Objective evaluation criteria are adopted prior to the selection, in accordance with the competition notice, and are rigorously applied to all candidates in order to ensure equal treatment.

All EPSO tests, and how they are scored, are closely analysed in order to ensure that they are fair and do not impact adversely on particular groups of candidates. EPSO is in the process of becoming compliant with the brand new ISO Standard for Assessment Procedures and is already in line with the UN Convention on the rights of persons with disabilities.

A key aspect of fairness is gender balance and EPSO strives to attract and select a balanced pool of male and female applicants. In practice, men and women apply in disproportionate numbers for some profiles. In general, however, applications are balanced, and the most recent AD Generalist competition produced 50% male and 50% female successful candidates.

EPSO's tests are developed and monitored carefully by its team of in-house occupational psychologists together with carefully selected Selection Board Members from across the EU Institutions. EPSO consistently monitors the latest innovations in test development based on scientific research and has in recent years introduced online testing in its selection procedures.

The main objective of EPSO's reasoning tests is to measure key reasoning abilities for all future EU officials, not to cut down candidate numbers. Based on well-established scientific studies, these tests have the highest predictive value of future job performance (compared to purely knowledge-based tests). Even though candidates within the same competition do not receive the same questions, the level of difficulty of the individual tests delivered to each candidate is identical, thereby ensuring equal treatment. The validity and reliability of multiple-choice computer-based tests has been confirmed by European Court of Justice case-law, and the Court also confirmed that these tests comply with the principle of fair and equal treatment. At the same time computer-based tests allow EPSO to test huge numbers of candidates in a very short time in an efficient and user-friendly manner.

The Competency Framework defines the competencies that are considered essential to perform effectively in any given job, by the EU institutions and bodies that EPSO serves. Some of those competencies are assessed by EPSO during the selection phase, others are assessed by the EU institutions and bodies themselves during the recruitment phase. Please keep in mind that for the more specialised profiles, the EU Institutions are looking for candidates that are highly qualified in their field of expertise. Information on the field-related competencies, as well as on the tests evaluating both the general and field-related competencies, can always be found in the Notice of Competition, the only official document that contains detailed information about the actual tests used by EPSO for a given competition. All notices are published in the Official Journal of the European Union.

Please consult the general competencies and their respective anchors (‘anchors’ are the elements taken into consideration by test markers (i.e. assessors) when assessing a given competency).

Candidates in EPSO competitions can choose to have their contact details disclosed to the national authorities of their Member State, to allow these authorities to contact them with offers of support and assistance for the selection and recruitment process (such as training, information sessions, publications, etc.).

Candidates make this choice when applying for a competition, by indicating their agreement or disagreement in the relevant section of their electronic application form. This agreement or disagreement is valid only for the competition for which it was given, and therefore needs to be indicated each time you introduce a new application.

By answering “Yes” to the relevant question in your application form, you give your unequivocal consent for EPSO to transmit your first and last name, e-mail address, and the reference of the competition you are applying for, to the national authorities of the EU Member State of which you are a citizen. The purpose of this data transmission is to allow your national authorities to contact you in view of offering assistance with the selection and recruitment process in the context of the competition for which you are applying.

The transmission of your personal data to your national authorities is governed by Regulation (EU) 2018/1725 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 October 2018 on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data by the Union institutions, bodies, offices and agencies and on the free movement of such data, and repealing Regulation (EC) No 45/2001 and Decision No 1247/2002/EC, in particular its Articles 7 and 9.

By answering “Yes” to the relevant question in your application form, you also unequivocally consent that the national authorities of the EU Member State of which you are a citizen process your abovementioned personal data, with the purpose of offering you assistance with the selection and recruitment process in the context of the competition for which you are applying.  Your national authorities are authorised to process your data for as long as you are a participant in the competition in question, or until the closing of the competition’s reserve list if your name is included in it, or until you withdraw your consent for the processing of your data.

The processing of your personal data by your national authorities is governed by Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 April 2016 on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data, and repealing Directive 95/46/EC (the General Data Protection Regulation).

You can withdraw your consent at any time, by making a written request to that effect to your Member State. However, please note that if you decide to withdraw your consent after your data have already been transmitted by EPSO to your Member State, this will only prevent your national authorities from further processing your data, but will not affect the lawfulness of past data processing based on your consent that took place before its withdrawal.

Your consent for EPSO to transmit your personal data to your national authorities does not imply any obligation for you to accept any offers of assistance that those authorities might approach you with.

Your consent for EPSO to transmit your personal data to your national authorities does not imply any obligation for those authorities to contact you, or to offer assistance; this is entirely at the discretion of the EU Member State of which you are a citizen.

If you received an acknowledgment of receipt after you sent your initial complaint, you should not send a reminder unless a significant time has passed since you wrote.

The replies to review can take several weeks to prepare. The Selection Board must meet to decide, and only after that are the replies prepared and sent.

If the Selection Board were to readmit you following review, you would re-enter the process at the step where you had been excluded, regardless of how far the competition has progressed in the meantime. 

O formulário de candidatura pode ser preenchido em qualquer uma das 24 línguas oficiais da UE.

Todavia, convém ter presente que quem terá acesso ao seu formulário de candidatura são os membros do júri (durante o concurso) e o pessoal dos serviços de recursos humanos das instituições europeias (para efeitos de recrutamento, caso seja selecionado), que trabalham num número limitado de línguas veiculares.

Caso passe no concurso e o seu nome figure na lista de reserva, terá de fornecer uma tradução do formulário de candidatura para a sua língua 2 (que tem de ser uma das cinco línguas propostas) aos serviços interessados em recrutar pessoal, se tiver preenchido o formulário de candidatura numa outra língua.