I’m going to give you the best advice I can on prepping and passing the Foreign Service Exam (aka FSOT).
It’s changed a bit since I took it in 1985 ?! There’s more writing now, including the brutal Personal Narrative requirement. There’s also a final scrub that was probably there in the 1980s, but now they’ve institutionalized a physical panel, which I call the Star Chamber (aka Suitability Review Panel).
In spite of changes to the FSOT, I spent my career learning and understanding what the Foreign Service is looking for in new recruits.
Take the Practice Exam
So my first word of advice — if you want to take and pass the FSOT — is to register, read this State web page and take the practice test. If you want to jump ahead directly to the exam, click here. It will prompt you for your e-mail address, the one you used to register. (If you didn’t register, no worries; you can take the practice test with any e-mail address)
Find Your Weaknesses, not your strengths
Your goal with the practice exam(s) is to identify your weaknesses. Those areas are where you need to study. For instance, if you’re strong in English grammar and expression, skip studying those subjects. If you’re strong in American history and economics, but are weaker in IT and English grammar, focus on IT and English grammar.
If you’re weak everywhere, well, it’s going to be a tougher slog for you.
If You Ace the Practice Test, Notify the State Department
If you’re strong in all areas. Mazel Tov! Bravo! Call the State Department (202-647-1212) and tell them you aced the practice test. On second thought, don’t do that, the operators don’t have the best senses of humor. They might take your name and forward it to the Board of Examiners…. Just kidding!
Seriously, if you aced the practice exam, don’t let it go to your head. You should start to work on your writing. Very few applicants have the writing skills that measure up to Foreign Service standards. Everyone needs to practice his or her writing. Trust me on that.
How to Pick Your Career Track
And, yes, I haven’t forgotten that you still need to pick your career track – Pol, Econ, PD, Cons, Mgmt — before you register. Stay tuned I’ll get into it next in the Foreign Service Exam Primer.
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