AD 5 translators competition (EPSO/AD/414/24 to 421/24): tests and timeline
The eight translator competitions EPSO/AD/414/24 to EPSO/AD/421/24 sought 1,177 successful candidates at grade AD 5, one competition per target language. Applications closed on 14 January 2025.
Applications closed
- Application deadline
- (12.00 (midday), Brussels time)
- Last verified
- 1,177successful candidates sought, all competitions combined
- 8separate competitions, one per target language
- 7tests provided for in the notice (three reasoning tests, four language tests)
- 152points maximum for the overall ranking score
Sources: Erudiam database: competitions and competition_tests tables · Publications Office of the EU : Notice of open competitions EPSO/AD/414/24 to EPSO/AD/421/24
ContentsKey dates
Key dates
- Publication of the notice in the Official Journal (C/2024/7118)
- Closing date for applications, 12:00 (midday), Brussels time
- Deadline for uploading supporting documents (at noon, Brussels time) and deadline for obtaining the diploma
- Next translators cycle (AD) scheduled in the EPSO schedule for June 2027: BG, DE, FI, GA, HR, PT, SL, SV
Sources: Publications Office of the EU : Notice of open competitions EPSO/AD/414/24 to EPSO/AD/421/24 · EPSO
Who can apply
- Be a national of an EU Member State and enjoy full rights as a citizen (section 3.1).
- Hold a diploma attesting university studies of at least three years, awarded by 10 April 2025 at the latest (section 3.3).
- No professional experience required: “No professional experience is required” (section 3.3).
- Language 1 (target language) at level C2, languages 2 and 3 at level C1 minimum (section 3.2).
Source: Publications Office of the EU : Notice of open competitions EPSO/AD/414/24 to EPSO/AD/421/24
Nature of the duties
- Deliver high-quality translations on time: “deliver high-quality translations by the deadlines set” (section 2).
- Translate from at least two source languages into the target language, revise, edit, handle language quality and carry out terminology research (section 2).
- Often complex political, legal, economic, financial, scientific or technical texts covering all EU policy areas (section 2).
- The reserve lists serve the EU institutions, bodies and agencies (section 1).
Source: Publications Office of the EU : Notice of open competitions EPSO/AD/414/24 to EPSO/AD/421/24
Breakdown of successful candidates
Source: Erudiam database: competitions and competition_tests tables
How the tests are made up
Verbal reasoning
Numerical reasoning
Abstract reasoning
Source: Erudiam database: competitions and competition_tests tablesScroll the table horizontally.
How the selection works
- All tests are taken online with remote proctoring (section 4.3).
- Verbal reasoning in language 1: 10 questions, 18 minutes, marked out of 20 (table 3).
- Numerical reasoning: 10 questions, 20 minutes, marked out of 10; abstract reasoning: 10 questions, 20 minutes, marked out of 10 (table 3).
- Combined pass score across the three reasoning tests: 22/40. They are eliminatory and do not count towards the ranking (sections 4.3 and 4.5).
- Language knowledge test in language 1: 25 questions, 25 minutes, pass score 13/25 (table 4).
- Language comprehension test in language 3: 12 questions, 25 minutes, pass score 6/12 (table 5).
- Translation test from language 2 into language 1: 60 minutes, marked out of 100, pass score 50/100, with “some elements of localisation” (table 6).
- Revision test of a text translated from language 2 into language 1: 30 minutes, marked out of 40, pass score 20/40 (table 7).
- Staggered marking: the Selection Board marks the translation test for no more than twice the number of successful candidates sought, taken in the order of their language knowledge test scores (section 4.4).
- Ranking out of 152 points: comprehension (12) + translation (100) + revision (40) (section 4.5).
Source: Publications Office of the EU : Notice of open competitions EPSO/AD/414/24 to EPSO/AD/421/24
What this competition does not include
- No oral test, interview or assessment centre in the notice: the selection rests on the tests listed above.
- No reasoning points in the final ranking: these tests only act as a filter.
- No professional experience required.
Source: Publications Office of the EU : Notice of open competitions EPSO/AD/414/24 to EPSO/AD/421/24
Try a question
A question from our practice bank, in the format of the Verbal reasoning test.
Answer key : B
Text: "In the European Union, the share of those aged 65 and over rose from around 14% of the population in 1990 to 21% in 2022, while the share of those under 15 declined over the same period".
A. Contradicts the passage: the models do not respond to ageing-related tensions "with the same intergenerational fairness".
B. Text: "In the European Union, the share of those aged 65 and over rose from around 14% of the population in 1990 to 21% in 2022, while the share of those under 15 declined over the same period".
C. Contradicts the passage: ageing results from "the combination of two dynamics: the continuous increase in life expectancy and the persistent fall in fertility", not fertility alone.
D. Contradicts the passage: the third model named is "social-democratic", not a "universalist-Anglo-Saxon" model.
Questions written by Erudiam from official EU sources; EPSO does not publish past papers.
How Erudiam prepares you
Parameters aligned with the notice: every mock exam uses the official durations, pass scores and weightings of the competition, including the combined pass scores.
Spaced repetition (FSRS): it focuses your revision on what you get wrong, test by test, in step with the actual test timetable.
The readiness index (ERI): it tells you whether you are ready, instead of giving you a meaningless overall average.
Frequently asked questions
No. Applications closed on 14 January 2025 at noon, Brussels time. The EPSO schedule schedules a new translators cycle for June 2027, for BG, DE, FI, GA, HR, PT, SL and SV.
1,177 successful candidates in total, spread over eight competitions: from 119 for Maltese to 180 for French.
No. The notice requires citizenship of a Member State, a diploma attesting university studies of at least three years and three languages: the target language at level C2, two others at level C1 minimum.
Three reasoning tests (combined pass score 22/40), a language knowledge test (13/25), a comprehension test (6/12), a translation test (50/100) and a revision test (20/40). All of them are eliminatory.
Out of 152 points: comprehension (12), translation (100) and revision (40). Reasoning and language knowledge do not count towards this total.
No. The notice provides for no oral test, no interview and no assessment centre: all tests are taken online with remote proctoring.
Official reference and sources
Official parameters last checked in our database: 3 August 2026.
Sources
- Erudiam database: competitions and competition_tests tables, row traducteurs-ad5-2024Erudiam · 3 August 2026 · consulted on 21 September 2026
- Notice of open competitions EPSO/AD/414/24 to EPSO/AD/421/24, translators (AD 5), OJ C/2024/7118Publications Office of the EU (EUR-Lex), for EPSO · 3 December 2024 · consulted on 21 September 2026
- EPSO, Upcoming selection procedures, page updated on 8 September 2026EPSO (European Personnel Selection Office) · 8 September 2026 · consulted on 21 September 2026
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