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I'm in Japan and I have been thinking about biting the bullet and working with State, so signed up for the test two days ago. The email said invitations would go out in early May, but I've yet to get anything more than the robo-mail I got upon registering. Now that I finally took the plunge and signed up, I'm really worried that I'm going to fall through the cracks, having waited so long to register and being in a foreign country. I know it says the deadline is May 25, but I kinda really want to get it now. 
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May 16, 2012 04:03
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Skandiaavity posted:It's been awhile, but I think you get a robo-mail that confirms the test date and time, then you show up there for the FSOT. Unless you mean you mean the OA, in which case It was just for the FSOT. It finally came through, though. Needing two forms of ID to take the test is kind of a pain in the rear end. I hope my drivers license hasn't expired yet...
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May 18, 2012 00:25
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Whew, passed! I thought my essay was complete garbage, but w/e. I'm not complaining! I have a feeling I'm going to get dinged on the QEP, though.
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Jun 28, 2012 00:27
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I'm actually looking at the QEP and seeing that you have to put references down for each of your stories. Do they contact everyone you put down, or is it more of a maybe they will, maybe they won't thing to keep you honest? I guess it's not a big deal, but should I be telling my references to expect a call from the federal gov't or just 'hey, don't be alarmed if you get a call' kinda thing?
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Jun 28, 2012 06:48
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Business of Ferrets posted:Heh, my reward for being "on track" is another year of full-time language study. At least I get to do this one in-country! Congrats, but it's kind of odd that your speaking abilities are the same level as your reading. Isn't an R2 being able to read newspaper articles? Newspapers are crazy complicated here! I equate that level of reading ability with drat near native level speaking. Do I just not understand State language grading or something?
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Jul 13, 2012 00:19
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Business of Ferrets posted:I can do newspapers in general, though I still have real problems with editorials and other arts/opinion pieces. But I can knock out general articles with good comprehension. And for the test one has to read fast, so that is a skill I'm working on, too. The Interagency Language Roundtable scale defines skills at the 2 level (it is a 5-point scale) as limited professional proficiency. For comparison, 2 is usually the target level for newly minted military linguists. Next month I'll start a second year of study in Japan, with the goal of getting me to the 3 level. Yeah, the kanji is a loving killer in editorials. I guess that makes the JLPT N2 near level 5, then. I feel a lot better at putting myself where I did on the application, now.
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Jul 13, 2012 01:20
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I took it last minute after a friend talked me into doing it with him, so I didn't study at all. It's super easy if you paid attention in social studies/ gov't class in high school. Just make sure your writing doesn't suck.
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Jul 26, 2012 15:42
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I took the test in Tokyo in June, and I brought my bag and cell phone. I had to leave the cell with the guard at reception in the embassy proper. It's like going into a secure highrise office. We all just left our bags at the back of the test room. They were about 20 feet away at all times and there were only 6 other test takers and 2 procters in the room, so it's not like anyone could just walk by and take them.
Jacobobb fucked around with this message at 10:16 on Sep 4, 2012 |
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Sep 4, 2012 03:22
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Edited out.
Jacobobb fucked around with this message at 10:16 on Sep 4, 2012 |
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Sep 4, 2012 09:57
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Man, washed out on QEP. It wouldn't be so depressing if there was some feedback to go with it.
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Sep 17, 2012 22:28
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Do QEP questions/ topics stay pretty static, year to year? Since I got dinged on that this time around, I'm wondering if I should rewrite the ones I submitted this summer to make a few of them suck a bit less for the next time around or would that be a waste of time?
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Oct 3, 2012 06:27
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Just take it. It costs nothing, and worst case scenario is you fail. So what? Best case is you pass.
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May 30, 2013 05:22
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problematique posted:the 2:1 attrition replacement rumor I took the FSOT at the embassy in Japan 2 weeks ago and the head of HR came in before the test to answer any questions we had, and he straight up said they're only hiring at 50%. I really hope that changes soon.
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Jun 26, 2013 00:31
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In an effort to not wash out on QEP for the second year in a row, any advice? Should we style these like the long essay from the FSOT? ie 5 paragraphs with a conclusion and avoid passive voice, or just type a long wall of text while cramming as much detail as possible into the 1300 character limit? I was really frustrated last year because there is literally zero feedback other than 'you failed, go screw'.
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Jul 5, 2013 00:25
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DracoArgentum posted:Waiting on the list of overseas locations offering tests is nerve wracking... I'm sure the wait for scheduling the test window itself will drive me even more crazy since I can only go on weekends... Do they even do it on weekends? This year was my second time taking it and I never had a non-weekday choice to schedule.
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Sep 4, 2013 04:42
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Man, this is the second year in a row that me and the QEP can't get along... Let's see if I can go three for three next year!
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Sep 24, 2013 00:23
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d1rtbag posted:Be prepared to make those examples SHORT. You need to compress as much info as possible into a small space. I've taken it twice so far (drat qep), and each time all my bio answers were, "I did a thing. It was hard because..." My bio section score has been super high each time and I don't think my examples were that great, so I think the way you word it is key. Have a specific example for each of the dimensions.
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Feb 5, 2014 06:34
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So, I have registered to take the fsot again. I know in the past we had to give them a cc number in case we didn't show for the test so they could charge us fifty bucks. This time around, it hasn't asked me for anything, yet the fine print clearly says they will charge you if you miss your appointment. I see nothing else to fill out, and my test is coming up in less than 2 weeks. Do they not actually care anymore, or did I miss something?
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Jun 5, 2014 21:11
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I failed for the econ track. They were my strongest essays, yet.
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Sep 11, 2015 18:50
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I discovered that the boxes allow you to use bullet points (alt+7), but I'm almost positive that would be frowned upon.
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Jul 14, 2016 14:50
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