EPSO AD5 2026 Exam Date: What We Know (and What EPSO Hasn't Said)

EPSO AD5 2026: Where Testing Stands in October 2026

A record 174,727 candidates applied for the EPSO AD5 2026 Generalist Administrator competition. To put that in perspective: the previous AD5 in 2019 attracted 22,644 applicants. The 2026 field is 7.7 times larger — and that scale has created a logistical challenge that EPSO was not fully prepared for.

In April 2026 EPSO had no exam date, and its official position, communicated to candidates, was that it was "actively reviewing different scenarios for organising the tests, as well as alternative timelines." The answer came on 30 June 2026, when EPSO split testing into two parts, and on 18 September it added the timing: Part 1 is planned to start in November 2026. This article sets out what is official, what is still unknown and what to do now.

What EPSO Has Officially Confirmed

Checked on 7 October 2026 against the AD5 competition page, EPSO's announcements of 30 June and 18 September 2026 and the consolidated Notice of Competition.

• Two parts, two sittings. Part 1 is the reasoning tests (verbal, numerical and abstract), taken in your language 1. Part 2 is the EU knowledge test, the digital skills test and the free-text essay on EU matters (EUFTE), taken in your language 2.
• Part 1 is planned to start in November 2026. Each candidate sits the three reasoning tests in a single session on one day; candidates are scheduled on different dates across the testing period, and tests cannot be rescheduled.
• How you will be invited. About three weeks before the first testing session, an invitation letter in your Single Candidate Portal account tells you the week of your test. The exact date and time appear on the testing platform at least two weeks before your test.
• The pass marks for Part 2. At least 10/20 in verbal reasoning and a combined 10/20 in numerical and abstract reasoning.
• What counts for the ranking. Verbal reasoning 35%, EU knowledge 25%, digital skills 25% and the EUFTE 15%. Numerical and abstract reasoning are pass marks only.
• Part 2 in 2027. EPSO will give the details later and will publish the sources for the EU knowledge test about two months before it.

Why the Scale of AD5 2026 Is Genuinely Unprecedented

The 174,727 applications broke previous records in EU institutional hiring. Italy alone accounted for 45.4% of applicants — 79,343 people — driven by a combination of economic factors: Italian public sector salaries have stagnated for over 20 years, while the EU base salary for an AD5 (around €6,150 gross) plus an expatriation allowance represents a transformative income for many Italian households.

Spain was the second largest group with 13,789 applicants — less than one-fifth of the Italian figure. This is not a normal applicant distribution, and EPSO has never managed testing logistics at this scale.

The TAO Platform Challenge

EPSO switched to the TAO online testing platform in January 2026. The platform is sound for normal volumes, but it has experienced documented failures at scale: in a January 2026 building management competition, according to EPSO's own analysis, approximately 9% of candidates could not complete their tests due to a mix of technical issues and prohibited behaviour (closing camera, leaving workstation). An earlier 2023 financial administrator exam was cancelled entirely; some 10,000 translator candidates had to retest.

Managing 174,727 candidates through an online proctored system — across time zones, hardware configurations, and internet connections — required either a very long testing window or a staggered schedule. EPSO chose to stagger: one Part 1 session per candidate, on different dates across the testing period, with only those who pass going on to Part 2.

What Is Still Unknown

EPSO has not published a full timetable, and we will not speculate on dates. What remains open:

• Your exact test date. The invitation letter only gives the week; the date and time appear on the testing platform at least two weeks before your test.
• How long the Part 1 window lasts. EPSO has said when it starts — November 2026 — but not when it ends.
• The Part 2 dates. So far, only "2027".
• When Part 1 results arrive. The Notice of Competition says candidates will be notified of their reasoning results after Part 1, but EPSO has not given a date.

What You Should Do Now

The content you need to master has not changed; the order has. Part 1 comes first, and it is only weeks away:

1. Reasoning first. Verbal reasoning is a pass mark and 35% of your final score, so every point counts. Numerical and abstract reasoning only need a combined 10/20, but if you have a humanities background (law, political science, languages, philosophy), numerical reasoning is where you are most likely to fall short. Practise in timed sessions until your test week.

2. Check your Single Candidate Portal access now. The invitation letter arrives there about three weeks before the first session, and it explains how to find your exact date and time on the testing platform.

3. Digital Skills and EU Knowledge — after your Part 1 session. Both count 25% of the final score and come in 2027. Digital Skills is a brand-new component with little preparation material; the DigComp 3.0 framework is the place to start. For the 30-question EU Knowledge test, EPSO will publish the sources about two months before it; until then, focus on institutional roles, the Ordinary Legislative Procedure, voting thresholds, and key policy areas.

4. Monitor the EU Careers portal. EPSO will publish updates at eu-careers.europa.eu. Set up alerts if you can, and check regularly. Do not rely on third-party news sources for official scheduling information — go to the source.

A Note on Preparation During Uncertainty

The uncertainty is frustrating, particularly for candidates who have already invested weeks or months of preparation. That investment is not wasted. The exam content is stable — it does not change because the date moves. Every hour spent on practice questions, every concept of EU procedure consolidated, every numerical exercise completed is work that carries forward.

The candidates who will perform best when their test week arrives are those who treated the waiting period as additional preparation time, not as an excuse to pause.

At EU·Now, we are tracking all official EPSO communications and will update our resources the moment new information is available. We are also building practice question banks for all five AD5 components — including the new Digital Skills test — specifically designed around what EPSO actually tests.