The Digital Skills test is new to EPSO competitions and catches many candidates off guard. With 40 questions in 30 minutes (45 seconds each), it's fast-paced and broad. Here's exactly what's tested, based on the European Digital Competence Framework (DigComp 2.2).
Test Format
- 40 multiple-choice questions in 30 minutes
- Pass mark: 20/40 (50%)
- Taken in your Language 2
- Weight: 25-30% of your total score
Area 1: Information & Data Literacy
How to find, evaluate, and manage digital information.
- Filter bubbles & algorithmic personalisation — how search engines and social media curate what you see
- Deepfakes & synthetic media — how to identify AI-generated content
- Misinformation vs disinformation — misinformation is false but unintentional; disinformation is deliberately misleading
- Source credibility — evaluating reliability of online sources
- Data visualisation integrity — recognising manipulated charts and graphs
Area 2: Communication & Collaboration
Using digital tools to communicate and work together.
- Choosing the right channel — when to use email vs chat vs video call
- Netiquette — professional conduct in digital communication
- Digital identity — managing your professional online presence
- Synchronous vs asynchronous — real-time (video call) vs time-shifted (email) communication
Area 3: Digital Content Creation
Creating and managing digital content responsibly.
- File formats — differences between .doc, .odt, .pdf, .rtf and when to use each
- Copyright & licensing — "free to view" is NOT the same as "free to reuse"
- Creative Commons — know the main licence types: CC BY (attribution), CC BY-ND (no derivatives), CC BY-SA (share-alike), CC0 (public domain)
- Spreadsheet fundamentals — conceptual understanding of formulas and data logic
- Metadata — what it is and why it matters for content management
Area 4: Safety
Protecting devices, data, and privacy. This is often the highest-scoring area for prepared candidates.
- HTTPS & TLS — how encrypted connections work; the padlock icon
- Phishing — identifying suspicious emails, links, and social engineering tactics
- Two-factor authentication (2FA) — something you know + something you have
- Metadata exposure — how files can leak personal information (location, device, author)
- Password security — length over complexity; password managers; never reuse passwords
- GDPR awareness — basic data protection rights in a digital context
- Malware types — virus, trojan, ransomware, spyware
Area 5: Problem Solving
Technical troubleshooting and understanding digital infrastructure.
- DNS, HTTP, TLS — what happens when you type a URL (DNS resolves the name, HTTP/HTTPS transfers data, TLS encrypts)
- Cloud storage vs SaaS — storing files online vs using software online
- Network types — 2G/3G/4G/5G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth — know the differences
- Troubleshooting methodology — systematic approaches to diagnosing technical issues
Study Tips
- Many questions are practical common sense — if you work with computers daily, you know more than you think
- The tricky areas are Creative Commons licences, network protocols, and specific DigComp terminology
- Read the official DigComp 2.2 framework document — it's the source material
- At 45 seconds per question, don't overthink — your first instinct is usually right