Foreign Service Officer: ORAL ASSESSMENT STUDY GUIDE

Project costs: The Embassy's total cost is $75,000. The host government would contribute
$10,000. Total cost: $85,000.
2. The Structured Interview
All candidates participate individually in a Structured Interview conducted by two assessors. For
this portion of the Oral Assessment, assessors will have reviewed portions of the candidate’s
ACT Application Form, stated career track preference, and Statement of Interest. Candidates are
expected to respond to questions based on their personal background, experience, and
motivation. Assessors will NOT have read the personal narratives (PNs) candidates submitted as
part of the earlier QEP process, so candidates should not hesitate to use experiences already
described in their PNs if those experiences directly answer a question from the assessors.
Candidates should be careful to respond to the questions that are asked, rather than give a
response that highlights the candidate’s qualities or resume but does not reply to the specific
question.
Candidates should expect assessors to remain stone-faced throughout the interview. They have
been instructed to not provide any clues – including non-verbal ones – about how candidates are
doing. This does not mean that assessors may not be impressed with something a candidate says
or feel empathy when a candidate is struggling – they just will not express it. During the
Structured Interview, assessors may interrupt candidates, shuffle papers, or cut short candidates’
answers. Candidates should not assume that this signals anything – either positive or negative.
The assessors may be watching the clock or may believe that they have heard all they need to on
a given subject and move on.
The Structured Interview portion of the assessment consists of three testing modules lasting
approximately one hour.
A. Experience and Motivation Interview
In this portion of the Structured Interview, the candidate should convey to the examiners a clear
and precise picture of him/herself, including personality traits, and his/her understanding of the
Foreign Service. The candidate's motivation to join the Foreign Service, education and work
experience as well as cross-cultural skills are considered. Assessors will evaluate a candidate's
potential to serve successfully as a Foreign Service Officer, including in the selected career track,
by discussing what the candidate has done with the opportunities presented to this point in his or
her life. Candidates must be succinct and persuasive in responding to the examiner's questions.
Candidates should have previously informed themselves about the Foreign Service in general,
and also about the work related to the career track they have selected.
Whenever possible and appropriate, candidates should go beyond just a “what” explanation, and
also give the “how” and “why.” Candidates should remember that they need to do more than