EPSO AD5 Invitation Received? What to Do in the 3 Weeks Before Your Test
Your AD5 invitation gives you a testing week, then your exact slot two weeks before. A practical checklist and a 3-week plan to arrive ready for Part 1.
Update 13 October 2026: EPSO has confirmed that Part 1 takes place in the week of 9–13 November 2026, with invitations on 19 October. Read the details
For the EPSO AD5 2026 competition, Part 1 (verbal, numerical and abstract reasoning) is planned to start in November 2026. You will not get much notice: the invitation arrives about three weeks before the first testing session. Here is exactly what to do when it lands.
Where and when the invitation arrives
- The invitation letter is posted in your Single Candidate Portal (your EPSO account), about three weeks before the first session. Check the portal regularly, and check your spam folder for notification e-mails.
- The letter gives your testing week, not the exact day.
- At least two weeks before your test, your exact date and time appear on the testing platform. Follow the instructions in the letter to find them.
- According to the amended notice of competition, rescheduling test sessions will not be possible. Plan your agenda around your testing week as soon as you know it.
Checklist: the day the invitation arrives
- Read the whole letter and the technical instructions. Note your testing week in your calendar.
- Test your access to the candidate portal and to the testing platform as soon as it is available.
- Check your ID document. It must be valid on the test day, and your name must match your EPSO account.
- Prepare your setup if you test online from home: a computer that meets the requirements, a working webcam, a stable connection, and a quiet room with an empty desk. Run any system check offered, well in advance.
- Block the slot. Tell your employer or family. Plan to be ready 30 minutes early.
The 3-week plan
Week 3 — diagnose and target. Take a full timed diagnostic. Spend 70% of your practice on your weakest test. In verbal, train eliminating answers that are "true but not in the text". In numerical, train percentages, ratios and percentage-point changes. In abstract, learn to check one rule at a time: colour, count, position, rotation.
Week 2 — full simulations. Do at least two complete Part 1 simulations in exam conditions: verbal 20 questions in 35 minutes, numerical 10 in 20 minutes, abstract 10 in 10 minutes. Review every mistake: was it knowledge, method or time?
Week 1 — sharpen, don't cram. Do short timed sets (10–15 minutes) every day, plus one last full simulation early in the week. Sleep well the last three nights. On the day before, do nothing heavy.
On test day: manage the clock
- Verbal: about 1 minute 45 seconds per question. Read the question first, then the passage.
- Numerical: about 2 minutes per question. Estimate before you calculate, and skip any question that blocks you.
- Abstract: about 1 minute per question. If you do not see the rule in 60 seconds, choose your best option and move on.
- Never leave a question blank. A blank answer always scores zero, so give your best guess before time runs out.
Remember the pass marks: 10/20 in verbal, and 10/20 combined in numerical and abstract.
Train in real conditions
Our free timed test gives you a first diagnostic in 20 minutes. The Reasoning pack includes the verbal, numerical and abstract modules with explained answers, and a Part 1 final exam timed exactly like the real one (40 questions, 65 minutes). It is the right tool for the three weeks after your invitation.
Full roadmap: how to pass the EPSO AD5 — the step-by-step guide for 2026.