An abstract reasoning test is a cognitive assessment that evaluates an individual's ability to identify patterns, logical relationships, and rules within non-verbal and non-language-based visual information, typically presented as a series of shapes, symbols, or images.
It measures one's ability to think abstractly and conceptually, which is essential for problem-solving, critical thinking, and decision-making.
The Abstract Reasoning Test is part of the three reasoning pre-selection stages in the VNAR.
Glossary of terms commonly used in EPSO selection procedures.
Abstract reasoning test
Administrator (AD)
European permanent officials are classified into three groups: Administrators (AD), Assistants (AST) and Secretaries/Clerks (ASC-SC).
Becoming an Administrator (AD) requires a college or university diploma and successful completion of an EPSO competition for an open-ended contract.
With grades ranging from AD 5 to AD 16, Administrators work in various sectors such as justice, law, finance, trade, environment, human resources, communication, translation, and more. Their duties include policy development, analysis, regulatory tasks, international negotiations, stakeholder engagement, and EU legal text revision.
Selection and recruitment at higher AD grades require relevant experience and management skills.
See also Permanent officials related FAQs.
Anchors
Anchors are the elements taken into consideration by test markers (i.e. assessors) when assessing a given competency.
For competency 4 (Self-management), an anchor would for example be “Responds calmly to obstacles and is able to distance themselves from frustration and negativity”.
All anchors and competencies can be found here: EPSO’s Competency Framework
Assistant (AST)
European permanent officials, are classified into three groups: Administrators (AD), Assistants (AST) and Secretaries/Clerks (ASC-SC).
Assistants (AST) are required to have either a high school or vocational school diploma, with or without professional experience.
However, for AST3 positions, which involve areas like financial management, project management, communication, or related subjects, a higher level qualification or professional experience is necessary.
See also Permanent officials related FAQs.
CAST (Contract agent selection tool)
CAST, or Contract Agents Selection Tool, is an open-ended recruitment process without application deadlines. It aims to recruit Contract agents/contract staff.
See also: Contract agents related FAQs.
Competency framework
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.
The competency framework contains the following general competencies:
Communication
Critical Thinking
Analysing & Creative Problem-Solving
Decision-Making and Getting Results
Information Management (Digital and Data Literacy)
Intrapreneurship
Learning as a Skill
Self-Management
Working with Others
Competition
The EPSO selection procedure to become a permanent official.
Contract agent/contract staff
Contract agents (or staff) carry out a number of manual or administrative tasks and may provide additional capacity in specialised fields where an insufficient number of permanent officials is available.
They are generally recruited for fixed-term contracts (maximum 6 years in any EU Institution), but in some cases they can be offered contracts for an indefinite duration (in Offices, Agencies, Delegations or Representations).
See also: Contract agents related FAQs and Cast permanent selection procedure.
EASI (Experience Assessment)
EASI is a tool aimed at providing optional feedback to interested candidates to help them understand better their likelihood of admission (eligibility) to a competition, based on their qualifications and professional experience, compared to the requirements laid down in the Notice of Competition.
Eligibility
Eligibility criteria refer to the specific requirements and conditions that candidates must meet in order to participate in EPSO selection procedures.
These criteria ensure that only qualified and suitable candidates are considered for the positions and that they meet the necessary standards for working within the EU institutions.
The eligibility criteria typically include aspects such as nationality, character, education, work experience, language proficiency, and any additional requirements specified in the Notice of Competition for a specific EPSO competition. Meeting these criteria is a prerequisite for being considered in the selection procedure.
See also: Eligibility and our FAQs section on Eligibility criteria.
EPSO Account
Before being able to apply for specific selection procedures, all candidates need to create an EPSO Account on the EPSO website, where they input personal information, qualifications, language proficiency, and other relevant data.
See also the EPSO Account related FAQs.
EU Official/Permanent official
Permanent officials are members of the EU civil service appointed for an indefinite time. They constitute the so-called core working force.
There are three categories for permanent EU officials: Administrators (AD), Assistants (AST) and Secretaries/Clerks (AST/SC).
See also: Staff categories.
FGI (Function group 1 CAST)
FGI is one of the 4 function groups for the contract staff position.
It includes grades 1-3 and the following categories of tasks: Manual and administrative support service tasks, performed under the supervision of officials or temporary staff.
See also the related FAQs and the salary table for contract agents (applicable from 1 January 2024).
FGII (Function group 2 CAST)
FGII is one of the 4 function groups for the contract staff position.
It includes grades from 4-7 and the following categories of tasks: Clerical and secretarial tasks, office management and other equivalent tasks, performed under the supervision of officials or temporary staff.
See also the related FAQs and the salary table for contract agents (applicable from 1 January 2024).
FGIII (Function group 3 CAST)
FGIII is one of the 4 function groups for the contract staff position.
It includes grades from 8 to 12 and the following categories of tasks: Executive , drafting, accountancy and other equivalent technical tasks, performed under the supervision of officials or temporary staff.
See also the related FAQs and the salary table for contract agents (applicable from 1 January 2024).
FGIV (Function group 2 CAST)
FGIV is one of the 4 function groups for the contract staff position.
It includes grades from 13-18 and the following categories of tasks: Administrative, advisory, linguistic and equivalent technical tasks, performed under the supervision of officials or temporary staff.
See also the related FAQs and the salary table for contract agents (applicable from 1 January 2024).
Field-related multiple-choice questionnaire (FRMCQ)
The field-related multiple choice questionnaire (FRMCQ) includes a series of questions, which are designed to test the skills and the knowledge related to the field of the competition. The questions are based on the duties required for the specific profile. Each question is linked to four different answer options, only one of which is correct.
Further information is indicated in the Notice of Competition and in the invitation letter.
Field-related written test (FRWT)
The field-related written test (FRWT) aims to assess the written communication skills and the knowledge in the relevant field of the competition.
See the related FAQs.
Free-text essay on EU matters (EUFTE)
The EUFTE is a free-text essay on EU matters aimed at assessing a candidate's written communication skills.
See also: Written test.
Internal competition
Internal competitions are limited to current EU institution employees, promoting opportunities for growth and advancement within their existing workplace.
They are not managed under EPSO’s responsibility, but under the responsibility of the recruiting services themselves.
EPSO may be asked to provide support to the running of such competitions.