The sheer number of comments at the main post ‘So I Won’t Be A Commission Official‘ has been causing problems, so all the old comments are here instead, and hence searchable.

2,067 Comments

  1. Hi everyone,

    I promise to share the writtent test for AD n Law from 16 March, just give me some time to scan the MCQ.

    As for the essays -there were three topics: 1. The role of national courts in Community law. 2. The treaty infringement procedure Art. 226-228.
    The last one was a specific question about state aids (something like the role of private parties in the procedure of Art. 88).

  2. Korvin

    Hi Dima,

    I’ve just read that you was thanksful to people who send you MCQ questions, would you be so kind to send me them in your turn ?
    This is my mail adress : renoym@hotmail.com.
    Bye

  3. Tomasz

    Hi, I will write the written test for AD in economics next week, could somebody send me by e-mail or publish on this blog the questions for written part of the exam in economics. I would like to see them to get the feeling which direction of EPSO thinking I shoul expect next week:-) Thank you in advance for your help

  4. Hi,

    could you please share essay topics for EPA/ Business Adm or Economics? Then I might still stand a chanse pf passing 🙂

  5. Lakoivan

    Hi all,
    yes that was great – the question abt antibiotics in food and feed, but also the one which asked which of the 4 statements in public health was wrong (where all 4 statements taken from the treaty were correct, bar one where the word “including” had been replaced with ” excluding” or vice versa). How’s that for a question. Or the number of questions that Parliament had addressed to the Commission in 2005 – 5 313 or so….
    One piece of advice – concentrate even more on the Treaty articles and voting modalities. I don’t know about policies, but there very few questions on them in the BG test.

  6. and how about the essay topics??
    i have my exam at the end of march, really stressed as u can imagine.
    maybe some more MCQ?

  7. Hi everyone,

    I think I can share with you some of my post-exam feedbacks (Written test for administrators in law on 16/03). And I will be grateful if you share yours too.

    I am really thankful to this forum and the guys that sent me the last-year questions (MCQ) (@Rosa, many, many thanks!). If hadn’t received them, I would have “derailed” with my preparation in a completely wrong direction while EPSO seems to care mainly about two things : in-depth knowlegde (meaning you must know the comma and the full stop of each article)of the EC and EU Treaties (and some basic secondary legislation) and recent (really very recent – 2005, 2006) case-law of ECJ. If I knew this earlier (not just one week before the exam) I would have built up my studying on a completely other footing in stead of spending days and nights on reading EU law books (like that of Craig and De Burca which is a great book but just not enough to do the MCQ).

    So, bold , the MCQ sample from last year was really a good help. The one posted on the EPSO website ( much older, I think from 2003) is a way easier (maybe on purpose – who knows!).

  8. Aurora

    We will only know the results in the second part of May, but I think I did ok 😉

  9. Aurora,

    I feel sorry for you… At least the Sakharov prize is a positive and interesting thing!

    Hope you managed to pass all the same!

  10. viking

    Impressive.

    However, this might mean that the EPSO-people have great expectations to the level of your specialist knowledge. Take it as a compliment 🙂

  11. Aurora

    Dear Jon,

    I just wanted to let you know that the dear EPSO people managed to surpass even the Sakharov prize question you had at AD25. Check out one of the questions from the AD47 (Romanian EPA administrators) test, which took place on Friday:

    48. Which of the following products may NO LONGER be marketed and used as feed additives in the EU?
    a. coccidiostats and histomonostats
    b. antibiotics, other than coccidiostats and histomonostats
    c. preservatives
    d. flavourings

    Great stuff, huh?

  12. viking

    Poor Bruno. He’ll have to apply for the Witness Protection Programme if he wants to survive this one 😉

    To Seb:
    Sebastian: Please, do us a favour and stay mentally healthy. We like you as you are now. Don’t change!

  13. Phlegmy

    @ToTo

    It was just the euphoria talking… most of the time I can keep my poker face.

    Anyhow… good luck to you all… real nice people, you deserve it.

    Bye now

  14. Andras

    @Sebastian:
    Wow, the Sibilli vs. Communities case is crazy. Have you ever heard of a case where the Court of First Instance actually decided in favor of the candidate? Though I doubt that many people go as far as to sue to Communities.

