EPSO TAO Platform: How the Online Test Works, Tools and Rules

EPSO no longer uses test centres for its computer-based tests. AD5, AST, CAST and specialist candidates sit their tests at home, on the TAO testing platform, watched by the Proctorio extension. Knowing the platform before the day saves minutes and, more importantly, avoids the mistakes that get candidates disqualified. Everything below comes from EPSO's own instructions for online testing (March 2026); your invitation letter always takes precedence.

TAO and Proctorio in one paragraph

TAO is where the questions, the timer and the tools live. Proctorio is a browser extension (Chrome or Edge) that runs the checks before the test (browser, ID, room) and records audio, video and screen activity during it. You open TAO from your invitation in the Single Candidate Portal: click the TAO Portal link, then EU Login. The My Sessions tab lists your sessions; they stay greyed out until their scheduled start time, and that is where you see the exact date and time of your test.

Step 1: the mandatory prerequisite check

• It is mandatory, and must be done before the deadline in your invitation.
• It does not affect your result. It checks that your computer works with the software and lets you explore the tools.
• You get one prerequisite check per competition. It cannot be repeated.
• Take it on the same computer, peripherals and settings you will use on test day, ideally in the same room.
• Finish by clicking Submit and proceed; the session then appears under Finished sessions.
• Tool settings you choose here are not saved for the real test.

Technical setup

On test day

1. Log in on time and click Start.
2. ID check: hold a valid official photo ID (passport or ID card) inside the green frame.
3. Room and desk scan: move the camera slowly around the room, the desk, under the desk, around your chair and behind the screen.
4. Accept the exam agreement. The instructions timer starts, then the test timer, visible at the top for the whole section.

Allowed on the desk: laptop with charger, mouse and keyboard, mousepad, your ID, tissues, a drink without a label. Keep the charger plugged in from the start: some laptops show a pop-up when it connects, and the system may treat it as a violation.

The tools on the TAO screen

You can move freely between questions within the same test part. When you submit a part with unanswered questions, TAO warns you and offers to keep answering while time remains.

Rules that lead to disqualification

EPSO lists these as risks of disqualification without a retest:

• not completing the prerequisite check, or a wrong peripheral setup;
• missing a valid ID, or not following the environment and desk check;
• moving out of camera view, covering your face, talking or reading aloud;
• another person in the room;
• phones, smartwatches, a second computer or screen, a docking station, headphones or earbuds, paper, pens, books or notes;
• opening another browser tab, or clicking the X in the browser bar or a pop-up notification, which exits full screen and ends the session.

Your phone stays muted and out of reach; you may pick it up only to call TAO support about a technical problem.

If something goes wrong

Restart the computer. If the problem persists, call TAO support (number in your instructions, Monday to Friday, 09:00 to 18:00 CET, English and French) and stay on the line. Then inform EPSO in writing through the Single Candidate Portal, with a description and proof of your contact with support, before the deadline in the notice. If you have several tests, a problem in one does not excuse you from connecting to the others. If the case is justified, EPSO may offer a new slot.

How to practise for the TAO format

The reasoning tests are speed tests, so what you rehearse matters as much as what you know: the on-screen calculator instead of a pocket one, a typed scratchpad instead of paper, highlighting instead of underlining. Practise every section at the official pace with those tools: verbal 20 questions in 35 minutes, numerical 10 in 20, abstract 10 in 10. The EPSO practice tests follow these formats and include the calculator, notepad, highlighter, answer elimination and flags; start with the free EPSO test to see where you stand, and read how to prepare for an EPSO competition for the full plan.