*Disclaimer: views are mine, sources are of public domain

1. Get familiar with the kind of contracts which there are

2. A Contract Agent contract will require you to pass the CAST (Contract Agent Selection Tool) =
exam.
a. Function groups
i. Function groups salaries
b. Profiles
3. General APPLICATION PROCEDURE:
a. Create an EPSO account
b. Choose your profile and Function group and apply
c. Once the application has been duly filled in, you need to “send it for validation”
i. Personal advice: copy of this information in a word document, as you will need
to refill everything for every application you make
d. If you get shortlisted, you’ll get a notification that you have been invited to sit the CAST.
There’s a set calendar every year with all the year’s sittings. You normally see them once
you’ve chosen your profile and click on apply. Here’s an calendar example from the
Communication’s profile. If you scroll down, you’ll see the upcoming sittings. For the
moment, the next two are December 2022 and February 2023.

December Sitting
Test Booking 02/12/2022 – 06/12/2022
Test period 07/12/2022 – 14/12/2022
Results 22 December 2023

February Sitting
Test Booking 03/02/2023 – 07/02/2023
Test period 08/02/2022 – 14/02/2022
Results 24 February 2023

4. THE CBT BOOKING

Once you’ve been invited, you will receive the “booking test” notification. CAST exams work
through Prometric, so I highly recommend checking out their website to get familiar with prior
steps towards the exam, such as: getting set for the exam and how's the exam's day. Herewith
their Frequently Asked Questions in case something’s not clear. You may either do it
remotely(anywhere in the world) or at any exam’s center provided in the list of centers

After your booking has been properly made, you’ll receive a confirmation to your personal email
(the one you used to register for your EPSO account) and a reminder some days before of all the
info for the day. The reminder generally is sent 48 hours so that you don’t forget about your
exam.

5. CAST PREPARATION
a. https://eutraining.eu/ This website offers real exam simulations with practice and real
exam’s modes, webinars and test packages. Opinions regarding whether the site’s
 material is close to reality differ, so you better look at all the options you have, ask your
friends on their experience, and choose according to it. Like may others, I’ve used it to
prepare, and my experience so far is that I passed the CAST I sat in June and I’ve just sat
another different one and I felt that the questions I trained with, really help me feel
confident during the exam. Something I personally like about it is that there’s an “EU
Jobs” section where you can see the current job opportunities at the institutions.

i. A book, not for CAST, but commonly used for it is The Ultimate EU Test Book
Administrators 2020 from Andras Baneth. I have not yet sat an AD competition,
but I also found it very useful for the CAST. It could be also an option if you’re
intention is to “pursue” an AD eventually.

b. ORSEU concours also offers different packages. I took a webinar with them prior to my
first CAST and I found it useful as the instructor was pretty clear and gave an
overarching view of how to aim to the exam’s sought skills. I also used the Abstract
Reasoning book and I found it also very methodological.

c. Somebody in the group has shared experiences with Euphorum and I’ve checked it and
it looks similar to eutraining. Didn’t have the time to use it, though.

Note on studying / preparing for the CAST: Generally one doesn’t have much time, as
sometimes you get notified 2 weeks (or even less) before, so my personal advice
regarding each skill would be: Contract Agents / CAST Permanent | EU Careers
(europa.eu)

Verbal reasoning: This reasoning is generally dismissed in preparation as it is “easy”.

Truth is, it can be sometimes pretty tricky if you don’t practise. I applied the tip both
everyone and books recommend: first read the 4 options, get the global subject, get the
general meaning and then go to the text.

As you read, try to eliminate options and end up with 2. Look at them, look at the text
and cross out the “less likely” one. As a general rule, you’ll gave 1 minute and 45
seconds per questions (and in the real exam, time seems to fly even faster) so better
train well so that you develop a methodology which works best for you.

You’ll need 10/20 to pass this part.

Numerical reasoning: neither my favourite, nor my most beloved reasoning part – and
by what I’ve got reading the group, neither is for a lot of people.

If I could back in time, I’d first watch this 1:34:26 very good video Pass your Numerical
Reasoning Test - Everything you need to know (Under 2 hours!) - YouTube It has all the
key knowledge to need to tackle the exam. The most common math’s type questions
are: percentages, proportions, ratios and basic “equations”.
I’ve seldom read “it’s not a math test, but a reasoning test”. Contrary to what I’ve
always though, I must admit this is somewhat true. It is more about really understanding
what the question is asking, being able to dismiss all the unnecessary information
provided (graphics, tables and information).

If, like me, you don’t like maths, haven’t studied them in a very long time and struggle:
don’t worry. Watch the webinar, take notes and begin doing the exercises one by one
and step by step and you’ll see how it will -eventually- seem less difficult and more
about grasping what the question is really asking. At first, I’d advice not worrying too
much for the time, but do practise it within the allotted time as the exam gets closer.

You’ll have 10 questions which you’ll need to answer in 20 minutes. So, you have 2 min
per questions. To pass, your numerical correct answers are combined with the abstract
reasoning correct answers and in total you need a combined score 10/20.

So: you may have 2/10 in numerical and 8/10 in abstract and pass. Or the contrary, 8/10
in numerical and 2/10 in abstract and pass.

Abstract reasoning: get familiar with the kind of sequences and their logic. Overall there
are two ways of approaching the exercise: by analysing each element and how it
“evolves” throughout the other figures or by having a general view and compare two
different separated figures and then making out the logic they follow. I know it sounds
complicated, but give yourself time to look at the material to prepare and follow the
methodology. In the end, you’ll be able to spot the transformations and logics by
practicing the most possible.

