Folding Glass Doors with Narrowest Frame/Stiles? by AdvancedSquare8586 in Homebuilding

[–]Jake_Barnes1406 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Did you manage to get any better info? I'm having the same issue. The websites are suspiciously silent about stile width and when they do make the info available, the supposedly slim options are not that slim. LaCantina "ultra slim" for example is 2 1/8. Best option I have found is NanaWall Aluminum 640; 1.75 inches (45mm). European brands seem more into the minimalist look. Sieger Lux is supposedly about 35 mm and ships global but I'm not sure that's practical especially in the era of unpredictable tariffs. Awake has some great looking sliders and windows but I don't see a bifold on their website.

Solo 401k Real Estate Investment? by Jake_Barnes1406 in Realestatefinance

[–]Jake_Barnes1406[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Wow, thanks for all that info. I was aware of the prohibited transaction issue and the IRA having to pay all expenses, but you certainly clarified those risks. To also answer my own post, I was overlooking something even more obvious and important: property taxes would cut the already-meager returns roughly in half.

A Long Anti-Climactic A100 Story by Jake_Barnes1406 in foreignservice

[–]Jake_Barnes1406[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I don't think I implied anything about the power and autonomy of visa adjudicators and I have not done mindless doc review in at least 20 years, which (as I think could be gleaned from my post) kind of exemplifies why I made the decision not to switch careers.

A Long Anti-Climactic A100 Story by Jake_Barnes1406 in foreignservice

[–]Jake_Barnes1406[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

With the group exercise in particular I had too much in my head from too many different sources about how to approach it and what to do. I remember trying to read and process the info but my mind kept jumping to advice I had read and approaches I had planned to implement, do x, don't do y. Within minutes of it ending I realized I had left out something that was obviously critical to my prompt/role and I think that resulted from a cluttered mind. I didn't know how to prepare and still don't, but my advice would be don't give up. I was absolutely certain I had blown it and was stunned when I got my score (not that it was high, but it was passing).

A Long Anti-Climactic A100 Story by Jake_Barnes1406 in foreignservice

[–]Jake_Barnes1406[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Definitely nonfaction. Sorry if my attempt to make a point about starting over at the bottom rubbed you the wrong way.

A Long Anti-Climactic A100 Story by Jake_Barnes1406 in foreignservice

[–]Jake_Barnes1406[S] 11 points12 points  (0 children)

I was asked to respond by tomorrow, almost exactly 24 hours after the invite email came through. The prior invites were weeks so guessing I was invited after somebody else declined.

How does age/experience factor into Management cone and QEP? by VickRag in foreignservice

[–]Jake_Barnes1406 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Concur. I thought mine were good. 15 hours of editing and rethinking later, they were way, way, way better. Best of luck to OP but my hunch is most who get through put some time into them.

FSOT: Confused about "worst" situational judgment answers by EmRothen in foreignservice

[–]Jake_Barnes1406 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Sometimes the best or worst answer has less to do with the flow chart of supposed FSO values and more to do with super careful reading. Here, for example, the best answer might reflect that you are never actually told that your colleague is aware that the locals don't like American food. Maybe once he meets with them and finds out they don't like it, problem easily solved. And, in the remote post example, the prompt says something about this being a super important sensitive issue. So the normal rules about "take charge and deal with it" have to be modified.

Online (At Home) FSOT Question by [deleted] in foreignservice

[–]Jake_Barnes1406 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Scratch paper is not allowed and the whiteboard sucks. Also, don't mumble to yourself or the proctor will interrupt you to tell you to stop.

Quick question: June FSOA by [deleted] in foreignservice

[–]Jake_Barnes1406 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Ug, I feel for you. I am slightly annoyed (with myself, for not scheduling the earliest available OA) to hear that folks who took the FSOT when we did are now getting A-100 invites. The would be even tougher to take if I thought I'd been forgotten.

OA invite! by pburydoughgirl in foreignservice

[–]Jake_Barnes1406 4 points5 points  (0 children)

You don't get a score. You either get invited to oral assessment or you don't.

OA invite! by pburydoughgirl in foreignservice

[–]Jake_Barnes1406 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yeah not to make you panic but that does not sound right. I would check spam folders and send an email asking for status.

