Foreign Service Officer: ORAL ASSESSMENT STUDY GUIDE

INSTRUCTIONS TO THE CANDIDATE
Group Exercise - Kuman
In this exercise candidates are asked to serve on a working group to decide on which special
projects the Embassy will support. Candidates are tasked with:
1. Preparing an oral presentation of the special project proposal described in the materials
provided;
2. Making an oral presentation of up to five minutes to the working group composed of
him/herself and other candidates;
3. Listening critically to other candidates' presentations; and
4. During the discussion/decision-making phase, reaching consensus with working group
colleagues on which proposals will be recommended.
In the initial review/preparation phase, candidates will have 20 minutes to review materials and
prepare their individual presentation.
In the next phase, the examiners will enter the room and instruct the group to begin individual
presentations. For practice purposes, candidates should begin their presentations as soon as the
20 minutes of preparation is over and time each presentation so it does not exceed the five
minute limit.
After all the individual presentations are finished, the examiners will give further instructions for
the third and final phase of this exercise: the discussion and decision-making phase. This is the
time for advocacy and for comparison and evaluation of competing projects. For practice
purposes, for the discussion phase candidates should allow no more than four minutes multiplied
by the number of participants.