Competition Guide, Eligibility and Exact Test Process

Snapshot

Eligibility boundary, one-field rule, application deadline, exact MCQ and oral sequence, thresholds and reserve-list mechanics.

Module status

• •Track: Competition profile
• •Last verified: 2026-09-22
• •Scope: Independent training. The internal notice and candidate communications prevail.

Competition identity

COM/AD/110/2026 is an internal European Commission competition based on qualifications and tests under Article 29(1)(d) of the Staff Regulations and Article 82(7) CEOS. It creates two separate reserve lists for AD6 policy officers:

A candidate chooses one field. The field cannot be changed after the application deadline.

Application deadline and language

Applications close on 19 October 2026 at 12:00 Brussels time. The application and every test use Language 2, chosen from English, French or German. Language 2 must differ from the candidate's main or first language recorded in Sysper, unless the candidate documents another language at minimum C1 for treatment as the main language under Annex V.

Eligibility requires thorough knowledge of one official EU language at minimum C1 and satisfactory knowledge of another at minimum B2. Each ability - speaking, writing, reading and listening - must meet the required level.

Employment-status gate

At the deadline a candidate must:

1. be a Commission AD official, AD temporary agent or FG IV contract agent;
2. have served the last six full consecutive months in the Commission as an AD official, AD temporary agent or FG IV contract agent, or a combination;
3. have served the last 12 full consecutive months in the Commission as an official, temporary agent or contract agent, or a combination;
4. if a contract agent, have at least 36 full months of Commission service in the accepted statutory categories, not necessarily consecutive.

Agencies are not part of the Commission for this test. Periods in other institutions, as an interim agent, auxiliary or local staff member, or seconded national expert do not count. Annex III and the notice control the detailed calculation.

Education and relevant experience

For either field, the notice offers four routes:

Experience must be relevant to the tasks for the selected field. The Selection Board may count a mixed period only in proportion to the relevant duties. The same period cannot be counted twice.

Only diplomas awarded in an EU Member State, or covered by an equivalence certificate from an EU Member State authority, are considered. The notice contains a limited rule for UK diplomas issued up to 31 December 2020.

Evidence rule

The Selection Board and Secretariat do not obtain diplomas or professional-experience evidence from the candidate's Sysper file. The candidate must attach evidence to the application by the deadline.

Evidence for each experience period should establish:

• •start and end dates;
• •full-time, part-time or percentage worked;
• •employer or self-employment identity;
• •role, responsibility level and precise tasks;
• •relevance to Annex I duties.

Remunerated traineeships may count. Part-time work counts pro rata. A doctorate may count for up to three years if obtained. Annex III controls special cases.

Selection sequence

1. First eligibility checks

The Secretariat first checks nationality, statutory link, function group, administrative status and Commission-service periods. It then checks the language rules. Education and relevant experience are deliberately deferred.

2. Specialist MCQ

The MCQ assesses the selected field against Annex II. Passing 25/40 is necessary but not sufficient. Progression also requires one of the highest field scores. The MCQ score is a gateway and ranking device for progression; it is not added to the oral score.

Training pace is 90 seconds per question. A sound routine is:

1. classify the decision domain;
2. identify the controlling rule or scientific principle;
3. eliminate options that confuse actor, legal status, evidence strength or response phase;
4. answer, mark uncertainty and move on;
5. use the final minutes for flagged items only.

3. Final eligibility check

Files are checked in descending MCQ order. For each field, checks continue until eligible candidates equal twice the target: normally 70 for Field 1 and 30 for Field 2, with ties handled under the notice.

4. Oral test

The online oral test contains:

• •a short presentation on a selected-field subject, followed by questions, within 15 minutes;
• •a structured interview, within 30 minutes.

It assesses motivation, capacity to perform Annex I tasks, specialist knowledge and Annex II general competencies. The pass mark is 25/50.

5. Reserve list

Candidates who pass the oral are ranked by the oral score. Up to 35 names enter the Field 1 list and up to 15 the Field 2 list, with all candidates tied at the final place included. Lists are alphabetical. Inclusion does not guarantee recruitment.

Score-processing traps

• •A neutralised MCQ is omitted and its points redistributed; the pass score does not change.
• •The Board may establish progression thresholds from the main testing day and apply them to contingency sittings.
• •Ties at the last progression place advance together.
• •No request for review is available against the MCQ result, but a timely, precise complaint may challenge an erroneous MCQ question.
• •Test-content complaints and technical incidents have a three-calendar-day reporting period under Annex V.

Candidate work plan

Keep four separate tracks:

1. Application evidence: verify Sysper, My CV, field, languages and attachments.
2. MCQ coverage: build broad overview across all Annex II bullets, then deepen several domains.
3. Oral judgement: practise short recommendations and defend trade-offs under questioning.
4. Operational monitoring: check Single Candidate Portal and Staff Centre communications.

Source

• •Attached `NOTICE OF INTERNAL COMPETITION_COM-AD-110-2026 (AD6).pdf`, Sections I-V and Annexes I-V.