Ok, you’ve read what I think about the essay portion, the job knowledge portion, and the English expression portion of the Foreign Service Officer Test, but you still want more. I know when I was looking at taking the test I was starved for information, and part of the motivation behind this series is doing my part to solve that problem. So, without further ado, here are eight more places you can look for info:
- There is an excellent Yahoo group. I can’t recommend it highly enough.
- I’m sure most of you have already looked at State’s official test info page, but if you didn’t, you missed out on a gem.
- You can also contact the State Department and ask for a mentor. State will match you up with a Foreign Service Officer who can help you through the entire process.
- The official study guide is pretty good. I’m not as pleased with the current version as I have been with some past versions, but you’ll get some decent practice for a modest price.
- State also publishes a free e-brochure that’s sort of hidden on the official site. In my opinion, this guide is free and basically just as good as the paid guide at giving you a taste of the test.
- Much of the old ARCO Guide is out of date, but the English Expression portion remains unchanged. I know I already said this, but the secret of the Foreign Service Officer Test is that over half of it is just English grammar. This one is ridiculously cheap these days.
- Please, if you don’t have it, buy Strunk and White’s The Elements of Style. I hate to keep pushing this grammar thing, but it really is the key to the entire test.
- Ok, I’m a slacker. I’ve actually only prepared seven resources. I’d like to invite you to leave your best test-taking advice (or a link to advice you’ve already given elsewhere) below. Even if you’re not an FSO, I have no doubt that you’ve all taken tests, written essays, and thought of things that I haven’t, so please share!
This post is part of my unofficial Guide to the Foreign Service Exam.
{ 18 comments… read them below or add one }
Thank you for this new blog. It is a good read and very helpful. Please keep it up.
Sincerely,
D
This has been an amazingly useful series of posts, I want you to know! Thank you so much! I’m taking the test in just a few weeks and my panic level has dropped dramatically from “oh dear god what have I done!” to “I might be able to pass this thing.”
Test taking is one of my favorite hobbies (sad, but true) and I never pass up the chance to take a free internet quiz. The only advice I can give on multiple choice tests is the same old advice everyone gives. But there is a reason people keep telling you this stuff, it does actually work!
1) If you don’t know the answer, eliminate the obviously wrong answers. You’ve just increased your chances of guessing the correct answer.
2) Also, because it’s a timed test, you may not be able to go back later. Pick your best guess, write the number of the question on your scratch pad, and for the love of all things soft and fluffy, move on. Do not dwell. If you have time at the end you can go back and have a think. If not, well, you at least answered the question with your best guess.
3) I think multiple choice tests require a certain amount of zen. When you go to the next question, it is imperative that you clear your head of the previous one. Focus on what you are doing right now, not questions that have come before, questions that might come later, or the amount of time left on the clock.
Advice for essay questions… that’s hard. In high school my English teacher drilled us on the 30 minute essay. We had one at least once a week, sometimes more often. By the time I got to college I could write a 30 minute answer to anything. My skills are a bit rusty in this field, but I think practice practice practice is the key. Writing numerous 30 minute essays may take up a lot of your time, but you can also practice thinking of a thesis and outline for an essay answer. Being able to do this quickly is just as important as being able to write it quickly. If you get bogged down in the first 5 minutes you are going to have a hard time catching up. So when it comes to answering essay questions my advice would be to quickly but thoroughly read the question, develop a thesis and at least three points that support your position. Write these down somewhere so you don’t forget. Start writing. Try to write for no more than 4 minutes on each paragraph. If you’ve been writing on one paragraph for too long, you’ll never reach the end and you need to reach the end!!
Wow, this is a long comment! Apologies.
Thank you so much for this series of posts!
I was scouring the internet for some info on the test and found this practice test that has been pretty useful.
http://www.testprepreview.com/fsot_test_breakdown.htm
As well as this site for Geography
http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/Geography.htm
This isn’t really a unique resource, but for those who subscribe to The Economist, there is now a downloadable audio version available every week — every single word from the print issue is read aloud. That means you can take your information on your daily walk (or run, depending on how committed to fitness you are).
An opposing point of view on the wisdom of using Strunk & White. The King’s English by the Fowler brothers might be a useful alternative, although it’s older and thicker.
Hal, style guides are simply that…style guides. If State recommends Strunk and White, then using the guidelines from another style guide would be just plain wrong…right?
I’m familiar with a variety of style guides. You’ll find many differences between them — everyone has an opinion on style and grammar. The one that matters is that which one is beholden to at that moment, not that which one personally likes better. If you work for Microsoft, you’ll follow the Microsoft Manual of Style. If you work for a newspaper, you’re likely following AP. If you want a job at State — and State recommends that you become intimate with Strunk and White… .
Well. You get the picture. My apologies for the lengthy boringness. Style guides are one of my things. :)
I just took the FSOT yesterday. I can report the ARCO guide no longer matches the English Expression section.
Non-disclosure, humility, and a reluctance to count chickens preclude me from saying more.
Hal~ thanks for the heads up on the ARCO guide. I’m taking the test Friday, and now I’ll know not to waste valuable study time there. So much to cram, so little time–it’s like trying to swallow an ocean in one gulp.
Crossing my fingers that I’ll pass!
Bets, here’s another hope you pass.
I didn’t say the ARCO guide was without value. However, The Hegemonist says above, “…the English Expression portion remains unchanged.” I’m reporting that’s no longer true.
I think if you can score well on ARCO’s version, you’ll do just fine on the current format.
Then again, I haven’t seen my results yet. So my assessment might be rosier than one would like.
@Hal - Thanks for the tip. In your opinion, if I changed it to “…is out of date, but still provides invaluable practice for the English Expression portion” would that correct it?
Got it. Hal, do you feel comfortable disclosing the number of essays this time ’round?
@TheH: That sounds fine.
@Bets: I would be unsurprised if you find the essay section to be much as described elsewhere on this site.
I found the test to be MUCH easier than the questions in the ARCO guide. Also, if anyone wants to brush up on their math skills, the GRE publishes a really handy math review, online at http://www.ets.org/Media/Tests/GRE/pdf/GREmathPractice.pdf
Does anybody know if the CliffsNotes Test Prep for the FSOT is worthwhile?
I would say the most important part of taking an essay is practicing what you want to write. I have not taken the Foreign Service Exam, however, I have passed the California Bar exam. The trouble I have always had with timed written exams is my writing style. When writing a paper in the comfort of my own home, I gather my resources, sit down and start writing. I generally get two to five pages in and decided I hate verything I just wrote and start over.
This writing methodology does not work for a timed essay. I overcame the weaknesses in my writing process to successfully pass the bar by sitting down and practicing “canned” answers. This allowed me to focus on the facts presented in the bar exam questions and not worry about what I was going to write.
Something similar can be done when preparing for the essay portion of the Foreign Service Exam. Read a few periodicals, sit down and write what you think about the issues presented in them. This will allow you to prepare a general structure for what you want to write. The next step is practicing that general structure over and over again until you have it memorized. I found this to be an excellent way to deal with the general panic I feel writing timed essays.
I passed the FSOT last august, and wrote a study guide called “The Crammer’s Guide to FSOT” It is a lot cheaper than all the other guides, and is ideal for someone who is cramming or just wants to see what they are up against in this test and doesn’t want to spend a lot of money. ($5.99)
To get it go to ebay and search “Crammer’s guide to FSOT” or just go to my ebay page and find it at: http://www.myworld.ebay.com/yonizzel/
Good luck and let me know if you have any questions about the test!
Sorry the correct site is http://myworld.ebay.com/yonizzel/
I don’t know why it doesn’t work with the “www.