| Test | Questions | Duration | Language | Scoring | Pass mark | Eliminatory | Ranked | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Raisonnement verbal | 20 | 35 min | — | 1 pt/question | 10/20 | Yes | Yes | 35 % |
| Raisonnement numerique | 10 | 20 min | — | 1 pt/question | 10/20 (combined) | Yes | No | — |
| Raisonnement abstrait | 10 | 10 min | — | 1 pt/question | 10/20 (combined) | Yes | No | — |
The EPSO numerical reasoning test measures your ability to read a table or a chart and pull the right figure out of it: 10 multiple-choice questions in 20 minutes.
The data is given to you and no advanced mathematics is expected: the test is built on percentages, ratios, changes and averages, under tight time pressure.
The pass mark is not an individual one: this test is marked together with abstract reasoning, and it is the combined total that must reach 10/20.
Numerical reasoning sits alongside verbal reasoning in almost every EPSO competition, from generalist administrators to assistants and specialists.
The table below sets out, competition by competition, the settings published in the Official Journal: number of questions, duration and, above all, how the pass mark is calculated.
That last point is decisive: depending on the competition, numerical reasoning is marked on its own, together with abstract reasoning, or together with verbal and abstract reasoning combined. The three cases do not call for the same preparation strategy.
| Competition | Questions |
|---|
The questions below come from our practice bank, in the format of the real test: a data table, a question, four options, with the worked answer and an analysis of every distractor.
Answer key — A
Take the "CO2 (t/inh)" column for the six countries: 5.2, 7.8, 4.1, 5.5, 6.7 and 4.3. A simple average weights each country equally, regardless of population. (5.2 + 7.8 + 4.1 + 5.5 + 6.7 + 4.3) / 6 = 33.6 / 6 = 5.6 t/inh, option A. Option B (6.7) divides by 5 instead of 6, and C (33.6) is the undivided sum.
A. (5.2+7.8+4.1+5.5+6.7+4.3)/6 = 33.6/6 = 5.6.
B. 6.7 = /5 instead of /6
C. 33.6 = sum no division
D. 5.5 = rough rounding
Answer key — C
Take the "2023" column for the Germany row (17.6) and the Estonia row (21.0). Germany’s ratio to Estonia’s is calculated as Germany divided by Estonia, in that order: 17.6 / 21.0 = 0.8381, so 83.8% rounded to one decimal. A ratio carries no unit: Germany’s pay gap represents 83.8% of Estonia’s. Reversing the order would give 21.0 / 17.6 = 1.19, or 119%, a value not among the options.
A. 82.0% under-counts.
B. 83.0% rounds down.
C. 17.6/21.0 = 83.81% → 83.8%.
D. 85.0% over-rounds.
E. 86.5% over-rounds.
Answer key — D
In the column "2021", read the row "Netherlands": 81.7. In the column "2024", the same row shows 83.8. A change in percentage points is a subtraction: 83.8 − 81.7 = 2.1, that is +2.1 pp, so the correct answer is D. The main trap is B (+1.8 pp), which you get by reading the column "2023" (83.5) instead of "2024", since 83.5 − 81.7 = 1.8.
A. +1.5 pp is Sweden's increase.
B. +1.8 pp is the 2022→2024 step for NL.
C. +1.9 pp is Czechia's increase.
D. 83.8 − 81.7 = 2.1 pp.
E. +2.5 pp over-rounds.
| Connaissances de l'Union europeenne | 30 | 40 min | L2 | 1 pt/question | 15/30 | Yes | Yes | 25 % |
|---|
| Competences numeriques | 40 | 30 min | L2 | 1 pt/question | 20/40 | Yes | Yes | 25 % |
|---|
| EUFTE (epreuve ecrite) | 1 | 40 min | L2 | 1 pt/question | — | Yes | Yes | 15 % |
|---|
| Duration |
|---|
| Language |
|---|
| Pass mark |
|---|
| Weight |
|---|
| Administrateurs generalistes (AD 5)EPSO/AD/427/26 | 10 | 20 min | — | 10/20 (combined) | — |
| Assistants communication (AST 3)EPSO/AST/157/25 | 10 | 20 min | — | 10/20 (combined) | — |
| Administrateurs audit (AD 7)EPSO/AD/428/26 | 10 | 20 min | — | 10/20 (combined) | — |
| CAST Permanent (agents contractuels FG I a FG IV)CAST Permanent | 10 | 20 min | — | 10/20 (combined) | — |
| Administrateurs fiscalite (AD 6)EPSO/AD/422/25 | 10 | 20 min | — | 10/20 (combined) | — |
| Administrateurs gestion et connaissance des donnees (AD 7)EPSO/AD/426/25 | 10 | 20 min | — | 10/20 (combined) | — |
| Juristes-linguistes CJUE (AD 7)EPSO/AD/424/25 | 10 | 20 min | — | 20/40 (combined) | — |
| Juristes-linguistes / reviseurs juridiques PE-Conseil-Commission (AD 7)EPSO/AD/423/25 | 10 | 20 min | — | 15/30 (combined) | — |
| Administrateurs TIC (AD 7)EPSO/AD/429/26 | 10 | 20 min | — | 10/20 (combined) | — |
| Traducteurs (AD 5)EPSO/AD/414/24 a EPSO/AD/421/24 | 10 | 20 min | — | 22/40 (combined) | — |
The notice of competition publishes no sub-domains for numerical reasoning: it sets the number of questions, the duration and how the pass mark works, not a taxonomy. What follows is therefore not an official list, but the typology we draw from our own question bank, which covers most of what candidates meet on the day.
