EPSO/AD/431/26 · AD 7 · Court of Justice of the EU
Eight lawyer-linguist competitions. Four tests. We prepare two of them.
The notice of open competitions was published on 21 October 2026 as Official Journal C/2026/5283 and closes on 25 November 2026 at 12.00 (midday), Luxembourg time. Everything on this page comes out of that notice. So does the part you will want to read before you pay: two of the four tests decide 70 % of the ranking, and we do not prepare either of them.
One payment. No subscription. Read the block headed what is not here first.
What the notice says
These are the notice's own figures, in the notice's own words. Where EPSO's job pages and the notice disagree, the notice governs: point 1(b) makes it the legally binding framework for all eight competitions.
| Reference | EPSO/AD/431/26, in eight competitions: BG, DE, EL, ES, GA, MT, NL, RO |
|---|---|
| Published | 21 October 2026, Official Journal C/2026/5283 |
| Grade | AD 7 |
| Recruiting institution | Court of Justice of the European Union, based in Luxembourg |
| Place of employment | Luxembourg (stated by the notice itself, point 1(a) and Section 6(a)) |
| How many you may apply for | One. “This notice covers 8 competitions. A candidate may only apply for one of them.” (point 1(d)) |
| Successful candidates sought | BG 12 · DE 30 · EL 20 · ES 20 · GA 30 · MT 10 · NL 20 · RO 12 — 154 in total (Table 1) |
| Duties | Translating judgments, Opinions of the Advocates General and written pleadings into the language of the competition from at least two other official languages, reviewing such translations, and providing legal analysis (Section 2) |
| Qualification | University-level studies in the law of the corresponding national legal system, attested by the diploma the notice names for that competition (Sections 3.3.2–3.3.9) |
| Professional experience | In principle none. One year of legal professional experience is required where the qualification followed only three years of university study (point 3.3.1(e)) |
| Application deadline | 25 November 2026 at 12.00 (midday), Luxembourg time, with the identity document uploaded by the same moment |
| Supporting documents | 29 March 2027 at 12.00 (midday), Luxembourg time |
| Test dates | The notice communicates none. It says only that the tests are held and proctored remotely and that their order may differ from the order in the notice |
The four tests, and what each one is worth
Section 4.3.2 of the notice lists four tests and no others. There is no EUFTE, no written essay, no situational-judgement test, no assessment centre and no interview: the competition ends with the reserve lists.
Verbal reasoning
Language 1 · 10 questions · 18 minutes · scored 0 to 10
Numerical reasoning
Language 1 · 10 questions · 20 minutes · scored 0 to 10
Abstract reasoning
Language 1 · 10 questions · 10 minutes · scored 0 to 10 — one combined pass mark of 15/30 for all three
EU law test
Language 1 · 30 questions · 60 minutes · scored 0 to 30 · pass 15/30
Translation test
Into language 1 from language 2 (French), no dictionary · 90 minutes · scored 0 to 80 · pass 40/80
Translation review test
Review of a language 1 text that is a machine translation from language 3, no dictionary · 90 minutes · scored 0 to 80 · pass 40/80
Which scores build the ranking
Table 8 of the notice: the three reasoning tests are scored only to see whether you reached the pass mark and carry no weight at all. The EU law test is 30 % of the combined overall score, the translation test is 35 % and the translation review test is 35 %. Candidates are then ranked within each competition in descending order of that combined score, and the reserve list is drawn from the top of it.
So the reasoning tests can only end your competition, never advance you; the EU law test is the smallest of the three scores that count; and the two translation tests together decide 70 % of your place in the ranking.
The language rules, which are this family's own
Do not read these off any other EPSO competition. In AD5, the AD7 competitions, AD8 and AST/158/26 you choose a Language 2 from all 24 official languages and sit the specialist test in it. Here Language 2 is French for everybody, and the reasoning tests and the EU law test are sat in Language 1 — the language of the competition.
| EPSO/AD/431/26 – BG | Language 1 Bulgarian · language 2 French · language 3: One of English, German, Italian, Polish, Spanish |
|---|---|
| EPSO/AD/431/26 – DE | Language 1 German · language 2 French · language 3: One of Bulgarian, Dutch, English, Estonian, Finnish, Italian, Polish, Spanish |
| EPSO/AD/431/26 – EL | Language 1 Greek · language 2 French · language 3: One of English, German, Italian, Polish, Spanish |
| EPSO/AD/431/26 – ES | Language 1 Spanish · language 2 French · language 3: One of English, German, Hungarian, Italian, Latvian, Polish, Portuguese |
| EPSO/AD/431/26 – GA | Language 1 Irish · language 2 French · language 3: One of English, German, Italian, Polish, Spanish |
| EPSO/AD/431/26 – MT | Language 1 Maltese · language 2 French · language 3: One of English, German, Italian, Polish, Spanish |
| EPSO/AD/431/26 – NL | Language 1 Dutch · language 2 French · language 3: One of English, German, Italian, Polish, Spanish |
| EPSO/AD/431/26 – RO | Language 1 Romanian · language 2 French · language 3: One of English, German, Italian, Polish, Spanish |
The levels the application form asks for
- Language 1: C2, native-speaker level, in every ability the form lists — listening, reading, spoken interaction, spoken production and writing (point 4.2.1(c)(i)).
