Step 3: Take the Foreign Service Officer Test (FSOT)
The next step in the selection process: taking the Foreign Service Officer Test (FSOT), which is administered online at designated test centers and which will take about three hours to complete.
The test will measure your knowledge, skills and abilities, including writing skills that are necessary to the work of a Foreign Service Officer. The test includes three multiple-choice sections:
- job knowledge *,
- English expression,
- and a biographic information section that asks you to describe your work style, your manner of interacting and communicating with others, and your approach to other cultures.
* Job knowledge questions will cover a broad range of topics including but not limited to the structure and workings of the U.S. government, U.S. and world history, U.S. culture, psychology, management theory, finance and economics, and world affairs. In addition, you will be given 30 minutes to write an essay on an assigned topic.
The test will be given during eight-day windows, several times a year. Click here to see the test dates.
FSOT Step-by-Step Guide:
- Register and submit your completed Application Form.
- Wait for on-screen confirmation that your registration was complete and has been successfully submitted.
- Technical questions/issues with the registration process? Please
email ACT, Inc. at fsot@ACT.org or call (800)205-6358.
- Receive an e-mail authorizing you to make an online reservation to take the FSOT (click here to see the list of domestic test centers, and here for international test centers).
- Reserve a seat during any given test window.
Test center seats are available on a first-come, first-served basis. You must reserve at least 48 hours prior to the first day in that window (exact deadline dates will be given during reservation). Please note that the number of seats for each window is limited.
You must reserve a test seat within one year of submitting your Registration Package. Your actual test date may be later than a year after you registered, but you must have reserved your seat within the one year limit. - After you have reserved a seat, you will receive instructions on how to download your admissions letter.
- Arrive at your test center with your admissions letter and a valid government issued photo ID, such as a driver's license, passport, or military ID.
- Need to cancel or reschedule your test? You will need to cancel your seat at least 48 hours before the test date. Your admissions letter will contain information on how to do so. If you fail to provide this notification, you will be assessed a $50 fee.
- Want to re-take the test? You may take the test only once in a 11-month period. In order to re-take the FSOT, you will need to fill out the Registration Package once more. This will give you the opportunity to update your application. Should you pass the FSOT and essay, you will then submit a new, up-to-date Personal Narrative.
How do I prepare for the FSOT?
Here are a few suggestions that may help you prepare for the process.- Consider ordering the Study Guide
- Review the Suggested Reading List (42kb, PDF)
- View the Suggested Course List (19kb, PDF)
- Read Inside a U.S. Embassy, published by the American Foreign Service Association, the book takes readers inside embassies and consulates in over 50 countries, providing detailed descriptions of Foreign Service jobs and first-hand accounts of diplomacy in action.
- Read Realities of Foreign Service Life, which contain essays that cover topics ranging from children's education overseas, to the Nairobi Embassy bombing.
- The night before the test, get a good night's sleep!
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