What I did, following somebody’s advice – and it really helped – is trying to learn the
kind of transformation and take some notes when I had not answered properly. Not full
sentences or explanations but things which could help you think about it the next you
see it. The sentences generally use geometric shapes (learn to spot it quickly by just
looking at them: especially for hexagons, heptagons and octagons), colours: black, white
and grey and sizes. Transformations should be studied one by one so that you can
afterwards spot them and anticipate how they evolve.

You’ll have 10 questions and 10 minutes to answer, so 1 min per question. As previously
explained, to pass, your numerical correct answers are combined with the abstract
reasoning correct answers and in total you need a combined score 10/20.

Competency: You sit this part of the exam in your L2. The one you listed as such in your
application. (Here only the two ones I’ve had experience with)

Human Resources: I sat the HR competency in June. Unfortunately, no files in the group,
so what I did was scroll and look for questions which had been shared in some
comments in previous posts and practise the questions I had available in eutraining. In
 the June 2022 sitting several questions regarded the GDPR. Nothing too technical but
more of “common sense”. Each question has 4 options and you need to choose the
correct one. In FGIV, you’ll have 50 min and 25 questions. You need to score 16/25 to
pass.

Translation: I’ve just sat this test and would say that it’s a bit like the “verbal reasoning”
but with some questions aimed at vocabulary. It’s a long text and 12 questions with 4
options each one. What I’ve discovered it’s useful and saves time in the exam is:
skipping questions and follow the reference they make. For example: “In Paragraph 1,
what does the author mean by…?” so you read paragraph 1 and answer.

It’s easier and it will save you time. As with verbal reasoning, try to eliminate two
answers so that you only have two from which to choose from. Here’s an example of a
full Translation test, with the answers keys included so that you can get a general idea of
how it is.

The good thing in the exam is that you have the text on the left and the questions on the
right and you can scroll them upwards and downwards so it helps you keep focused
while answering. Highlighting the text helped me, so I’d recommend it.

To pass the FGIV Translation, you’ll need 7/12

6. EXAM’S DAY

Bring your ID. You are advised to be at least 30 min prior to your exam because of the
security screening.

Once you arrive, you are invited to come inside to a ward room where there are lockers
for you to put your belongings. You’ll be given a key and will be told that you can only
bring your ID with you inside. Your ID may be your national ID, passport or driver’s
licence. No water, no masks, no tissues, nothing is allowed. Only your ID and they key
they’ve just given you. There are bathrooms and hangers so that you can use them prior
to the examining area.

Then, you are requested to come inside for ID checks. You need to provide your ID, and
once they’ve checked it, you’ll need to sing with the same signature of the document
you’ve shown. Then, you’ll be scanned with a security scanner to see if you have
anything with you. The controller will check your ears to see if you’re wearing any plugs,
you’ll have to pull up your sleeves, pants, show the back of your belt and empty all your
pockets. (I didn’t remember jeans have a tiny one right below the right one).

Once all the security screening is done, you are given two plasticized papers so that you
can use them to jot down notes (above all, for the numerical reasoning part), two black
markers with different thickness and a handheld calculator (this is not the case for AST
exams – at least in my poor and humble experience). After you’ve been given all this,
 you’ll be ushered to your computer. It has a big monitor, keyboard and a wired mouse.
You have to confirm that the display data is correct (your full name and the exam you’re
taking).

There is a 5-minute tutorial on how to navigate through the exam and then the real test
per se. I’d recommend watching this tutorial prior the day of the exam. I used my
tutorial time to check that both markers and calculator worked properly. The structure
of the exam is generally this one:

(Language 1 is the one you choose to do the reasoning part with – it is usually your
mother tongue. On this, think that numerical and the verbal exams will be in this
language, so choose very wisely)

• On-screen tutorial: 5 minutes - Language 2

• Verbal reasoning: 35 minutes (20 questions) - Language 1

• Break (optional): 10 minutes. Before of pressing “end” as this will take you back to the
exam.

• Numerical reasoning: 20 minutes (10 questions) - Language 1

• Abstract reasoning: 10 minutes (10 questions) - Language 1

• Competency test: 50 minutes (25 questions) - Language 2 or Language

comprehension test (only for Proofreaders/Translators): 30 minutes (12 questions)
- Language 2
• Satisfaction survey: 5 minutes (optional) - Language 2

7. AFTER THE EXAM

Each call has a set day where the results will be published. There’s no fix time, so
sometime during the day. In June 2022 I received my results at 15h15, so anytime is
possible.

You’ll receive an email notification letting you know you have a new message in your
EPSO account. Several scenarios may happen:

a) You’ve passed both your reasoning and competency tests:

a. Your reasoning test results (verbal, numerical + abstract), they will be valid
for 10 years.
b. Your competency results (the profile you chose - finance, translation, etc.)
will be valid for 5 years.
b) You have failed one of the tests:
a. If you pass the reasoning tests, but fail the competency test, your reasoning
tests results will remain valid.
b. If you fail the reasoning tests:
i. The competency test will not be marked.
ii. You cannot be invited to take another reasoning test for the same
or higher function group for the next 6 months.
 iii. You can still be invited to take reasoning tests for lower function
groups.
c. If you fail the competency tests:
i. You cannot be invited to take another competency test for the next
6 months in the same profile at the same or higher function group.
ii. You may still take competency tests for the same profile for a lower
function group or for a different profile.

Full EPSO’s explanation with this regards: FAQs | EU Careers (europa.eu)

I hope all the information contained in this document will be useful for future CAST sitters.

If you have any questions on HR or Translation competency tests, you can always contact me.