CAST exams refer to the EU competitions that aim to recruit contract agents, though the primary purpose of the competition is to create a pool of eligible candidates who can be called in at short notice if and when a position needs to be filled due to increased workload, covering for maternity leave or other reasons.
CAST exams tend to have only a single round in which only verbal and numerical reasoning tests need to be passed by applicants, though CAST exams for translators also include a second round in which a translation must be made by those who have passed the pre-selection phase.
The salary of contract agents depends on which Function group they are placed in. If it is function group IV, the salary is quite comparable to that of an AD5 official, that is, around 4000 euros net per month, depending on various circumstances.
See also:
Temporary Agent, Contract Agent, Salary of EU Officials and Civil Servants, EU Officials, Administrators (AD), Assistants (AST)
Related link: