I dedicated January of 2009 to the Foreign Service exam process. Here are the links to the individual posts of my unofficial guide. The Foreign Service is a great career, and the Foreign Service exam is an experience in its own right. Enjoy the unofficial Hegemonist Guide to the Foreign Service Exam.
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You’re the best. THANK YOU
Thanks! :)
This really is an excellent resource.
Thanks for the great insight. I have added a link to your post on my foreign service blog. I’m starting in June. http://limeofsight.blogspot.com/
I love your blog. Read it Religiously for quite a few months now. The exam stuff was extremely helpful and much better written and explained than many sites that claim to do the same but don’t even come close.
Thanks for informing while easing anxiety at the same time. I love your writing and will continue my daily pilgrimages.
Hello!
I’ll be taking the Oral Exam some time in the fall of this year. I’m not sure which day to choose. I was wondering if I should take the exam on a day that falls before a three day holiday weekend or after? Though it probably doesn’t make much of a difference, I am simply hoping that any odds in my favor may be slightly enhanced if I go on a day before a holiday weekend? Thoughts?
Great guide! Thanks for taking the time out to do this.
I need some advice about the FSO. If my questions are rudimentary, I apologize in advance.
I registered for the FSO, and hopefully I will be taking it in October.
Is the FSO simply a pass/fail exam or is it graded on some type of scale?
How many time can one retake the test?
Any other advice you can provide would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you,
John
I am a senior international business major and am graduating soon. I have applied to the Peace Corps and have been nominated and am waiting on an offical offer for a position.
Although, I am really interested in being a Foreign Service Officer and am wondering if this is a good stepping stone into become a FSO ? Or is it unnecessary?
im not 100% on this but i think the exam is pass/fail but your grade is considered during the final review of applicants.
the test is offered 4 times /year but can only be taken once a year.
im signed up for the October test as well. The website says they will email you 5 weeks before the exam in order to book a seat.
Do you think the Foreign Service is a good job to have for a few years and then return to regular life in the States?
I passed the FSE in June of 2009. Has anyone else who passed the exam and submitted the personal narratives heard about oral exam dates?
I’m still waiting too Greg
Also waiting….check out http://groups.yahoo.com/group/fsoa
They’ve got a pool going….
I am also taking the October test…. But like Lindsay, I am thinking of joining the Airforce reserve as a stepping stone into Foreign service…would this work??
This is my option if I don’t pass the October 09 test, but is this a wise choice??
Thanks for posting btw… very HELPFUL!!
anyone know if the test scores are weighted?
to Greg, Dan, and Roland:
Were you guys able to answer every question? The english section is 65 questions in 50 minutes. Thats 45 seconds per question. I am doubtful that I will be able to complete every question.
Did you guys feel rushed throughout the test?
If the test is 3 hours: (30 minute essay, 50 minute english, 40 minute knowledge) then where is the remaining 60 minutes. Cant possibly be a 60 minute questionairre. Do they have an experimental section that doesnt count towards the test?
@Bill - I didn’t have any issues with the Grammar section. Have you purchased/ received a copy of the FSWE study guide? The sample questions from the English Expression section are fairly accurate. It’s similar to the LSAT/ SAT/ ACT tests. I used the study guide to find my weaknesses (for instance I’m particularly comma happy).
I did feel a bit rushed through the bio section. Again the FSWE study guide is helpful. The test is on a computer so if you can type fast, you’re good.
The challenge is listing/ putting down how many times you’ve been in charge of planning an important event in the past 5 years. (note: this question’s #3 the ‘06 study guide so no NDA issue here)
I am sponsoring a contest to win a free copy of the books “Realities of Foreign Service Life, Vol. 2″, “Career Diplomacy” or a six-month weekday subscription to the NYT to members of the new forum http://www.FSOTForums.net
All you have to do is join the free forum and begin posting to become eligible.
The Hegemonist is welcome to give it a shot!
I’m taking the FSO test for the second time in February. Any advice? I missed 19 last year but I’m not sure if that’s a large number and they don’t even score your essays if you don’t pass the multiple choice questions. I’m especially nervous because during my test last year the computer crashed. So barring any computer glitches this go round I’m hoping to pass and move onto the orals.
