Once you’ve decided whether you want to be a political, economic, public diplomacy, management, or consular officer, you have to take the Foreign Service Officer Test (FSOT). In the past this was divided into the Foreign Service Written Examination and the Foreign Service Oral Examination. The name has changed, but the concept is the same–the Foreign Service should be the ultimate meritocracy.
The Foreign Service Officer Test is considered by many to be the great bond of the Foreign Service. Senior Foreign Service Officers and Entry Level Officers all got the job by passing the test. Henry Kissinger recently offered this criticism of the Service, “the views of those who did not rise through its ranks are not always taken seriously enough, perhaps on the theory that they could not have passed the Foreign Service exam.” Dr. Kissinger is of course correct. My boss once handed me a scathing three page critique of the Foreign Service. I couldn’t figure out why he was laughing until he showed me the biography of the author. The author, who did have a distinguished career, had graduated with a Master’s degree in Foreign Service from Georgetown but didn’t join the State Department until much later, as a political appointee. My boss laughed and said, “He’s still mad that he couldn’t pass the exam.”
The test is difficult. It has been considered the ultimate “smart-guy” test for decades. Among first time applicants, I’ve heard the failure rate is eighty percent. (I would guess, however, that the people reading this are slightly more prepared than the general group.) I’ve taken the test and proctored it, and I can tell you that people are nervous.
The written portion of the Foreign Service Officer Test consists of four sections, an essay, an English expressions portion, a job related knowledge portion, and a biographic questionnaire. I’m going to devote posts later this week on the first three sections. The Biographic Information Questionnaire doesn’t really have right answers; it just asks about the experiences of the test-taker, so I don’t have a lot to say on the matter. If you wanted to fake it, it’s pretty clear what the best answer would be. I strongly recommend that you do not fake it, however. Besides being immoral and probably unnecessary, I’m sure ACT (the company that administers the test) keeps on eye open for that kind of thing.
Go ahead and register now, and keep coming back here all this week for my take on the written portion!
This post is part of my unofficial Guide to the Foreign Service Exam.
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Yes, it is a frustrating process. The bio section was my lowest score as well… by far. I have significant management experience, I’ve lived overseas, and have charmed my way into about every job I’ve ever had. So that surprised me, though I will say that many of the questions could be reasonably explained no matter how you rate it. For example, I remember a practice test question that asked about how often you worked overtime. Well, in some jobs, working overtime is absolutely banned, while in others, it is required. Without that context you’ve got some arbitrary score to say you are a good or bad candidate based on that answer. I’d like to think it’s like being in a college class where you learn a ton but the stupid professor has some lame method for grading and so you end up barely passing.
I’ve got a friend who is a FSO. He and I went over a whole stack of practice questions and I thought I had a pretty good idea of what the State Dept was looking for. But, I failed.
I’m thinking about retesting (October). I don’t feel so strongly about it this time around though. Even if I passed the written exam, I’d still have a number of tests to pass beyond that. And next year I’ll have a six-digit income, so the trade-off doesn’t seem all that worth it anymore.
I feel more and more reassured reading these responses about having been cut in the QEP since so many others who were cut or failed elsewhere are also very qualified candidates. One thing I’ll throw into the mix here is that, like any enormous bureacracy, the FS makes inconsistent decisions and choices. Not intentionally, but it happens. My brother works in Africa for USAID and claims that he knows two FSOs who got in despite not having passed the written (there was enough need at the time). I also know an amazingly smart guy who had to take the tests several times to get in, and his wife who has a Ph.D., passed the written four times and failed the oral as many times. Great people get in; great people don’t get in.
Finally, my father, a retired FSO, used to give the oral exam. He had me speak with some old friends from State Dept. days when I thought I was prepping for the exam. Each one had different, and sometimes, contradictory advice. Yet, I’m sure, each was right within his or her own experiences.
Edwin, my condolences on your misfortune regarding the test. I also had a disappointing score on the Bio section, though I did manage to pass the exam and eventually move on to the end of the process (almost… still waiting on that phone call…) My experience going through the process has shed some light on the section, and the hiring process in general, that might be of interest to you.
