Considering my Options: U.S. Foreign Service Officer (2 of 11)

To summarize how things have been going (within the extended metaphor of a plane losing its engines): I’m now more concerned about just making it to somewhere I can land, so that I don’t have to ditch in the middle of an ocean of unemployment. I’m a strong swimmer, but there’s no telling how long I’d have to tread water before getting rescued.

So the best course of action is for me to adjust course and hope that the other engine doesn’t cut out before I’m within sight of land. And this led me to apply to the State Department to become a Foreign Service Officer. It’s the equivalent of packing my parachute.

The process to become a Foreign Service Officer is long, so I started my application the day after I was first notified of my non-selection for promotion. I took the Foreign Service Officer Test (FSOT) (formerly the FSWE…also regarded by many as the Federal government’s toughest written “smart-guy” exam) on 4 June 2011.

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There were three parts to the multiple-choice section and an essay, but you must score at least a 154 or above on the multiple-choice section before the essay is even looked at. To pass the essay section—essentially qualifying to continue the application process—requires a score of 6 or more on a 12 point scale. I scored a total 176.41!

For you FSO hopefuls that might care, the breakout was:

Job Knowledge: 63.02 

Biographic Information: 55.63

English Expression: 57.76. 

With an essay score of 8, I moved on to the next round…the Personal Narratives. So at least I know there’s a working parachute on-board.

To read my Military to Civilian Transition mini-series in chronological order, Click Here.
To read my Entering the Foreign Service mini-series in chronological order, Click Here.