  15. sebastian

    Preparation is going on for sure, about the how, we will see in April or rather when the results will be published. For the time being I try to stay focused and remain mentally healthy 😉

  16. @sebastian
    So, you’re not yet “taken” by the concours?
    How is your preparation going on?

  17. Korvin

    Hello Lakoivan,

    Yes it will be perfect, don’t matter that it is not in secretaries field and it is good that it is more difficult so that it will be a good training.
    My e-mail adress : renoym@hotmail.com

    Thank you very much.

    Korvin

  18. Lakoivan

    @ Korvin
    Hi, i have a few VNR test, but not for secretaries field, they are for grade A concours. They say they are slightly more difficult.
    Problem is, I only have them on on paper, I need to scan them and send, but I can do it only next week, Monday at earliest. Is that still OK for you? Let me know, and also let me have your email address.

  19. @ Phlegmy
    Dear Phlegmy, you are my favorite. Keep going like that. It might happen some day, someone to believe in your empty talks.
    “You’re a prince”, you know…
    I do not know but somehow you remind me of Holden Caulfield.
    I hope you have heard of him. If not – you, as an employee of the EC, have enough time to read it. Good Luck (Laugh).

  20. sebastian

    I’d rather say Patrick Bateman. But it’s understandable. Concours take their toll as further evidenced by this case in connection with AD 25/05:
    Click here

    Especially para. 12 is funny…

  21. Korvin

    Hello,

    I’m still looking for samples of VNR tests. I thank you Nora that give me but I need much more to practice because it is only when you practice that you can arrive to something good and as I’ve got only 24/40 in VNR tests there is a lot of work to do.

    Has someone also samples of writting test in the secretary field ? Just only to see what it’s look like.

    Thank.

    Korvin

  22. Phlegmy

    When I think of all the braided girls that handed over their neurotically groomed class notes to the drunken laggard that only left the pub for alcohol-addled examination sessions…. life just ain’t fair, I guess…. then again, my “peers” gave me a depression at age 14, from then on, I decided to drift along…. mediocre is outstanding enough in this universe

  23. Phlegmy

    Bizarre,

    gathering from what I read here, these people have to start from scratch: learning how to write effectively, think verbally, make analogies and cram 21 centuries of western history… apart from that, they have to learn all about their chosen field of expertise… most only give themselves around 18 months to accomplish this pharaonic feet…

    really, it’s like a monkey training to be a human

    😉

  24. bizarre

    well, that is such a generalisation!
    as you said-the scope of the material is endless, so its difficult to see the focus, coz in most cases there isnt such-especially for EPA..the possibilities and types of questions are so many..as for the details-some questions go into a lot of detail, whereas others are kinda general. Plus asking for these questions 2 weeks before the exam shows more ignorance on your part folks!

  25. Phlegmy

    Hej,
    “I am taking the 2nd stafe test in Economics and would be very grateful for any old tests or any suggestions on what to study. I think this year there is a seperate test for statistics, our test in just called Economis, no Economics and Statistics, so I imagine we wont be asked on that?
    Let me know what you think? You can email me directly.
    Thanks a lot,
    Ola”

    Three tenets of Economics:micro/macro/econometrics…

    Seems to me you better brush up on your stat.. perhaps look into regression analysis, focusing on logit/semilog/time series….

    but that should be instant expertise for any analyst worth his/her salt

    soit, you all seem to enjoy memorising info by the cubic metre…

  26. Phlegmy

    “Hi All,

    I already work for the commission and I can tell you all now that the ingredients of the competitions have no relation to what you do. From hard work you can pass the test and then it is down to sheer luck if you pass the interview stages, and remember there still is no guarantee of a position after passing all the stages.”

    1) I see lots of people getting all sort of dodgy short term contracts without any prior testing (remember, I’m Brussels-based, I know all about the little crony cliques) or some symbolic non-competitive test (e.g. checking whether candidate has an opposable thumb)

    2) Does that vile system of “internal” exams still exist…. scandalous

    3) Could some-one please look into the shifty goings-on with regard to people directly employed for the EP ?

    4) When I sat the written exam, one of the suggested essay topics clearly corresponded with the kind of work some-one at DG EcFin would be doing at a daily basis…

    I won’t go into details, but some of the shit I know about first-hand does not lead me to believe it’s all that kosher over there… a shame really.