First, know that an individual has 18 months on the register, not 12. That time starts after you pass your oral exam and are issued security and medical clearances. Now, 18 might still seem unreasonable, and I’m sure there are many people who would agree with you, but I believe it does serve a purpose. Currently, the A-100 class is operating at capacity (98 students per class) and starting a new class every 6 weeks, which means that State is hiring around 800 new FSOs per year. That is a fantastic pace, and way way up from 5 years ago, when they were hiring 1-200. Even with the lowest score on the longest register (a 5.3 in Political Cone) no one expired off the register last year, according to a Diplomat In Residence with whom I spoke.
A case might be made that no one should ever expire off the register, and I can see the logic in that argument, but the goal of the process is not to give applicants the best chance at a job with the Department of State, it is to ensure that State has the best possible candidates lined up to represent our country. There is a reasonable doubt that someone who passed the exam 5 years ago still represents the total candidate without accounting for the experiences they have had during that time, and the best possible way to do that is to send them through the FSOT process. It definitely sucks for the individual, but this career is all about persistence, perseverance, and excellence. The best candidates are willing to go the extra mile.
As to the Bio section, I believe that what ACT is looking for is consistency, rather than a specific personality type. Since the test is an imperfect assessor of actual personality, I imagine more weight is attributed to a candidate’s ability to follow directions closely and answer questions similarly throughout the section. That’s just a guess, as I don’t work for ACT, but it bears out with others’ experience of that portion.
The thing is hard as hell, in short, and it takes a long time to see the light at the end of the tunnel. It is unheard of for someone to get a posting within 1 year of taking their written exam, even with no language requirement, so bear that in mind when you embark on the process.
Thanks Valdysses and I wish you a placement. Actually my friend now that I recall it waited out the entire 18 months after being told she had passed through the entire process (not just after taking the exam) before moving on…
If it is true that no one gets left behind now, that is good news and hopefully you will be one of the lucky few who get the job.
Actually I took the test twice and have no desire now to do it again…I just participate here to see how everyone’s experience is and see how it related to mine. Please let everyone here know when you get the call…so we can celebrate at least one success.
Politics being what it is today, I still retain some of my suspicions and feel that the exam is not really a good measure of competency ….perhaps this administration’s version is geared in a different way than that during the Bush years. We will never know!
Once again, best of luck! To one and all!
Greetings:
Do they look favorably on military service; especially if it is overseas in a combined/joint position? I also have a BA in Spanish Language, Psychology and a Masters in Guidance & Counseling (high school). I also already have the clearance needed, which I believe is a TS/SCI. I know they state that they are not looking for any background in particular, but I still curious if that is the case. I am also interested in the Consular track. Lost of questions…
Edwin:
I appreciate it, and feel for your friend. There were a number of folks in the “bad old days” who were in the same position as her, and I can’t imagine how terrible that must feel. Personally, I found the exam to be difficult, but I applaud the whole process on its incredible aspirations to fairness. I can’t say if we took the same exam, but you seem plenty well spoken and articulate, so I imagine that whatever you do will be done well.
Alaska:
Military service yields points for veteran’s preference, but the system is designed so that the examiners are unable to “look preferably” on anything in particular. That being said, your background seems like one that would yield you a number of interesting and flattering stories, and it also seems to enable you to tell them well. Both of these things will work in your favor.
As to the clearance, unless your TS/SCI was from State, it’s not directly transferrable, though having it will drastically speed up the clearance process for you. Hopefully you still have a valid SF-86 on file you can call up and update for them.
Unlike a traditional interview, there is not much about the test that permits an applicant to expound upon their background. One of the individuals I tested with was a very well spoken young woman from Paris who worked extensively in finance and humanitarian aid. She was trilingual, and grew up the daughter of a high-ranking foreign service officer. She did not pass, unfortunately, because she didn’t feel fully prepared for the assessment. Your background will not play a part in the process, except in how it has shaped you and prepared you for the test. Good luck!
I came across this blog today while looking up famous American traitors for a commentary I was writing on the TV series “24″ and find it most interesting. And as a former Foreign Service Officer, with 11 years with State before leaving in 1999 to return to the private sector, I feel compelled to throw my two cents into the mix here.
First of all, I’d say that Annabelle just about hit it on the head, though (perhaps cynically, maybe I am giving people too much credit for being conscious of the ramifications of their actions) I did come to believe that there was a clear intentionality behind many of the bad decisions I witnessed during my time with State. There are, in fact, enormous inconsistencies in who does or doesn’t get into the Foreign Service, who gets assigned to what “cone” or specialty (I could write a book on the whole “cone” system), or to what post or job, who gets promoted, and who gets left behind in the wake of the shifting political correctness and social engineering into which the Foreign Service devolved.
