CAST Permanent case studies
CAST Permanent · Put your knowledge to work in context.
CAST Permanent is the European Union's standing selection process for contract agents, run through the EU Careers portal managed by the Directorate-General for Human Resources and Security. Candidates sit computer-based multiple-choice tests covering verbal reasoning, numerical reasoning, abstract reasoning and situational judgement, and results feed a database that recruiting EU institutions and bodies draw from when contract-agent vacancies arise. It suits people who want to work in EU administration in support, assistant, secretarial, administrative, financial or ICT functions without sitting a full open competition. This page is an independent study resource. The CAST Permanent case studies are 5 cases and about 2,337 words.
1Partial access to an evaluation report
A fictional EU research agency receives an access request for a 40-page evaluation report. The agency's internal note states: 'Documents shall be released in full unless disclosure would undermine the protection of commercial interests.
481 words, about 2 min2Training budget with tiered fees
A fictional EU agency has €84,000 to train 60 staff for a certification. The platform fee is €12,000, payable once.
505 words, about 3 min3Workflow audit trail
A fictional regulatory agency uses a five-state workflow for case files: Draft (D), Review (R), Approval (A), Published (P) and Archived (X). The permitted transitions are: D→R; R→A; R→D; A→P; A→R; P→X.
408 words, about 2 min4Conflicting deadlines in a small unit
You are a contract agent in a five-person unit. In three working days, the unit must send a 120-page draft report to a director and also prepare a 20-minute briefing for an external stakeholder meeting.
476 words, about 2 min5Splitting a purchase order
You are a contract agent in the finance unit of a fictional EU agency. A project manager asks you to process a €14,500 purchase for specialist software by splitting it into two orders of €7,250 each.
467 words, about 2 min