How the EPSO verbal reasoning test works
Each question is a short non-fiction passage followed by "Which of the following statements is correct?" and four options, A to D. Only one is correct on the basis of the passage. The others are either contradicted by it or not settled by it.
The test opens every current EPSO procedure, for AD graduates, AST assistants and secretaries, and contract staff, at the same length: 20 questions on one 35-minute clock. You sit it in your Language 1, online on EPSO’s TAO platform under remote proctoring.
Within the test you can move freely between questions and bookmark any to come back to before you submit. Once you submit the test part, it is final.
How to find the correct statement
Use the same steps on every passage:
- Read the passage once, all the way through, before looking at the options.
- Test each statement against the text. Strike out any the passage contradicts.
- Strike out any the passage does not settle, however likely they sound. Outside knowledge does not count.
- Look hard at qualifiers. A statement that turns "most" into "all", or a correlation into a cause, is wrong.
- The statement left standing is usually a careful paraphrase, often more cautious than the others.
Worked example
Passage: "Cross-border rail journeys between two neighbouring member states rose by 14% in the year after a new high-speed line opened, while flights on the same route fell by a similar share. The operator credits the line for most of the change, but a tax on short-haul flights rose in the same year. Fares on the new line vary with the booking date, and the cheapest are sold only online."
A. The new line caused the fall in flights on the route. B. Some fares on the new line cannot be bought at a station. C. Rail journeys rose by more than flights fell. D. All tickets on the new line cost the same.
Answer: B. The cheapest fares are sold only online. A is not settled, because the passage names a second possible cause. C is not settled either: "a similar share" does not say which change was bigger. D is contradicted, because fares vary with the booking date.
Tips for the real EPSO verbal reasoning test
- Practise in your Language 1, because that is the language you will sit it in.
- Pace at about 105 seconds a question. If one is taking much longer, choose your best answer, bookmark it and move on.
- Answer every question. Scores run from 0 to 20 and EPSO’s notices describe no deduction for a wrong answer.
- Use the answer elimination tool to strike out options as you rule them out.
- Paper and writing materials are not allowed at your desk, so practise without notes.
- Do the technical prerequisite check properly. It is mandatory, and you get only one per competition.
Practise EPSO verbal reasoning on CogniPrep
Our version is 20 questions on one 35-minute clock, each a passage with four statements, at AD or AST level. You can move between questions, bookmark them and strike out options before you hand in, as on TAO. Your mark is a count of correct answers out of 20 against EPSO’s pass mark of 10, with no deduction for wrong answers. The passages are ours and in English, so practise in your own Language 1 too.