COM/AST/112/2026: The AST2 Internal Competition, Stage by Stage

COM/AST/112/2026 is the European Commission's internal competition for assistants at grade AST2. It seeks 50 successful candidates for a reserve list, and applications closed on 30 October 2026 at 12:00, Brussels time. This guide follows the notice of competition: each test, its pass mark, how many candidates go through, and the rules that matter now that the application stage is over.

The notice sets no dates for the tests. Candidates are told to keep checking My Communications on the Single Candidate Portal and the competition's page on Staff Centre, so those are the two places to watch.

The Whole Competition in One Table

Where several candidates tie for the last place at any stage, all of them go on, and the same applies on the reserve list. The real figures can therefore run slightly above 125, 75 and 50. The Selection Board also keeps discretion over how thresholds are set where that is needed for equal treatment.

Three features shape how to prepare:

• Only the oral ranks you for the list. The reserve list is drawn from eligible candidates who reach the pass mark in the oral and have one of its highest scores. The notice does not add earlier marks to that ranking.
• The MCQ and the written test take place online on the same day, so both need to be ready for that date.
• Language 2 runs through every test, including the cognitive assessment.

Who Could Apply

Eligibility was fixed on the application deadline. Candidates had to be:

• an official or temporary agent in any grade of the AST/SC or AST function groups, or a contract agent in function group III or IV, in the Commission;
• in those categories, in any combination, for at least the last 6 full consecutive months;
• an official, temporary agent or contract agent in the Commission, in any combination, for at least the last 12 full consecutive months;
• for contract agents, also in service for at least 36 full months in the Commission, not necessarily consecutive.

Active employment, leave for military service, parental or family leave, leave on personal grounds and secondment all count towards these periods. Periods in agencies or other institutions do not count, and neither do periods in the Commission as an interim agent, auxiliary or local staff member, or seconded national expert.

On qualifications, candidates needed one of three routes: a post-secondary diploma; a secondary diploma giving access to post-secondary education plus at least 3 years of relevant professional experience gained after it; or vocational training equivalent to post-secondary education, attested by a certificate. Diplomas must have been awarded in an EU Member State or come with an equivalence certificate from one, with a transitional rule for the UK.

Stage 1: The Cognitive Reasoning Assessment

The assessment is adaptive and computer-based, with 24 questions in 36 minutes, about 90 seconds each on average. It measures numerical, inductive and deductive reasoning.

The cut-off is the 40th percentile of a benchmark population of university graduates with several years of professional experience. The benchmark is fixed by the Appointing Authority, so you are measured against that population and not against the other candidates. Below it, you are out of the competition. The 2026 AD7 and AD5 rounds used the 60th percentile, so this gate sits lower, but it still comes before everything else.

The notice refers to an external company and does not name it. The format matches the SHL assessment used in those other 2026 rounds, so that is the sensible format to train on.

The first eligibility checks run in this order:

1. The cognitive assessment.
2. For those at or above the 40th percentile, nationality and the service criteria, checked against the application and Sysper.
3. The language rules.

Diplomas and professional experience wait until much later, at the final eligibility check.

Preparing. SHL publishes free practice tests, including the interactive formats. EU-now's free simulator takes 12 questions and needs no account. Since the real test comes in Language 2, train in that language: reading a deductive rule quickly in your second language is its own skill.

Stage 2: The EU Knowledge MCQ

30 questions with a maximum of 40 minutes, about 80 seconds each, in Language 2, with a pass mark of 15/30. The notice lists four areas:

• the EU institutional set-up;
• the Commission's roles and powers under the Treaties;
• the Commission's governance, decision-making and procedures;
• the Commission's policy priorities.

The notice also promises guidance for preparation and a sample of questions on the competition's Staff Centre page before the test. That sample will be the best available signal of the style, so check for it.

Reaching 15/30 is not enough for the written test to count: you also need one of the highest MCQ scores, up to 125 candidates plus ties. Treat 15 as the floor and aim well above it.

Preparing. The priorities are the first three areas, because they rest on stable texts: Article 17 TEU for the Commission's mission and right of initiative, Articles 290 and 291 TFEU for delegated and implementing acts, and Article 294 TFEU for the ordinary legislative procedure. For the fourth, read the Commission 2024-2029 priorities and the current work programme.

