APPLICATIONS OPEN (again) | Economists Grade AD6 | EPSO Exams

PLEASE NOTE: This article has been updated to reflect the changes EPSO made to the Notice of Competition and the reopened application period.

Originally released on 22 June 2023, the amendment to the Notice of Competition reflecting the changes made to the EPSO Selection process and eligibility criteria has now been published.

The new application period is from 28 May to 9 July 2024.

The aim of this competition is to select Economists in three fields, detailed below, for grade AD6. Those candidates who succeed and reach the highest scores on the EPSO selection exams will end up on the Reserve List from which EU institutions, offices and agencies can then recruit. And... there are nearly 1000 places on the reserve lists, all combined.

To help you, the EPSO candidate, decipher the multitude of information given by EPSO in this Notice of Competition, EU Training will hold a free webcast: EPSO Reopened Applications | Refresher Webcast | Wednesday, 29 May 2024 | 12:30 pm (Brussels time).

Within the EPSO/AD/402/23 competition, THREE profiles have been announced:

1. Microeconomics / macroeconomics
2. Financial Economics
3. Industrial Economics

Below we explore the specifics of this really exciting competition and the selection process involved.

Want to be a part of an active community where you will get the latest EPSO news, exam preparation tips, and more? 

Get helpful hints and advice from other candidates by joining the EPSO ECONOMIST Exams Facebook group.

Getting ready for this EPSO competition? Get everything you need to prepare in one convenient, customized package, included CBT, field-related MCQ and the written test: 

• Microeconomics / macroeconomics
• Financial Economics
• Industrial Economics

See all the highlights and important excerpts from the updated Notice of Competition below:

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COMPETITION SNAPSHOT

• Reopened for applications: 28 May 2024
• Application Deadline: 9 JULY 2024 at noon (Brussels time)
• Grade: AD6
• This competition covers three profiles - you may apply for only one - and you cannot change profiles after you have validated your application
• Posts will be based in Brussels, Luxembourg, Strasbourg

Under this competition, the following THREE reserve lists have been advertised, from which the various European Institutions may recruit new members:

Please read the Notice of Competition's Point 2 "what duties can I expect to perform" section for details on the main roles covered by each field. 

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ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

General criteria:

• Have EU citizenship
• Fulfilled any military service requirements
• Meet the character requirements for the duties concerned

Language Requirements UPDATED

Candidates must know at least two official EU languages.

• Language 1: Minimum C1 level of one of the 24 official EU languages (regardless of your citizenship).
• Language 2: Any of the remaining 23 official languages of the EU at a minimum level of B2. 

Language 1 and Language 2 must be different!

Qualifications & Work Experience

• In the original Notice of Competition find the section "Specific conditions — qualifications and work experience" for the specific requirements according to your chosen profile. 

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SELECTION PROCESS

1. APPLICATION

Candidates applying to this competition must submit their application online through the EPSO website by 9 July 2024 at noon, Brussels time. The application can be filled out in any of the EU's 24 official languages.

Candidates who had already submitted their applications for the original deadline, or the extended deadline, referred to as 'existing candidates' in the NoC, will have their applications reopened.

Existing candidates are required to review and validate their applications AGAIN. If you don't re-validate your application by the new deadline you cannot participate in the competition.

Existing candidates can change their language choices and make any other changes they would like.

Scanned copies of documents that support the declarations made in your applications should be updated no later than has to be done by 4 September 2024 at noon, Brussels time.

Existing candidates do not have to upload documents again, but they can add more supporting documents.

2. TESTS

All the candidates who have validated their applications on time will be invited to sit a series of tests:

a) REASONING TESTS

These tests are done in your chosen Language 1 and are pass/fail, which means it will not count towards the final overall score. Only those who reach the pass mark will have their MCQ scored.

b) FIELD-RELATED MCQ  | Language 2

The EPSO field-related MCQ will be specific to your chosen Economics profile.

Candidates need to reach the pass mark, as well as be among those who score the highest overall. Candidates who reach the pass mark will be ranked in descending order of the scores obtained. The ranking will be used to determine whether or not candidates will have their written test scored and eligibility checked, and to establish the reserve lists.

c) CASE STUDY WRITTEN TEST

The EPSO Case Study Written Test is used to assess how well a candidate communicates in writing. The Written Test will be done in your chosen Language 2.

The scoring is based on 0/10 and the pass mark 5/10. 

The Selection Board will then assess and score the case studies written tests of candidates based on the ranking order determined by candidates' MCQ scores (highest first), until the number of candidates is reached that is not more than 1.5 times the number of places on the Reserve List for each field.

If there is a tie for the last available place on the Reserve List, all candidates in that tie will also have their case study scored. The case studies of the remaining candidates will then not be scored.

3. ELIGIBILITY CHECK + CASE STUDY WRITTEN TEST SCORING

The scoring of the case study written test and eligibility checks will be done in parallel. The Selection Board will only score the written tests and check the eligibility for those candidates who ranked the highest on the field-related MCQ scores, and these will be checked until not more than 1.5 times the number of successful candidates sought is reached.

Eligibilty is checked according to the general requirements and comparing declarations made in candidates' application forms against the supporting documents uploaded.

4. RESERVE LIST

The EPSO Selection Board will draw up the Reserve List of eligible candidates who got all the required pass marks in ranking order as established by the highest MCQ scores and passed the eligibility check until the number of successful candidates sought has been reached.

The candidates who make it onto the Reserve List will be notified directly by EPSO. The Reserve List will then be made available to the recruiting services of the EU institutions.

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HOW CAN YOU APPLY?

ALWAYS double check the official EPSO Notice of Competition to be sure you have the required qualifications and satisfy the eligibility criteria before submitting your application. Also make sure to be familiar with the General Rules Governing Open Competitions 

To start the application process make sure your EPSO account is created and ready to go then click on your chosen profile (links will be added when EPSO makes the profile pages available again):

1. Microeconomics / macroeconomics
2. Financial Economics
3. Industrial Economics

GOOD LUCK ON YOUR EPSO EXAMS!

Contact us any time for more information about EPSO competitions or about resources and preparation materials.