  27. Phlegmy

    Nunc jubilatum est:

    “I am pleased to inform you that the Selection Board for the above-mentioned competition has now completed its work and, on the basis of your results in the written and oral tests, your name has been placed in the merit class number 1 of the list of suitable candidates. “

  28. Just a small appeal from me for some calm and measured language here please. Please try to keep it constructive.

    I’m very happy that my blog has become a useful forum to discuss the concours, but I don’t want to have to be moderating the discussion here. Hope that’s OK!

  29. Lakoivan

    @ bizzare
    Your statement is not only needlessly agressive, but kind of ignorant too – there is no such thing as knowing or not knowing your material. There is not even such a thing as “your material” – the scope of the matter is endless, and you cannot possibly know it all. In contrast, knowing what past questions have been helps you see the focus, spin and level of detail they expect you to be familiar with. And that in turn helps you make intelligent guesses for those questions you will not know. And believe me, there will be a few. But maybe you are of another league. Hail to you, then.

  30. viking

    @ bizarre
    It’s also about knowing what kind of questions you can expect. It’s not as stupid as you think, bizarre.

  31. bizarre

    I have to say that you people start getting pathetic!
    all the time begging for questions-ok ,you’ll get 5-10 sample tests- so what? you dont have a big chance to get the same question. you either know your area or you dont!

  32. Hi

    Haha…seems to me a lot of people in the same boat. I also passed into the second round of the Economics administrators selection process. What I am worried about is the specialist knowledge multiple choice test or the first part of the second round. If you don’t do good on this part, they won’t even look at your essay. So what type of “specialist knowledge” is this gonna be? I graduated two years ago, so I am kind of rusty on my theory. Are the questions going to be similar to what was in the first round or are they structured differently? Any help would be appreciated.

  33. @Rosa

    Yes, you are right that the discussion has abated a bit but this is maybe because the tests are approaching and everybody is preoccupied with cramming for the exams.

    As for my part, I am pretty pessimistic: competition is really tough (initially 30 persons for 1 place, now 5 for one) and I think that my chances are rather slim… Well, I did make some investments in books and study materials (and mostly in time!) but I have little hope about any return on these investments…

    I must go now and hit the books again. Time-management is not my strongest point although I have extensive experience from my students’ times. Do you know the joke about learning Chinese? Here it is.

    They asked a professor, a teacher and a student how much time it will take them to learn Chinese. The professor said: It is a very difficult lannguage, I don’t think that it can be mastered fully in a lifetime. The teacher said: It is not easy but in some 10-20 years maybe I can learn the basics. Then the student said: just give me the date of the exam and I will learn it by then.

    Dima

  34. @lawyers
    I have copies yet to be scanned of EPSO test for lawyer-linguists competition.
    I understand some of you have misinterpreted this for general competition lawyer MSQ.

    General – I miss the discussion in this corner. I do try to help all they “lonely cries”, and I would like to have some discussion afterwards/prior: how did one decides to go for a EU-job, what obstacles (own character 🙂 ) are to overcome, and maybe some practical tips.

    And – thank you, the more experienced who have helped me (or encouraged me) to come this far 🙂

    Me, I have met some stage 2 people who still CONSIDERED whether it is worth to buy special books. I was impressed. The competition comes down to some 3-4 persons for 1 place in reserve list, and there are actually nifties contemplating about some 20-40 euro costs!!!

    Well, there is another side to that – many books 🙂 Here am I, burried under a pile. But I have some time-management skills (proved by verbal & numerical test 🙂 ), I’ll manage!

  35. I don’t see the problem with the new types of EPSO test. Surely the EU want intelligent, motivated people who are flexible and resourceful? OK, so e.g. this AD5 competition is entitled “Administrators in the field of information, communication and the media”. But the final possible qualification requirement is a real catch-all: “three years’ relevant professional experience..in…or internal/external/corporate
    communication in public or private bodies”. Virtually anyone who publishes a blog can claim this. So they can simply enter the first non-specific round, hopefully succeed in this, doctor their CV a bit and then go for the written. These concours take so long that by the time the written part comes round you’ve had at least 6 months to acquire a good grounding in the specialist subject. I reckon this is a much better system than the one they had a couple of years ago where you had to do the multi-choice and written tests all on the one day.

