Upholding federal laws, working alongside other government agencies, and protecting the nation from a multitude of threats– is all but a few responsibilities of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. What makes it a truly elite member of the US Intelligence Community is the agency’s high hiring process standards when it comes to the pre-employment screening procedures that it uses to select only the best job candidates for the demanding work duties that most of the agency’s job positions require.
What makes so many job seekers pursue careers in the FBI is the high level of care that this agency has for the needs of its personnel. On top of the average annual pay of up to $140,000 that comes in the form of a steady government paycheck, and the work in the nation’s elite intelligence agency being both personally and professionally rewarding, an FBI special agent can expect the following various benefits that result solely from the fact of being employed by the US Government and the Federal Bureau of Investigation:
Federal Employment Benefits Programs
(available to all federal government employees)
Special Agent Benefits Programs
(available to all FBI employees who are employed as special agents)
Other FBI Benefits Programs
(available to all FBI employees)
Time Off Benefits
(available to all FBI employees)
As you can see, the FBI comprehensive benefits plans are designed to foster health, happiness, and satisfaction among the agency’s employees and serve as a significant motivating factor for so many job seekers aspiring to be employed by the FBI, especially as the agency’s special agents.
Trying to get hired as an FBI special agent is an immensely difficult endeavor. The FBI hiring process is extremely competitive by design, and you can expect it to be especially rigorous when it comes to getting hired as a special agent for the agency. The statistics suggest that every year the FBI approves approximately 720 special agents for training at the FBI Training Academy. This number, however, amounts to only 3% of the overall number of applicants who try to become FBI special agents.
Understanding that the FBI hiring process is rigorous and highly selective, you must prepare yourself for the following challenging steps of the FBI hiring process:
The FBI Phase I Test is the first part of the FBI special agent exam. It is a fully computerized exam that is administered in a proctored environment. Within the scope of this FBI exam psychometrics, special agent job candidates undergo an accurate assessment of their aptitude across five key areas:
The FBI Phase II Test is the second part of the FBI special agent exam. It consists of two main parts: a writing-based assessment and a structured interview.
The first part is a written exam with a time limit of 90 minutes that tests your ability to apply your analytical thinking skills in preparation of various written documents routinely used by FBI special agents as part of their daily work duties – such as reports. In this section of the Phase II FBI exam, you will be given background materials to analyze and base your written report on.
The second part is a structured oral interview between you and an examination panel that is designed to further assess the skills and abilities you need to possess to succeed as an FBI special agent. Despite the interview process being adaptive, most structured interviews follow a certain logic based on common sets of questions.
Based on the situation in the following free example, pick the answer to the question that you find most suitable.
Example situation: “You are assigned as a manager to oversee a complex project that involves seven different teams. Three of these teams are on schedule to meet their set deadlines. The other four teams have fallen behind and are at risk of missing their assigned deadlines due to unforeseen staffing issues. For the project to be a success, all work must meet the set deadlines and stay on schedule.”
Question: “What action would you take to make the project a success?”
Multiple choice answers:
As you can see, the FBI entrance exam is a diverse assessment of your aptitude for the work duties that FBI special agents routinely perform as part of their jobs. How can you increase your chances of successfully passing both Phase I and Phase II of the FBI entrance exam?
Ensuring your ability to stay confident during the examination is a very potent exam preparation strategy. To gain high levels of confidence during your FBI entrance exam, you can use the help of various online FBI test prep materials, distributed by various assessment centers.
Regular practice with the sample FBI practice tests and FBI exam study guides that are rich in free examples and explanations to the most common questions and answers used in the FBI assessment tests will help you gain familiarity with the FBI written exam before even taking it.
Being able to make the most of your knowledge and skills, as you will be free from the need to fight exam-associated anxiety so common among many FBI job seekers, will allow you to successfully demonstrate that you are the right candidate for the job of an FBI special agent.
