The Auxiliar Administrativo del Estado exam is the most common entry point into the Spanish State administration: ESO qualification, a single multiple-choice exercise and thousands of places every year. This guide gathers the data of the latest call and of the 2026 public employment offer, the real structure of the exam and a study plan to reach the next call with the syllabus and the office software under control.
What Auxiliar Administrativo del Estado is
It is the General Auxiliary Body of the State Administration, subgroup C2. Its civil servants carry out administrative support tasks in ministries, autonomous bodies and Government delegations across Spain: registering and processing files, serving the public, managing documents and using the administration's office software.
Access is by pure competitive exam: there is no merits stage. The score of the single exercise decides the order in which places are awarded.
Requirements
- Spanish nationality or that of a European Union member state, under article 57 of the TREBEP.
- Being at least 16 and not over the mandatory retirement age.
- Compulsory secondary education (ESO) or equivalent. Any higher qualification also qualifies.
- Not having been removed from the service of any administration nor being disqualified from public employment.
Places and calendar of the latest call
The Resolution of 18 December 2025 of the Secretariat of State for Public Service, published in the BOE of 22 December 2025, called the general bodies of the State administration in a single text. For Auxiliar:
| Item | 2025 call |
|---|---|
| Open-access places | 1,700, of which 156 reserved for the disability quota |
| Internal promotion places | 720 |
| Application period | 20 working days from the day after publication |
| Provisional lists of admitted candidates | 17 March 2026 |
| Definitive lists | 6 May 2026 |
| Single exercise | 23 May 2026 |
The answer keys, marking criteria and attendance data are published on the INAP electronic office. They are the best practice material there is, because they are the real exam.
The next call: 2026 public employment offer
Royal Decree 387/2026 of 6 May approves the 2026 public employment offer with 1,450 open-access places for the General Auxiliary Body (code 1146) and requires the calls to be published before 31 December 2026. If the 2025 pattern repeats, the call will come out in the second half of December, applications will fall in January and the exam will take place between May and June 2027.
That means whoever starts studying in autumn 2026 reaches the exam with seven or eight months of preparation, a reasonable period for this syllabus with daily consistency.
The exam: a single two-part exercise
The structure is in annex I of the 2025 call. It is a single exercise with two mandatory, eliminatory parts taken together in 90 minutes:
| Part | Content | Questions | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| First | 30 questions on block I of the programme and 30 psychometric questions on administrative, numerical or verbal aptitude | Up to 60, plus 5 reserve | 0 to 50 points, minimum 25 |
| Second | Block II: administrative activity and office software, referring to Windows 11 and Microsoft 365 desktop | Up to 50, plus 5 reserve | 0 to 50 points, minimum 25 |
Scoring rules worth memorising:
- Four options and only one correct.
- Each mistake subtracts a third of the value of a correct answer. Three mistakes erase one correct answer.
- Blank answers do not penalise.
- Reserve questions only count, in order, if the board annuls any of the ordinary ones.
- The final grade is the sum of both parts, from 0 to 100 points. Places are awarded in order of score among those who reach the minimum in both parts.
Two practical consequences. First: office software is half the exam. Fifty questions on Windows 11, Word, Excel and Outlook are worth as much as the whole public organisation block. Second: the 30 psychometric questions need specific training in series, reasoning and attention that does not come from the syllabus; set aside a weekly slot from the start.
The official syllabus
The programme is published as an annex to each call and is organised in two blocks:
- Block I. Public organisation. Spanish Constitution (structure, rights and duties, the Crown, the Cortes, the Government, the judiciary, territorial organisation), European Union, administrative procedure (Law 39/2015), legal regime of the public sector (Law 40/2015), public employment (TREBEP), equality and transparency.
- Block II. Administrative activity and office software. Citizen service, administrative documents, registry and archive, e-administration, and office software: Windows 11, Word, Excel, Outlook and the Microsoft 365 tools.
In Oposilab the programme is loaded as 13 topics with the consolidated text of each law, with topic tests that cite the article behind each answer. Always compare with the annex of the current call: when a law changes, the board asks about the version in force on the date the call sets.
A realistic study plan until the 2027 call
For someone combining with a job, between 10 and 15 hours a week:
Months 1 and 2: block I foundations
- First reading of the Constitution, Law 39/2015 and Law 40/2015, with topic tests after finishing each one.
- Office software from the first week: 15 minutes a day with Word and Excel open.
- A first mock exam at the end of month 2 just to measure the starting point.
Months 3 to 5: full syllabus and review
- TREBEP, equality, transparency and the rest of block I.
- Spaced review of everything failed: each failed question comes back after three days, a week and three weeks.
- A timed mock exam every ten days, with the one-third penalty.
Months 6 and 7: office software in depth and psychometrics
- Fifty office software questions a week, with the computer in front of you.
- Two weekly psychometric sessions with specific material.
- One full mock exam a week, corrected by block.
Last month: final stretch
- Only failed questions, official exams from previous calls and two mock exams a week.
- Nothing new in the last five days. Rest the day before.
Typical mistakes when preparing Auxiliar Administrativo
1. Leaving office software for the end
It is half the grade. Whoever reaches the last month without having opened Excel is gambling 50 points.
2. Studying with outdated notes
The board asks about the text in force. A two-year-old manual may contain amended articles. Study from the consolidated BOE text or from a tool that checks it.
3. Not training with the penalty
A test without penalty teaches you to answer everything. The real exam punishes each mistake with a third of a correct answer: train with that rule from the first mock exam.
4. Ignoring the psychometric questions
They are 30 of the 60 questions in the first part. They do not require memorising anything, but they do require regular practice with specific material.
5. Starting without a calendar
The call sets the pace. Note the dates of the 2026 offer and plan backwards from the likely exam in May or June 2027.
How to prepare with Oposilab
- Topic tests with explanation and citation: every answer links the article of the Constitution, Law 39/2015 or the relevant rule.
- A tutor that cites the article: ask any doubt about the syllabus and check the answer in the literal text.
- Timed mock exams with the two parts of the exercise, the one-third penalty and the Windows 11 and Microsoft 365 office software. They do not include the psychometric questions.
- Spaced repetition that schedules your mistakes so they come back before you forget them.
Frequently asked questions
How many places are there?
1,700 open-access places in the December 2025 call and 1,450 authorised in the 2026 offer, whose call must be published before 31 December 2026.
What qualification do I need?
ESO or equivalent. Any higher qualification also gives access.
What is the exam like?
A single two-part exercise in 90 minutes: up to 60 questions (30 on block I and 30 psychometric) and up to 50 on office software, with a one-third penalty per mistake and a minimum of 25 out of 50 in each part.
When is the exam?
Each call sets it. In the 2025 call it was on 23 May 2026, five months after the call was published.
Is there an exam fee?
Yes, the one set by the call, with exemptions and reductions for unemployed people, large families and people with disabilities, among other cases.
What is the pass mark?
There is no fixed mark: each part requires 25 points out of 50 and places are awarded in order of score. The score of the last successful candidate changes every year.
Do I need administrative experience?
No. It is a pure competitive exam with no merits stage.
Start today
The 2026 offer call will arrive before the end of the year. Whoever starts now with block I, the office software and a mock exam calendar reaches the exam with the preparation done, not with the rush of January.
