On Tuesday 5th June, we went to Rue du Commerce in Brussels to take the EPSO tests for the 2018 AD5 competition. The test centre was almost empty! This is quite normal when the test period just started the day before.
Many candidates wait for the last days before taking the tests. A few additional days or weeks of revision can clearly be useful, especially when it is the first time you take the test.
Category Archives: EPSO Tests
The computer-based testing day
Today, you take the MCQ computer-based tests organised by EPSO.
This is how your day should unfold.
Abstract reasoning: is the test getting harder and harder?
Until 2015, you may have reached high marks in the abstract reasoning test of EPSO competitions. However, since then, it’s been a nightmare: you no longer see anything and you can hardly reach 50% of correct answers. What has happened since 2015? Have test creators invented new logical sequences? Do elements go through new transformations?
The EPSO E-tray test: a question of organisation
The e-tray test was first introduced in 2011 in the AST Generalist competitions. It was then gradually extended to the AD competitions. The candidates for the AD Generalist competition first faced it in 2015. For them, it represents the intermediate phase between the admission tests and the assessment centre.
Generalist AD5 competition in Spring 2017
This is EPSO’s announcement mid-February at the 2017 EU Studies Fair. For this competition, no previous experience will be required. So why not take your chance? To be successful, you will have to face three series of tests.
Numbers do not scare me anymore
You’ve decided to register for a competition or exam and you have to sit a numerical reasoning test. Don’t panic. We can help you!
You’ve decided to register for a competition or exam. You start looking at the content of the tests. No chance! You have to take a numerical reasoning test! You feel gripped by panic. You can’t remember how to set out a division or work out an average. Words like fraction and percentage leave you unable to think straight. You start remembering the poor marks you got at school…
But you’re good in the other areas and have all the skills required to fill the post or get into your chosen school. All you need are a few more marks in numerical reasoning to pass the competition or exam. So why give up?
First of all, ask yourself why you have problems with maths. Maybe it’s because you find the language of maths a bit like double Dutch (and you don’t speak any Dutch at all!). And yet you use this language every day – when you withdraw money from your bank account, when you get a discount in a shop, when you’re following a recipe … and so on.
All you need is a method. If you’re not a mathematician at heart, you may find learning and applying a formula hard going. But, if it’s explained to you in a simple and fun way it will suddenly seem much more obvious and you’ll end up using it quite naturally.
ORSEU’s latest publication: ‘http://www.orseu-concours.com/en/epso-eu-training-books/375-book-numerical-reasoning-a-training-guide.html’, is specially designed for those who have (or believe they have) a poor level of maths. This book explains in detail the basic concepts of numerical reasoning: performing mathematical operations, calculating percentages, completing number sequences logically…and so on. It is the ideal way to prepare for EPSO, Selor, GMAT and GRE tests.
Numerical reasoning – do I have to be good at maths to pass this test?
Many candidates think (wrongly) that they’re no good at numerical reasoning. Maybe, at school, they were always “bad at maths”. And just seeing a table of figures is still enough to make them panic.
Is verbal reasoning a test of language?
The EPSO competition verbal reasoning test takes place in language 1. Each question consists of a text and four statements. The candidate must choose the statement that can be deduced from the text. Here is an example question. You will find the answer at the end of this article.
Le test de raisonnement verbal des concours EPSO se déroule dans la langue 1. Chaque question est constituée d’un texte et de quatre affirmations. Le candidat doit choisir l’affirmation qui se déduit du texte. Voici un exemple de question. La réponse est donnée à la fin de cet article.
La prova di ragionamento verbale dei concorsi EPSO si svolge nella lingua 1. Ogni domanda consiste in un testo e 4 affermazioni. Il candidato deve scegliere l’affermazione riconducibile al testo. Di seguito una domanda esempio. La risposta è a fondo pagina.
Der Test zum sprachlogischen Denken im Rahmen des EPSO Auswahlverfahrens findet in der Sprache 1 statt. Jede Frage besteht aus einem Text und vier Aussagen. Der Bewerber muss die Aussage, die aus dem Text abgeleitet werden kann, auswählen. Hier ist ein Beispiel. Die Antwort wird am Ende dieses Artikels gegeben.
Accuracy and precision – is it possible to answer 40 questions in 6 minutes?
The principle of the EPSO competition accuracy and precision test is simple. Each question consists of two tables that should contain the same information. Candidates must compare the information contained in the two tables and identify any errors that may exist, such as a name spelt incorrectly, reversed figures, inadequate symbols, etc.
The abstract reasoning test – two approaches
The EPSO competition abstract reasoning test assesses candidates’ ability to identify and understand relationships between concepts with no linguistic or numerical elements. Each question consists of a series of diagrams containing geometric shapes that are repeated or modified according to a logic sequence. Candidates must identify the underlying logic and find the diagram that completes the series from 5 possible options.