To prepare for the FSOT, the Department of State recommends you have a broad academic foundation, intellectual curiosity, and good writing skills.

The Department offers a number of helpful resources including a Foreign Service Officer Test practice exam found on our Careers.state.gov site
as well as a Suggested Reading List on our Careers.state.gov website.

Candidates seeking information about positions at the U.S. Department of State may wish to contact the Diplomat in Residence responsible for their geographic area. Full information on the Diplomats in Residence Program, including contact details, is available under the Connect Tab

The FSOT will still factor into the decision of whether to advance a candidate to the Foreign Service Officer Assessment (FSOA). However, the FSOT will no longer be a pass/fail gateway test.

Rather, we will give all candidates the opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge, skills, and abilities via their responses to Personal Narrative prompts and their professional experience.

These responses, in addition to their FSOT score, will determine who gets invited to the FSOA Assessment.

The FSOT will still factor into the decision of whether to advance a candidate to the Foreign Service Officer  Assessment (FSOA). However, the FSOT will no longer be a pass/fail gateway test.

Rather, we will give all candidates the opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge, skills, and abilities via their responses to Personal Narrative prompts and their professional experience.

These responses, in addition to their FSOT score, will determine who gets invited to the FSOA.

Assuming no serious security or medical issues arise, candidates who take the Foreign Service Officer Test can expect that the minimum time from the test date to placement on the register will be about eighteen months, but it can be months longer. Timing for Foreign Service Specialist positions is similar but varies by category. Offers to those on the hiring register will depend on budget and hiring authority for the Foreign Service Generalist and Specialist positions. 

The Department of State’s Careers website has comprehensive information about each career track.  Candidates seeking additional information may wish to contact the Diplomat in Residence responsible for their geographic area (full information on the Diplomats in Residence Program, including contact details, is available on the Careers website).

For information about the FSOT and FSOA dates and deadlines, please visit the Test Information and Selection Process page, and choose Step 2: Apply for the Foreign Service Officer Test, and Step 5: Take the Foreign Service Assessment.

The FSOT is administered by PearsonVue. You can find answers to your questions about the FSOT at PearsonVue’s website or at their Frequently Asked Questions page.