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Part 0 —

3. The Notice of Competition

The Notice of Competition (NOC) is the only authoritative document for any EPSO selection procedure. It is published in the Official Journal of the European Union, signed off by the recruiting service, and binds EPSO, the candidate, and the courts. Every other source in the FRWT preparation universe — including this database — is general method. The NOC is law.

All Chapters
Part 1 1. What the FRWT Is 2. The Five Written-Form Tests Compared 3. The Notice of Competition 4. The EPSO Competency Framework 5. Open Competition vs CAST: Procedural Differences
Part 2 6. Online Testing and Identification 7. The Pre-Test Documentation Window 8. Marking, Anchors and Complaints
Part 3 9. Decoding the Field from the NOC 10. Building a Field Reading List 11. Mastering the Five Anchors of Written Communication 12. A Twelve-Week Preparation Calendar 13. Realistic Practice and Self-Assessment
Part 4 14. Law Specialists 15. Finance, Budget and Audit Specialists 16. Communication Specialists 17. Project and Programme Management Specialists 18. ICT and Digital Specialists 19. Political Affairs and EU Policies Specialists 20. Additional Specialist Profiles
Part 5 21. On the Day: 90-Minute Breakdown 22. After: Results, Reserve List, Complaint, Recovery

Snapshot

The Notice of Competition (NOC) is the only authoritative document for any EPSO selection procedure. It is published in the Official Journal of the European Union, signed off by the recruiting service, and binds EPSO, the candidate, and the courts. Every other source in the FRWT preparation universe — including this database — is general method. The NOC is law.

What It Tests

The NOC defines, for the specific competition:

  • •The profile and grade (e.g. AD5, AD7 specialist in environment policy).
  • •The eligibility criteria (degrees, professional experience, languages).
  • •The test types and sequence (FRMCQ, FRWT, interview, etc.).
  • •The language regime for each test.
  • •The duration and scoring of each test.
  • •The timeline (application window, indicative test dates).
  • •The reserve list size and validity.

Why It Matters

A candidate's preparation plan, calendar and field reading list are all derived from the NOC. Misreading the NOC is the single most consequential preparation error. Candidates routinely lose two to four weeks of preparation by working from outdated NOC variants posted on third-party blogs.

Method

🟢 Find the NOC. Each competition has a dedicated page on eu-careers.europa.eu; the NOC PDF is linked from there. It is also indexed in the Official Journal of the European Union via EUR-Lex.

🟢 Read it three times. The first read maps the structure (sections, annexes). The second read extracts the FRWT-specific clauses (test type, duration, anchors, documents). The third read confirms eligibility and edge cases.

🟡 Extract a one-page personal summary. Use the candidate's own template: profile, eligibility, test sequence, FRWT specifics, languages, key dates. This sheet replaces the NOC for daily preparation reference — but the NOC remains the canonical answer to any doubt.

🟡 Identify the annexes. The NOC's annexes typically include the duties list for the profile, the field-knowledge programme, and any specific marking provisions. The duties list is the rosetta stone for the field reading list (Chapter 8).

🔴 Re-read it before each major preparation milestone. The same paragraph can read differently after four weeks of practice. Spotting clauses you missed on the first pass is a routine experience.

Worked Example

A candidate preparing for an AD7 specialist NOC notices on a third re-read that the FRWT will not only be marked on the five communication anchors but also on a sixth field-knowledge anchor described in the NOC's Annex IV. That sixth anchor mentions "ability to integrate primary EU law with relevant secondary acts in force at the date of publication of this Notice." That single sentence is the trigger for the candidate to build a curated bibliography of secondary acts in force on the NOC publication date — not the latest amendments published after.

Numbers & Quick Facts

  • •One binding document per competition: the NOC.
  • •Published in the Official Journal: anyone can cite it; nothing supersedes it.
  • •For field-related questions, only the legal acts in force at the date of publication of the NOC are within scope.
  • •The NOC is the document EPSO refers to in any complaint or appeal.

Common Mistakes

  • •🟢 Reading the NOC only once. Hidden clauses surface only on later passes.
  • •🟢 Trusting third-party summaries over the NOC text.
  • •🟡 Studying material that postdates the NOC publication when the NOC pins the reference date.
  • •🟡 Missing the annexes. Most of the FRWT-relevant detail lives there.

Capsule Glossary

  • •NOC — Notice of Competition.
  • •OJ — Official Journal of the European Union, where the NOC is published.
  • •Annexes — appendices to the NOC, typically the duties list, field-knowledge programme, marking grid.
  • •Duties list — the description of the work the successful candidate will perform; the operational anchor for field reading.

Cross-References

  • •Decoding the field from the NOC → Chapter 7.
  • •Building a reading list from the NOC's duties list → Chapter 8.
  • •Reference date for legal acts in force → Chapter 8 and field chapters in Part 4.

Primary Sources

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2. The Five Written-Form Tests Compared 4. The EPSO Competency Framework