EPSO Lawyer-Linguist study plan

Build a personal glossary of 60 core EU legal terms (e.g. acquis communautaire, subsidiarity, proportionality, direct effect) in the target language, recording source term, target equivalent, source of the equivalent and a one-line usage note.

Translate two short EU-style legal excerpts (about 250 words each: one recital, one operative article) into the target language under timed conditions, then self-revise against a checklist of accuracy, terminology consistency and register.

Map the structure of a typical EU regulation and directive (title, citations, recitals, articles, annexes) and note the target-language conventions for each part.

Diagnose your baseline by taking one timed verbal-reasoning set and one numerical-reasoning set and logging error types (misread, calculation, time pressure).

Translate three legal text types (a contract clause, a court judgment extract, a legislative recital) of about 300 words each, applying the glossary and flagging every term you had to research.

Explain in writing, in the target language, the difference between regulations, directives and decisions, and between the ordinary and special legislative procedures.

Practise handling false friends and calques in legal language by compiling 25 pairs with corrected target-language renderings and example sentences.

Complete two timed verbal-reasoning sets and review every incorrect answer to identify the reasoning step that failed.

Translate a 500-word judgment extract into the target language in 90 minutes, then compare your version against the source for fidelity, cohesion and target-language naturalness.

Rewrite 15 awkward sentences from your own earlier translations to eliminate source-language interference (word order, nominalisations, passive overuse).

Apply a punctuation and capitalisation style sheet for legal drafting in the target language to two of your translations and record each change.

Draft a 200-word explanatory note in the target language summarising the legal effect of the translated judgment extract.

Complete a full mock translation task (about 600 words, legal text, 120 minutes, no dictionary beyond your own glossary) and score it against a self-made rubric covering accuracy, terminology, grammar and style.

Consolidate EU law knowledge on the Court of Justice of the EU: composition, types of proceedings, preliminary ruling procedure and the effect of judgments, summarised in the target language.

Run two timed numerical-reasoning sets focusing on percentages, ratios and table interpretation, and record accuracy and average time per question.

Identify and drill your five most frequent terminology errors from weeks 1 to 3.

Write a 400-word analytical text in the target language on a current EU law topic (e.g. the rule of law framework), using precise legal terminology and correct citation conventions.

Test your EU-law knowledge with 40 self-written recall questions on institutional law, fundamental rights and the internal market, and correct every wrong answer with a sourced note.

Edit a peer or sample legal text for register and clarity, producing a clean version plus a list of the edits and their justification.

Review target-language grammar points that most affect legal drafting (subjunctive, conditional, modal verbs, agreement) and drill 30 targeted exercises.

Translate a 700-word legal text under exam conditions in 120 minutes and self-mark against the rubric, aiming to improve your week 4 score on at least two criteria.

Do a cohesion pass on two translations: check referents, connectors, paragraph order and consistent terminology throughout.

Complete three timed verbal-reasoning sets and two numerical sets, tracking accuracy and time per item across sessions.

Proofread your own work using a fixed three-pass method (meaning, terminology, surface) and document the errors each pass caught.

Sit a full simulated exam day: one 120-minute translation, one terminology and EU-law section, and one verbal plus one numerical reasoning section, all timed and without aids.

Mark the simulation with the rubric and produce a prioritised list of the five gaps that cost the most marks.

Rehearse time allocation for each section and write a minute-by-minute exam-day plan.

Review the glossary and delete or correct any entry you cannot justify with a reliable source.

Close the top three gaps from week 7 with focused drills: 10 short translation passages, 30 terminology flashcards and 20 reasoning questions per gap area.

Do two final timed translation passages of about 400 words each, applying the three-pass proofreading method.

Re-take the weakest reasoning section and compare accuracy and timing with week 7.

Finalise a one-page exam-day reference sheet (terminology, style rules, time plan) and confirm logistics.