- Languages 2 and 3: a minimum of C1, at least in reading (point 4.2.1(c)(ii)).
- The application itself may be completed in any of the 24 official EU languages (Table 3).
- French is Language 2 in all eight competitions because, as point 4.2.1(i) puts it, the majority of texts are to be translated from French, particularly judgments and orders of the Court of Justice and the General Court.
- Language 3 is drawn from a per-competition list because most texts that do not come from French are processed through the pivot languages — English, German, Italian, Polish and Spanish — and because the German and Spanish units are themselves pivot units (points 4.2.1(j) to (l)).
If you buy this product you tell us which of the eight competitions you applied for, once, on the first screen. That is not a preference setting: it is what decides the language your tests are sat in and which Language 3 list applies to you.
The eight competitions
One notice, eight competitions, one application. The qualification each one requires is a law degree from the corresponding national legal system, named in the notice in that language; the summaries below are shortened and the notice's own wording governs.
EPSO/AD/431/26 – BG
12 sought
Bulgarian law, Master's-level diploma in law.
Language 1 Bulgarian · Language 3 from English, German, Italian, Polish, Spanish.
EPSO/AD/431/26 – DE
30 sought
German or Austrian law: the German Erste Juristische Prüfung, or the Austrian mag. iur. or an LL.M. meeting § 2a RStDG.
Language 1 German · Language 3 from Bulgarian, Dutch, English, Estonian, Finnish, Italian, Polish, Spanish.
EPSO/AD/431/26 – EL
20 sought
Greek or Cypriot law, studied in Greek, at least four years, at a Greek-language university in Greece or Cyprus.
Language 1 Greek · Language 3 from English, German, Italian, Polish, Spanish.
EPSO/AD/431/26 – ES
20 sought
Spanish law: Licenciatura en Derecho or Grado en Derecho.
Language 1 Spanish · Language 3 from English, German, Hungarian, Italian, Latvian, Polish, Portuguese.
EPSO/AD/431/26 – GA
30 sought
A full law degree, or qualification as a barrister or solicitor obtained in Ireland; equivalent UK qualifications obtained before 1 January 2021 may be taken into account.
Language 1 Irish · Language 3 from English, German, Italian, Polish, Spanish.
EPSO/AD/431/26 – MT
10 sought
Maltese law: LL.D. or M.Adv., or Dip.Not.Pub. or M.Not.St., or B.A. (L.P.) or LL.B. (Hons) with the Legal Procurator's diploma.
Language 1 Maltese · Language 3 from English, German, Italian, Polish, Spanish.
EPSO/AD/431/26 – NL
20 sought
Dutch or Belgian law (the latter from a Dutch-language faculty); a bachelor in Dutch or Belgian law followed by a master in international or European law is also accepted.
Language 1 Dutch · Language 3 from English, German, Italian, Polish, Spanish.
EPSO/AD/431/26 – RO
12 sought
Romanian law: Diplomă de licență.
Language 1 Romanian · Language 3 from English, German, Italian, Polish, Spanish.
Where a diploma on its own meets the requirement, it has to be awarded no later than 29 March 2027 (point 3.3.1(g)). Read Sections 3.3.2 to 3.3.9 of the notice before you apply: the exact diploma wording is what the Selection Board checks, and nothing on this page replaces it.
What this product prepares
Four of the notice's six scored components, in the formats the notice prints. The reasoning tests reuse the banks PassEPSO already has; the EU law bank was written for this competition against the notice's own description of the test.
Verbal reasoning
Adaptive practice and a timed block. The integrated full exam simulation runs the notice's own 10 questions in 18 minutes.
Numerical reasoning
Adaptive practice and a timed block of 10 questions in 20 minutes, which is the notice's format.
Abstract reasoning
Adaptive practice and a timed block of 10 questions in 10 minutes, which is the notice's format.
EU law test
A question bank written for this test: the principles and legal framework governing the EU, its institutions and its policies, at four options, with a sourced explanation on every item. It holds 90 questions today, which is three full tests' worth at the notice's format, and it is not yet a large repeat-practice bank.
