State Department Announces Changes to the Foreign Service Entry Process
Office of the Spokesperson
To meet the Secretary’s goals to modernize American diplomacy, win the competition for talent, and ensure that all applicants can present a full picture of their individual qualifications, the Department of State is announcing improvements to the Foreign Service selection process. The Department is moving away from the Foreign Service Officer Test (FSOT) as a pass/fail gateway test and expanding focus on a candidate’s education and experience for a more holistic approach in the selection process.
Starting with June 2022 FSOT test takers, all candidates will proceed to the Qualification Evaluations Panel (QEP) where their performance on the FSOT will be one factor taken into consideration along with the Personal Narratives submitted during the registration process. Combined scores from the FSOT and the Qualification Evaluations Panel (QEP) – which reviews each candidate’s work history, education, experience, and six brief written narratives based on FS core precepts – will give the Department a more balanced view of candidates who will be selected for the next phase of the selection process, the Foreign Service Oral Assessment (FSOA).
This is the most significant change to the Foreign Service Selection process since 1930. We anticipate that this change will result in identifying a more qualified pool of candidates.
For further information about the Foreign Service selection process, contact your regional Diplomat-in-Residence, which you can find at https://careers.state.gov/c
