Despite the mind- and body-numbing heatwave, July started with actual movement at EPSO. Not a full testing calendar mind you, because EPSO never gets carried away, but enough info was shared to shape up the next few months into something more concrete.
In this month’s Rundown (with quick links):
- AD5: the two-stage format is now official
- IT AD8: EPSO has put a date on the upcoming IT experts competition
- Auditors AD7: still no test date, and pre-summer testing looks extremely unlikely.
- ICT AD7: no tests likely before September, but applicant numbers are out and the odds vary a lot by profile.
- COM Internal: AD7, AD5 and a freshly published AST3 NoC
Driving the month: AD5 NoC amendment
The big public update is already out: the EPSO AD5 Graduate Administrators competition will now run in two stages.
The short version: reasoning comes first, everything else comes later. Candidates who want the full NoC amendment breakdown can read our article here: EPSO news: AD5 tests to take place in two stages.
What we can say beyond the official update: the working timeline still points to reasoning tests in late October / early November 2026, with the second testing phase expected in 2027. The main caveat is technical readiness. EPSO appears to be building the timetable around making sure the testing system can handle the volume, rather than announcing dates too early and hoping for the best.
Want to ask your AD5 questions directly? Join András Baneth and EU Training reasoning skills expert András Kőrizs on 7 July for an AD5-focused AMA covering the NoC update, the new two-stage testing format, and how to prepare for the reasoning tests. Register here.
Mark your calendar
EPSO updated its upcoming competitions page today, and this one now has a date:
- IT experts, grade AD8 — Artificial Intelligence and Cybersecurity — 8 September 2026.
EU Training will host the usual free information webcast with András Baneth once the Notice of Competition is out, on 9 September.
Audit AD7: Still waiting
No official test date has been announced yet for the Audit competition.
András Baneth’s read: a test before the August summer break is highly unlikely. EPSO would need to give candidates around 3–4 weeks’ notice, and after 20 July the EU machine starts moving at a very different speed. In plain English: don’t bet on July. Most likely scenario: late September looks far more realistic.
ICT AD7: No test date before September
For the ICT competition, the working assumption is clear: no test date before September.
What EPSO has published, however, is the number of applicants per profile. In total, 8,020 candidates applied across the four profiles, with 782 places on the reserve lists.
Using our numerical reasoning skills (wink-wink, nudge-nudge), we created this very handy guide to reserve-list-place ratio per profile:
Clouds and networks
- 550 applicants / 166 reserve list places
- Approx. 30.2% reserve-place ratio
ICT infrastructure
- 1,088 applicants / 204 reserve list places
- Approx. 18.8% reserve-place ratio
Data science
- 1,929 applicants / 184 reserve list places
- Approx. 9.5% reserve-place ratio
ICT project management
- 4,453 applicants / 228 reserve list places
- Approx. 5.1% reserve-place ratio
Overall: 8,020 applicants / 782 places = approx. 9.8% reserve-place ratio.
A small disclaimer: this is not a true “chance of passing”. It does not account for eligibility checks, no-shows, test performance or people who are not seriously preparing. But it is a useful pressure gauge. And yes, ICT project management is clearly the most crowded profile.
EU Training has also published study resource guides for all four ICT profiles here: Field-related MCQ resources.
COM internal competitions watch
COM internal candidates, your turn: AD7 candidates for COM/AD/107/2026 have already sat the cognitive assessment , the new test format everyone has been dissecting, debating and, let’s be honest, slightly obsessing over.
Now comes the waiting: candidates are naturally asking when results will land. There is also talk that the EU Knowledge MCQ and Written Test could happen in July.
Meanwhile, AD5 has entered the race: applications for the COM internal AD5 competition closed on 30 June. The tentative timeline shared with candidates points to September for first eligibility checks and the cognitive assessment, October for the EU Knowledge MCQ and Written Test, and December 2026 / January 2027 for the Oral Test.
Need the NoC refresher? EU Training recently held a webcast on the COM internal AD5 competition with András Baneth. You can watch the recording here: 2026 COM Internal Competition AD5 Administrators Webcast.
And now there is another one on the table: the Commission has released the new AST3 internal Notice of Competition.
- The competition reference is COM/AST/109/2026.
- Applications are due by 31 July 2026 at 12:00 midday, Brussels time.
- The Commission is looking for 70 successful candidates for the reserve list.
- At first glance, the testing structure looks broadly in line with the AD7 and AD5 internal competitions:
- Cognitive assessment
- EU Knowledge MCQ
- Written Test
- Final eligibility check
- Oral Test
- So no huge surprise in the overall structure, but there are some AST3-specific details in the NoC around thresholds, timing and pass marks.
- EU Training will host a dedicated webcast with András Baneth to go through the AST3 Notice of Competition and what candidates should expect. Date TBA.