I plan to take the FSOT the end of Feb/beg. of March. What number does one need to get on the multiple choice in order for them to read the essays?
Thanks.
Good guidance,
thanks for your valuable article.
Thanks
I’ve just chosen the date and time for my exam in early March. Just wondering if there’s any advice any of you could offer in terms of how to prepare during the month or weeks leading up to when you sit for the exam.
Thanks!
The Foreign Policy Association is offering a course some may find helpful which reviews careers in the foreign service and tips for the exam. It is being held in New York on March 29th:
http://www.fpa.org/calendar_url2420/calendar_url_show.htm?doc_id=1160195
thank you so much! :)
Does anyone know if Federal Non-Competitive Status as a result of Peace Corps service adds to the point total after Orals?
Patrick,
So far as I know, the only factors associated with points after the orals are military service and tested language skills. A brief google turned up nothing related to NCE and the FS.
That being said, you might want to speak to the author of “Beau Geste, Mon Ami”, a FS blog, as he is both a current FSO and an RPCV.
Great, thanks for the tip.
Greetings,
I took the written at San Diego State University in the fall of 2002 and received the congrats letter in December inviting me back to the oral boards in D.C. in May 0f 2003. There were no written exercises post exam though a number were included in the exam itself, as I recall
Regards, Steve
Hi again,
And I don’t think you can really study for it to much good effect. Either you know the material or you don’t. I didn’t study for it at all and I didn’t find it particularly difficult though I actually had to read for content. I whipped through every section and was the first one out of the testing room at the end of every block.
But it was all language based. Had it had to do with numbers, in any way, shape, or form I would not have even bothered as I would have been absolutely certain of abysmal failure. Bottom line, if you are, and have been a reader for most of your life you already have a serious leg up on those who don’t read or who read casually.
If, off the top of your head, you know the difference between yew, ewe and you; between to, too, Thieu and thew; between hue, Hue, Hugh, and hew; if you know that the Cossacks come from Kazakhstan; if you know where Amritsar is; if you know the difference between the Gulf of Tonkin and the Bay of Pigs; if you know the difference between the NKVD and the GRU; if you know that Stalin’s real name was Iosip Vissarionovich Dzhugashvili, and Lenin’s was Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov, etc., etc., etc., you’ll do okay and don’t sweat the test. Sweating the test is a real killer; it freezes up your mind. Go in and have fun!!!
Good luck, Steve
I am worried that I won’t be able to pass this test. It seems way too difficult and I have a Masters degree from a top university in the U.K. I am really good with English expression if I am not too pressed for time and read everything carefully, I am good at geography and most definitely world history and European politics but when it comes to U.S. culture, politics and especially any sort of economics or management, I know absolutely nothing. My test is in June and I believe I can hopefully pass because I am extremely smart and a hard worker but the only problem I have is I don’t know where to begin. I tried taking the sample test questions and every question regarding the U.S. that was economics and politics based, I couldn’t answer or got it wrong guessing. And I don’t remember much U.S. history either. This is really stressing me out cause I am brilliant.
I took the written test once in college and failed it, when I was arguably in much more of an ideal frame of mind, having just finished a rigorous course load in history/politics etc. Then I took it again at the end of my peace corps service, never having studied but only having read what I liked to read. In fact I had been partying with a few Ukrainians the night before. Passed it. My advise: relax. If you’re interested in FS, you’re probably more prepared than you think already. Focus on practicing writing essays and perhaps spend a little time brushing up on basic grammar and punctuation, and usage. Get yourself a Wall Street Journal now and again and read the Atlantic and Economist. You’ll be well prepared.
Does anyone know how many questions are in each section of the FSOT? I am taking the test soon. Thanks.
The test varies year to year, so no one can say how many questions are in each section. What I can tell you is that the official practice test, found here: http://careers.state.gov/docs/3.0_FSO_RegGuide.pdf, can give you a very good idea as to what you should be prepared for.
Does anyone know when we will hear about the making it to the Oral portion of the test?
How long does it usually take?