EPSO TAO prerequisite check: blurry ID, room scan and a closed session

The prerequisite check for the AD5 competition is open from 20 October to 6 November 2026, and candidates keep running into the same snags: an ID card the webcam cannot read, the room scan, a session that closes halfway. This guide gathers what EPSO’s instructions and Proctorio’s help pages say, and what some candidates have reported, always marked as such. The check step by step is in our guide to the invitation and the prerequisite check; this one is for when something does not work first time.

How long it takes, and when to do it

Candidates who have done it report that it took about 20 minutes, plus about 5 for filming the room and the ID. EPSO’s instructions put the room scan at 20 to 60 seconds: the option to finish appears after about 20 seconds, and you may carry on a little longer, up to 60.

The window closes on Friday 6 November 2026, and the instructions ask you to do it as early as you can. It can be done once per competition, unless your invitation letter says otherwise. A practical tip: do it on a weekday between 9:00 and 18:00 Brussels time, when the platform’s helpdesk is open. If something breaks on a Saturday evening, nobody can help until Monday.

The same place, the same network, the same computer

EPSO’s instructions ask you to run the check on the computer, devices and settings you will use for the test, ideally where you will sit it, and to test the connection from the exact place, network and device of test day. They recommend a cable or a strong Wi-Fi connection that nobody else is loading with downloads or video. Candidates who have done it give the same advice: the same room and the same Wi-Fi as on the day. If you plan to sit the test somewhere else, run the check there too.

If your ID card comes out blurry

This is the most common complaint: the webcam cannot get a sharp image of the card. EPSO’s instructions say to hold the document up until the green frame surrounds it, to keep it still and centred, and, if automatic capture fails, to use the manual option, which walks you through taking the photo yourself. If the picture or the text is blurry, retake it. Proctorio’s help adds that you should check your name is legible before you go on. This step matters: failing the ID check can invalidate your results on test day.

Our own tips for an ordinary webcam, from what tends to work:

• Light from the front or the side, never behind the card. A window behind you or a lamp behind the screen leaves the card in shadow.
• No glare. The plastic reflects the ceiling light and the screen itself. Tilt the card slightly until the white glare leaves the photo and the name, and turn the screen brightness down if needed.
• Not too close. Many webcams cannot focus up close: move the card back until the text is sharp in the preview, even if it fills less of the frame.
• Perfectly still. Hold it by the edges with both hands and rest your elbows on the desk. Give the camera a couple of seconds to focus.
• A plain background behind the card, such as a wall or a dark top, and a clean lens.
• If it still fails, use manual capture and retake until your name can be read. The instructions also accept a passport: if your ID card will not cooperate, try that.

The document must show your name and your photo on the same side. If yours does not, EPSO asks for a single PDF of both sides, sent through the Single Candidate Portal by 23:59 Brussels time on the day after your test.

Filming the room without pulling a cable

EPSO’s instructions ask for a video of your space: first a slow 360-degree turn showing walls, doors and windows, then the desk, the space under it, around the chair and behind the screen. You may use the laptop’s camera or an external one, moving it slowly, in good light.

Candidates report what happened to one of them: moving the camera to show the desk, a cable came loose, a warning with a countdown appeared about possible suspicious behaviour, and the session closed. When they told the story, the helpdesk had not yet replied. To avoid it:

• With a laptop alone, turn the whole laptop slowly, with both hands and the lid open. Before you start, check the charger cable has enough slack to reach under the desk and behind the screen. The instructions ask for the charger to be plugged in before you start, because plugging it in once the test is running can end it: by the same logic, do not unplug it during the scan.
• With an external webcam, its USB cable is the weak point. Rehearse the route before you press Start: how far the cable reaches, where it goes under the desk, whether it tugs at the plug. If it is too short, move the computer to the edge of the desk or use a USB extension. The instructions add that with an external camera you should disable the built-in one so the system picks the right device, and avoid virtual cameras and camera manager software.
• Close the lid? Only if you work with an external monitor: then the laptop lid must be closed, which also disables its camera, keyboard and trackpad, so you need an external camera, keyboard and mouse. With the laptop alone, the lid stays open. Do not change your screen set-up mid-session: connecting a second screen is one of the actions that can end a test.
• If the camera cannot be moved easily, for instance an external one fixed on the monitor, rehearse first and ask the helpdesk what to do if you cannot show part of the room.

If the session closes or a warning appears

EPSO’s instructions list actions that can end a session automatically, among them withdrawing camera, microphone or screen permission, changing network and losing the connection to Proctorio for more than two minutes. A camera that disconnects leaves Proctorio without a picture. Proctorio’s help explains that whether a session can be resumed is decided by the organisation running the exam, here EPSO, and that its own support cannot grant another attempt. So:

1. Note the exact time and the wording of the warning, and photograph the screen with your phone once the session has closed.
2. Call the platform’s helpdesk (the number is in EPSO’s instructions; English and French, Monday to Friday, 9:00 to 18:00). For problems with the prerequisite check you may also write to the address in the instructions, but a call is usually quicker. Ask outright whether they can reopen your prerequisite check, since it is meant to be done once.
3. Tell EPSO through the Single Candidate Portal, even if the helpdesk answers. The notice of competition asks candidates to report any serious technical problem at any stage to EPSO, which decides what happens next.
4. Attach evidence. EPSO’s complaints policy asks for a description of the problem, the time and how long it lasted, what you did to fix it and through which channel, any error messages, your set-up (system, browser, connection) and screenshots if you have them. A photo of the call log or of the email exchange with the helpdesk serves as proof.

While you wait, do not reload the page or open another tab to get back in on your own: those actions are also on the list of what can end a session. If the platform lets you resume, do it from TAO’s main page.

Complaint deadlines: the check and test day

For problems during the tests, the notice of competition gives 3 calendar days, counted from the day after the test, to write to EPSO through the Single Candidate Portal with a detailed description and proof that you tried to resolve it. For a problem with the prerequisite check, the notice sets no specific deadline: write at once, and in any case before 6 November, so there is time for a fix before your slot. A retest is never automatic: EPSO may grant a new slot when the problem is well documented and was not caused by the candidate’s equipment or by not following the instructions. What to do on the day itself is in our test day checklist.

Before you press Start: a quick list

• Chrome or Edge up to date, with the Proctorio extension installed.
• Antivirus, firewall, VPN and proxy off; every other program and tab closed.
• The charger plugged in with slack; the external camera’s cable checked.
• Light from the front, no window behind you; a clear desk and nothing personal on view.
• Your ID card or passport to hand, and a clean camera lens.
• The helpdesk number saved in your phone, and the phone out of reach.
• When you finish, submit and go back to TAO yourself or refresh the page: the platform does not take you back. The session should appear under Finished sessions.