CliffsTestPrep Foreign Service Officer Exam: Preparation for the Written Exam and the Oral Assessment [Paperback]

Fred N. Grayson (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0764596462 | ISBN-13: 978-0764596469 | Publication Date: October 14, 2005 | Edition: 1

Your guide to passing the Foreign Service Officer Exam

Why CliffsTestPrep Guides?

Go with the name you know and trust

Get the information you need--fast!

Written by test prep specialists

Introduction
* Review of how the exam is organized, along with answers to frequently asked questions


Part I: Written Exam: The Job Knowledge Test
* Descriptions of the five general career track knowledge areas--management, consular, economic, political, and public diplomacy
* Question-and-answer subject review chapters for the eight job topic areas, along with mini-tests after each subject review
* A sample Job Knowledge test with complete answers and explanations


Part II: Written Exam: The English Expression Test
* Grammar and usage review
* Two sample English Expression tests with complete answers and explanations


Part III: Written Exam: The Biographic Information Questionnaire
* General information on this section of the exam, plus helpful sample questions


Part IV: Written Exam: Written Essay
* Overview of the Written Essay portion of the exam, plus sample essay topics for practice
* Direction on how to effectively prewrite, outline, organize, edit, and revise your essay


Part V: Oral Assessment
* Overview of the Oral Assessment portion of the exam and the categories in which you'll be assessed


Test Prep Essentials from the Experts at CliffsNotes?

An American BookWorks Corporation Project

Contributors: Deborah Barrett, PhD; Elaine Bender, MA; Phillip Gay, PhD; Freddy Lee, PhD; Val Limburg, PhD; Tandy McConnell, PhD; Edward Miller, PhD; Deborah Grayson Riegel, MA; Sharon Saronson, MFA, MA; Brice Sloan, BA; Jonathan Weber, BA; Mark Weinfeld, MA

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Your guide to passing the Foreign Service Officer Exam

Why CliffsTestPrep Guides?

Go with the name you know and trust

Get the information you need—fast!

Written by test prep specialists

Introduction

• Review of how the exam is organized, along with answers to frequently asked questions

Part I: Written Exam: The Job Knowledge Test

• Descriptions of the five general career track knowledge areas—management, consular, economic, political, and public diplomacy
• Question-and-answer subject review chapters for the eight job topic areas, along with mini-tests after each subject review
• A sample Job Knowledge test with complete answers and explanations

Part II: Written Exam: The English Expression Test

• Grammar and usage review
• Two sample English Expression tests with complete answers and explanations

Part III: Written Exam: The Biographic Information Questionnaire

• General information on this section of the exam, plus helpful sample questions

Part IV: Written Exam: Written Essay

• Overview of the Written Essay portion of the exam, plus sample essay topics for practice
• Direction on how to effectively prewrite, outline, organize, edit, and revise your essay

Part V: Oral Assessment

• Overview of the Oral Assessment portion of the exam and the categories in which you'll be assessed

Test Prep Essentials from the Experts at CliffsNotes®

An American BookWorks Corporation Project

Contributors: Deborah Barrett, PhD; Elaine Bender, MA; Phillip Gay, PhD; Freddy Lee, PhD; Val Limburg, PhD; Tandy McConnell, PhD; Edward Miller, PhD; Deborah Grayson Riegel, MA; Sharon Saronson, MFA, MA; Brice Sloan, BA; Jonathan Weber, BA; Mark Weinfeld, MA

About the Author

Catalytic Chemists, Organic Chemists, Chemists Working with/on Organometallics, Chemists in Industry, Libraries

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Cliffs Notes; 1 edition (October 14, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764596462
• ISBN-13: 978-0764596469
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 8.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (30 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #17,054 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #2 in Books > Education & Reference > Education > Test Guides - Careers > Civil Service
  • #29 in Books > Education & Reference > Education > Test Guides - Graduate & Professional > Professional

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

72 of 76 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Not impressed, January 8, 2006

By 

Hoke (USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: CliffsTestPrep Foreign Service Officer Exam: Preparation for the Written Exam and the Oral Assessment (Paperback)

I just received my copy of this book and I have to say I was expecting a whole lot more. It offers a pretty skimpy selection of sample questions and answers from the various subject covered by the FSO exam. Over 60 pages of this 300 page book are dedicated to grammar. This is obviously important but I have better books covering this area already. Also I can find those rules on the internet for free. I was really expecting a book that was filled with sample questions and answers. This did not have that. It does not even offer suggestions for books for further study. You think they would have at least plugged their own books, which are generally good.

I would recommend people getting a dummies guide, Idiots guide, or Cliff's guide on the covered subjects. According to this guide these would include; American History, World History and Geography, Economics, United States Society, Mathematics and Statistics, Management, Communication, and Computers.

The test is basically multiple choice and tests a person's knowledge of trivia versus in-depth knowledge of any of the subject areas.

One other thing to the Cliffs people: New Kids on the Block are in no possible way ever considered to have been a Rhythm and Blues band as you state in question 12 on page 30 of this guide. They were a bunch of pretty boys that appealed to pre-pubescent girls.

There are a few typos and factual inaccuracies in this as the other reviewer has pointed out. Since you can not really use this as a compendium of questions from prior tests it really isn't a major downfall. All in all this book is a bust get it only if you have some extra cash sitting around but don't expect it to be useful for serious study.

25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars If this book were taking a test, I'd give it a "D", February 28, 2006

By 

Charles S. Henning (China) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: CliffsTestPrep Foreign Service Officer Exam: Preparation for the Written Exam and the Oral Assessment (Paperback)

I found so many errors in this book's first few pages that I wonder if I take the test, will I have memorized a bunch of untrue information?!?!

Overall an overpriced, amateurishly edited thing I probably didn't need. I regret not going for ARCO's guide...

24 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Sparse and full of holes, the book barely did its job, April 12, 2006

By 

Antigone (Cambridge, England) - See all my reviews

This review is from: CliffsTestPrep Foreign Service Officer Exam: Preparation for the Written Exam and the Oral Assessment (Paperback)

Recently took the FSWE and I must say while I agree with the main critiques of the other posters, it really is their own fault for trusting such a source for the knowledge portion of the test. First, do not get this book if you need a refresher for the job knowledge portions of the exam. You shouldn't need a prep book for this portion anyway. There's a reason they provide a suggested reading list to you when you sign up for the exam. I'd also suggest learning the Constitution, looking at maps, and becoming an avid reader of Time and the Economist while also following a main paper like the NY Times or the Washington Post.

Finally, the English Expression portion is a whole section on the exam consisting of about 70-90 questions. I found that the Cliff's book did an excellent job in this regard and really prepared me going into the exam. I whizzed through the English portion and found many of the questions to be even easier than the ones in the Cliff's book. Here is my reason for giving the book a 3.