detailed instructions

EPSO/AD/301/2015 – Administrators: Generalists
EPSO/AD/302/2015 – Auditors
Application process - Instructions for candidates
1. Start your application
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Start your application at:
o graduates.eu-careers.eu for Administrators: Generalists (EPSO/AD/301/2015)
or
o auditors.eu-careers.eu for Auditors (EPSO/AD/302/2015)
Carefully read the information on the first page, available in English, French and German.
If you fulfil all the criteria and are eligible to apply, click on 'Start your application'.
Read about the process overview
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This page offers you an overview of the application process in English, French and German.
Carefully read the information, in particular the Competition notice and the General rules governing
open competitions. These documents are available in the 24 official EU languages.
Create your EPSO account if you don't have one, but make sure you have logged out before starting
the application process. It's not recommended to create the account at a later stage (see point 5).
You will have to reply to the 'EU Career, My Career?' questionnaire and to pass through the
mandatory self-assessment tests (reasoning skills and situational judgment) before you can access
the application form.
The total combined time for the 'EU Career, My Career?' questionnaire and all self-assessment tests
is 2 hours. Please allow sufficient time to complete these important steps. You need to sit the tests
in one session, taking into consideration the possible time outs of the system.
Click on 'Next' to proceed with the application process.
Read the instructions available on EPSO website
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Read the information on the different tests and on the technical minimum requirements for sitting
the online tests. This page is available in English, French and German.
Note that the 'EU Career, My Career' questionnaire and the first part of the self-assessment tests
will be in the 24 official EU languages, while the second part will be in English, French and German
(the abstract reasoning tests are based only on graphic representations).
Select the language for the 'EU Career, My Career?' questionnaire. You will be able to continue with
the verbal and numerical reasoning tests in the same language or in a different one. As in the real
tests, you should take these tests in your main language. You will be able to select the language for
the second part of the self-assessment at a later stage.
2. Reply to the 'EU Career, My Career?' questionnaire
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This questionnaire will help you understand if you have the right perception of what it is like to
work in the EU Institutions. Every year EPSO organises a range of competitions spanning different
grades and fields. For a majority of these competitions, there are a large number of applicants
many of whom will be unsuccessful at the various stages of the selection process. Before applying,
it is therefore useful to consider carefully what it is like to work in an EU Institution and how closely
this resembles the applicants' perception of this working environment.
You will have 40 minutes to respond to 26 questions (available in all 24 official EU languages).
Carefully read the information available, and then click on 'Begin test'.
You should be as honest as possible in your choice of answers.
There is only one correct answer to each question.
Please click on 'Show answer' before moving on to the next question to see the correct response
and an explanation.
Click 'Next' to get to the next question.
This questionnaire is not eliminatory. However, it will give you a valuable insight into the working
environment in the EU Institutions. On completion you will receive feedback which will help you
decide if working in the EU Institutions is for you.
3. Start the self –assessment tests
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The self-assessment tests will help you to determine your suitability for a career as an EU official at
AD level and familiarise yourself with the tests which you will be expected to do in the first stage of
assessment: reasoning skills (verbal, numerical, abstract) and situational judgment.
The first tests evaluate your verbal and numerical reasoning skills.
Please note: all candidates wishing to apply for the AD Generalists and Audit selection procedures
have to take the self-assessment tests. However, they are not eliminatory and the results are not
saved by EPSO.
To replicate the real testing environment you should only have a pen and paper, plus a calculator
with basic functions (an online calculator will also be available).
You will need to work both quickly and accurately.
You must use the information in the passage and not any prior knowledge you may have.
Carefully read the information available on part one of the self-assessment tests, then click on
'Begin test'.
Sit verbal reasoning test
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You will have to answer 5 questions testing your verbal reasoning in 9 minutes.
Please note that the number of questions indicated on the page refers to both sections of Part I.
This test consists of passages of text, after which you will find a number of statements. Your task is
to evaluate which of the four statements given is most true in terms of the passage itself.
Please note that there is one, and only one, correct answer to each question, and that this correct
answer is the statement which is most true in terms of the information given in the passage.
Click on 'Summary' for an overview of your responses in this section. Click on 'Next' to get to the
next question in the same section.