Typology established by Erudiam from its own question bank. The official notice of competition publishes no sub-domains for this test: the only official figures on this page are those in the table and the banner, taken from the Official Journal.
Answer key — E
On the Italy row, read the "Female" and "Male" columns: 38.4 and 34.7. The gap is measured in percentage points, by subtraction: 38.4 minus 34.7 = +3.7 pp. Do not use the "Total" column (36.5), which does not answer the question, and do not confuse this with relative change (38.4 / 34.7, about +11%), a very different ratio from the point gap asked here.
A. +1.0 under-counts.
B. +1.5 under-counts.
C. +2.5 under-counts.
D. +3.0 under-counts.
E. 38.4 − 34.7 = 3.7 pp.
Answer key — E
In the column "Bike-sharing fleet", read the row "Amsterdam": 12,000. In the column "Cycle paths (km)", read the row "Amsterdam": 767. A ratio is a division, in the stated order: 12,000 / 767 = 15.6453, which is 15.65 rounded to two decimals. No option shows 15.65, so the correct answer is E. Trap A (0.06) comes from the inverted division: 767 / 12,000.
A. 0.06 = swap (767/12000)
B. 12.00 = bikes/1000 wrong
C. 18.18 = Paris (20000/1100)
D. 19.51 = Copenhagen (8000/410)
E. 12,000 / 767 = 15.6453 ≈ 15.65. None of the listed options matches 15.65, so the correct answer is E.
Answer key — D
Take the "Average car speed (km/h)" column for the six capitals: 14, 24, 20, 22, 23 and 21. A simple average weighs each city equally, regardless of its size. (14 + 24 + 20 + 22 + 23 + 21) / 6 = 124 / 6 = 20.67, rounding to 20.7 km/h, option D. Option A (24.8 km/h) divides by 5 instead of 6, and C (20.6 km/h) rounds down incorrectly.
A. 24.8 = /5 instead of /6
B. 124.0 = sum no division
C. 20.6 = wrong rounding
D. (14 + 24 + 20 + 22 + 23 + 21) / 6 = 124 / 6 = 20.6666 ≈ 20.7 km/h.
The costliest mistake is confusing percentage points with percentages. Going from 20% to 25% is five points more, but a twenty-five per cent rise. Both answers are almost always among the options.
The second is calculating before reading the question in full. Many questions ask for a comparison or a ranking rather than a value, so the right option can be found without a complete calculation.
The third is units. A table in thousands and an option in millions look alike to within a factor of a thousand: checking the column heading before setting up the calculation costs three seconds and saves the question.
The method that works: read the question, pick out the two or three cells that matter, estimate the order of magnitude, eliminate, and only calculate precisely when two options are left.
Every worked answer shows the full calculation, not just the right value: you see where the denominator comes from, and why each of the three distractors matches an identifiable method error.
Spaced repetition (the FSRS algorithm) brings back the types of calculation you get wrong, rather than making you sit one full test after another.
The readiness index (ERI) combines coverage, consistency and success rate to tell you whether you are ready, on this test as on the others in the competition.
Timed mock tests reproduce the time pressure: that is where the difference shows between being able to calculate and being able to calculate in two minutes.
10 multiple-choice questions in 20 minutes for the generalist administrators competition, according to the official notice of competition (reference at the foot of the page). The settings differ from one competition to another: the table on this page compares them.
There is no individual pass mark for this test in this competition: it is marked together with abstract reasoning, and it is the combined total that must reach 10 points out of 20. A weak numerical score can therefore be offset by a strong abstract score, and the other way round.
No. The test covers percentages, ratios, changes and averages, all from data provided to you. What separates candidates is accurate reading of the table and time management, not their level in mathematics.
We make no claim here. The official settings we recorded set a language regime for European Union knowledge, digital competences and the written test, but not for numerical reasoning. Your individual invitation and the notice of competition concerned remain the only reference.
In almost every one, alongside verbal reasoning and abstract reasoning. The table on this page lists the competitions we track, with their exact settings and how their pass mark is calculated.
By working one type of calculation at a time rather than sitting full tests back to back: identify the one that trips you up (change, denominator, unit), drill it on its own, then return to timed conditions to confirm it holds under pressure.
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