  36. How do I access epso forum? U know any other forums for Epso?
    Thanks a lot,
    Ola

  37. Hej,
    I am taking the 2nd stafe test in Economics and would be very grateful for any old tests or any suggestions on what to study. I think this year there is a seperate test for statistics, our test in just called Economis, no Economics and Statistics, so I imagine we wont be asked on that?
    Let me know what you think? You can email me directly.
    Thanks a lot,
    Ola

  38. Maciej

    Hello:
    I am also one of those newcomers fumbling around and trying to find some samples for the EPA second round tests… I know that Sebastian and Olivia had some tests, if I am not mistaken. I’d appreciate all help. My email is mgolubie@gmail.com Thanks!

    Cheers,
    Maciej

  39. @ Rosa

    If you have any previous Q & A law tests, I would greatly appreciate a copy too! gio-@excite.com. In return, I could send you whatever I have if you’re interested! Thanks xoxo

  40. @Rosa

    Can you send the package also to me (megi5_bg@yahoo.com)? In return I can send you some (corrected) samples of essays on EPA, that is, of course, if you are interested.

    Thanks.

  41. @Ivonka
    Look for the package.

  42. Lakoivan

    To Sebastian
    Hi, I am a very late newcomer, trying to cram for the written part of the concours for Bulgarian Admins in Public Administration.
    I have not been able so far to get much on the specialised MCQ nor essay. I’d be very grateful if you can forward test AD 26/05 MCQ I that you mention in your 17/12/2007 mail. And any tips/advice for the essay that you may have. Hope that’s not asking too much. my email is lakova@skynet.be
    Many thanks in advance for your consideration.
    All the best.

  43. Norbert

    Is there a slightest chance that someone has anything on Micro-economics (Business Administration) ?
    Many many thanks

  44. Cecchini88

    David,

    you are mixing “points” with actual questions. The competition notice says that the VNR will count twice as much as the EU test, not that there will be just 20 or 10 questions. Be sure that you will get at least 40 of each test.

    As an example, in the AD/25/05 competition, the weight of each part was 60 for specialty, 20 for EU and 40 for VNR, but all the three tests comprised 40 questions.

    I agree with you that not making any test about the specialty is not the best way of finding the best candidates within the field of the competition. Probably the reason to this is that making a questions database large enough for each competition field is not feasible, so they limit the preselection to just EU and VNR, for which they already have large databases. Another possible reason to this is that the preselection phase is just used to limit the competition to the people who are motivated enough to spend long nights practicing EU and VNR tests. The specialized skills will be tested in a letter phase (written and oral).

    Having been through both written and computer based test, I largely prefer the written method, even if I am used to working with a computer all day long.

  45. @Iva

    Hi,
    I agree with you, in the end only the best will success the competition.
    We know that the system is bad.
    How is it possible to test the canditates with 10 questions about EU and 20 about VNR (more or less)?
    Just 1 year ago there were 120 questions, just 1 year ago you knew where you mistook, it was possible to recognize the errors and to correct them, in this way you won’t repeat the same errors.
    Ok, this is the new model and so we have not the possibility to change it, instead all together could change the system.
    This new CBT model is not an improvement of the old one, this is sure for the candidates.
    This discussion helps me to understand other points of view.

    Thanks!

  46. @ David

    Hi.

    I don’t see it as unfair at all. The first one doesn’t make it in the preliminary tests because (s)he doesn’t know enough about the EU, and the other – in the next round, because (s)he can’t prove his or her experience in the field or because is not as good as a specialist (you can not say that only unexperienced people who study hard the MCQs pass the preliminary 🙂 ). At the end only those who know their job and the EU job make it to the list.

    Anyway, even if the system were bad you can not change it from the outside (it’s a little bit like with the EU acquis – the Europe as you found it). And that applies to any system in the world. You can’t succesfully take a job interview telling them how you’d change their place because they such. I know I wouldn’t hire you 😉

    Bottom line is: let’s all find each other on the other side of the fence, then we can talk about that again if we feel like.

  47. @sebastian
    Sorry, I did not explain well my opinion.

    Absolutely, I don’t “blame” the canditates.
    We are in the same pot, all together.

