Free Online FSOT Practice Test

Free Online FSOT Practice Test

Below is our free online FSOT practice test which was designed by a previous Foreign Service Officer.

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100%-85% This is a superb score showing your ability to do well on this basic practice test. However, you'll want to make sure you have a good grasp of every test section and its contents to maintain this level of achievement during the real FSOT 70% - 84% This score range shows you definitely have some knowledge, but also have some gaps to work on. Spending time with more in-depth practice material is a great way to improve on this score range. 55% - 69% While you have some ability to answer these types of questions, you have major gaps in your knowledge which absolutely must be addressed before taking the real test. <55% It's imperative you study and practice as much as possible before the real test. This score range shows a lot of room for improvement, so identifying which areas need the most work is crucial.

BEST RECOMMENDATION

The Complete FSOT Study Guide

Incredible value for money considering it is the most comprehensive and useful FSOT guide on the market. The author of the guide has been an FSO and graded FSOTs. As a result, the book is absolutely jam packed with valuable information on the FSOT which simply can't be found anywhere else online. Easily the best way to improve your score.

Buy from amazon

Although your score on this pretest is by no means a guaranteed representation of what you should expect when taking the official FSOT exam, it is, however, a strong indication of where you lie in your FSO study program. Once finished with our pretest, we recommend that you follow the below steps so as to improve your score and help guarantee you a position as a Foreign Service Officer.

How to Improve you FSOT Score

If we were to just take the advice of the State Department, then you would be in line to read of 100,000's of pages from textbooks and spend an extra year or two enrolling in specialized courses that would go above and beyond college level programs. However, no one has that kind of time or money, and must, therefore, perform study "triage." It is for this reason alone that your best bet in maximizing your study efficiency and effectiveness is through an FSOT Study Guide. The below guides will not "teach" you the subject matter, but help to give you tips and test secrets so as to help steer your studies. Each one has been vetted by myself and my colleagues and comes with our highest recommendation:


#1. The Complete FSOT Study Guide

The Complete FSOT Study Guide: Practice Tests and Test Preparation Guide for the Written Exam and Oral Assessment
  • Amazon Kindle Edition
  • Clark, Robert (Author)
  • English (Publication Language)
  • 212 Pages - 01/30/2016 (Publication Date)

The Complete FSOT Study Guide is by far my #1 choice.  For starters, it is the only I feel was written by an FSO.  You can get great inside information from the author on not only how to prepare but also how to respond.  Also, the practice test is decent and is probably a better representation of the questions you'll see on the real test.  For most of the other FSOT practice tests that other book offer, they seemed too easy and would potentially give a false sense of security.

One caveat I have though is that this one is a bit outdated.  Robert Clark talks about a section that is no longer in the exam.  However, this isn't really a problem since there are still some excellent recommendations that can be used in the

So, this gets my #1 because of its cost, the fact that it is was written by a FSO, I felt provided real concrete recommendations and had a representative FSOT practice test.

#2. FSOT Exam Prep 2020-2021

Sale
FSOT Exam Prep 2020-2021: A Study Guide with 400 Test Questions and Answer Explanations for the Foreign Service Officer Test (2 Full Practice Tests)
  • Foreign Service Test Team, Newstone (Author)
  • English (Publication Language)
  • 312 Pages - 01/18/2020 (Publication Date) - Newstone Testprep (Publisher)

The FSOT Exam Prep 2020-2021 gets second because of two things.  First, its not offered as an ebook but only a physical book.  Second it's written by a group called Newstone Foreign Service Test Team. I've been in the industry for years and have never heard of them.  Furthermore, doing a Google search, I can't find them anywhere.  This therefore leads me to believe that it is a made up group and that it's probably a self-publisher who isn't a FSO.

Normally I would completely walk away from this sort of book.  However, I still gave it a try and bought it so as to test it.  It gets second and even a mention because I loved that it had two full practice tests in it.  They were a bit too easy and could give false confidence, however, it did serve as a great reminder of the extent of the test's scope.

It's recommendations and test taking prep work was very basic though.  I feel like they used general test taking practices and put it in this book.  There was nothing specific to an FSO's process.

So, in the end, I'd recommend that you get the Complete FSOT (our #1) first, and if you want more FSOT practice test questions, then also get the FSOT Exam Prep.

#3.FSOT Study Guide Review

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Just like the the FSOT Exam Prep (#2), the FSOT Study Guide Review seems to be made by a self-publisher, and not an FSO.   The author name (not publisher) is "Test Prep Books."  Looking at their other books it is clear that they make a mass amount of study guides in the industry, and judging by what shoppers have said, they are not a top standard in the industry.

