Okay, so you want to join the Foreign Service. You accept the three conditions of employment required of Foreign Service employees. You have made your career track selection. You are ready to go.
Now it's time to tackle the first hurdle major hurdle standing between you and the Foreign Service: the Foreign Service Officer Test (FSOT).
Step 2: Register for the FSOT
Every journey to becoming an FSO begins with the FSOT, which is perhaps the most difficult knowledge-based test that exists in the federal government. More information about that will be given in Step 3. But prior to taking the test, you have to register for it online. Until this summer, the FSOT was administered by ACT. Now it's administered by Pearson VUE. When you register, you will be asked to provide information about your educational background, employment history, foreign language proficiency, professional certifications and anything else that could augment or define your candidacy. Take this registration seriously because it will be used again later on in the selection process.
One important thing to remember is not to exaggerate your experience, qualifications, education or talents when registering for the FSOT. DOS reserves the right to verify all claims you make in your application and can use any exaggerations or misrepresentations as grounds for terminating your candidacy or even dismissing you after you've been hired! Don't be modest, but don't be deceitful.
When you register, make sure you have a credit card handy. Even though the FSOT is free, you will be charged about $50 if you register for the test and fail to show up. But since you are serious about becoming an FSO, you should not have to worry about this. (Right?)
Here is some general information about the test.
The FSOT takes about three to four hours to complete and is offered three times a year: in February, June and October. The test can only be taken once in an 11-month period, so if you fail the test or wish to take it again, you have to wait until at least a year has passed since your last test. In other words, you can take the test in February 2014, February 2015 and June 2016, but you cannot take the test in October 2014, June 2015, and February 2016.
You can register online about a month before the test is administered. Tests are given at various locations throughout the United States as well as at select American embassies and consulates abroad. You do not have to register for the FSOT at the site closest to your place of residence. The first time I took the FSOT, for example, I was traveling in Asia and took the test at a consulate in Japan.
The FSOT can only be taken over the computer. Knowing this, pay special attention to the testing facility where each FSOT is offered. If you find that the FSOT will be offered at a site that you know has slow or rundown computers, for example, you might consider registering for the test at another location. Other things to consider are how easy it is to find parking, how far the testing site is from your residence, and what days of the week the test is being offered. Not all testing sites offer the test on all days of a particular testing window. Some testing sites offer the FSOT on weekends. Slots for these days tend to disappear quickly.
My advice for anyone considering becoming an FSO is to take the test as quickly and as seriously as possible. It may take anywhere from around six months to almost three years for a candidate to go from taking the FSOT to receiving an actual job offer, so why allow the process to drag on even further? But remember, because you can only take this test once in an 11-month period, the FSOT should not be approached casually with the attitude of "well, I'll just take this test and see how well I can do." If you are lackadaisical about the test, fail it, and suddenly become determined about becoming an FSO, you'll still have to wait impatiently for a year! So if you really want to take it, but feel you are not adequately prepared, you are better off studying and waiting until a future test window rather than struggling with the test in the current test window, failing and being miserable for a year!
To be continued...
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