Where I take the written exam (again)
How does the FSOT written exam work? The written Foreign Service test is the first real stage you have to pass to get on the long and grueling road of applying for the Foreign Service. (Barring USAID, Peace Corp, Fullbright and other routes.) You sign up through the State Department for updates and when testing opens, they’ll notify you to apply. Spots are limited and first come, first serve for time and location selection but they are available worldwide. I’ve heard of many candidates taking the exam at a local embassy overseas.
The test itself consists of three sections and an essay. You have to score high enough on the combined points of the three multiple choice sections to exceed the stated cutoff score to have your essay graded. If you pass, you’ll receive notice of how you did in each of the three sections, your multiple-choice total and your essay score. If you pass the multiple choice and then score at least a 6 on the 12-point essay rubric, you get an invite for the Qualifications Evaluation Panel (QEP) review. The nice part is that they now send your scores with your results letter. Before, they used to make you fax a request to get the actual breakdown. To get an idea of past scores, someone made a helpful google doc that popped up when I was searching for some info. No idea about accuracy, but check it out here
Here’s a sample of what you need to do to pass. Let’s say the cutoff score is 154 or above for the written. Your scores have to add up to at least 154 or above. So yours may be as follows:
Job Knowledge (understanding of a range of subjects that deal with what you will actually be doing as an FSO): 51.01
Biographic Information (your relevant past experiences and how you handle situations): 64.13
English Expression (the English language): 58.71
For a total of 173.85 > 154 so ding ding ding! You get your essay graded.
If it’s below 6, sorry, go straight to jail. If you get let’s say an 8 though, you get a shiny letter when the time comes to download your results from the ACT website that says you are to proceed to the QEP’s Personal Narratives (PN) portion of the selection process.
Since the test is on the computer, it’s good and it’s bad. You don’t have to worry about filling in bubbles a la the SATs but you do have to worry about how fast you type versus how fast you can write. People who aren’t so keyboard savvy may want to warm up on their typing skills. You only get 30 minutes to write your essay for example and since they care about quality as well as structure and ideas, that can be a very quick 30 minutes.
Personally, I think it’s incredibly hard to prep for the written exam’s job knowledge portion. They can cover a variety of obscure subjects which you may or may not know. For people who regularly keep up with current and past US and international events, you’ll have an edge. Those who have not studied in school for a while would do well to read through some good grammar or writing books as well as reviewing your own resume to try to bang out more points on the Biographic and English sections. If you can’t remember the last time you wrote an essay (remember, they are on an assigned topic which could be anything), try practicing at home on a computer.
I got my test scores in June so there is a lag of a couple months while they evaluate your scores and grade your essay. If you don’t make it, don’t despair. You can apply again! The state department usually has a schedules of testing dates here. There is a yahoo group for the written exam but I’m not sure how helpful it is. As with any non-official entity, take it with a grain (or teaspoon) of salt.
The test itself consists of three sections and an essay. You have to score high enough on the combined points of the three multiple choice sections to exceed the stated cutoff score to have your essay graded. If you pass, you’ll receive notice of how you did in each of the three sections, your multiple-choice total and your essay score. If you pass the multiple choice and then score at least a 6 on the 12-point essay rubric, you get an invite for the Qualifications Evaluation Panel (QEP) review. The nice part is that they now send your scores with your results letter. Before, they used to make you fax a request to get the actual breakdown. To get an idea of past scores, someone made a helpful google doc that popped up when I was searching for some info. No idea about accuracy, but check it out here
Here’s a sample of what you need to do to pass. Let’s say the cutoff score is 154 or above for the written. Your scores have to add up to at least 154 or above. So yours may be as follows:
Job Knowledge (understanding of a range of subjects that deal with what you will actually be doing as an FSO): 51.01
Biographic Information (your relevant past experiences and how you handle situations): 64.13
English Expression (the English language): 58.71
For a total of 173.85 > 154 so ding ding ding! You get your essay graded.
If it’s below 6, sorry, go straight to jail. If you get let’s say an 8 though, you get a shiny letter when the time comes to download your results from the ACT website that says you are to proceed to the QEP’s Personal Narratives (PN) portion of the selection process.
Since the test is on the computer, it’s good and it’s bad. You don’t have to worry about filling in bubbles a la the SATs but you do have to worry about how fast you type versus how fast you can write. People who aren’t so keyboard savvy may want to warm up on their typing skills. You only get 30 minutes to write your essay for example and since they care about quality as well as structure and ideas, that can be a very quick 30 minutes.
Personally, I think it’s incredibly hard to prep for the written exam’s job knowledge portion. They can cover a variety of obscure subjects which you may or may not know. For people who regularly keep up with current and past US and international events, you’ll have an edge. Those who have not studied in school for a while would do well to read through some good grammar or writing books as well as reviewing your own resume to try to bang out more points on the Biographic and English sections. If you can’t remember the last time you wrote an essay (remember, they are on an assigned topic which could be anything), try practicing at home on a computer.
I got my test scores in June so there is a lag of a couple months while they evaluate your scores and grade your essay. If you don’t make it, don’t despair. You can apply again! The state department usually has a schedules of testing dates here. There is a yahoo group for the written exam but I’m not sure how helpful it is. As with any non-official entity, take it with a grain (or teaspoon) of salt.
Comments
Post a Comment