EPSO AD5 2026 Part 1 Reasoning Tests: Official Format and Practice Plan

The EPSO AD5 2026 Part 1 reasoning tests are the first testing hurdle in competition EPSO/AD/427/26. They cover verbal reasoning, numerical reasoning and abstract reasoning, and they are taken in Language 1.

This matters because Part 1 is not just a warm-up. According to the official competition notice, candidates who submitted their application by the deadline are invited to sit the reasoning tests first. Only candidates who reach the required pass scores in Part 1 are invited to the Part 2 tests: EU Knowledge, Digital Skills and the EUFTE Written Test.

Below is a practical guide to what the official format means for your preparation, without invented exam dates or unofficial claims. Pass EPSO is an independent preparation platform and is not affiliated with EPSO or any EU institution.

EPSO AD5 Part 1 format at a glance

The official notice also says the tests are held remotely and invigilated remotely. EPSO informs candidates about the detailed testing modalities when inviting them to the tests.

What changes strategically in Part 1?

Part 1 has two different kinds of pressure. First, you must clear the minimum thresholds. Second, your verbal reasoning score is not just pass/fail: it is included in both the preliminary and final combined scores. In the official scoring table, verbal reasoning carries 40% of the preliminary combined score and 35% of the final combined score.

By contrast, numerical and abstract reasoning are essential gatekeepers but are not weighted in the combined ranking score. You still need to clear the combined pass score, but the preparation objective is different: reach stable accuracy under time pressure, then protect your ranking effort for the weighted sections.

Verbal reasoning: train evidence discipline

The verbal test gives 20 questions in 35 minutes. That is enough time to read carefully, but not enough time to argue with every answer option. The safest habit is strict evidence discipline:

• Read the question before judging the options.
• Separate what the passage directly supports from what merely sounds plausible.
• Reject options that add a condition, cause, comparison or timing detail not present in the text.
• Review mistakes by asking: “Which exact words in the passage made this true or false?”

Because verbal reasoning is weighted, do not treat it as a simple threshold test. A candidate who is already above 10/20 should still train for consistency and speed.

Numerical reasoning: focus on setup speed

The numerical test gives 10 questions in 20 minutes. The challenge is rarely advanced mathematics. It is choosing the right calculation quickly, reading tables without losing a unit, and avoiding unnecessary work.

A strong practice routine should include:

• percentage change, ratios and index-number questions;
• table reading with several distractor figures;
• estimation before calculation, so wrong options become easier to reject;
• post-session review of the setup, not only the final answer.

If numerical reasoning is your weakest area, the target is not to become a finance analyst. The target is to recognise common EPSO-style calculation patterns fast enough to keep the combined numerical and abstract score safe.

Abstract reasoning: build pattern recognition, not guesswork

The abstract test gives 10 questions in 10 minutes. That makes timing unforgiving. Many candidates waste time looking for a single “clever trick”, but most abstract items are solved by checking a small set of pattern families systematically.

• counting: number of shapes, sides, dots or intersections;
• movement: rotation, position shifts or mirror changes;
• alternation: two rules switching between frames;
• composition: one element changing while another remains stable.

Practice should be short and frequent. Ten focused abstract questions with careful review are more useful than a long unfocused session where you never name the rule you missed.

A practical weekly Part 1 plan

For a balanced week, use three types of sessions:

1. Timed micro-sessions: 10–20 minutes on one section, with a strict timer.
2. Mixed Part 1 sessions: combine verbal, numerical and abstract so you practise switching mental modes.
3. Review sessions: rework wrong answers and write the reason for each mistake in one sentence.

Do not wait until every EU Knowledge topic is finished before training Part 1. The reasoning tests come first in the official sequence, and verbal reasoning remains important in the final score.

How Pass EPSO helps

Pass EPSO lets you practise AD5 verbal, numerical and abstract reasoning with timed sessions, explanations, progress tracking and weak-spot diagnosis. When a standard explanation is not enough, Ask Peter can walk through the reasoning step by step inside the practice flow.

Start with free EPSO AD5 practice on Pass EPSO →

Source note

This article is based on the official EPSO/AD/427/26 competition notice and public EPSO information about the AD5 2026 selection process. Always treat EPSO and EU Careers pages as the binding source for candidate instructions.