All this inconsistency, under the veneer of seeking out and rewarding “the best and the brightest in an up-or-out system,” then seeps into a cut-throat atmosphere (the State Department has been compared by other federal colleagues as an enormous snake pit and the most brutal of all federal agencies) where compliant incompetence frequently is rewarded over (as the term is used internally, and derogatorily) “maverick,” though perhaps original and correct, views and troublesome competence.
I can’t imagine things are any better now, given that they seemed to deteriorate year-by-year for me and other officers who predated my entry by many years. Sadly, it became the exception to the rule, and a cause for celebration, to see truly competent colleagues — and in fairness there were and are people of the highest caliber as well among the ranks — appear on promotion lists among so many less deserving names.
Lest any of this be considered sour grapes, I entered the Foreign Service at a time when one had a better chance of being selected for the Astronaut Corps (physical requirements aside) than the Foreign Service (it took me two bounces, and I almost didn’t go back for the second, but I finally made it). I got my first or second choice posting during every bidding cycle. I received many accolades and wound up heading my own section in one of the largest embassies in the world. And I left of my own accord mainly because I told myself before I entered that, when it no longer felt right to me, I would leave. And I did, with no regrets either for serving, which overall was a great experience, or for leaving.
What happened? I got tired of having to deal with all-too-many boneheads, too much process and not enough result, and too much reward given to incompetence. And this often leading to ill-informed policy and worse execution that does not serve our country well. At the same time, people — the heart of any organization — seemed to hold ever less value to a system obsessed with counting beans and enforcing often counter-productive rules. And to those asking if their skills and backgrounds will be taken into account in the selection or assignment processes — don’t count on it.
Finally, on the subject of the entry process, I guess I can say, don’t assume anything. The first time I went through the process I was convinced I did great, and I just missed the cut. The second time I was sure I totally blew every step of the process, and there I was, some 20 months of agony and suspense later, at my swearing-in ceremony. Go figure.
Some of the best advice I received was from a dear friend and former Foreign Service Officer, now deceased. First, during the written exam or any of the practical exercises in the orals, take your watch off and keep it in front of you on the table so the time doesn’t get away from you. And second, when you are sitting there in front of a panel of examiners and trying to swim your way through one arcane challenge after another, look them straight in the eye. And if you come to a point where you really don’t know the answer or what to say, look them straight in the eye and tell them as much. And maybe, as when that time came to me and I looked those three gentlemen straight in the eye and admitted what was becoming all too painfully obvious, which is that I didn’t have a clue what I was talking about (I actually uttered the words, “Pretty stupid, huh?”), offer a work-around of how you would get the needed knowledge before going out and making a complete fool of yourself.
If there is one thing you will come to learn in the Foreign Service it is never to present a problem to your superiors without having a solution to go with it.
Good luck, one and all. It can be a great life, and the Foreign Service can only get better if the right people are attracted to it and go through the agony of the selection process to reach the ecstasy of finally making it.
Thanks to Nick and Edwin for posting comments regarding the bio part.
I’m truly at a loss at to what I should do next. The prospect of going through the process again and disappointing my mother and especially myself is not very appealing. I also lived abroad for 12 years, speak four languages well and in process of learning a fifth, and interact with students from all over the world on a daily basis. I guess this is not enough. My life (bio) is holding me back. Aarrgghh! Frustrating. Perhaps I will take Edwin’s advice and move on. Good luck to all!
Teia,
I understand your frustration. Have you considered that maybe if your bio score is low that your personality ISN’T matched to the FS? I only ask because I recently tested for a law enforcement position and my bio section on that rocked (terrible in the FS exam). And then in talking to friends, they tell me they have a difficult time seeing me as a diplomat but that a law enforcement role matches my personality. They’re probably right.
Tough call. I’m not suggesting you aren’t FS material. But they are. So at least consider the ramifications of that. Sometimes it’s hard to come to terms with ourselves. Wish you the best.
To what extent do they actually follow up on your answers in the biography section? Should people I know be expecting phone calls?
Kellen, I just took the test last week(first time) I was surprised by the follow up answers. I don’t think you should tell anyone to expect phone calls just yet. My guess is that may come into play during the security background check but I’m not sure.
I have no idea how I did on that portion because I don’t know what they are looking for but the rest seemed surprisingly easy.
Now it’s time to sit back and wait for in invite to the QEP.
Good luck all!
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