A Long Road Ahead

So on October 10, 2009, I took the Foreign Service Officer Test (FSOT).

For those of you who don't know, the FSOT is one of many steps in becoming an FSO. The process is long and rigorous (That's What She Said). For example, here is what must happen before a person gets to be an FSO:

1. Register for the FSOT (lengthy application)
2. Schedule a date/location for the FSOT
3. Take the FSOT

If you pass:

1. Write the Personal Narratives
2. Qualitative Evaluation Panel

If you pass:

1. Schedule Oral Assessment date/location
2. Take the Oral Assessment

If you pass:

1. Medical Clearance
2. Security Clearance
3. Final Suitability Review

If you pass:

1. Register
2. THE CALL to A-100

As you can see, there are a lot of steps. Thousands of people take the FSOT every year (something like 30,000), and only a few hundred ever become FSOs. This process takes anywhere from 9 to 18 months, and it only has a general success rate of 2 or 3%. It's not easy! The scary thing is, some people make it to the Register, but if their name isn't called within a certain number of months, they have to start over from the very beginning. I soooo do not want to be one of those people if I get that far. That would be a nightmarish scenario.

Anyway, that's a brief overview of the process. I'll write a lot more about it as time goes on, since the FS is the big ambition in my life right now.

And for the record, I found out a week ago that I passed the FSOT! I am now writing my personal narratives to submit to the QEP (due November 17, 2009).