marked. In practice this means a strong essay can lift a mid-pack score into the reserve list, and a weak essay can drop a strong MCQ score out of it.

The most replicable framework for the 40 minutes:

• 5 min — read prompt twice, decide angle, sketch a three-part outline.
• 5 min — mine the dossier for the 4–6 facts you will cite.
• 25 min — write: opening (context + the question you are answering, 3–4 lines), body (2–3 labelled arguments, each with a fact from the dossier), conclusion (a recommendation, not a summary).
• 5 min — proofread, cut adjectives, check that every paragraph serves the addressee.

5. Scoring and ranking — the maths that actually decides who's on the list

Most candidates know the weights but skip the implication. Of the ranked tests:

• Verbal reasoning is 35% — and is also the only ranked test you take in your strongest language. This is where the biggest scoring upside lives.
• EU Knowledge and Digital Skills are 25% each — equal in weight, very different in preparation cost. EU Knowledge rewards weeks of reading; Digital Skills rewards short, repeated practice.
• EUFTE is 15% — least weighted, but the only test that can be lifted by a few days of focused writing practice.

Because numerical and abstract are pass/fail, excellent reasoning scores in those tests are worthless beyond the 10/20 threshold. Once you are reliably clearing 12/20 in mocks, redirect every hour to verbal reasoning, EU knowledge or digital skills.

A useful rule of thumb: Each extra correct answer on the verbal reasoning test is roughly worth two extra correct answers on EU Knowledge or Digital Skills in the final ranking (because of both the weight differential and the smaller item count).

6. A realistic 12-week study plan

Most successful candidates report that 12 weeks is the realistic timeframe if you are working or studying full-time. Below is a version sized for ~10 hours of study per week, with a buffer week and an explicit cool-down before test day.

Week	Focus	Concrete actions
1 — Orientation	Read the rules; baseline diagnostics	Read the Notice of Competition end-to-end. Open an EPSO account. Take one diagnostic mock of each test untimed to see where you stand. Decide your Language 1 and 2 today.
2 — Verbal reasoning foundations	Build technique before speed	Do 50–60 verbal items at any pace. Read every explanation, even for items you got right. Tag each error: missed quantifier, false inference, time/scope shift, missed negation.
3 — Verbal reasoning under time	Speed up, with a method	Two timed sets of 20 questions/35 min per week. After each, redo the items you got wrong under timer until you can solve them in <90 s.
4 — Numerical & abstract	Hit the gatekeeper threshold	Three numerical sets of 10 items / 20 min and three abstract sets of 10 / 10 min. Target a steady 7/10 in each — that is your pass-mark cushion.
5 — EU Knowledge: institutions & treaties	Build the spine of the syllabus	Map TEU + TFEU titles to institutions and competences. Drill 30-item MCQ sets on institutional questions. Make a one-page sheet of voting rules.
6 — EU Knowledge: policies & current affairs	Layer policy on the spine	Cover the Green Deal, Digital Decade, CFSP, Single Market, EMU, JHA, enlargement. Skim the last 12 months of European Council conclusions.
7 — Digital Skills sprint	The cheapest 25% on the test	Read the DigComp 2.2 framework once. Then push raw volume: 60–80 practice items, learning the categories EPSO favours.
8 — Mixed simulations	Cross-train the four scored tests	Two full days that combine a verbal mock + an EU Knowledge mock + a digital skills mock back-to-back. Mimic the order EPSO uses.
9 — EUFTE: structure	Learn the form before producing	Read 5–10 example briefing notes (Commission press corner is a goldmine). Practise 3 outlines per day from sample prompts — no full essays yet.
10 — EUFTE: full essays under timer	Make 40 minutes feel routine	Write 5 essays this week, each in 40 min from a sample dossier. Ask a peer or coach to mark for structure and clarity, not grammar.
11 — Targeted revisions	Plug specific holes	Re-take your worst mock from week 8. Redo only the question categories where you scored below 50%. Maintenance dose on verbal: one 20-item set every other day.
12 — Cool-down	Be fresh on test day	Reduce volume. One short verbal set, one digital skills set, one EUFTE outline per day. Sleep 8 hours. Do the EPSO TAO technical check 5+ days before your slot.

The plan deliberately back-loads EUFTE: writing practice degrades fast if you stop, so doing it last keeps it sharp for test day.

7. What it pays — and where AD5 leads

The 2026 grid (in force from 1 July 2025 to 30 June 2026, the period during which the first AD5 recruits from this competition will start) puts the AD5 step 1 basic salary at approximately €5,100–€5,500 gross per month, depending on the exact step assigned. With the expatriation allowance (16% of basic) that applies to most non-nationals posted to Brussels or Luxembourg, plus household and dependent-children allowances where relevant, net take-home pay for a single AD5/1 in Brussels typically lands in the €5,800–€6,200 range.

A few financial points often missed by candidates:

• EU salaries are subject to a single EU income tax (the "Community tax"), not national income tax. Rates are progressive but moderate. There is also a temporary "solidarity levy".
• Installation allowance: one-time payment when you take up duty, up to about two months of basic salary, covering relocation.
• Annual travel allowance to your country of origin, calculated by distance.
• Pension: defined-benefit, vesting from 10 years of service.
• Health insurance: the Joint Sickness Insurance Scheme (JSIS), with very broad coverage for officials and their dependents.

