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. Korvin

    Hi everybody,

    I’m going to do the test EPSO/AST/38/07 (correcteurs d’épreuves typographiques). I have seen that the preselection test will be of 3 parts. Could someone give me some tips or sample about this test (série de questions à choix multiple en fr visant à évaluer les connaissances spécifiques des candidats en rapport avec la nature des fonctions). ? I need your help.

    And also, does someone have some samples about the writting test in this field.

    I will be thanksfull to anyone who could help me and send me some samples about this tests.

    Thanks

    Korvin

  2. Hi everybody!

    Do you have a clue as to the minimum number of points necessary in AD/46-47/06 (Law) in order to be admitted to the oral test? Are you aware of any EPSO statement on this?

    Thanks for sharing!

  3. Thanks to ‘viking’ there are now some files available for download for you – see the link in the original article.

  4. sebastian

    Okay, hopeful candidates. I am getting so many requests, I can’t really handle them anylonger. The list is not really famous nor is it anything secret:
    Take a copy of the EU/EC-Treaty and any comprehensive textbook on EU/EC-Law (e.g. Craig/DeBurca) and revise all the topics and all policies along with the relevant case-law. IThat is by the way what I did as well. In our competition the whole range of possible EU/EC-Law topics was covered, ranging from anti-dumping, institutional issues to procedural questions and so on.
    What you need to do is to study, not to rely on otehr people, it’s a competition.

    Good luck!

  5. Folks – if any of you want to make files available for download here, please let me know. I’ll happily put things here if there’s a need for that. Use the ‘Contact’ button in the menu at the top to get in touch.

  6. Jean-Phi

    Dear Sebastian,

    I would also be interested in your famous topics. Could you kindly send them at this address : kaffan@mail.be

    It’s so kind of you! Thanks

    Jean-Phi

  7. Harald

    @ Estelle (happy reserve listed AD/25/05):

    nothing new for me (reseve listed cast 25) either …
    I sent my cv to DG SANCO but did not even get an answer…
    nearly all vacant positions I heard of are restricted to Commission staff…

  8. Breach

    Lots of things don’t make sense… 🙂 Well, I’m from Bulgaria, and I’ve got an appointment in mid-October, so that’s +1 for the theory… Anyway, does it really matter?

  9. To Reader: No, I think you are wrong. It does not make any sense to consider postal adresses…

  10. Hi to all of u who´ve reached the orals for AD/46/06 and congratulations. I was wondering too what are the rules determining candidates´ order for the exams and after having considered linguistic issues, marks, alphabetical order, etc. I think I found the solution: it must be the address in your EPSO profile. All my friends from Brussels will have the oral before the summer holidays, I´m in between and my exam will be in September, and those from BG are scheduled for October. Do u think I might be right?

  11. hello to everyone. I’ve noticed that there are people here who already passed the interview, e.g. Sebastian. Would it be possible to send me some questions raised during the examination (Admin. Law), and also some advices as to the general apporach etc?

    my email is kostinesku@yahoo.com

    thnx in advance

  12. Estelle

    Hi folks,

    what about the happy reserve-listed of the AD/25/05? Anything new? For me nothing… I am thinking of sending CVs but don’t know very well where to start from.

    Is there any possibility to know where there are vacant positions?

    Thanks a lot,
    Estelle

  13. And to Sebastian: 1) I hope you enjoy your holidays! 2) Could you please send me also the info on the oral exam for lawyers, once you r back online? I would highly appreciate it. My e-mail is anna81st@yahoo.com

  14. Does anyone have by chance the subjects for the essay in the EPSO/AD/46-47/06 competition? I understand there were mainly questions on procedural law, but what exactly? Thanks a lot!

  15. Christos Bezirtzoglou

    @george_brean

    Note that EPSO tries to group languages as well as translator needs.

    Thus each competition is unique and there is no formula for calculating the interview order.

    @Cesca

    Buy some of the books in the market pS(mine including). Test the europa website, check the EPSO site for info, including sample tests

  16. Here is my email: justana @ web.de . Thanks

  17. Dear Sebastian

    Could you please forward me your precious know-how for the law oral exam, too?

    Thanky! Barroso bless you for your rediness to help!

  18. george_brean

    Dear Sebastian,

    Where you are back from your holiday, could you also send me those topics?
    george03ro@yahoo.com

    Tanks!

  19. george_brean

    Does anyone know for sure the criteria for the order in which we are invited for the interview?

    Thank you!

  20. george_brean

    I have got to the interview phase in the competition organised for Admin. – Law. Can anyone who already had such an interview give me some tips and information on the subject?

    Thank you!

