FSOT Exam?

[lychee02]

Hi all,

 

I am planning to take the FSOT exam in the next year or so. I am in the process of preparing for it and whatnot, so I was wondering, for those who have taken it, which study guides would you recommend? While, there are some books available, it seems like there are different ways to prep including keeping up w/ current affairs (e.g. NY Times, etc). What would you suggest are some of the best ways to prep?

 

 

[CurrentFSO]

There's a lot of good info on the FSOT at http://careers.state.gov/work/foreign-service/officer/test-process including how to take a practice test, a study guide, a reading list, etc. 

 

The best practice for the FSOT is to take the FSOT.  I'm not sure what your timeline is, but if you have time to take it twice before your grad program is up (keeping in mind you can only take it once a year and that it's likely to be at least a year between when you take the FSOT and get an offer if you make it through the selection process), it might be worth it to take it sooner rather than later just to get a sense of the exam and your strengths and weaknesses. Then, assess what you need to work on and take it again. 

 

If you don't have the time for that, then take the practice test and figure out where you need to focus your efforts based on those results.