Furthermore, many previous buyers question some of what other shoppers have said.  Now, at first I really didn't want to check it out based on these things.  However, I still picked it up and it has some good points.  It discussed the exam very well, and did have a large amount of practice test questions - however, again, on the easy side.

In the end though, I'd only recommend purchasing the Complete FSOT Study Guide, and perhaps the FSOT Exam Prep if you wanted more questions to practice on.


FSOT Practice Tests that are NOT Worth Your Time

Sadly, there are a lot of practice tests out there that aren't worth your time or your money.   Here is a couple that we have found that you should avoid if possible.

  1. FSOT Flashcard Study System: Not worth it and not very helpful
  2. FSOT Practice Questions: This too is a waste and not worth it
  3. CliffsTestPrep Foreign Service Officer Exam: Wasn't a complete cover of all the subjects
  4. FSOT Secrets Study Guide:  This is a sham and useless - stay away
  5. Mometrix FSOT STudy Guide 2020 and 2021: Usually a good company, but this one falls flat
  6. ADAR Review FSOT Study Guide: This is a sham as well and should be avoided
  7. FSOT Flash Cards:  Hahaha....don't get me started.  Just the cover is enough to know

More Resources:

Here are some more resources and areas to find information on the test and subsequence test questions you can practice on:

How to Use our FSOT Practice Test

While you were taking our FSOT Practice test, you probably noticed certain categories for each question. That is because the most important result you can look for in taking a pretest is the categorical result and not just the final score. By knowing your lowest categorical score, you can discover which area you are weakest on and can hopefully structure your studies so as to improve in that category. Furthermore, you can access our recommendations on top free and paid materials in each section and can hopefully prepare yourself adequately. Once you feel as though you are prepared again and have taken our recommendations for that category, then you should take another one of our practice tests.

When Taking an FSOT Practice Test, Keep This In Mind

When taking the above practice quiz or any of the Study Guide tests, make sure that you keep the following in mind:

  • Remember that during the real test, you'll have time limits
  • Keep pace and don't get bogged down
  • You won't have notes with you so remove them and all distractions
  • Once done, go back and look at the type of questions you made the most mistakes

Although no FSOT practice quiz can ultimately prepare you for the test, no matter how many you take.  However, what does help is learning from your mistakes and using your time wisely as you prepare for the next step in your FSO selection process.

A Couple of Free Practice Exams

However, there are some free ones out there that if you haven't checked, then you definitely should.  I've tested each of these can say that each was carefully crafted and worth the free price as well as a couple of minutes (or hours) that it would take to finish them:

  1. The Official State Practice Test
  2. DOS Career and Practice Test App

Contact Us

Our FSOT Practice test was designed for you, so if you see anything or would like any more information, please let us know by either contacting us or by posting on our message board below.

7 Comments

  1. Sumanth
    November 15, 2017 at 04:04
    Reply

    So from the practice test the following categories is what I gathered – Economics, World and US History, World and US Geography and Management. Are there additional categories. Your recommended study guides.. do they actually give material to read or do they indicate journals/books to refer ?

  2. Tirsolino
    July 7, 2019 at 18:44
    Reply

    Hi,
    I’m looking for study materials and practice exam for the foreign service specialist test. I’m focusing on the GSO career track. Any information that you may provide is appreciated. Thx.

  3. Stanislas
    August 31, 2019 at 20:34
    Reply

    Thanks for building this website and providing this information. It’s been a boon so far. I do have to disagree with your suggestion however that people go out and get a Masters in International Relations or something related, especially if it’s just to become a foreign service officer. Speaking to many who’ve gone down that path, I can tell you it’s fraught with heartache. Those degrees are ripoffs and if you really want one, your best bet is to wait until you’ve passed the test and become an FSO and get the government to pay for the degree.

  4. Dr. A Chun-Lin
    July 7, 2020 at 17:57
    Reply

    There are errors in the spelling and consistency of Ahkbar Shah Durrani, Guangzhou, Tsao Tsao (should be Cao Cao if you are using standardized Pinyin).

    • aaliyaan
      September 28, 2020 at 02:59
      Reply

      But we prefer Traditional considering 😉

  5. Jeromy
    September 28, 2020 at 00:47
    Reply

    I ordered the FSOT prep and paid the money, but never received it.

    • aaliyaan
      September 28, 2020 at 02:56
      Reply

      First off, we don’t have a FSOT Prep guide ourselves. But, I’m guessing you bought it from Amazon…so contact them about why they didn’t send you your product or why it didn’t reach your house.

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