Xavier Ateneo’s History and International Studies Department is delighted to announce that Atty Dennis B Flores passed the 2024 Foreign Service Officer (FSO) Examination.

The Foreign Service Officer (FSO) Examination is a competitive examination delivered by the Foreign Service Office through the Board of Foreign Service Examinations. As a basis for the appointment of individuals for the position of Foreign Service Officer, Class IV, the FSO Examination tests one’s knowledge about the Philippines’ economic, political, and social conditions. Candidates are expected to not just be exceptionally good in oral and written communication, but also to be ready to carry out the most essential functions of a Foreign Service Officer which involves protecting the country’s national interests.

Atty Flores went through the 5-stage FSO Examination which commenced on 28 January 2024. To qualify for the appointment, candidates must take and pass first the Qualifying Test which evaluates one’s verbal ability, analytical ability, numeral ability, and managerial ability. After the Qualifying Test, candidates need to go through the Preliminary Interview to be screened in terms of their overall potential to become a Foreign Service Officer (however, this year, this stage was removed). Successful candidates proceed to taking the Written Test which tests candidates’ knowledge on an array of subject areas such as English, Filipino, Philippine Economic, Political and Cultural Conditions, International Affairs, World History, and Foreign Language (Bahasa Indonesia, Chinese, French, German, Japanese, or Spanish). Successful candidates then need to pass the last two stages of the examination which includes a Psychological Test and an Oral Test measuring one’s logical thinking, values and attitudes. Previous professional experiences are also taken into consideration in the deliberations.

After the series of tests, Atty Flores emerged as one of the 14 candidates who went on to successfully pass the examination. There were roughly 700 individuals who applied for the 2024 FSO Examination nationwide.

Xavier Ateneo’s History and International Studies Department extends their heartfelt congratulations to Atty Flores and to the other successful candidates.

Atty Flores is an alumnus of XU’s AB International Studies program and of XU’s School of Law. He is currently a Faculty Member of Xavier Ateneo’s History and International Studies. He handles courses on International Law (IS 26), Contemporary Middle East (IS 41), Philippine Foreign Relations (IS 33), International Norms (IS 22) and Law-Related Studies (ED SS 14).

Once again, congratulations to Atty. Flores on this remarkable achievement.

To know more about the 2024 Foreign Service Officers (FSO) Examination, please visit :https://dfa.gov.ph/images/2023/BFSE/announcement/Announcement_2024_FSOE-Qualifying_Test.pdf