What is the AD5 graduates competition?

The AD5 graduates competition is EPSO's flagship open competition for early-career staff. It recruits people with a completed university degree but no required work experience to enter the European civil service at grade AD5 — the entry level for permanent administrators across the European Commission, European Parliament, Council of the EU, Court of Justice, Court of Auditors, EEAS and most EU agencies.

AD5 successful candidates land on a reserve list. Recruiting services then pull from that list when they have a vacancy. A reserve-list place is not itself a job offer; you typically still go through a service-level interview before signing a contract. Even so, this competition is the route by which a large share of permanent EU officials first enter the institutions.

The umbrella EPSO competitions guide explains the broader EPSO landscape. This page focuses on what is specific to the AD5 graduates path.

Eligibility

To apply for an AD5 generalist competition you must, on the closing date of the application window:

  • Be a citizen of an EU Member State and enjoy your full rights as a citizen.
  • Have completed (or be about to complete and obtain by the deadline stated in the notice) a university degree of at least three years, attested by a diploma — for example a Bachelor.
  • Have a thorough knowledge (C1 minimum) of one official EU language as your main language, and a satisfactory knowledge (B2 minimum) of a second official EU language. The second language is usually restricted to English, French or German.
  • Have fulfilled any obligations under national laws on military service.
  • Meet the character requirements for the duties (no criminal record incompatible with the post).

No professional experience is required for the AD5 generalist track, which is the headline feature of this competition. Specialist AD5 competitions (for example AD5 lawyers or AD5 economists) sometimes ask for relevant degrees plus a few years of experience — read the notice carefully.

EPSO checks eligibility against your declarations and the documents you upload. Misdeclaring a degree, language level or nationality is grounds for exclusion at any stage, including after a reserve-list placement.

Stages of the competition

The AD5 graduates competition runs in roughly the following sequence. Exact details are fixed by each competition notice and have been changing as EPSO modernises its selection model — see the recent format changes section below.

  1. Application and talent screener

    Online form on the EU Careers portal. You declare education, languages and (for specialist tracks) experience. The talent screener is a structured questionnaire about competencies relevant to the profile. Treat it as a filtering tool — it can be scored and used to decide who advances.

  2. Computer-based reasoning tests

    Multiple-choice tests taken at a Prometric-style test centre or, for some recent cycles, remotely under proctored conditions. Typical components are abstract reasoning, numerical reasoning, verbal reasoning, and a situational judgement test.

  3. Field-knowledge or talent test

    Some recent AD5 generalist cycles have included a knowledge-of-the-EU test or competency test on top of pure reasoning. The notice tells you exactly which components count.

  4. Assessment Centre

    The top scorers from the computer-based stage are invited to an Assessment Centre. Components vary cycle to cycle but typically include a written case study, an oral presentation, a competency-based interview, and sometimes a group exercise. Each is scored against the EU general competencies.

  5. Reserve list

    Candidates who reach the threshold are placed on a reserve list, ranked or unranked depending on the cycle. Validity is set in the notice and is often extended.

From the EU Jobs Alert guide How to land a job at the EU institutions A walkthrough of EPSO competitions, agency calls, and contract roles — written by our editor. Read the guide →

Worked example: AD5 numerical reasoning

The numerical reasoning test asks you to read a small data set and pick the correct answer under time pressure. Here is a representative item with the full solution.

Question. A Member State exported 4,200 tonnes of wheat in 2022 and 4,830 tonnes in 2023. Imports rose from 2,800 tonnes in 2022 to 3,360 tonnes in 2023. By how many percentage points did the trade surplus on wheat (exports minus imports, divided by exports) change between 2022 and 2023?

Step 1 — surplus ratio in 2022. Surplus = 4,200 − 2,800 = 1,400 tonnes. Ratio = 1,400 / 4,200 = 0.3333… ≈ 33.33%.

Step 2 — surplus ratio in 2023. Surplus = 4,830 − 3,360 = 1,470 tonnes. Ratio = 1,470 / 4,830 = 0.3043… ≈ 30.43%.

Step 3 — change in percentage points. 30.43% − 33.33% = −2.90 percentage points. The surplus shrank by about 2.9 percentage points.

The trap candidates fall into is reporting the percentage change of the surplus in tonnes (1,470 versus 1,400, which is a +5% rise) instead of the change in the ratio. Read the question's denominator definition exactly. EPSO numerical items are written to punish that confusion.

