Prep for Foreign Service Officer exam

[MattC86]

I didn't take the test, as I didn't take enough Arabic in school. So take this with a grain of salt.

That said, my Arabic professor did teach at Monterey before coming to Cornell, and he eventually left over fights with lots of people over what he called their insistence upon testing orally in fusha rather than colloquial dialects. Of course, the argument for fusha was that colloquial varies by region, but I would be prepared for that, since otherwise they'd have to match up your dialect with the interviewer's.

That's all I can really offer.

Matt

[Abu Suleyman]

Alright, this is not necessarily the way the FS does it but there are several criteria in an oral exam for the military. I can't remember them all, but here goes.

To get a "1", you just have to be able to answer certain questions, like what is your name, and so on.

To get a "2" you should be able to do more complicated things with the language, such as give instructions, introduce yourself, tell a story, and most importantly talk about an important news item.

To get a "3" which is very good indeed, you should be able to talk about abstract concepts, like the meaning of life, or the legitimacy of torture.

I think I have mixed a few things up, but that is the general idea. In general, the instructor has an idea of where you are in the language, and will start with introductions, and lead you through a conversation, asking questions related to the level that s/he thinks you might be at. You get two tries at a higher level, and if you get that they will move up to those level questions. A longer interview is not necessarily better.

I hope that is helpful. Again, I cannot guarantee that the FSO uses the same method.

[Jedburgh]

Again, I cannot guarantee that the FSO uses the same method.

I took the FSO phone test in Arabic - and passed - last year. My experience was that the tester (native speaker - pure الفصحى) went directly from initial introductions to level 3 discussion about politics in the region. None of the incremental feeling out for capabilities like with a DLI OPI.

[Know Why]

I took the FSO phone test in Arabic - and passed - last year. My experience was that the tester (native speaker - pure الفصحى) went directly from initial introductions to level 3 discussion about politics in the region. None of the incremental feeling out for capabilities like with a DLI OPI.

I read on the State Dept website that they were looking for all versions of Arabic. I am a Level 3+ (or above, according to their language reference website) speaker in Syrian "a3meya" or Colloquial Arabic. I also read and write Arabic.
If the phone test is in "Foos-ha" or Formal Arabic, for sure I will fail.

It makes more sense to me - with their broad interest in the Arab region- that they would first ask the test-taker what their specialty is and then match an appropriate test administrator to them.

Any words of wisdom and/or encouragement now would be greatly appreciated!

[Pol-Mil FSO]

Foreign Service Institute (FSI) language tests measure speaking and reading ability, with separate numerical scores for each. For example, 3/3 is usually the grade sought after completing FSI language training and usually adequate for work purposes. I've taken walk-in tests at FSI but don't know how they would measure the reading part through a phone conversation.

I wouldn't worry too much about "passing" the test because if it is an evaluation for job candidacy purposes then the objective is to measure actual language ability. The standard Arabic language training program for State employees consists of one year of intensive language training at FSI (more properly known as NFATC - National Foreign Affairs Training Center) in Arlington, Virginia, followed by a second year of intensive training in Tunis, Tunisia. Any candidate who has the ability to skip at least part of this training should have a benefit added to their ranking, although I am not sure exactly how this process works. (And the language incentive pay for "hard language" ability takes effect immediately after an employee scores a 3/3 on the relevant language.)

[karaka]

This is great information, thanks everyone for sharing. I was looking at FSO positions last week, even though I'm in no real position to even thinking about applying until this time next year.

So, there's an upper age limit; is there an average age for FSO applicants, in ya'lls experience?

[Pol-Mil FSO]

The upper age limit is 58, I believe, although it may be a little higher, I'm not completely sure. I think the rationale is that this limit allows a person enough time to gain tenure before facing mandatory retirement at 64. (New FSOs are on a 3-4 year probation period before receiving a full commission.) Fear of age discrimination suits seems to me to be a significant factor in this limit.

There seem to be exceptions to the above rule as when I was in Indiana this summer to help train newly-hired civilians going to Afghanistan I met a new USAID FSO on a limited (5 year) career appointment. He is 67 years old and a Marine veteran who had three tours in Vietnam with the CAP program, as a battery commander, and as an advisor to the Vietnamese Marine Corps.

I don't agree with the above age limit, I think it should be at somewhere in the mid to late 40s, maybe 48. The FSO personnel system is an up or out system modeled after the U.S. Navy officer system from about 1950. Each new officer theoretically has the ability to rise in ranks to become an Ambassador (about 10% make that goal) and is given 26 years from date of entry to make it into the Senior Foreign Service ranks or face mandatory retirement. Someone who becomes an FSO at 58 is obviously not going to have a full career.

[Stan]

Alright, this is not necessarily the way the FS does it but there are several criteria in an oral exam for the military. I can't remember them all, but here goes.

In early 95 after 13 weeks of Estonian I took the FS exam in DC (vs traveling to DLI). I assure you that the telephonic portion was worthless. I received a 1+ (Estonian is a 45 week course, but I didn't have that much time in CONUS).

7 months later I took the DLI version and ended up with 2+ across the board and took the local living/working permit exam and ended up with 92%.

Turns out FSI only had a Finn and she administered my exam... LMDAO

I hope that a decade later FSI actually used a real Estonian to test Estonian language