  21. Hi everybody.
    I’ve just found this blog by case…I was looking for important information for me and maybe someone amongst you can help me…Where is possible to find sample tests for EU recruitment examinations (for translator)? Any suggestions? I would like to try one day but I don’t how really difficult could be…

  22. suzana

    does anyone know what was the positive passing mark on written test b/ -the essay for AD 46/06 and 47/06?
    thanks

  23. Dizzy, you are right: it’s not 5 but still 4 calendar months. Well, there might be vacations inbetween, but in terms of the time running it does not make it shorter. I understand the reasons why it is that way but this is not to say I find it justified.

    To your question: I meant managing to keep on track while waiting for what is considered very very long time outside EPSO;) But that is my personal opinion, of course. In thie end, we’ll stick to the rules.

    Best,

    M

  24. @ Medo
    No, its not 5 months:-)
    tests for EPA start on 19 June and end mid October- within this period you have AT LEAST 1 month summer vacations- so thats no more than 2.5-3 months-as i said-for epa, economists, auditors, -bg and romanians.
    p.s What do you mean by “managing to keep close even from such a time distance”?

  25. Hi Dizzy,

    that’s certainly right – the more time available, the better the preparation could be. However, in the end it seems that EPSO takes a huge amount of time to do that – these are well, 5 months after all.

    I am again reminded as to the importance of being patient and somehow managing to keep close even from such a time distance.

    Good luck to you all attending,

    M

  26. @ Breach and Medo
    Im also in for the epa oral 46/06, but in September. Im not too worried that our interviews are later..There are many people to be examined in early summer-auditors, economists,and part of epa..and thats both BG and ROM- a lot of people! so i reckon the majority of epa will be after the summer vacations, not before;-)

    Start of the oral tests:
    Field 4: 05/06/2007
    Field 1: 19 June 2007
    Field 2: 18 June 2007
    Field 3: probably as of end June 2007

    End of the oral tests:
    Field 4 : 22/06/2007
    Field 1: mid-October 2007
    Field 2: 19 July 2007

    And even if we’re at the bottom of the results list, we have chance to compensate with higher mark on the oral,coz we;ve got more time for preparation;:-p

  27. Hi Sebastian,

    Thank you in advance. My email address is petra.parvanova@hotmail.de

  28. sebastian

    To all candidates invited to the law exam:

    I am on holidays, I’ll send you the goods when I return at the end of the week. Please remain patient 😉

  29. Breach

    @Medo:

    EPA here as well… Weird, so far I’m the only one scheduled for October… I sure hope that doesn’t belong into Merit Group 8 🙂

    According to the competition’s ‘Latest News’, seems, that only for Audit there’s a definite end date for the Oral exam.

    Good luck.

  30. Hi everybody and hi Jon,

    I am in the oral exam for AD/46/06 in mid-July.
    From what I see here it seems that the oral exam for AD/46 is split in July and October. May it be that the different fields are examined in different order?

    @Breach: what is your field? Mine is EPA.

    Good luck to everyone attending

    M

  31. viking

    To Breach:
    I wouldn’t be worried. You are probably one of the last to be examined (if not the last one) which gives you this simple advantage that you will not have to wait that long for the final results. This makes your position better not worse.

    and to Jon:
    Wouldn’t you take me off your mailing list? I have to stop reading this forum on regular basis. I suppose I am getting addicted 😉

  32. Breach

    I’ve also qualified for the EPSO/AD46/06 oral exam — however I’ve been invited to attend in mid-October (!)… Most of the people I hear have qualified will attend in June/July — should I be worried (that is, am I at the end of the list? 🙂 or are we looking forward a long summer vacation / this thing going over into 2008? Thanks.

  33. Sorry… I forgot to write down my email address: ana761@gmail.com

    Ana

  34. @ Sebastian

    Dear Sebastian,

    I have the same request as Petra. Would you be so kind to send this list of topics to me, too?

    Thank you in advance for you help! Hope that soon I’ll be in the position of sharing my experience (hopefully a good one) with another candidates.

    Cheers,

    Ana

  35. Hi Sebastian,

    I am invited to oral exam in June too (EPSO/AD/46/06). Would you please send also to me the list of topics that were covered in previous oral exams? Many thanks in advance.

    Petra

  36. Christos Bezirtzoglou

    @ sebastian

    Thank you for your nice words as well as for the language tip. I will include it in the next edition. Indeed language skills are rather important for Eurocrats and the knowledge of more than the two required languges, will always give you some “gray points”.

    I saw also your tips and comments for dima. If you do not mind, I will try to include these too.

    One new feature that I am working on is a possible inclusion of some specific questions according to competition type (i.e. law, economics, informatics, secretariat, etc). If you are willing to share further and to be quoted, if wished, in my book, please communicate with me in my private email c.bezirtzoglou@vip.gr.

