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Internal Commission Competition

COM/AST/109/2026 AST3 assistants.

Prepare each ranked stage from the official notice: the 24-question cognitive assessment, 30-question EU knowledge MCQ, 90-minute written assignment and 60-minute oral test.

Internal competition only. Eligibility is limited to qualifying Commission officials, temporary agents and contract agents. This is not an open EPSO competition.

Application deadline

31 July 2026, 12:00 Brussels time

Reserve list

70 successful candidates

Grade

Assistant AST3

Competition language

English, French or German (Language 2)

COM/AST/109/2026

Required exam map

Train in selection order. The first two stages are separate tests and use different scoring rules.

1. Cognitive reasoning gate

24 questions · 36 minutes · numerical, inductive and deductive reasoning

Threshold: at least the 40th percentile of the benchmark population.

The notice does not name the external provider. EPSOHQ G+ is the closest format-equivalent mock: same 24-question total, same three reasoning families and same 36-minute clock.

Start 24-question reasoning mock Open G+ preparation guide

2. EU knowledge ranking test

30 questions · 40 minutes · pass score 15/30

EU institutional setup; Commission treaty roles and powers; Commission governance, decision-making and procedures; Commission policy priorities.

Only candidates with the pass mark and one of the highest scores progress, up to 2.5 times the 70 reserve-list places.

Start exact AST3 EU knowledge mock Study EU Knowledge Database

3. Written assignment

90 minutes · pass score 26/50

Document-based summary report, minutes, letter or note. Assesses critical thinking, analysis, creative problem-solving and written communication.

Marked only for candidates who pass and rank high enough in the EU knowledge MCQ. Both tests take place online on the same day.

Open 90-minute written-test guide

4. Oral test

60 minutes · pass score 25/50

Short presentation on EU institutions, policies and procedures, followed by questions and a structured interview.

Motivation plus intrapreneurship, learning as a skill, oral communication, self-management and working together.

Open oral presentation guide Study EU institutions and policies
Format mapping

Official cognitive stage vs EPSOHQ G+

G+ reproduces the workload and skill mix. It does not reproduce the official adaptive engine or its norm group.

Question count
Official COM/AST/109/2026 stage 24 questions.
EPSOHQ G+ practice 24 questions.
Exact match
Time limit
Official COM/AST/109/2026 stage 36 minutes.
EPSOHQ G+ practice 36 minutes - 90 seconds per question on average.
Exact match
Reasoning families
Official COM/AST/109/2026 stage Numerical, inductive and deductive reasoning. Distribution not stated in the notice.
EPSOHQ G+ practice Numerical, inductive and deductive reasoning, fixed at 8 questions per family.
Exact match
Test engine
Official COM/AST/109/2026 stage Adaptive computer-based assessment operated by an unnamed external company.
EPSOHQ G+ practice Fixed balanced mock. Questions do not adapt to previous answers.
Practice proxy
Language
Official COM/AST/109/2026 stage English, French or German - the candidate’s competition Language 2.
EPSOHQ G+ practice English question pool.
Different
Score interpretation
Official COM/AST/109/2026 stage Percentile against an external benchmark population of university graduates with professional experience.
EPSOHQ G+ practice Accuracy, completion rate, domain breakdown and an estimated percentile band.
Practice proxy
Consequence
Official COM/AST/109/2026 stage At least the 40th percentile is an eligibility gate for later competition tests.
EPSOHQ G+ practice Diagnostic practice only. No official eligibility effect.
Different
Use G+ to rehearse pace, switching between reasoning families and decision discipline. Do not treat its estimated percentile as the Commission’s official result.

How selection works

  1. 1 Application and cognitive assessment
  2. 2 Eligibility checks
  3. 3 EU knowledge MCQ + written test
  4. 4 Final qualification and experience check
  5. 5 Oral test
  6. 6 Reserve list of up to 70

Source mapped from Notice of Internal Competition COM/AST/109/2026. The notice and official Staff Centre updates remain legally authoritative.