EPSO Invitation Letter on 19 October: What to Check in Your Single Candidate Portal
AD5 invitation letters are posted on 19 October 2026. What the letter will (and will not) tell you, the 5 things to check straight away, and what to do if you cannot find it.
EPSO has announced that invitation letters for Part 1 of the AD5 2026 competition (EPSO/AD/427/26) will be sent on 19 October 2026, through your Single Candidate Portal (SCP). The tests themselves take place in the week of 9 to 13 November 2026. Here is how to read your letter and what to do next.
Where the letter arrives
The invitation is posted in your EPSO candidate account, the Single Candidate Portal. It is not a paper letter. You may or may not receive an email notification, so do not wait for one: log in to your SCP on 19 October and check your messages.
If you cannot log in, fix it now. EPSO itself asks candidates to make sure they can access their SCP account.
What the letter tells you
According to EPSO, the invitation letter:
- confirms your test week (9–13 November 2026);
- gives further instructions, in particular how to access the testing platform.
What the letter does NOT tell you
- Your exact date and time. EPSO is clear that the letter does not include your individual test session.
- You will see your precise date and time on the TAO testing platform, which opens on 20 October.
So on 19 October, nobody will know their exact day yet. That is normal.
5 things to check as soon as you open it
- Your name and candidate number are correct.
- The test week is 9–13 November and you have no unavoidable conflict that week. If you have one, read the letter carefully for what to do and contact EPSO through your candidate account as early as possible.
- Your language 1, the language you will take Part 1 in. Make sure you are comfortable reading fast in it.
- The instructions for the TAO platform: how to log in, and the pre-requisite test to complete between 20 October and 6 November.
- Technical and identity requirements described in the letter. Prepare them now, not the day before.
Save a copy (PDF or screenshot) of the letter and note the TAO login steps somewhere you can find them on test day.
What to do in the three weeks after the letter
- 20–25 October: log in to TAO, find your exact date and time, put it in your calendar with two alarms.
- Before 6 November: complete the pre-requisite test. Do it early so you have time to solve any technical problem.
- Every day: keep practising reasoning questions under time pressure. Part 1 is 40 questions in 65 minutes, and the 10-minute abstract test is the hardest to finish.
- The last week: one or two full Part 1 simulations, then rest.
Use the time left well
Not sure which test to work on? Take our free timed test (20 questions, 20 minutes). The Reasoning pack covers exactly Part 1, with a final exam timed like the real one (40 questions, 65 minutes) and every answer explained.
Source: EPSO news, 13 October 2026. The instructions in your own invitation letter always take precedence.
👉 See the AD5 preparation packs on qweega.eu
Read also:
Full roadmap: how to pass the EPSO AD5 — the step-by-step guide for 2026.