Candidates forwarded by the qualifications process are invited to Washington, D.C. at their own expense to the Foreign Service Assessment Center to participate in an Oral Assessment. Some specialties may also be offered the chance to test in other domestic U.S. locations.
You are evaluated solely against the 12 dimensions by trained examiners. When you come to the Oral Assessment, you will be asked to read and sign the following forms pertaining to the conditions for taking the Oral Assessment and conditions of employment in the Foreign Service. If you are not willing to abide by these conditions, you should not schedule an Oral Assessment.
All Consular Fellow oral assessments share common elements and are judged according to the same dimensions, but there are some differences in the exam according to specialty. These differences are greatest between Diplomatic Security and non-Diplomatic Security positions. While we list below some of the elements found in all the oral assessments, candidates should consult the Information Guide linked above to see the specific details regarding the assessment for their specialty.
Writing Exercise
Candidates will be presented a hypothetical problem set in a workplace environment related to the candidate’s area of specialization. The candidate will be required to write a two-page memo outlining how to solve the problem presented. The candidate will have 45 minutes for the writing exercise. He/she will have a computer available to use, but may write the essay or memo in longhand.
Structured Interview
The interview will be conducted by two examiners, a Foreign Service generalist and a Foreign Service specialist or generalist working in your field. The candidate will be asked about his/her motivation for joining the Foreign Service and about background experiences that might be relevant to their work as a Consular Adjudicator. The interviewer will ask questions in the candidate’s field and provide hypothetical workplace problems to resolve. Candidates are expected to use common sense and good judgment and to make assumptions they believe are appropriate in responding to the hypothetical situations.
Exit Interview
The examiners will inform all candidates on the day of their assessment whether or not they reached the cut-off score which will enable the U.S. Department of State to continue the candidacy. If the candidate reaches the cut-off score, the examiners will brief him/her on the next steps in the pre-employment process.
What to bring to the Assessment Center
It is essential that you visit the Download Center for a list of what you should prepare and bring to the CA/LNA Oral Assessment (pdf). In addition to valid U.S. state or federal government-issued photo identification, you will need to bring various completed forms to show or submit if you pass the Oral Assessment. Some of the release forms must be signed by your spouse or estranged spouse, co-habitant, or fiancé(e).
All candidates must receive medical and security clearances in order to be hired.
Medical Clearance
Many Foreign Service posts are located in remote areas with extremely limited medical support; therefore, each candidate must meet appropriate medical standards in order to qualify for the required medical clearance for the post or posts of their assignment. A medical clearance determination by the Office of Medical Services is based on its thorough review of each candidate’s medical history and physical examination, including an individual assessment of his/her specific medical needs and the medical capabilities of the Foreign Service post or posts at which the candidate will serve to meet those needs.
After receiving a conditional offer of employment, each candidate is provided with the necessary examination forms (with instructions) to give to the examining health care practitioner (MD, DO, NP, PA). An authorization for the Department of State to pay for the examination will be provided. Candidates who live within 50 miles of Washington, DC must schedule their medical exams at the State Department’s Office of Medical Services. Those who live more than 50 miles from Washington may have them done by their own physician or at the State Department. Children under the age of six must be seen by their own pediatrician, regardless of location.
Regardless of who administers the medical clearance exam, the Department’s Office of Medical Services determines the candidate’s medical clearance for the post or posts of assignment.
Posts of assignment may feature extreme isolation in terms of limitations on reliable air service in and out of the country, unreliable Internet and telecommunications connections, and/or unreliable postal and delivery systems. Any of these limited services can have a severe adverse impact in terms of both bringing in required medical services and/or supplies, and/or permitting timely medical evacuations. Other infrastructure at such a post might also be inadequate. There might be a poor or negligible public health system, poor sanitation, unreliable electricity, and/or a lack of potable water. There might also be infectious and communicable diseases, such as malaria, dengue fever, typhoid, tuberculosis, rabies, encephalitis and gastrointestinal diseases. There might be no health unit at the post and next to no local medical facilities. The emergency room, for example, might be completely inadequate, without ventilators, defibrillators, x-ray capabilities, etc. There often would be no blood bank or medical supplies or medications available locally. Due to political instability, security could be a concern.
Candidates should be aware that these posts are not few in number nor confined to a specific geographic region. Also, there are numerous other posts where conditions appear similar to that of the U.S. but which also feature some of these restrictive characteristics.
While the candidate must be medically cleared for service at the post or posts of assignment, the Department of State does not consider the medical condition of eligible family members for employment purposes. State does, however, require that each eligible family member have a medical clearance for the post of assignment before they can travel overseas at U.S. Government expense when accompanying an employee on assignment.
For more information on medical clearances, please visit the Frequently Asked Questions page, or visit the Forums.
Security Clearance
Candidates who pass the Oral Assessment must apply for the security clearance required for appointment to the Foreign Service. A comprehensive background investigation, conducted by the U.S. Department of State in cooperation with other federal, state, and local agencies, will provide the information necessary to determine a candidate’s suitability for appointment to the Foreign Service and for a Top Secret security clearance. The process considers such factors as: failure to repay a U.S. Government-guaranteed loan or meet tax obligations; failure to register for the Selective Service; past problems with credit or bankruptcy; unsatisfactory employment records; a criminal record or other violations of the law; drug or alcohol abuse; and less than honorable discharge from the armed forces. Candidates who hold dual citizenship (pdf), have had extensive travel, education, residence and /or employment overseas, or who have foreign contacts, a foreign-born spouse, immediate family members or relatives who are not citizens of the United States, should be aware that the clearance process will take longer to complete. The background investigation includes interviews with current and previous contacts, supervisors and coworkers. Candidates who do not receive a security clearance are ineligible for appointment. Potential candidates who have any serious issues that may prevent them from receiving a clearance should give some thought to the likelihood of their being found ineligible before starting this process.