Upcoming EPSO Competitions – 1st Semester 2014

Tags : administrators, assistants, EPSO Competition, Secretaries

Upcoming EPSO Competitions – 1st Semester 2014

In the indicative planning of EPSO Competitions you’ll notice the upcoming exams and fields of interest of recruitment for EU institutions.

EPSO/AST-SC/01/14 – With the new staff regulations adopted at the beginning of 2014, the new AST/SC positions have been especially created for  secretaries. With the possible date of applications opening on 13th February, EPSO will be organising secretaries competitions at SC1/SC2 levels (most probably corresponding to the former AST1/AST2 levels)

EPSO/AST/130/14  – Aiming of selecting Assisstants with a background in building, this competition will have different profiles listed; estimated kick off day for applications is 27th February.

EPSO/AST/131/14 – Nuclear inspectors specialists competition launching 3rd April

EPSO/AD/…/14 – A specialists competition for OLAF Forensic Analysts will be launched on 27th March

AD Cycle 2014 – though the profiles are not announced we can notice that there will be an Auditors AD5 competition running in parallel. The applications for the Administrators Cycle will begin on 13th March while for Auditors a week later.

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EPSO/AST/129/13 – AST 3 EU Competition launched

Tags : assistants, AST 3, EPSO Competition

EPSO/AST/129/13 – AST 3 EU Competition launched

As of today you can start filling in your application from “my epso account” for the EPSO/AST/129/13 AST 3 Competition. The deadline for validating your application is 14th of January but don’t wait until the last moment.

The profiles sought and the number of available places are as follows:

ACCOUNTING/ FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT – 51

ECONOMY/FINANCE – 32

LEGAL MATTERS – 28

The CBT Preselection tests will consist of:

• Verbal Reasoning -marked out of 20
• Numerical Reasoning – marked out of 10
• Abstract Reasoning – marked out of 10
• Accuracy and Precision – marked out of 20
• Prioritizing and Organizing – marked out of 20
• Situational Judgement Test – marked out of 40

You will need to obtain a minimum aggregated score of 15/30  for Verbal and Abstract Reasoning.

For Numerical Reasoning minimum score is 5 for accounting and economy profiles and 4 for legal matters.

Minimum aggregated score for Accuracy and Precision and Prioritising and Organising is 20/40 and minimum score for EPSO SJT is 24/40

You can find in the Official Journal the complete job descriptions for each profile and other useful additional info.

As usual, we offer best and most affordable online epso training to help you pass this AST3 Competition and become an EU Assistant.

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My First EPSO Exam – 5 Things I should have known before

Tags : EPSO Competition, EPSO Tips and Tricks, Epso Training

My First EPSO Exam – 5 Things I should have known before

When it comes to EPSO Competitions it is not always easy to succeed on your first try, but not impossible either. Speaking from personal experience, I consider that these several steps taken before the exam which could improve your chances.

Understand the Epso Exam structure – Do EPSO Account, CBT, SJT, AC, Interview, Reserve List ring any bell? Do you know how these link between themselves? Is there an order between all these? Are there any special cases where the EPSO selection procedure might be slightly different? These would be among the first questions a potential EPSO candidate would pose himself before applying. The response to all these questions you’ll find by browsing EPSO Site,  our site and other internet resources. If you already have some experience with EPSO Competitions you can directly head to the notice of competition from the Official Journal.

Know the 4 W’s  – Who is eligible? If you want to apply you need to make sure that you will meet the eligibility requirements – general and specific. Those are usually expressed under 3rd chapter of a notice of competition.  What will the whole selection process consist of?  When will it take place – know when you can start applying, what the deadline for applying is and when will you will then be scheduled for the exam. Where will the exam be held? You need to know where each phase will be held. It is usual that last phases of the competitions are held in Brussels but initial exams are held in numerous different cities. Does your city have a EPSO Test site or will you have to arrange for travelling to the nearest test site?

Closely follow EPSO communications with candidates – After registering for the competition you will receive notifications from EPSO (on application validation, booking of preselection exams, etc). You need to pay close attention to the messages especially those concerning deadlines. A considerable number of candidates found themselves disqualified only because they forgot to either validate their application or the scheduled date for the exam. You wouldn’t want this to happen.

Benchmarking – Wouldn’t it be useful to actually know what to expect in terms of competition, candidates, available places? Before taking the exam , I would use history of EPSO competitions as a predictor of what is to be expected in the future. I would try to estimate the pass mark for the preselection tests to know what I would need to score and I would look into the ratio between registered candidates for the competition and the number of places on the reserve list. If you look at 2011 and 2012 statistics you will have an idea of  what goal you’ll need to fulfill.

It’s all about training or practice makes perfect. Or, at least good enough to pass the preselection tests 🙂 I’ve saved this tip for the last as I consider it the most important. Preselection tests are the most important step of the selection process as they are the most difficult in terms of competition. If during the assessment centre phase you’ll find yourself usually competing against 2 more candidates for the reserve list, during the preselection phase, you could even be competing against 99 other candidates. Knowing already the structure of the tests, the time needed to complete those tests, how the tests and the computer test interface look like is a great asset in your challenge of passing the EPSO Exams.

BONUS Tips

• If you want to succeed you must be serious in your preparation from A to Z
• It is very important to know what is expected from you and what every type of exam tests
• Try to know yourself and bring out the best during the exams
• Relax, no one needs 100% score to be sure to pass the exam
• Practice (did I mention this already?)

What about you? What are your thoughts now after taking your first EPSO Competition? Share your thoughts!

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OHIM Epso Competitions AD/Ast announced

Tags : Assessment Center, epso competitions, Specialists

OHIM Epso Competitions AD/Ast announced

The Office for Harmonization in the Internal Market (OHIM) has 100 places available split between the following EU Competitions:

• OHIM/AD/01/13 = 40 places
• OHIM/AST/02/13 = 60 places

Both AD and AST Epso Competitions are specialists competitions, meaning that a first preselection will be based on the info you provide in the Talent Screener tab from My EPSO Account

There will be approximately 3 times more candidates invited to the Assessment Centre then the number of candidates that will be placed on the reserve list.

The exams will consist of:

• Practice Verbal Reasoning Tests, Numerical Reasoning Tests, Abstract Reasoning Tests
• Structured interview based on the info provided in the talent screener
• Written exercise
• E-tray Exercise
• Structured Interview based on general competencies
• Grouped Exercise

The deadline for applications is 3rd December at midday so start preparing!

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