    The open-competitions are so called, but they are inherent to a specific field:
    “Administrators in the field of information, communication and the media”, “Administrators in the field of Economics ” and so on.
    It means that they are not open to all the “works”.
    As I wrote and as it happen, I and I’m not the only one, I applied to several competitions without the specific experience in the field of the competition.

    With the specialized test I was kicked out immediately, instead with the new CBT model, I can pass the first phase of the preselection tests, raising the threshold and “stealing” the possible “place” of a candidate that covers the field of the competition, because I’m excellent in EU and VNR, but literally I do not know the field of the competition, and so I will kick out during the eligibility criteria.

    It’s not an over-qualified person, but a person that is not inherent to the specific field of the competition.
    A chemist should not apply to a competition regards economics (just an example), this is possible and so why do not try? I did it.

    [Quote]
    On the closing date for online registration (28 March 2007) the appointing authority will admit you to
    the admission tests if your online registration shows that you meet the following requirements
    [/Quote]

    It means only a degree for A.
    You can try to apply to EPSO/AD/94/07. You have to provide your degree and the date of it, nothing more.
    Why a friend of mine, he is a physicist, had applied to a secretary competition and he passed the preselection test, he has never worked as a secretary?

    Only 1 year ago there were 120 questions, now, more or less 30 without the specialized test.
    Now it depends more on the luck than on the knowledge. As we know several questions are impossible, shooting the answer.
    I’m regretful to write this thing, but this is the reality.
    I started to study in 2003, more or less every day.

    I’m an I.T. expert, I will do 59/60 because I’m excellent on EU+VNR on “your” Economics competition, I will raise the average and I will kick out at the second step, multiply me x n off-candidates.
    Epso is recruiting economist, not an excellent I.T. expert with an excellent EU+VNR.
    In my personal opinion the specialized test should be mandatory.

    Have a nice evening!

  48. sebastian

    @ David:

    The petition does not mention against which competition in particular it is lodged. I took for granted that the AD 5 Competition was being referred to. Therfore I mentioned “380”.

    Still, the competition’s notice in the OJ states:

    “On the closing date for online registration (28 March 2007) the appointing authority will admit you to
    the admission tests if your online registration shows that you meet the following requirements (…)”

    This means that if you are a chemist with no relevant p.e., you will not be admitted etc. (see my earlier post).

    And you can’t really blame people who seem to be over-quailfied to compete in AST-competitions these days, right? That’s why these competitions are called “open competitions”.

  49. @Sebastian
    Thanks for the precisations.

    I read each O.J. article and I found that for the AST level the number is 330, does not matter anyway..just a further precisation.

    You don’t have the right about the threshold.
    Everybody can do the preselection tests independently of their knowledge (chemist, physicist, journalist) and only later they will be disqualified, after they will provide the experience documentation (Eligibility criteria).
    When the competitions are strictly related to a specific field.

    This happen for the AST1 competition few months ago.
    I know 3 people that passed the preselection tests, but they absolutely are not secretaries.
    Instead a lot of excellent secretaries did not pass also if they scored 49/60-50/60, because the threshold was 50.333.
    The funny thing is that 2 of these people will not send the documentation about the Eligibility criteria, because they are out of this competition field.

    Is it correct?
    I think no.
    They incremented the threshold, because they have an excellent knowledge about EU and VNR.
    Instead, if it happened in the last competition recruitment model (Paper based – 3 tests of 40 questions) with the preselection test about the specialized field, I’m sure that who passed the preselection tests he/she is strictly related to the competition field.
    This is against the pillar of the competitions, in fact the purpose is to recruit people for the defined field.

    You can image:
    38/40 Eu test
    32/40 VNR
    10/40 Specialized test
    Kick out immediately without raise the threshold.

    I did an open competition about research, I did the result that you read few lines above, it’s not my field.
    Kick out immediately without increment the threshold (just to be precise it was 70, my score of 2 tests )
    In my personal opinion this is the correct way.

    What do you think about?
    This is the reason because I signed the petition.

  50. About the lawyer-linguist questions.

    Briefly: I still have no scanned version.

    @Sebastian
    Precise. Nice.

    MSQ on written.
    Well, one is supposed to read “avis de conscours”. It was clearly stated there that the written for EPSO/AD/53-62/06 is actually two stages : specialist MSQ , {some dropout}, and the written part as we understand it ( language 2, language 1).

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