    @dima

    Try to answer some of the difficult questions, like

    Present your CV in 10 minutes
    Tell us your weaknesses
    Why you want to work for the EU

  37. Many, many thanks Sebastian for your knowledge-sharing!

    My mail is megi5_bg@yahoo.com

    And 10xthanks to Jon too for the great blog.

  38. curiosity

    @Dima
    What is the reference of your concours ?
    I’m asking that because I don’t know of any competition in law where orals are being held for the time being.

    I would be interested to know because I know of some friends waiting for results of their written exams…
    Is that a new Member states’ competition ?
    thxs 🙂

  39. sebastian

    Give your email, and I send you the topics which I know that were covered in a number of the oral exams.

    Just as a hint for now:
    It was split in two parts:
    a) Institutional and procedural questions; here it seems useful to basically memorize the EU/EC-Treaty (e.g. co-decision, action for annulment etc.)
    b) questions on e.g. Art. 141 EC (->ECJ, Defrenne), merger control etc. I
    do have quite an extensive list, but basically while preparing the different subjects of EC law, try to read the “leading cases”

  40. Thanks, Sebastian!My field is law, so your tips are particularly useful to me.
    Did the questions relate to some topical questions (recently adopted regulations, amendments, etc.) or were more general EU law questions?
    What about the case-law- you were expected to cite recent relevant cases on the subject or to interpret them? Can you give some examples (of course I am far from thinking that the same questions might be asked again but it will give me a good hint.)

    Sorry for asking this much but I would rally appreciate your help.

  41. sebastian

    @ Dima:
    Questions were for the almost exclusively very specific on a wide range of legal issues with follow-up questions on the case law of the ECJ. Only at end was one “multicultural question” on conflicts at work.
    So rather knowledge-based.
    But EPA exams in the last round were a bit different, so I heard.

    Really depends on your field.

  42. viking

    Hi Dima
    What’s your field?
    V.

  43. Congratulations, Sebastian!It has really been a long and tough struggle but you have made it!
    Can you share some other tips for the interview?
    What kind of questions were you asked?Were there very specific questions?
    My oral exam is less than a month and I do not know on what to focus…

  44. sebastian

    @ Christos:
    Christo, I read your book while preparing for AD/26/05 – Law and found it really helpful. And the price is fair, especially if you compare it with other prep. books for the MCQ’s etc.
    Just to point out for a new edition: In “my” concours, the 2nd language (in my case English) was extremely important; the 5 minute self-presentation had to be given in the second language and for another 5 minutes, one out of possible two topics (actually the two topics one had not chosen in the written exam) had to be presented. I knew this thanks to networking in advance, so I was prepared but I know that quite a few candidates were caught off guard. Might be a trend for the future that the 2nd language plays a bigger role in the oral exams. So future candidates should be aware of this new development.

  45. Christos Bezirtzoglou

    Dear dizzy, Dear Jon

    As I quote in my book, people are also motivated by other things than money (see Marlow’s pyramid of needs).

    It is also my believe that the “strong one,s” can affort to share information. That’s why the totalitarian regimes try to impose a total ban of information sharing, and why real democracies are not afraid by the ideas exchange.

    I can only recommend to candidates to network and exchange information, because this will make them stronger and wiser.

    Woow, a late morning article from an author turned to a philosopher. I can only say that coffee really stimulates you 🙂

    Cheers, Christos

    P.S. I cannot promise a banner, but your blog will be mentioned in the next edition of my book.

  46. wow, Jon
    people even strarted to use ur website for marketing purposes! ur getting really famous now;-) as they say- u really managed to get success out of failure…

  47. Maybe I should start selling advertising space?

    Christos – how much for a banner… 😉

  48. Christos Bezirtzoglou

    Dear aleksandra

    6 May 2007
    just started to prepare for my oral and practical test for AST – Secretarias……do u maybe have some tips for me ? Thanx a lot

    As the author of the one and only book on “Succeeeding in the EU Oral Examinations”, I could inly recommend the best book in the market. It is available from the European Book shop at http://www.libeurop.be/livre.php?numero=71 and/or in all the bookshops around the Schuman area in Brussels.

    Best luck with your studies.

  49. quasar

    @Marjo

    You could register your CV here:
    http://ec.europa.eu/civil_service/job/cvonline/index_en.htm

    There is a dedicated field where you can list that you passed CAST25.

  50. Marjo Mäenpää

    Hi Georgia

    May I ask you did you contact ECHA or did they just contact you? I have also passed the CAST25 for political advisers but haven’t got any news yet. I suppose I should be more active and contact the Commission, agencies and so on. Any good advise?

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