APPLICATIONS OPEN (again) | Nuclear AD7 | EPSO Exams

PLEASE NOTE: This original article has been updated to reflect the changes EPSO made to the Notice of Competition and the reopened application period.

Originally opened on 19 October 2023, the European Personnel Selection Office (EPSO) has officially reopened applications for this Nuclear Energy competition.

The new application period is from 22 March to 23 April 2024.

This means anyone who missed the deadline last time has another chance to apply by the new deadline. Candidates who submitted applications by the previous deadlines will have their applications reopened by EPSO.

This competition aims to select administrators, grade AD7, in two fields of nuclear energy to be put on a reserve list so they can be recruited by EU institutions and agencies mainly to Luxembourg, but possibly also Germany, Italy, The Netherlands, Belgium, or Spain (sites for the Joint Research Centre).

To help candidates navigate the original Notice of Competition, Andras Korizs, one of EU Training's senior coaches, presented a free webcast in October 2023. You can view the recording for free here: Nuclear Inspectors & Policy Officers AD7 | Info Webcast. Much of what is presented is still relevant. The big changes are covered below in this article, further down.

The two main profiles being sought in the EPSO/AD/411/23 competition are as follows:

1. Nuclear safeguards inspectors
2. Policy officers in the area of nuclear energy

We will take a deep dive into all the specifics of this competition below, but first a few helpful resources for you, the EPSO candidate:

Become part of your EPSO community

Get to know fellow candidates, share tips, and find out about the latest EU rumours by joining the Nuclear Inspectors EPSO Exams Facebook group.

Getting ready for this EPSO competition?

• Practice test questions and packages for:
  1. Nuclear safeguards inspectors
  2. Policy officers in the area of nuclear energy​​​
• Browse available online training sessions here (for EPSO Computer-Based Tests)
• EPSO Case Study Insights webinar (relevant for the Written Test)

Moving on to taking an in-depth look at the EPSO Notice of Competition:

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COMPETITION SNAPSHOT

• EPSO competition ID: EPSO/AD/411/23
• Originally opened for applications: 19 October 2023
• Reopened for applications: 22 March 2024
• Application Deadline: 21 November 2023 
• New application deadline: 23 April 2024 at noon, Brussels time
• Grade: AD7
• This competition covers two profiles - you may apply for only one - and you cannot change profiles after you have validated your application
• Posts will be based in mainly in Luxembourg, but also possibly Geel (Belgium), Petten (The Netherlands), Karlsruhe (Germany), Ispra (Italy), Brussels (Belgium), Seville (Spain)

Under this competition, the following TWO reserve lists have been advertised, from which the various European Institutions may recruit new members:

Please read the Notice of Competition's Point 2 for "what duties can I expect to perform", this section details the main roles covered by each field. Annex II goes into even more detail about the duties. 

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ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

General criteria:

• Have EU citizenship
• Fulfilled any military service requirements
• Meet the character requirements for the duties concerned

Language Requirements UPDATED

Candidates for both profiles must know at least two official EU languages:

• Language 1: Minimum C1 level of one of the 24 official EU languages (regardless of your citizenship).
• Language 2: Any of the remaining 23 official languages of the EU at a minimum level of B2. 

Language 1 and Language 2 must be different!

Qualifications & Work Experience

• See the section starting from "3.3. Specific conditions — qualifications and work experience" for the specific requirements according to the specific profile which you choose. 

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SELECTION PROCESS

Competition Phases

1. APPLICATION

Candidates applying to this competition must submit their application online through the EPSO website by 23 April 2024 at noon / Brussels time (CEST). The application can be submitted in any official EU language.

Candidates who had already submitted their applications for the original deadline, or the extended deadline, referred to as 'existing candidates' in the NoC, will have their applications reopened.

Existing candidates are required to review and validate their applications AGAIN. If you don't re-validate your application by the new deadline you will not be able to participate in the competition.

Existing candidates can change their language choices and make any other changes they would like.

The next step is to upload supporting documents through EPSO accounts. These are scanned copies of documents that support the declarations made in their applications. This has to be done by 18 June 2024 at noon / Brussels time (CEST).

Those candidates who already uploaded documents do not have to do it again, they can, however, upload more if they wish.

2. TESTS

All EPSO candidates who submitted and validated their applications by the due date will be invited to sit a series of tests:

a) REASONING TESTS - Language 1

These are multiple-choice tests that assess your logical reasoning skills. Candidates who do not reach both the VR pass mark and the combined NR and AR pass mark will not have the results of their field-related MCQ processed.

b) FIELD-RELATED MCQ Test - Language 2

IMPORTANT: Only those candidates who reach the pass marks on the CBT will have the results of their MCQ test processed. 

The EPSO field-related MCQ will be specific to the field chosen by candidates, must be taken in your Language 2 and will be organised as follows:

Candidates need to reach the pass mark, as well as be among those who score the highest overall. Candidates who reach the pass mark will be ranked in descending order of the scores obtained. The ranking will be used to determine whether or not candidates will have their Written Test scored and to establish the reserve lists.

c) WRITTEN TEST - Language 2

The EPSO Written Test is used to assess written communication skills. It is not a language test. The scoring is 0/10 and the pass mark is 5/10. 

Candidates will have 45 minutes to write a response based on documentation related to the field of nuclear energy. The response will be assessed based on specific anchors which will be published on EPSO’s website.

3. ELIGIBILITY CHECK

The written test scoring and eligibility check are done in tandem. The Selection Board will determine a candidate's eligibility by comparing the declarations made by the candidate in the application with the supporting documents uploaded by the candidate to their EPSO account. 

4. RESERVE LIST

Candidates are only eligible for the reserve list if they:

• reached the relevant pass mark on all the tests
• have one of the highest scores on the field-related MCQ
• were found eligible

After checking candidates’ supporting documents and scores, the EPSO Selection Board will draw up the Reserve Lists of eligible candidates for each profile. Once the number of places on the reserve list for each profile has been reached, the eligibility of the remaining candidates will not be checked.

Candidates who made it onto the reserve list will be notified directly by EPSO. The reserve lists will then be made available to the relevant recruiting services.

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HOW CAN YOU APPLY?

ALWAYS read (and re-read) the official EPSO Notice of Competition to ensure you meet the requirements and satisfy the eligibility criteria before submitting your application.

You will find the NoC on the specific EPSO profile pages, accessible here, on the Open for Applications page. 

For further information on the EPSO selection procedure read the General Rules Governing Open Competitions.

To start the application process, click on your chosen profile (you need an active EPSO account to apply). 

1. Nuclear safeguards inspectors
2. Policy officers in the area of nuclear energy

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New to EPSO competitions? 

• New to EU exams - everything you need to know about the EPSO selection process
• EPSO prep tips and tricks articles - to make sure you are best prepared for the EPSO exams

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GOOD LUCK ON YOUR EPSO EXAMS!

The EU Training Customer Service Team is here to help - contact us for free advice on EPSO competitions and how to prepare.