Career progression is slow but reliable. The typical promotion timeline from AD5 to AD6 is around 2.8 years; AD6 → AD7 a similar interval. Over a 20–30 year career, a competent AD5 entrant can reasonably expect to reach AD9–AD12. Lateral mobility between DGs and institutions is common and encouraged. Senior management (AD13+) requires either competitive internal selection or external "senior management" competitions, and is not a guarantee.

8. Common mistakes — and how to avoid them

1. Treating numerical and abstract like ranked tests

They are not. Stop at the comfortable pass mark and move on. Hours saved here go to verbal reasoning.

2. Picking the "more useful" Language 1 instead of the strongest one

Verbal reasoning is 35% of your final score and is in Language 1. If your strongest language is also your mother tongue, pick it. The only reason to deviate is if your mother tongue is not C1-level for formal reading — a real issue for some candidates who left school abroad young.

3. Reading too much EU policy news, doing too few EU Knowledge MCQs

The test favours specific Treaty knowledge and institutional procedure. Reading Politico every day feels productive but won't tell you the majority threshold required for enhanced cooperation. Practice MCQs are the highest-yield activity.

4. Treating Digital Skills as common sense

"Common sense" cybersecurity does not include EU-specific definitions, DigComp categories, or licence-by-licence knowledge of Creative Commons. The 30-minute / 40-question pace forces familiarity, not derivation.

5. Writing EUFTE essays without a dossier

EPSO marks how you use the provided sources. Practising essays from your own knowledge teaches the wrong skill. Find sample dossiers (most prep platforms publish them) and write inside that constraint.

6. Skipping the TAO technical check

Remote proctoring requires a stable connection, a working webcam, a quiet, well-lit room and (sometimes) installation of a browser lockdown component. Candidates lose places every year to last-minute technical failures. Run the check the day you receive your invitation, not the day before the test.

7. Counting "first-time" failure as final

EPSO publishes new competitions on a regular cycle. Many serving officials passed on their second or third attempt. If you miss the cut on EUFTE this round, the verbal reasoning and EU Knowledge muscle you built will substantially shorten your prep time next round.

9. Useful free resources

• Notice of Competition (legally binding) — published in the Official Journal as OJ C/2026/711 and available on EUR-Lex.
• EU Careers portal — eu-careers.europa.eu — official application portal, FAQs and news.
• "How the EU works" — europa.eu, the institutions' own primer on competences and decision-making.
• DigComp 2.2 framework — published by the Joint Research Centre; the actual rubric behind the digital-skills test.
• State of the Union address and Commission Work Programme — for the policy areas EPSO is most likely to ask about.
• EUR-Lex — full text of treaties and consolidated EU law; the only authoritative source on Treaty articles.

Prep platforms (EU Training, Pass EPSO, EPSOprep, Prepari, EUknowledge, EPSO Genius and others) all sell question banks and simulations; most offer a free tier worth using to compare interfaces and explanations before paying for one.

10. FAQ

Do I need a degree in EU studies, law or politics?

No. Any 3-year degree is eligible. Generalist competitions explicitly avoid filtering by field.

Can I sit the tests in any EU country?

Yes — remote proctoring means you can test from your home, anywhere with a stable connection. EPSO does still run a small number of in-centre slots for candidates with accessibility needs.

Can I retake the tests if I fail?

Not within the same competition. You may apply to the next AD5 competition when it opens. Reasoning-test results from older competitions are not transferable.

Is the EUFTE in any way a language test?

Officially no. In practice, repeated grammatical errors that obscure meaning will hurt the clarity score. But sophisticated vocabulary won't help — markers prefer plain, structured writing.

What if I'm awarded a degree after 30 September 2026?

You are ineligible. You must finish before that date, even if the formal graduation ceremony is later.

How long does the reserve list last?

Typically initially valid for one year, with annual extensions, and historically used for several years.

Do I have to move to Brussels?

Most posts are in Brussels or Luxembourg, but many agencies are elsewhere (Lisbon, Helsinki, Vienna, Parma, Vilnius, Bilbao…). You can apply selectively to vacancies that match your geographic preference.

How do recruiters use the reserve list?

Hiring units publish vacancy notices internally and search the reserve list using filters (languages, expressed interests, declared experience). Strong, targeted applications matter — a place on the list is necessary but not sufficient.

11. The honest summary

EPSO AD5 in 2026 is the most competitive generalist concours in recent memory in absolute numbers, but the underlying maths is more forgiving than the headline suggests. The tests are predictable, the weights are known, the gatekeepers are easy to pass with modest training, and most applicants will quietly drop out before the test windows even open. A focused 10–12 week effort that prioritises verbal reasoning, EU knowledge MCQs and a handful of timed EUFTE essays puts a well-organised candidate squarely in the contention tier.

Plan the work, do the work, and book the technical check early.

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Sources and further reading

• EUR-Lex — Notice of open competition EPSO/AD/427/26 (OJ C/2026/711)
• EU Careers — Graduate Administrators (AD5)
• How the EU works — europa.eu