Nearly 10,000 aspiring translators vying for positions within EU institutions will be required to retake a recruitment test after a technical issue rendered their initial results invalid.
The candidates, who took part in an online exam in March as part of a selection process for translator roles, were notified last week that a configuration error had compromised the integrity of the test. As a result, the exam will be repeated in May.
The issue originated from an external contractor responsible for the test platform. Due to a misconfiguration, questions that were designed to have only one correct answer allowed candidates to select multiple options. Although the instructions specified that only a single response should be chosen, many participants submitted more than one.
The test was administered by the European Personnel Selection Office (EPSO), which manages recruitment for careers within EU institutions. Rather than disqualifying affected candidates, EPSO has opted to repeat the exam for all participants.
“EPSO is well aware of the inconvenience caused by this unfortunate situation and offers its apologies on behalf of the external contractor,” stated a letter sent to candidates.
A total of 9,663 individuals across eight language groups were involved in the competition.
This incident adds to growing concerns over EPSO’s testing procedures. Separately, candidates for a recent internal promotion exam criticized the process, citing unclear and illogical questions.
The Office has also faced challenges in the past. In 2023, several exams were postponed amid legal concerns tied to their exclusive use of the English language.
