The cognitive assessment in the Commission's internal competitions is reported to be interactive: you build each answer by dragging, adjusting and clicking. Much of the reasoning practice on the market is multiple choice. On 3 September 2026 EU Training, a long-established prep provider for EU competitions, published a correction saying its SHL-style practice questions did not reflect that format, and withdrew them from sale. This guide sets out what it said, how the practice options compare as of 9 October 2026, and how to judge any of them yourself.
What EU Training said on 3 September 2026
The notice is short and candid. It says the company's practice set does not accurately reflect the interactive test used in Commission internal competitions, and should not be treated as a realistic simulation of it. One sentence from it sums up the problem:
We were wrong in our understanding of the questions' type, style and interactivity.
The notice goes on to say three things:
- The SHL-style cognitive practice questions are no longer on sale.
- People who had already bought them can keep using them to practise the underlying reasoning.
- New interactive questions are in development, with a launch hoped for before the end of September 2026, and earlier buyers will get them at no cost.
We read the notice again on 9 October 2026 and searched EU Training's site and news for a launch announcement. We found none. Its recorded webinar on the assessment is still listed: a video with worked examples, and no practice test. This can change at any time, so check its site for the current position.
Why the format matters more than the questions
The reported specification is 24 questions in 36 minutes on one timer, covering numerical, inductive and deductive reasoning, with the difficulty adapting as you go. Candidates who sat on 11 June and 21 September 2026, and a Commission staff union's briefing slides, describe the items the same way: lines to drag to a value, bars and pie slices to adjust, people to place in rooms, days to pick on a calendar, shapes to colour. A multiple-choice question about the same chart asks for a different skill. With options in front of you, you can estimate and eliminate. With a widget in front of you, you have to produce the exact answer, and the ninety seconds include working the widget.
That is why practice in the wrong format can leave a well-prepared candidate short of time on the day. The SHL G+ guide covers what is reported about the test, and the question types guide goes through each item.
The practice options, compared
As of 9 October 2026. Every statement about another provider comes from its own published pages.
| Option | What you get | Interactive | Attempts | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SHL's own practice | A practice test sent with the invitation, and practice items offered on the day before the real test starts | Yes | Short, and tied to your sitting | Candidates report that only the practice on the day hides some information behind clicks, as the real test does. See what candidates report. |
| An official SHL mock, sold with a staff union's training offer | One full Verify Interactive G+ exam on SHL's platform, with a report afterwards | Yes | One, with no retakes or breaks | The offer page says registration closed on 24 September 2026. |
| EU Training | SHL-style practice questions, now withdrawn, and a recorded webinar with worked examples | The withdrawn set did not reflect the interactive format, by its own account | Not on sale | Replacement interactive questions were announced on 3 September 2026. We found none on sale on 9 October 2026. |
| Concours Coach SHL, this site | Five full tests of 24 interactive questions on a 36-minute clock, with a worked answer for every question | Yes, every question | The first test is free, once. Premium allows unlimited retakes. | Fixed difficulty, where the real test adapts. All information is shown at once, where the real test hides some behind clicks. |
How to judge any practice test in ten minutes
- Do you build the answer? Dragging, adjusting, placing and colouring should be how every question is answered. A list of options to pick from is a different test.
- Is it 24 questions on one 36-minute timer, forward only? Pace is the hardest part, according to candidates who sat in September 2026, and it can only be trained at full length.
- Does it cover all three sections with the reported item types? Charts and tables for numerical; schedules, calendars and room allocation for deductive; shapes and sequences for inductive.
- Can you sit it again? The mechanics are learned on the second and third attempts.
- Does it say where it differs from the real thing? No practice is identical. A provider that knows the real format can list its own gaps. Ours are in the table above.
The first full test here is free, timed and interactive, and needs no card. Sit it with that list beside you and decide for yourself.
Sources: EU Training's correction notice of 3 September 2026 and its page for the recorded webinar on the cognitive assessment, both read 9 October 2026; the SHL mock offer circulated through a Commission staff union, read 9 October 2026; candidate reports from the 11 June and 21 September 2026 sittings; a Commission staff union's briefing slides for the AD5 and AST3 competitions. We compete with EU Training, so treat this as a comparison written by one side: each statement about another provider is dated and traceable to its own pages. If anything here is out of date, tell us at support@concourscoachshl.com and we will correct it.
Free timed test
See the interactive format for yourself
One full test, free. People who sat the real assessment tell us this is the closest practice they have found: every question is drag, adjust or click, on a 36-minute clock.
Frequently asked questions
Did EU Training withdraw its SHL practice questions?
Yes. In a notice dated 3 September 2026 it said its SHL-style cognitive assessment practice questions did not accurately reflect the interactive test used in Commission internal competitions, and that they were no longer on sale. Earlier buyers keep access, and it said new interactive questions were in development.
Has EU Training released its new interactive practice questions?
We found no announcement on its site or news when we checked on 9 October 2026. Its notice hoped for a launch before the end of September 2026. Check its website for the current position.
Is the Commission's cognitive assessment multiple choice?
Candidates who sat in June and September 2026 and a Commission staff union's briefing slides both describe interactive items, where you drag, adjust, place and colour to build the answer. The reported format is 24 questions in 36 minutes. The Commission has not published the notice, so this rests on those reports.
Is the practice on this site identical to the real assessment?
No practice is. Ours matches the reported length, timing, three sections and interactive item types. It differs in two ways we know of: the difficulty is fixed where the real test adapts, and all the information is on screen where candidates report the real test hides some behind clicks.
Ready to try it? Take the free timed test