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As someone who recently went through the Foreign Service application process (and without going over NDA), here is some general advice for prepping for the FSOT and FSOA. FSOT: 1.) Sign up for the yahoo group. Go through the files there. Seriously, do this. 2.) There are many 'resource' sites online for the FSOT. Most of them are crap. Just so you know, some of the best prep materials you can have for the general knowledge section are: An AP Econ prep book, An AP Government Prep Book, the FSOT official study guide, Some sort of Geography study aids, Wikipedia. You'll here "Broad but not deep" a lot to describe this section. Keeping up with a regular news magazine like newsweek or the economist is a good idea as well. 3.) For the Bio section, best advice is to be honest and consistent in your answers. Don't waste too much time on the short answers, just fill in something quick and to the point, then move on. Don't feel bad about reusing answers either. 4.) The English expression section is pretty basic stuff for a native English speaker. Read the study guide, maybe use some online English sources on sections you have problems with. 5.) For the 30 minute essay, straight and to the point. 5 paragraphs. You're not expected to write Shakespeare in this time so just address the prompt. Don't cite outside knowledge unless you know what you're doing. QEP: There is a lot of mystery about this section, but the one thing thats for sure is put some effort into those personal narratives. There is a very handy file on the yahoo group about writing effective KSAs. Follow it like its gospel. FSOA: No matter what you may tell yourself beforehand, this thing will be harder than you expect. The yahoo group and the practice exercises are helpful, but are really only useful to get a general idea of what to expect. The real thing will be much more comprehensive, much longer, and much harder. For the group exercise, do concentrate on giving a tight, solid presentation. Make sure to cover all major points and stay objective. During the discussion, speak up but don't try to dominate the floor either. Helping the group reach a consensus is key here. Partial funding options are good for helping to settle disputes and create a stronger overall proposal. The structured interview is pretty much like any other job interview you might expect, with the exception of adding in some extra hypothetical scenarios. Know your own background and resume well, and come up with good answers for anything noteworthy. The Case Management exercise is hard, very hard. Very few people pass it. The case file will be huge, and 90 minutes all too short. Just remember your solution does not necessarily have to be the best one, but FOLLOW THE PROMPT. Also, make sure to use some sort of quantitative analysis. Most of this advice has been repeated many times on the yahoo group, but still merits repeating. Seriously, it's a great resource and is also a great place to meet other people you can talk to about the process and form study groups for the various sections. 
Natural Ice fucked around with this message at 08:13 on Aug 9, 2009 |
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Aug 9, 2009 06:20
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TCD posted:So, are you in a A100 class yet? I didn't pass my OA unfortunately. I passed the GE and SI, but failed the CM pretty badly. It has been pretty demoralizing getting so far and still not making it, but reading through this thread made me remember why I wanted to do this in the first place and is inspiring me to get back on the horse. I just signed up for the FSOT again for this October, Consular cone. I scored pretty well on my test last time, so I'm not anticipating any problems, but you can never be too careful with this and I'll probably start hitting the books again.
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Aug 9, 2009 08:22
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So apparently they have reopened the May 2011 A-100 and I got an invite! I'll be starting A-100 in DC on May 23 under the Consular track. After years of going through this process and multiple attempts at the FSOT and 2 at the OA, it's sort of a weird feeling to finally be at this stage, but I'm excited for whats to come.
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Apr 27, 2011 05:30
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Dameius posted:Congrats, man! Would you be willing to share what your score was on the registry? Good luck with everything and hope you can transition smoothly over to State. Last I checked I was 16/205 on the Consular register around April 15. I passed the OA with a 5.3 last March and got .4 added for passing my Mandarin language test this last February. I'm stressing a little about having to retest in it once I start A-100 because I haven't been keeping up with it as much these last two months and I have a hard time keeping up with my speaking skills if I'm not constantly using it. Hopefully a few refresher courses with my tutor will be enough to make sure I don't make a fool out of myself during the extended testing. Also, thanks for all the well wishes, if anyone is in the DC area next month, we should have a meetup over drinks.
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Apr 28, 2011 00:30
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Diplomaticus posted:Hey Natural Ice you should be starting soon right? Today was my first day of A-100 actually! Still taking everything in and trying to remember everyones names. Still very pumped and looking forward to bidding and finding out where we'll end up.
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May 24, 2011 02:50
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I should be good for most nights if we can arrange it ahead of time, although I do have my off site coming up. Feel free to PM me and we can work out the details.
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Jun 3, 2011 04:46
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Diplomaticus posted:Also congrats on flag day NI! Thanks! Sorry I missed you guys yesterday, we ended up going out with the rest of my class and either congratulating some or reassuring others about their posts. As for my wife and I, we will be heading to beautiful Bangkok, Thailand next May! Thailand was near the top of our bid list and we are very excited about living and working in Southeast Asia.
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Jun 25, 2011 17:01
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Diplomaticus posted:Updating a bit of the OP. I'll be heading to Bangkok next spring. Really excited about the posting, and learning Thai has been an interesting, albeit sometimes frustrating, experience so far.
