skobb wrote:Good luck! Big hiring going on now.

So I hear. That, and I know what to expect this time.

Forgot all about this ... 4.90 two Fridays ago, just under the 5.25 to receive a conditional offer. Passed the structured interview, didn't pass the case management or group exercises.

Feh. Looks like I'll start over again in January.

Bummer. Yeah, go ahead and give it another shot if you're still interested.

I actually only passed one of the three parts as well, but passed overall. I assume that means I passed one big and barely failed the others.

Hi Skobb,

Just had question based on your knowledge of the latest updates about foreign service hiring...I recently passed the FSOA with a 5.3 in the ECON track...given the ramping of hiring, do you think there is a decent chance I will still get hired with this score? I'm planning on taking the Spanish test in a few months as well to boost to a 5.47, so hopefully that would qualify me if my current score doesn't. Just thought I'd see if you have any input...thanks!

jd22 wrote:Hi Skobb,

Just had question based on your knowledge of the latest updates about foreign service hiring...I recently passed the FSOA with a 5.3 in the ECON track...given the ramping of hiring, do you think there is a decent chance I will still get hired with this score? I'm planning on taking the Spanish test in a few months as well to boost to a 5.47, so hopefully that would qualify me if my current score doesn't. Just thought I'd see if you have any input...thanks!

I'm not Skobb, but I've been tracking the recent hiring and can probably address your question.

A 5.3 in the Econ track is probably good enough to get the call, but perhaps not good enough to get an immediate call.

When calls for the 149th A-100 class went out (that class starts next Monday), they "cleared" the Econ register, meaning that a call went out to the person ranked dead last. They may not clear the Econ register again for the January or February classes because the register seems to be growing pretty fast this fall, and there is a slight lag between the 149th class and the 150th, because of the holidays.

Whether and when you get the call will depend on a number of factors. My guess is that if you hit the register sometime before March 2010, you'll probably get the call sometime by the summer of 2010, if not sooner. The current hiring blitz is projected to continue through the end of FY 2010, if not longer. There are classes scheduled for January, February, March, and May. The best guess is that those classes will be very large (90+) and will probably empty all of the registers by next summer. Of course, if you get the .17 for Spanish, you'll be in a much better position to get an earlier call.

Only 2 years ago, someone with a 5.3 in Econ would have had trouble getting the call. Now, most candidates with a passing Econ score will get called sooner or later. Of course, this can all change if there's a budget impasse, hiring freeze, etc.

Good luck!

Thanks Huskerdu! Very helpful response and hoping for the best!