At the end of each section, you get an overview of the questions you have completed and the
remaining time. Click on 'Continue to the next section'.
Sit numerical reasoning test
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This is to announce you that you will start a new section. Click on 'Continue' and answer all
questions in the next sections.
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You will have to answer 5 questions testing your numerical reasoning in 11 minutes.
This test consists of a series of graphics (charts) followed by a passage and five possible replies.
Your task is to calculate the correct result.
Please note that there is one, and only one, correct answer to each question.
For some questions with larger graphics, you might have to scroll down first to see all possible
replies.
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End of Part I of the self-assessment tests
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At the end of the numerical reasoning test, click on 'End test' to submit your final answers.
A key element of the self-assessment is the feedback loop provided by the results – also allowing
you to judge whether you wish to progress with your application.
At the end of Part I, you will receive your score for the first 2 tests.
Your test scores will only give you an indication of what you can expect as far as the real tests on
computer are concerned, should you decide to apply.
Select the language for part two of the self-assessment (English, French or German).
4. Start part II of the self-assessment tests
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Part II of the self-assessment tests has 2 sections:
o Abstract reasoning test
o Situational judgment test (available in English, French and German, as in the real testing
environment)
Carefully read the information available, then click on 'Begin test'.
Sit abstract reasoning test
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You will have to answer 10 questions testing your abstract reasoning in 11 minutes.
Each question consists of a series of diagrams that follow a logical sequence or contain a set of
underlying rules. The series reads from left to right. Your task is to choose the next diagram in the
series.
After each question there are a number of different answer options. There is one, and only one,
correct answer to each question. Click on the answer that you think is correct.
Sit Situational Judgement test
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In this test you will be presented with 20 different scenarios, each followed by a series of 4
statements. The scenarios describe situations which you could experience at work.
Your task is to consider the situation and then choose which of the 4 statements would be the most
effective response or action to take and which would be the least effective response or action to
take.
Please note: for technical reasons, you will be presented with the same scenario twice, in a direct
sequence. You will first be asked to choose the most effective response or action to take. You will
then be presented with the same scenario again and asked to choose the least effective response
or action to take. (This is why the total number of questions in this section is 50: 10 for abstract
reasoning and 20 for situational judgment presented twice)
To choose the boxes for each situation, use the mouse to left-click and drag each box to its
appropriate target panel.
You have 35 minutes to complete this test. Please note that the test does not aim to assess the
speed at which items are completed within a fixed period of time.
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At the end of the tests, you will receive your score. Your test scores will only give you an indication
of what you can expect as far as the real tests on computer are concerned, should you decide to
apply.
5. Continue to EPSO website
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You have now finished the self-assessment tests and will be redirected to EPSO website. If you
decide to apply, click on the relevant link at the bottom of the page.
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Please make sure you logged out from your EPSO account before you click on the competition's
link.
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On the next page (available in English, French and German), you should log into your EPSO account
by filling in your user name and your password.
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If you don't have an EPSO account, please note that creating one at this point will not give you
access to the application form and you will have to start again. See our Online Application Manual
for guidance on how to use your account.
6. Go to the application form
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After you logged into your account, you will be automatically guided to the application form. You
should launch and save your application before you close your browser. As long as it is not
validated, you will be able to edit, complete and validate your application.
Please make sure that you fill in your application form and validate it before the deadline. It is your
responsibility to validate your application before the deadline. EPSO cannot accept applications
from candidates who fail to meet the deadline.
Detailed information on the application form is available in the online application manual, available
in English, French and German.
You must consult your EPSO account at regular intervals — at least twice a week — to keep track of
the progress of the competition and to check the information relevant to your application.
General information on the successive stages of competitions can be consulted on the relevant
competition page on the EPSO website (http://blogs.ec.europa.eu/eu-careers.info/).
If you have a question on a career in the EU Institutions, on the conditions to apply and on the different
steps of the selection procedure, please contact the Europe Direct Contact Centre before getting in touch
with EPSO. Questions regarding your application and the access to your EPSO account can only be
answered by EPSO. Please contact us well in advance as our standard delay for reply is currently at least 3
working days.