EPSO reasoning tests for AD5 and CAST

40 questions in 65 minutes

The table covers Part 1 of the 2026 AD5 graduates competition (EPSO/AD/427/26) and the current CAST Permanent call. Both specify these three multiple-choice tests in the language you selected as Language 1. The times are for answering the questions. Allow extra time for setup and instructions.

You need at least 10/20 in verbal reasoning and 10/20 across numerical and abstract reasoning combined. For example, 7/10 in numerical and 3/10 in abstract reach the combined minimum. A verbal score of 9/20 still falls short. In AD5, your verbal score also counts toward the later ranking.

• AD5 competition notice, sections 4.3.2 and 4.3.3
• CAST call, section 4.5

Check your AD5 or CAST invitation

EPSO recorded 174,727 applicants for the 2026 AD5 competition and scheduled the reasoning tests for 9–13 November 2026. If you applied, follow the invitation in your Single Candidate Portal to find your exact slot on the testing platform. EPSO set the mandatory technical check deadline for 6 November 2026 at 11:59 a.m. Brussels time. Part 2 covers EU knowledge, digital skills and an essay on EU matters.

CAST Permanent registration is continuous. Recruiting services shortlist candidates before EPSO invites them to test. The calendar checked on 6 November 2026 lists 19 November 2026, 20 January 2027 and 31 March 2027. Check the live calendar for changes and your account for your own invitation.

• AD5 competition figures and updates
• AD5 reasoning test announcement
• AD5 technical check and individual test slot
• CAST registration and test calendar

Verbal reasoning — find the missing fact

A library scheduled six induction sessions last month. All sessions after 6 p.m. took place online. Two sessions were cancelled, both before 6 p.m.

Decide whether this statement follows. All sessions before 6 p.m. that went ahead took place in person. Based on the passage, is this true, false or impossible to determine?

Choose “impossible to determine.” The passage tells you how the later sessions were held and when the cancellations were scheduled. It leaves open how any earlier sessions that went ahead were held.

Check both possibilities. A 5 p.m. session could have gone ahead online, making the statement false, or all completed early sessions could have been in person, making it true. Both fit the passage.

Numerical reasoning — compare percentage increases

Two branches tracked their appointments. Which branch had the larger percentage increase from April to May, or were the increases equal?

Abstract reasoning — track two rules

Look at the arrow and the circle separately. Each follows its own repeating rule.

Six questions in 9 minutes and 30 seconds

Set a timer and write down one choice per question. Allow 3 minutes 30 seconds for questions 1–2 (verbal), 4 minutes for 3–4 (numerical) and 2 minutes for 5–6 (abstract). This uses the average time per question in each EPSO test.

When time is up, open the answers below. Give yourself one point per correct answer and review the skill where you lost the most time or points.

1. Every urgent request is reviewed on the day it arrives. A request with a missing signature cannot be approved as submitted. Some urgent requests have missing signatures. Some same-day reviews end in approval. Which statement must be true?

   1. Every request reviewed on the day it arrives is urgent.
   2. Some requests reviewed on the day they arrive cannot be approved as submitted.
   3. Some urgent requests are approved.
   4. Every request approved on the day it arrives is urgent.

2. The public report includes only sites that logged at least 40 cases this quarter. Sites with incomplete records are excluded even if they reached 40. East logged 52 cases and West logged 38. Which conclusion follows?

   1. East is included.
   2. Both sites are excluded.
   3. Both sites are included if their records are complete.
   4. West is excluded and East’s inclusion cannot be determined.

3. North handles 240 requests, 75% on time. South handles 160, 50% on time. The next month each site handles the same number of requests as before. North stays at 75% and South rises to 65%. By how many percentage points does the combined on-time rate rise?

   1. 4
   2. 7.5
   3. 6
   4. 15

4. A team has 180 open cases, 30% of them priority cases. It closes 18 priority cases and opens 24 ordinary cases. What percentage of the cases now open are priority cases? Round to one decimal place.

   1. 19.4%
   2. 20.0%
   3. 22.2%
   4. 29.0%

5. Which frame comes next? Look for repeating changes in the arrow direction, shape and fill.

   ↑○ →▲ ↓□ ←● ↑△ →■ ?
   1. ↓ ● Down with a filled circle
   2. ↑ ○ Up with a hollow circle
   3. ↓ △ Down with a hollow triangle
   4. ↓ ○ Down with a hollow circle

6. Which frame continues this sequence?

   ↑○ ←● →○ ↓● ↓○ →● ?
   1. ↑ ○ Up with a hollow circle
   2. ← ○ Left with a hollow circle
   3. ← ● Left with a filled circle
   4. ↑ ● Up with a filled circle

A 20-minute practice session

These drills isolate individual skills. The official examples show the full question and answer formats.

Try the examples above before reading the answers. Then use EPSO’s sample for your procedure and test language to practise with the official interface. For a short session, use this schedule.

1. 4 minutes for two verbal questions. Find the line that supports or contradicts each claim, or name the fact you would need to decide.
2. 6 minutes for three numerical questions. Before calculating, identify the quantity, units and starting value.
3. 4 minutes for four abstract questions. Follow one feature at a time and check your rule against every transition.
4. 6 minutes to review. Write down one mistake or slow decision and retry a similar question. Use Cognik’s verbal, numerical or pattern exercises to repeat the skill you found hardest.

• Official EPSO samples for AD5 graduates
• Official EPSO samples by CAST function group

Practise these skills in Cognik

For questions 1 and 2, try Syllogistic Reasoning. Practise following the same group through two rules and spotting when a conclusion reverses a condition.

For question 3, try Statistics & Percentages to practise weighted averages. For question 4, try Group percentages to recalculate a share after the group totals change.

For questions 5 and 6, try Abstract figure series. Track changes in direction, shape and fill across several frames, then look for rules that apply on alternating turns.

• Syllogism questions: all, some and none, with worked answers
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