A Foreign Service Officer is basically a diplomat who represents his country overseas.

Ang hirap ng
selection process nito. Mayroon siyang 5 steps. Just this year, sa first step palang, 25 kaming nag take
sa CAR at 3 lang ang pumasa. Agasem that. may 4 steps pang ipapasa yung tatlong passers.
Sasalain pa sila. The best of the best, ika nga. Last year, out of 700 na takers, 38 lang ang natanggap
as cadets.
Based sa pag iistalk ko sa mga pumasa, either they are majors in International Law or they are
lawyers themselves. Eh ako, international lawlaw.
I applied in Manila. Yes I had to go to Manila to apply di ba. Review review, tho wala itong official
na reviewer kaya umasa ako sa tips ng mga nauna nang nag take nito. My additional reviewer is in
the photo.
The exam was in Baguio. February. I was there the night before para makapagpahinga at para hindi
ako ma late sa exam. I was not emotionally prepared that time. Katatapos ko lang din i-hurdle yung
compre exams sa masters that day. Samahan mo pa ng petty quarrels at mga taong may doubts sa
‘yo. “Qualified ka ba? Kaya mo ba?” But I did not blame anyone. My emotion is my
responsibility.
In short, I did not have high hopes about the exam. Sabi ko kung pumasa, pagbubutihan ko sa step 2.
Pag hindi, sana walang ma-depress. At least nasubukan ko.
At ayun na nga. I met some takers. One is a filipino priest from Canada. One is a Senior High School
Teacher in East Timor. One is a business woman. Hindi rin sila pumasa
The test is 160 items good for 3 hours and 5 mins. So for each question you only have 1 minute and a
few seconds to read, analyze, solve, and shade your answer. In short, the exam is NOT designed to be
finished! Hahahaha wala kang time mag stretch stretch. Sagot kung sagot. Shade nang shade
sabay dasal. Ang supervisors, mismong RD at ARD ng Civil Service Commission CAR. Havey.
Ang scope: numerical, analytical, verbal, and managerial abilities. Mukhang madali pero sasabog ulo
mo sa hirap samahan pa ng undertime pressure.
So ayun nga. Di ako pumasa. It is by far the most difficult qualifying exam I ever took. Pagkakuha
ng result after 45 days, Nalungkot ng mga 15 mins. Nag DABDA ng mga 30 mins, nag move on.
Whatever, di ba? Excelsior.

THIS IS A SAMPLE PROBLEM from the FOREIGN SERVICE EXAMINATION held last
February. An exam that I can proudly say I failed! Hahahaha

Out of 25 examinees from CAR, only 3 passed. Last year, out of 700+ examinees, only 38 were
accepted as cadets. Can you answer the problem correctly? Winners get bragging rights.
HERE WE GO:
A 10-week lawn contract, beginning on a Monday and ending on a Sunday has the following
provisions.
The lawn will be mowed every Saturday unless it rains on a Monday or Wednesday, in which case it
will be mowed twice a week, on Thursday and Saturday.
The lawn will never be mowed on any day that it rains.
The lawn will be fertilized on the third, fifth, eighth, and tenth Saturday regardless of the weather.
The lawn will be weeded three days after each rain but not on the day when it rains. Should it rain on
scheduled weeding day, the weeding will be completely cancelled.
The lawn will never be weeded and fertilized on the same day. If the weeding and fertilizing are
scheduled on the same day, weeding will be rescheduled on the following day.
During the term of the contract, it rained on the third, sixth, and ninth Monday; the first, fifth, and
ninth Wednesday, the fifth Thursday, the fifth Saturday and the fifth Sunday. Assume that all
provisions of the contract were honored.
1. How many times was the lawn mowed?
a. 10
b. 11
c. 12
d. 13
e. 14
2. How many times will it be weeded?
a. 4
b. 5
c. 6
d. 7
e. 8
3. On how many Saturdays was the lawn care performed on the lawn?
a. 6
b. 7
c. 8
d. 9
e. 10
4. On how many Thursdays was the lawn weeded?
a. 2
b. 3
c. 4
d. 5
e. 6
5. How many times was the lawn weeded or mowed on the same day?
a. 2
b. 3
c. 4
d. 5
e. 6

Ano ang foreign language mo? Study world history, UN treaties, diplomatic and consular practices,
economic indicators, PH history (past and current events), PH tourism, etc.
Sa orals naman, panel yan.
Asking personal views on certain situations either global or national issues in relation to PH.