Stage 3: The Written Test

One assignment with a maximum of 90 minutes, in Language 2, with a pass mark of 25/50. It starts from a set of documents and asks for a working text, such as a summary report, minutes, a letter or a note. It tests two competencies:

• critical thinking, analysis and creative problem-solving;
• written communication.

Marking may include normalisation, a statistical method that evens out differences between assessors without changing the test. If an instruction tells you not to sign or mark your paper, follow it: a signature or distinctive mark is grounds for disqualification.

Preparing. Time is the hard part: reading the documents, deciding what matters and writing a finished text in your second language within 90 minutes. Practise the whole sequence under the clock and in each format, because minutes and a letter ask for different structures. EU-now's internal competition preparation includes a written test with dossiers in English, French and German, a 90-minute timer and marking on the 50-point scale.

Stage 4: Final Eligibility Check

If you reach the pass mark and one of the highest written scores, the Selection Board checks your diplomas and experience. It works in descending order of score until 75 candidates (1.5 times the places) are found eligible.

The Board decides only on your application form and the documents submitted with it. It cannot see the documents in your Sysper file, diplomas included. It may ask for additional documents within a set deadline, so answer any such request quickly.

For the route that relies on experience, the rules in the notice are precise. As a rule, the work must come after the diploma and be genuine, effective and remunerated, with exceptions such as compulsory military service, a doctorate (up to 3 years) and some compulsory traineeships. Part-time counts pro rata, so six months at half-time equals three. Experience only partly relevant to AST2 tasks counts in proportion.

Stage 5: The Oral Test

Up to 60 minutes online, in Language 2, with a pass mark of 25/50. It has two parts:

• a short presentation on a subject related to EU institutions, policies and procedures, followed by questions;
• a structured interview.

It evaluates your motivation and four competencies: learning as a skill, oral communication, self-management and working together. The names of the Selection Board members are published on Staff Centre at the latest before this stage.

Preparing. Because this is the test that ranks you, it deserves its own preparation from the moment you clear the written test. Build concrete examples from your work for each of the four competencies, and practise short presentations aloud in Language 2 with someone asking follow-up questions.

Language Rules

You need at least C1 in one official EU language and B2 in another. Language 2 is English, French or German, and it has to differ from the main language recorded in Sysper.

The Commission justifies the three-language limit by the internal nature of the competition, citing Barata v Parliament. Language change requests had to be submitted by the application deadline, with supporting documents such as proof of C1 level. The secretariat communicates its decision before the invitation to the cognitive assessment, and there is no request for review against it. Sysper itself does not change while the competition runs.

Staying in the Competition

• Sit every test. Failing to sit the cognitive assessment or any test is a ground for disqualification.
• Adjustments. If a disability or medical condition arises after the deadline, the special adjustments team must receive your request at least 7 working days before the test, with supporting certificates.
• Illness on the day. Inform the secretariat immediately and send a medical certificate covering the test date.
• Changing jobs. If you leave the Commission before the competition ends, arrange your EU Login for life in Sysper and notify the secretariat through the portal. If you move to another EU institution, notify the secretariat and give a valid email address.
• Conflicts of interest. Declare any through the portal as soon as you become aware of it, at any stage, and never contact a Board member about the competition.
• Integrity. Recording an online test, cheating or attempting to contact the Board in an unauthorised way can lead to disqualification and disciplinary proceedings.

If Something Goes Wrong

The deadlines are short and they are strict.

There is no request for review of the cognitive assessment, language change decisions or the MCQ result. Queries about the cognitive assessment go to the external company. Technical claims that were not reported in time are rejected later, so report the problem even if the test seems to end well.

A request for information does not suspend the review deadline. If you do request a review, wait for the Board's final decision before lodging a complaint or an appeal; the 3 months then run from that decision.

You can also appeal to the General Court without a prior review or complaint. A complaint to the European Ombudsman (Regulation 2021/1163) has to be preceded by the appropriate administrative steps, and it does not stop the other time limits.

If a question is neutralised, it is removed and its points are shared among the remaining questions; the 15/30 pass mark stays the same. Candidates sitting a contingency test day are held to the thresholds set on the main testing day.

After the Reserve List

The list is published in the Administrative Notices, with names in alphabetical order, and it stays valid until 31 December of the second year following the year of publication. The Appointing Authority may extend it. Inclusion does not guarantee recruitment, and the publication itself explains the next steps for successful candidates.

Related reading

• The new test in the Commission's 2026 internal competitions
• The SHL cognitive test: a complete guide
• Internal vs external EPSO competitions