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Oct 2, 2011 15:27
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jayk posted:2 IMS and an OMS! Congrats! When are you scheduled at post? I just arrived in bkk in may and would be happy to show you around. Shoot me a pm when you get the chance.
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Aug 2, 2012 06:15
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Bloodnose posted:So are any FSOgoons touring in Guangzhou or any China post this year? I got my housing assignment today and it looks really nice. Haven't been very active in this thread, but I'll actually be heading to Guangzhou around late June. Currently finishing up mandarin language at FSI, feel free to PM me sometime and we can arrange a time to chat.
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Mar 7, 2015 02:34
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Blooregard posted:Anyone have any experience with the Meridian at Ballston Commons for housing? My family will be with me during the summer then moving back to finish out that semester of school. I'm currently staying at the Meridian and mostly chose it for the location. The metro stop is less than a block away and lots of good restaurants nearby. During the warmer months, it's a pretty comfortable walk (approx 20 min) to FSI as well. If taking the shuttle, it's the last stop on the way to school and first one back so makes for a shorter commute. If I had the choice again, though, I probably would have opted for Oakwood falls church. Falls church typically is considered the most 'family friendly' location, and they regularly have lots of activities for kids running and there's a great vietnamese shopping center right next door with a brand new asian supermarket. It's a little farther to the metro at Falls Church, but they do offer a shuttle that runs between the oakwood and the metro station. Really can't go wrong with either place, but would have liked the easy access to cheap banh mi sandwiches in retrospect.
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Apr 10, 2015 01:14
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SCRwM posted:As a second tour IMS if you have any questions feel free to let me know. I'm looking to bid on my 3rd tour this summer and looking at a job in Fiji, and would appreciate any thoughts you have on how its been there, especially after the storm. I tried to shoot you a PM but couldn't reach you. I am happy to take this off thread if you like.
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May 4, 2016 06:50
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zzonkmiles posted:I've gone over this bid list so many times and keep switching everything around. I don't know what I'm doing or where I want to go anymore. Ummm...help? 1.) Focus on what the priority you want out of your first job is versus just the location. In-cone job? want to pick up a certain language? make a list that matches your preferences. If things match what you want, high bid it. 2.) Any place that is an absolute deal breaker, low bid it 3.) mid bid everything else. Or you can just come to China, there are always jobs in China. Good luck!
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Mar 12, 2017 13:43
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Global Critter posted:How much does equity really count when it comes to bidding? For generalists at the entry level, equity matters a bit for second tour bidding in that bidders from 20%+ hardship posts get to bid and are assigned first. If you entered the service with a language service requirement, like Mandarin or Arabic, equity doesn't really come to play when getting assigned to your service requirement assignment. Because of that, some bidders try to aim for a lower hardship 1st posting since their second job is essentially 'locked in' in terms of possible options. I can't comment much on specialist bidding, but I don't think they have this same '2 tranche bidding' setup for their entry level bidders and everyone bids at the same time, regardless of equity. For mid level bidding, its all about lobbying and your corridor reputation, equity isn't really much of a factor for most decision makers.
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Mar 16, 2017 01:29
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You can often get the process started before finishing your peace corps service. Many embassies and consulates offer the initial FSOT online test at post, and you submit the QEPs electronically. The OA is still stateside, but you can fly back to take that or put that off until after your tour. The process is long and can take multiple attempts so no harm in trying earlier if you can.
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May 23, 2018 04:16
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Business of Ferrets posted:Australia is one of the USA’s five treaty allies in the Pacific and the two countries share a close relationship. Congrats!
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Oct 31, 2019 12:22
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Ah, thought it was a sly handshake announcement, hope everyone that bid this year landed somewhere nice!
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Oct 31, 2019 18:53
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Bidding is always stressful, but this year is a whole different level. I am only bidding overseas consular jobs, and with all the budget problems CA is dealing with I get the extra fun of wondering if language will still be funded or if the job will still even exist by the time I'm supposed to get there. Fully expecting to not get anything and bid again on whatever is left after November.
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Sep 24, 2020 12:13
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Things played out as I expected on my end. Didn't end up as BLC for any of my bids, and consular bidders let me know that even the 'low bid' posts i've added have all already been accounted for. Basically been told to just wait until after handshake day and see what's left. RIP me.
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Oct 27, 2020 16:56
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Natural Ice posted:Things played out as I expected on my end. Didn't end up as BLC for any of my bids, and consular bidders let me know that even the 'low bid' posts i've added have all already been accounted for. Basically been told to just wait until after handshake day and see what's left. RIP me. Update, ended up getting a handshake for a non-consular job about a week after handshake day. Turnaround time between interview and the offer was only 4 days. Pretty happy with where I ended up, and this is two cycles in a row now where I didn't land anything during the normal bid cycle. I should really learn my lesson and only start seriously thinking about bids sometime around November 1st instead of stressing for weeks about it.
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Nov 14, 2020 16:36
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Business of Ferrets posted:Never leave post with an unfinished EER.
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Apr 27, 2021 05:49
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