Master the AM for Svs Off, 3/e (American Foreign Service Officer)

Okay maybe your not "dumb," but this book really exercises your general geo-political knowledge.
A little dated in the post 9-11 world, but newer versions will likely reflect a better global analysis.
The exercises are fun practice if only for improving your "trivial" knowledge.
REVIEW EVERY BOOK YOU READ, AUTHORS AND PUBLISHERS DESERVE YOUR OPINIONS!

I hadn't heard good things about this book, but given the scarcity of exam preparation guides available for the FSWE I decided it was worth a shot. I did not receive any pleasant surprises.

There is a modicum of useful information about the Foreign Service, but as a test preparation aid, which I suspect is the main reason people purchase it, it is flawed and impractical. While, I was hoping it would provide study strategies and reading recommendations that would pare down the State Department's overwhelming reading list, instead it provides just general information on the test itself, (here's a hint, if you need a chapter that explains how to fill out a civil service job application you aren't going to pass the FSWE), and a few practice tests.

As for the practice tests, I found them to be much more difficult than the real thing, (I just took it). So much so that it did more to undermine my confidence than build it. It also doesn't help that the book is poorly edited, so that when I took the practice tests I wound end up thinking I did worse than expected, until I start digging through and realizing that they answer key is full of mistakes and typos.

In Arco's defense, I will say that if you can pass their practice tests that you will definitely pass the multiple choice parts of the FSWE, but practicing this way is like running marathons to prepare for a 10k. Sure it works, but there are better ways to go about it.

Skip this book. If you want to prepare for the exam my advice is to get the $15 study guide from the State Department Website. It is a much better representation of the material you can expect to see.

I'm glad so many other people out there agree with me. Obviously little care was put into this book, which can only be a cynical way to cash in on the demand for a legit FSWE study guide.

Not only have I read elsewhere that the practice tests don't resemble the real test,
but during the practice tests, I was not only trying to find the correct answer, but also trying to figure out typos in the multiple choices offered. More than once did I get answers wrong because of poorly written questions/answers.

The people writing positive reviews must be from the publisher and have never taken the test. This was a real waste of money. The state department web site provides all the information that you really need to know and it's free.

I took the Foreign Service Written Examination (FSWE) on 24 Apr 04 and used this book as a means of preparation. I was sorely disappointed. It is not representative of the examination at all.

The sample examinations do not match the FSWE in the types or number of questions for the job knowledge or English expression sections. There are no examples of essays in the book that are required for the FSWE. Either this edition (2001) is grossly outdated or it never was representative of the FSWE. Additionally, there are numerous errors in the book, including missing multiple-choice answers and poor grammar.

The majority of the book is dedicated to information that already is available free on the State Department web site or through its free test registration booklet, such as explanations about the Foreign Service, lists and examples of forms, et al.

The only value the book provides is to ask questions that generally are related to "current" affairs (again, this edition dates to 2001) and American government. It also provides a reasonable guide to grammar, but then asks questions in the English expression section solely related to the rules it presents in the grammar guide.

The problem is that aside from a $15 online exam guide, there is no other book, to my knowledge, that claims to prepare one for the FSWE. The online version is produced by the same company that produces the examination, but it is far too brief to be of any use.

Buy either at your own risk. You're welcome to have my copies.