See our deeper EPSO numerical reasoning guide for more worked patterns.

Recent format changes (2024–2026)

EPSO began a modernisation of its selection model in 2023–2024 with the aim of speeding up time-to-recruitment and broadening the candidate pool. Several AD5-style cycles published since then have moved away from the classic "long four-test" reasoning battery toward a mix of reasoning, situational judgement and a competency or talent-screener stage. The format may evolve further; check the official EU Careers portal for the live notice before you prepare.

Two practical implications. First, do not assume the structure of an old AD5 competition will repeat — read the new notice from start to finish on the day it opens. Second, the EU Careers sample tests are the only authoritative reference for the current item types; commercial providers usually catch up a few weeks later.

What is being measured

The AD5 competition tests two things at once. The reasoning battery (abstract, numerical, verbal) measures whether you can process unfamiliar information accurately under time pressure. That is a proxy for the daily reality of an EU administrator: short deadlines, dense files, high stakes. The situational judgement test, talent screener and Assessment Centre measure how you apply the eight EU general competencies — analysis and problem-solving, communicating, delivering quality and results, learning and development, prioritising and organising, resilience, working with others, and leadership.

Together they aim to predict performance as a junior administrator, not academic ability. A first-class degree with no time-pressure practice will not save you on the reasoning tests. Equally, fast reasoning skills with no competency narrative will not get you through the Assessment Centre. The Selection Board is explicitly told to rate observed behaviour, not credentials, so a candidate with a master from a famous university and a candidate with a Bachelor from a smaller one start the Assessment Centre on the same line.

A useful mental model is the four-quadrant grid: speed and accuracy on one axis, reasoning and competency on the other. Most candidates are strong in one quadrant and weak in another. Identifying your weakest quadrant early and budgeting practice time accordingly is the single highest-leverage decision you make in your preparation.

Timeline expectations

An AD5 cycle from notice to reserve list usually spans 9 to 18 months. Plan your life around the long tail: Assessment Centre invitations land 4 to 9 months after the application deadline, often with only a few weeks notice. Recruitment from the reserve list can take an additional 3 to 24 months. Many laureates wait roughly a year on the list before a service offers them a post. If you need a salaried EU role sooner, consider running a CAST Permanent application in parallel.

Common mistakes

  1. Treating the talent screener as a CV. It is a scored questionnaire. Map each answer to a concrete situation, action and result, not to a job title.
  2. Skipping the official sample tests. The EU Careers sample tests are the only items written by EPSO. Commercial mocks are useful for volume, not for calibration.
  3. Practising untimed. Speed is the binding constraint. Any practice without a clock is worth roughly half a timed practice.
  4. Misreading numerical questions. Most wrong answers come from misidentifying which figure is the denominator or which year is the base. Annotate the question before computing.
  5. Ignoring the EU general competencies. The Assessment Centre rubric is public. Memorise the eight competencies and rehearse one STAR example per competency.
  6. Picking a comfortable second language. EPSO's second-language pool is restricted. If your second language is not English, French or German you will be excluded regardless of fluency.
  7. Submitting at the deadline. The portal slows down in the last 24 hours and submission errors are not a valid appeal ground. Submit at least 48 hours early.
  8. Forgetting to update your account email. EPSO communicates exclusively through your account. A bounced invitation to the Assessment Centre cannot be re-sent.

Preparation resources

Official

Sub-topic guides on this site

Background

Frequently asked questions

Do I need work experience to apply for the EPSO AD5 graduates competition?

No. The AD5 generalist graduates competition is open to candidates who hold a completed university degree (Bachelor or higher) of at least three years. Work experience is not required, which is why this is the most common entry point for early-career applicants.

How often does EPSO run the AD5 graduates competition?

EPSO has historically run a generalist AD5 (or equivalent) competition roughly once a year, sometimes split across several profile streams. Cadence has shifted in 2024 and 2025 as EPSO trialled the new modernised selection model. Always check the EU Careers portal for the current notice.

What languages do I need for AD5?

You must declare a main language at level C1 or higher and a second language at B2 or higher. The second language must usually be English, French or German. The competition notice fixes the exact language regime for each cycle.

Browse current AD5 vacancies

See open positions tagged with grade AD5 across the EU institutions.

View AD5 jobs Back to EPSO overview