Foreign Service exam beta

**seldon** · 07-07-2008, 10:23 AM

I'm taking it on the 19th - has anyone taken it/have anything productive to say about it?

**ruhiks** · 07-07-2008, 11:02 AM

Who are you?

Emmet Fitz-Hume?

**splat** · 07-07-2008, 11:06 AM

You must have a proficiency for jumping out of planes without a parachute, be able to stand high doses of psychotropic drugs, be willing to have your nuts cut off without screaming and take out 10 attackers with a hat rack.

Practice, practice, practice...

**Sirshredalot** · 07-07-2008, 11:18 AM

I took and passed the written exam this past spring. I am going to Washington for my oral exam/interview dealy in August. Oh boy. I get to wear a dark suit all day. In Washington. In August.

They changed the exam a lot this year, I think. It was much shorter and less intense than I was led to expect. I didn't do much to study for it except read the Economist (which I read anyways) and one of those "Life in an embassy" books that is recommended on the state department's web site. Oh yeah, and I'm a grad student in applied microeconomics with a strong interest in public policy. That didn't hurt. English composition makes up a large component of the test. The rest of the test is world and us history and culture, foreign policy, world geography, economics, that sort of thing.

I'm not sure how much I'm allowed to talk about the test while I'm still in the hiring process, so I don't think I can go into much more detail than that. I have to be prepared for a thorough background check if they hire me. I'm guessing that they'll take a look at what I've been doing on teh internets.

Oh yeah, and all that stuff splat mentioned, too.