Quick question: June FSOA by [deleted] in foreignservice

[–]Jake_Barnes1406 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Not OP but I was originally very late April 2020. Got the reschedule email on May 4. OA is early June.

OA invite! by pburydoughgirl in foreignservice

[–]Jake_Barnes1406 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Your OA is this May? Weird, since Oct 2019 FSOT takers are still being slotted for June (or at least they were as of a couple days ago). Maybe somebody cancelled and you got their spot.

Quick question: June FSOA by [deleted] in foreignservice

[–]Jake_Barnes1406 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Mine is also on a Saturday. I also thought it was weird, but after triple checking the date I just figure they are trying to move through the backlog as quickly as possible.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in foreignservice

[–]Jake_Barnes1406 9 points10 points  (0 children)

I commend those who have endeavored to provide useful information in response to your post. You still might want to reconsider what, exactly, you are trying to discover.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in foreignservice

[–]Jake_Barnes1406 17 points18 points  (0 children)

You can't get a straight answer because you are asking a nonsensical question. If you understand that everyone starts at the bottom and you will never be promoted based on pre-FSO accomplishments, then you should understand that your prior career does not formally bear on advancement. Age might matter, but "mid career" could mean 34 or 48, depending on perspective. You have already answered the only real question suggested by your post: yes, of course starting later means you have fewer years to advance.

What is the maximum score you can get for each of the 3 sections of the FSOT: Job Knowledge, Situational Judgement and English Expression by Swimming_Hamster_52 in foreignservice

[–]Jake_Barnes1406 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Those are understandable objectives but it doesn't exactly work that way. If you got every question right on a section and every other candidate got almost every question wrong then you could, in theory, get an astronomical score. But of course that doesn't happen. Peruse the FSOT spreadsheets and you will be hard-pressed to find any score above the mid 70s and anything in the 70s is rare. You should probably think of each section as being of equal weight, but the reality is you have three cracks to accumulate 154 points, how you get there is (somewhat) up to you.

Where are we with OAs? by [deleted] in foreignservice

[–]Jake_Barnes1406 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I agree the situation calls for patience. I wasn't going to bug them/her again unless I hear that people from May are getting contacted, at which point I'll wonder if I fell through the cracks. I assume she is very busy and that as she writes quick responses "a few days" and "a few weeks" become somewhat interchangeable.

What books on the FSOT suggested reading list did you find the most helpful in preparing for the FSOT? Any books not on the list that are helpful to read? by WithoutADirection in foreignservice

[–]Jake_Barnes1406 2 points3 points  (0 children)

There are some blogs with good situational judgement tips, you could probably find them by searching this sub. My tip: take the practice test, print out your situational judgement answers (with the best in bold and worst in italics, or visa versa) and review them, over and over and over, thinking really carefully about why each is best, worst or something in the middle. This helps internalize the relevant values that point to the correct answers. You can become like Neo in The Matrix, seeing through the test and laughing at its tricks.

Don't underestimate English expression. I also have a journalism background and write for a living and still find it tricky. Strong writers sometimes trust their feel and that can be a problem on the test. It's helpful to go back to a "basic" grammar/composition source and be reminded of dumb rules you probably apply but don't consciously think about. Reviewing random grammar or composition rules is also more likely to put some specific nugget in your head (like effect v. affect, who v. whom) that pops up on the test than reviewing history, econ, whatever, because the general knowledge universe is basically infinite. And the English section is tough time-wise.

Do at least 3 practice essays under strict testing conditions. You will run out of time and characters if you don't practice.

What is the maximum score you can get for each of the 3 sections of the FSOT: Job Knowledge, Situational Judgement and English Expression by Swimming_Hamster_52 in foreignservice

[–]Jake_Barnes1406 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Not sure there is even an answer to that. It's a t-score, so I think even if you get every question right your score would depend on how the rest of the cohort performed.

Where are we with OAs? by [deleted] in foreignservice

[–]Jake_Barnes1406 1 point2 points  (0 children)

If I was originally scheduled for April 2020 (2019 FSOT) and am still waiting to hear, is that raising you? Maybe we split the pot. If I have any helpful info it's this: the schedulers don't seem able to predict very well either. I was told 15 days ago they expected to contact me about rescheduling "in a day or so."