And the tools that come with any plan
- Full exam simulation in this competition's own shape: the three reasoning blocks at 10/18, 10/20 and 10/10, then the EU law block at 30 questions in 60 minutes.
- Spaced repetition, so a question you got wrong comes back before you forget why.
- Score Predictor, which estimates your score from the questions you have answered. It predicts nothing about the translation tests, because we do not test you on them.
- Ask Peter, for a question about a question.
- Progress analytics per section, including the combined reasoning pass mark the notice sets at 15/30.
What is not here
This is the block to read before you decide. The translation test and the translation review test carry 35 % each of the combined overall score, 70 % between them, and this product prepares neither. Buying it will not make you better at translating a judgment out of French in ninety minutes without a dictionary.
- There is NO translation practice. No source texts, no model translations, no marking, no feedback on a translation you have written. The test is 90 minutes, into your Language 1, from a legal text drafted in French, with no dictionary and no other resources.
- There is NO translation review practice. No post-editing exercises, no machine-translation output to revise, no revision marking. The test is 90 minutes on a text in your Language 1 that is the output of machine translation from your Language 3.
- The EU law bank is 90 questions. That is THREE full exams' worth at the notice's format, 30 questions in 60 minutes, and it is not yet a large repeat-practice bank: sit it three times and you are re-reading items you have already seen. Every one is hand-written, at four options, with a sourced explanation. The number on this page is the number of live items in the bank.
- The EU law bank is written in English and in Spanish. English is Language 1 for none of the eight competitions, so in the BG, DE, EL, GA, MT, NL and RO competitions you will be practising the right material in a language you do not sit the test in until that bank's translation pass reaches your language. We would rather say so than let you find out.
- The single-section practice and the single-section timed simulation for verbal reasoning run the longer format PassEPSO's other products use, 20 questions in 35 minutes. Only the integrated full exam simulation runs this notice's 10 questions in 18 minutes.
- There is no EUFTE module and no essay grading on this product, because this competition has no written essay. If you came looking for one, you are reading the wrong notice.
- We publish no test dates for this competition, because the notice communicates none. Anybody who gives you a month for these tests is guessing.
Plans
One payment, no subscription, no renewal. The same three tiers as every other PassEPSO competition, at the same prices.
Every tier covers the three reasoning tests and the EU law test, and no tier covers the translation test or the translation review test.
If you are not signed in, the button takes you to signup and brings you back to finish. Prices include VAT where it applies. We make no claim about your result in this or any competition.
Questions
Can I apply for more than one of the eight competitions?
No. Point 1(d) of the notice says the notice covers eight competitions and a candidate may only apply for one of them.
Which language will I sit the tests in?
Table 3 of the notice: the reasoning tests and the EU law test are sat in Language 1, the language of the competition you applied for. The translation test uses Languages 1 and 2, and the translation review test uses Languages 1 and 3. The application form itself may be in any of the 24 official languages.
Why is French Language 2 for every competition?
Because, in the notice's own words at point 4.2.1(i), the majority of texts are to be translated from French, particularly judgments and orders of the Court of Justice and the General Court, so every lawyer-linguist in each unit has to be able to work from French.
Do you prepare the translation tests?
No. They carry 35 % each of the combined overall score and we have no translation or revision material of any kind. That is the single biggest thing this product does not do, which is why it has its own block above the prices.
Is there an EUFTE or an essay in this competition?
No. Section 4.3.2 of the notice lists the reasoning tests, the EU law test, the translation test and the translation review test, and nothing else.
Is there an interview?
Not in the notice. The competition ends with the establishment of the reserve lists in Section 4.3.4. EPSO's job pages show a generic step diagram that includes an interview and a language comprehension test; neither appears in this notice, and the notice is the binding framework.
When are the tests?
The notice does not say. It states only that the tests will be held and proctored remotely, that EPSO will inform candidates about the modalities at the latest when inviting them, and that the order of the tests may differ from the order in the notice.
How big is the EU law bank?
It holds 90 questions today. That is three full EU law tests as the notice dimensions them, 30 questions in 60 minutes each, and it is not yet a large repeat-practice bank: there is no fourth or fifth exam's worth of EU law items to sit. Every item carries four options and an explanation with its source. The items are written in English and in Spanish.
What happens if I fail one test?
Point 4.3.3(a)(ii) of the notice: your participation comes to an end, your remaining answers are not processed and your eligibility is not checked. The tests are scored in the order the notice sets out, reasoning first.
Pass EPSO is an independent preparation service and is not affiliated with EPSO, the Court of Justice of the European Union or any EU institution. Every figure on this page is taken from the notice of open competitions EPSO/AD/431/26, OJ C/2026/5283 of 21 October 2026, which is linked above and which governs in case of any difference. Check it yourself before you apply.