The AD5 competition, explained
How the graduate administrators competition is structured, and which score actually decides your place
What AD5 is
AD5 graduate administrators is the generalist entry competition for the EU institutions, and the one that attracts by far the largest field. It leads to a reserve list of officials, not to contract agent posts.
The whole procedure is run remotely under online proctoring. There is no assessment centre, no case study, no group exercise and no interview.
It is split into two parts held in separate sessions, with an eliminatory cut between them. Part 1 is the reasoning tests, in your language 1. Only candidates who clear Part 1 are invited to Part 2, which is in your language 2.
EPSO confirmed on 13 October 2026 that Part 1 takes place in the week of 9 to 13 November 2026.
| Step | When |
|---|---|
| Part 1 tests | Week of 9 to 13 November 2026 |
| Invitation | Sent on 19 October 2026 to your EPSO account. It gives the week only. |
| Technical check | 20 October to 6 November 2026, on the testing platform |
| Exact date and time | On the testing platform, at least 2 weeks before your test |
| Part 2 tests | Not announced yet |
Who can apply
AD5 is the one procedure of the four with a genuinely simple entry rule. You need a degree. No professional experience is required, which is what makes it the graduate entry route.
| Requirement | What it means |
|---|---|
| Citizenship | Citizen of an EU Member State. |
| Language 1 | One official EU language at C1. This is the language you sit the reasoning tests in. |
| Language 2 | A second official EU language at B2. Part 2 is sat in this one. |
| Education | A completed university degree of at least three years. The field does not matter. |
| Experience | None required. |
Part 1: the reasoning tests
Three tests, in your language 1, and the part this site practises in full.
| Test | Questions | Time | Pass mark | Counts for ranking |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Verbal reasoning | 20 | 35 min | 10/20 | Yes |
| Numerical reasoning | 10 | 20 min | 10/20 combined | No |
| Abstract reasoning | 10 | 10 min | 10/20 combined | No |
Try a question now
Pick a test and answer one real Part 1 question.
1
2
3
4
5
6
Answer options
Verbal reasoning is the score that moves you up the list
There are two gates and they are independent. Verbal reasoning needs at least 10 out of 20 on its own. Numerical and abstract are added into a single score out of 20 and that total needs at least 10. A strong verbal mark cannot rescue a weak combined total.
This is the part of AD5 worth understanding properly. Numerical and abstract are a gate and nothing more: clear them and the marks are never used again. Verbal reasoning is a gate as well, but its mark is also carried forward as a ranked component and is weighted more heavily than anything else in the competition.
In a competition where about 175,000 candidates are chasing 1,490 places on the reserve list, the difference between clearing verbal at 11 and clearing it at 17 is not the difference between passing and passing. It is a large part of where you finish.
The practical conclusion is uncomfortable but simple. If your preparation time is limited, verbal reasoning is where it should go, and numerical and abstract only need enough work to stop them from ending your competition.
Part 2: knowledge, digital skills and the essay
Part 2 is sat in your language 2 and is where the rest of the ranking is decided. You only reach it if you cleared both Part 1 gates.
| Test | Format | Time | Pass mark |
|---|---|---|---|
| EU knowledge | 30 questions | 40 min | 15/30 |
| Digital skills | 40 questions | 30 min | 20/40 |
| Free-text essay on EU matters | 1 essay | 40 min | 5/10 |
Where AD5 sits among the other procedures
AD5 is the graduate front door: no experience required, the largest field, and the only one of the four where a reasoning mark is ranked rather than merely passed.
The specialist AD competitions want a degree and years of experience in a named field. The assistant competitions sit at a lower grade and decide their ranking on a field-related test. CAST is permanently open and leads to contract agent posts rather than official ones.
If you are preparing for more than one of them, the reasoning practice is shared. Nothing you do for AD5 is wasted on a CAST invitation, and nothing you do for CAST is wasted here.
What this site does not cover
Laureo practises the three reasoning tests, the EU knowledge test and the digital skills test. That is all of Part 1, plus both multiple-choice tests from Part 2.
There is nothing for the essay. You will need another source for that.
What is here is unlimited, free, and scored the way the real Part 1 is scored: both gates, the real timings, and no daily cap.
AD5 questions, answered
- When are the AD5 2026 reasoning tests?
- Part 1 takes place in the week of 9 to 13 November 2026. EPSO sent the invitations to your EPSO account on 19 October, and they give the week only. Your exact date and time show on the testing platform.
- Are all 3 reasoning tests on the same day?
- Yes. You sit verbal, numerical and abstract reasoning in one session on one day. The tests take 65 minutes in total: 35 for verbal, 20 for numerical and 10 for abstract.
- When is Part 2, and how long after Part 1?
- EPSO hasn’t announced the Part 2 dates yet and says it will give more details later. Only candidates who clear both Part 1 gates are invited.
- What do I need to score to get through Part 1?
- At least 10 out of 20 in verbal reasoning, and at least 10 out of 20 across numerical and abstract combined. Both gates have to be cleared independently. A high verbal mark does not compensate for a failed combined score.
- Do I need work experience to apply for AD5?
- No. A completed university degree of at least three years is enough, in any field. That is what makes AD5 the graduate entry route, and it is the main difference from the specialist AD competitions, which do require experience in a named field.
- Are numerical and abstract really not ranked?
- They are pass or fail only. You must clear the combined gate to go through to Part 2, but the mark itself does not feed the preliminary or the final ranking. Verbal reasoning does.
- Which tests are in language 1 and which in language 2?
- The 3 reasoning tests in Part 1 are in language 1, the language you declared at C1. The EU knowledge test, the digital skills test and the essay in Part 2 are in language 2. Practise verbal reasoning in your language 1, as that’s the language you’ll be tested in.
- Is the AD5 reasoning test harder than the CAST one?
- Same formats, same question counts, same timings and the same two gates. EPSO calibrates difficulty to the grade, so AD5 items sit at the harder end of the range. You can set your target exam in settings here and the practice will serve you the matching difficulty band.
- Is there an assessment centre or an interview?
- No. The 2026 competition model is entirely remote computer-based testing across the two sessions. There is no assessment centre, case study, group exercise, oral presentation or competency-based interview.
- What computer do I need for the online test?
- A desktop or laptop less than 10 years old, with a camera, a microphone and Chrome or Edge. You need administrator rights to install Proctorio, so a work laptop usually won’t do. Phones and tablets don’t work.
- How many people does AD5 recruit?
- The notice sets a reserve list of 1,490 places, and about 175,000 people applied. A place on the list makes you eligible to be recruited, but it isn’t a job offer.
- Are there official AD5 sample questions?
- Yes. EPSO publishes sample questions for the reasoning tests, the EU knowledge test and the digital skills test. We’ve collected every one of them, with EPSO’s answers, on our sample questions page.
- Does practising reasoning tests actually help?
- For the timed formats, yes, and specifically because the constraint is pacing rather than difficulty. Most candidates who fail verbal reasoning do not fail because a passage was too hard, they fail because they spent five minutes on question three. Practice is how the clock stops being the thing you are fighting.
Test counts, timings, pass marks, weightings and eligibility rules are taken from the notice of competition and from reporting on it, checked in October 2026. If you have been invited to sit, your invitation and the notice itself are the authoritative source and they override anything on this page.