Diplomatic Immunity Here I Come!

[GePap]

There is no studying needed for this exam:

The difficualty in getting into the political tract is in the fact that so many people who get into the service pick it, so you have a backlog of people awaiting for that position. Once you choose a tract, they wait to place you (once you are done with the progress) into it once an opening occurs; they don't move people around chosen tracts, so if you chose Political, they won't place you in a consular post, even if it is open.

The witten exam has 4 parts:

A general knowledge section where they ask you US government, US history, world history, organizational knowledge (how to run meetings, motivate individuals), knowledge of basic computer skills (what is e-mail, and I am not kidding about this type of question), US culture, and basic economics (high shcool level at best) questions.

A Basic english exam where they give you written passages and you have to correct them (multiple choice)

A personal questionare (multiple choice) that they use to ask you about life experiences, work experiences, interest in other cultures (like, how many foreign films have you seen in the last year) and asks you to judge yourself (if we ask your friends how good a problem solver you were, they would answer a) very good, b) good, c) fair... so forth and so on).

A written Essay, about 40 minutes worth of writing, ususally asking your opinion on certain policies.

[Drake Tungsten]

So, if you apply for the Political track and get put on the waitlist, you're free to do anything until you are placed, correct? If that's the case, would I be able to apply for the foreign service and then pick up a Master's while I waited for a job? That would be the best of both worlds...

Also, does more education boost your chances? I'd like to get a PhD in international relations, but I really don't want to work in academia. Would getting my PhD and then applying for the foreign service be a good idea? Would the extra education get me a better placement?

[Provost Harrison]

If you don't want to work in academia Drake, you really want to think hard whether you could stick a PhD for that length of time...

[DinoDoc]

Originally posted by Drake Tungsten
I'd like to get a PhD in international relations, but I really don't want to work in academia.

Why on earth would you even consider getting a PhD in Poli Sci if you didn't want to work in acedemia.

Boshko: What are the requirements for taking the exam?

[Drake Tungsten]

Why on earth would you even consider getting a PhD in Poli Sci if you didn't want to work in acedemia.

I'd like to do policy analysis for the government or an independent think tank. I think you need a PhD for that kind of work, at a think tank at least. You can get an analysis job with the government with a BA, but I think it limits your advancement opportunities.

[GePap]

Originally posted by DinoDoc
Why on earth would you even consider getting a PhD in Poli Sci if you didn't want to work in acedemia.

Boshko: What are the requirements for taking the exam?

Having a PhD is always nice, and it greatly increases your payscale in the Federal governermt, you can join thinktanks, as Drake suggests, and you can also think of going into the UN, or even private consulting business.

As for the test requirements:

Over 21 years of age, a US citizen. and breathing is nce too. You sign up with the sate department. they give it twice a year, in April and September.

[Bosh]

I am really missing much experience of working in groups and teams, so I think my deficiency of experience in those fields did it.

So you're saying its possible that my student activism experience helped get me a job

Good luck if you ever try the beast again...

Congrats man! So where is it that you plan on bringing the revolution to (or do you not have any choice?)?

No idea. I also still have to pass the oral assesment thingie, but apparently its not that hard for people trying to get on the Consular track...

BTW, how hard is it to get into the political track? That's what I'm thinking about applying for, so I'd appreciate any info.

Something like half of applicants try to get into Political, while it doesn't have any more job openings than any other branch so its brutally hard to get into.

organizational knowledge (how to run meetings, motivate individuals)

Some of these were very Dilbertian, to the extent that even if you didn't really know what they were saying you could generally pick the right answer fairly easily.

A written Essay, about 40 minutes worth of writing, ususally asking your opinion on certain policies.

This one was fun I went off on tariffs

Also, does more education boost your chances?

Won't help you on the test, might help you after that. Also I think you get paid a bit more.

Boshko: What are the requirements for taking the exam?

IIRC its just being 21 and a US citizen.

[Bereta_Eder]

Boshko, can you make it a bit more plain for a foreigner?

What exactly did you get in? The job?

In Greece to work for the ministry of foreign affairs you have to have a university degree, master's or PhD is a plus, know at least 3 languages fluently and take an excrusiatingly difficult exam.

What exaclty is this job?

I cant believe all they want from you to work in the states department is to be over 21 and a US citizen (or oh well another myth about the US goes crushing down )

[DinoDoc]

Originally posted by GePap
Over 21 years of age, a US citizen. and breathing is nce too. You sign up with the sate department. they give it twice a year, in April and September.

No degree requirement, or does that just go without saying?

[GePap]

Dinodoc:

Not as a prerequisite for taking the exam. They do ask your level of education during the exam, and I think you would need very good work and life experiences to overcome the lack of any degree other than a high school diploma.

Boshko:

To my shame, this is the second time I have failed it....
Took it in April, then again in September. I won't take it again until i have built up some more experience. My pride as a 99th precentile individual (in most other scantron tests) can't take another rejection. And yes, your activism shows you are the sort of motivated go getter that the Foreign service is looking for, sepcially if you had a lot of leadership roles. I guess they don't want the somewhat apathetic intellectual sorts as much

[Provost Harrison]

I got rejected by a **** interview and failing an exam. In fact it send me on an extremely severe downer which has been witnessed. So you are not alone. It took me 7 attempts to pass my driving test. Yet I am supposed to be intelligent. How can this be so?

[Bereta_Eder]

intelligent people do stupid things sometimes

also depression seems to be the realm of the intelligent and the sensitive (they seem to fall more than others in depression)

there is also the so called emotional intelligence which has nothing to do with intelligence per se (and a point where i dont particularly excel either)

[Bosh]

What exactly did you get in? The job?

Nope, not quite yet. I'm over the biggest hurdle though. Its kind of like getting a good test score but not quite being in college yet...

In Greece to work for the ministry of foreign affairs you have to have a university degree, master's or PhD is a plus, know at least 3 languages fluently and take an excrusiatingly difficult exam.

We just have the exam, but just about everyone who takes it has an exam. The three language thingie wouldn't work since all of us Americans suck at languages

No degree requirement, or does that just go without saying?

No, I don't think so.

[DinoDoc]

So, when do you plan on commiting various traffic violations and generallly being an arse to law enforcement?

[Adam Smith]

Good job Boshko.