Knowledge Section of the Foreign Service Officer Test

January 14, 2009

The second part of the written portion of the Foreign Service Officer Test is the Job Knowledge section. This is the section that has earned the Foreign Service Test’s reputation. Currently, all cones take the same test. I say currently because the test has slightly changed at least three times in the past five years as State attempts to modernize and maximize its hiring practices. This portion of the test covers U.S. government, US culture, world history, geography, economics, basic mathematics and statistics, management principles, communication knowledge, and computers. In other words, you need a good liberal arts education backed up with skills for the modern work place.

There’s no penalty for guessing, so don’t leave any question unanswered. That’s really all the help I can give you. There will be questions you don’t know. There will be sections that will startle you. When I took the test, I remember being shocked by a number of questions dealing with the policy process (i.e., cabinet seniority, the function of the NSC, etc.) Basically, pay attention throughout college and you’ll be fine.

So, how do you prepare? I would suggest for a year before taking the test that you start reading a lot of periodicals. The New York Times, The Washington Post, The BBC, The Economist, and Foreign Affairs are my favorite. I strongly recommend you read The Hegemonist at least weekly (sorry, I couldn’t resist that one). Look for other views too; The Daily Yomiuri, Xinhua, and Granma all have interesting things to say. State maintains a reading list as well as a list of suggested courses if you’re still in college. In the end, you’re going to need to read voraciously, get a good education, and probably have a little luck in order to pass this section.