EPSO AD5 2026 Verbal Reasoning Test: Format, Pass Mark and Scoring Weight

TL;DR. The verbal reasoning test in EPSO AD5 2026 (EPSO/AD/427/26, Official Journal C/2026/711) lasts 35 minutes, requires a minimum of 10 out of 20, and is taken in your first language. It is the single highest-weighted reasoning component: 40% of the preliminary ranking and 35% of the final ranking. Like all tests in this competition, it is delivered remotely on the TAO platform. There is no Assessment Centre.

Why verbal reasoning matters more than any other reasoning test

Across the five components in EPSO/AD/427/26, no other test carries more ranking weight than verbal reasoning. The numerical and abstract reasoning component is pass-or-fail and contributes nothing to your score. EU knowledge and digital skills together carry the same weight as verbal reasoning in the preliminary ranking, but they are split across two separate tests with their own minimums. Verbal reasoning is the one section where your performance translates directly and entirely into ranking points.

This is the mathematical core of the new format: a single 35-minute test on a screen will move you up or down the reserve list more than any other section.

The format, taken straight from the Notice

The verbal reasoning component in EPSO/AD/427/26 has four fixed parameters. They are not negotiable and they are not subject to interpretation:

• Duration: 35 minutes.
• Minimum to pass: 10 out of 20.
• Weight in the preliminary ranking: 40%.
• Weight in the final ranking: 35%.

The test is taken in Language 1, the language in which you declared C1 proficiency in your application. EPSO does not allow you to change L1 between the application and the exam. If you registered with French as L1, you sit verbal reasoning in French.

Where and how the test is delivered

EPSO/AD/427/26 is the first AD5 competition built around fully remote testing. There is no in-person centre, no Assessment Centre stage, no oral examination, and no group exercise. Verbal reasoning is delivered through the TAO platform with remote proctoring. You sit it from your own location on a date assigned by EPSO, with the technical conditions imposed by the proctoring software (single screen, identification, secure room).

This format change is what makes the 35-minute window unforgiving. There is no buffer for distractions, lost connections, or hesitation between sections. The clock starts and the answers must be locked in within the allotted time.

How the 40% and 35% weights actually work

The Notice describes two distinct ranking stages. The preliminary ranking is built from three tests: verbal reasoning (40%), EU knowledge (30%), and digital skills (30%). Numerical and abstract reasoning is included as a pass/fail filter only — it does not contribute points. EUFTE is not yet counted at this stage.

The final ranking is recalculated once EUFTE essays are graded. The new weights are: verbal reasoning 35%, EU knowledge 25%, digital skills 25%, EUFTE 15%. Verbal reasoning is reduced from 40% to 35%, but it is still the largest single contributor — five percentage points above the next test.

The practical reading is straightforward: every additional point you secure on the verbal reasoning test moves your final position more than the same point gained anywhere else.

The 10-out-of-20 minimum is a hard gate

EPSO/AD/427/26 is explicit on this point. To progress to the next stage of evaluation you must reach the minimum threshold in every test that has one, including verbal reasoning. Failing the 10-out-of-20 minimum eliminates you from the competition regardless of how high you scored elsewhere. There is no compensation between sections.

This is the reason verbal reasoning is treated as both a ranking lever and a survival gate: a strong score advances you up the reserve list, while a sub-minimum score ends the competition for you on that day.

What is NOT part of verbal reasoning in this competition

Several test types from older EPSO formats have been removed in EPSO/AD/427/26. To avoid wasted preparation, candidates should know what is not in scope for verbal reasoning under the current Notice:

• No Situational Judgement Test (SJT) is sat as a separate scored section.
• No Assessment Centre, case study, oral presentation, group exercise, or competency-based interview is part of the competition.
• Verbal reasoning is not blended with any other test — it is a standalone 35-minute exam.

Practical implications for your study plan

The structure of EPSO/AD/427/26 makes the prioritisation question trivial: verbal reasoning is the highest-weighted scored test, the entry gate to the rest of the competition, and one of only three tests whose points enter the preliminary ranking at all. It deserves the largest single block of preparation time.

Practically, this means working under the exact timing of the real exam — 35 minutes, on a screen, in your declared L1 — rather than untimed paper drills. The remote TAO format rewards candidates who have rehearsed pace and screen-reading, not just content.

Key dates from the Notice

• Application period: 5 February 2026 – 10 March 2026 (12:00 Brussels time) — closed.
• Identity document upload: by 10 March 2026.
• Supporting documents: by 7 October 2026.

The Notice does not publish exam dates. Any specific exam month or quarter you may see online is not from EPSO and should be treated as speculation until EPSO communicates it directly to candidates through their EPSO account.

Bottom line

Verbal reasoning in EPSO AD5 2026 is the most important scored test in the competition: 35 minutes, 10/20 minimum, 40% of the preliminary ranking, 35% of the final ranking, taken remotely in your first language on the TAO platform. Every fact in this article is taken directly from EPSO/AD/427/26.

Start preparing for free with Passepso — verbal reasoning practice in the remote format the official Notice describes.