Canadian Foreign Service Exam Sample Questions (2026), with Answers

The official pages we found do not describe one Canada-wide "foreign service exam" like the US Foreign Service Officer Test. The one program-level description we found, IRCC's Foreign Service Development Program, says eligible applicants may be invited to a written exam and individual and group interviews. Separately, the Public Service Commission (PSC) publishes its standard tests for officer-level public service jobs: the Test of Judgement (TOJ 376 online and TOJ 377 supervised) and the General Competency Test Level 2 Abridged (GCT-2A) for reasoning. The IRCC pages do not name these tests, so check the assessments listed for your own process.

Below are two original worked questions: one reasoning question in the GCT-2A format and one judgement question in the TOJ format, each with an explained answer. Neither is a question from any government test. The kit's free sample plays in a timed player further down the page, and the written exam gets practice tips rather than a sample task, because the IRCC page does not describe its format.

Public Service Commission of Canada test pages, read 1 November 2026.

Not that we could find. The US Foreign Service Officer Test is a separate US assessment; prepare for the assessments set out in your Canadian recruitment instructions instead. The Canadian official pages we read describe assessments process by process: IRCC tells applicants to review the current job poster for the most up-to-date qualifications and conditions, and federal jobs are listed on GC Jobs. When we checked on 1 November 2026, IRCC's Foreign Service Development Program apply page said the program "is not accepting new applications at this time" and that the page will be updated when the next recruitment opens.

What can be practised now are the published formats: the PSC's officer-level tests, which come with official formats and sample questions, and the assessments IRCC lists for its program. The table shows what each official page says, and where this page helps you practise it. Treat the PSC rows as tests you may meet, not as a confirmed part of any foreign service process.

For the full career picture (departments, streams, salary, how to apply), read our guide on how to become a foreign service officer in Canada. This page is about the questions.

The PSC's Understanding the Test of Judgement page explains the two ways a department can assess judgement. In two steps, applicants first take the Unsupervised Test of Judgement 376 online; only those who pass are eligible for step 2, the Supervised Test of Judgement 377 or a departmental assessment of judgement, which must happen before appointment. The department may screen further or assess other criteria before step 2. In one step, all candidates take the TOJ 377 only. In a two-step process you must pass both tests, and a valid earlier score on the supervised test does not let you skip step 1.

The TOJ 376 replaced the former Public Service Entrance Exam unsupervised judgement test (TOJ UIT 374) on 22 July 2025, so pages that describe the 374 (75 minutes, a top-80% pass rule) are out of date. Results come as a level: each level is a percentile band against a large sample of earlier test takers, and each department sets its own pass mark between J-02 and J-07. There is a 180-day wait before a retest, there is no penalty for guessing, and some answers earn partial marks. All of this is on the TOJ 376 page.

The GCT-2A has three question types, named on its official page: number and letter series, numerical problems (an on-screen calculator is provided; the page sets rules for personal calculators) and analytical reasoning from a short passage. Each question has five options. Here is one number series to try before you open the answer.

Want a full set? The ProSyllabus GCT2 practice test has timed sets of all three question types, including numerical problems and analytical reasoning, and our GCT2 sample questions guide explains the test in detail.

The PSC's own TOJ 376 sample question shows the format: a work situation, then response options, and for each option you choose how effective it is on a six-point scale from very ineffective to very effective. The test assesses "the judgement required for solving problems in work-related situations", and no specialised training, knowledge or experience is required. Our situation below follows that format.

Our Test of Judgement practice guide explains how to rate responses, and the PSEE exam guide explains the 376 and 377 in full.

IRCC lists "a written exam" among the assessments for its Foreign Service Development Program but does not describe its format, so we do not print a sample task here. What can be practised are the skills the official pages describe for foreign service officers: IRCC says migration foreign service officers report on international migration trends and developments and make decisions on applications. Three exercises build those skills:

Time each one (15 to 25 minutes) and set a word limit before you start: writing to a limit under time pressure is the skill, not the topic. The Foreign Service Officer 2027 Prep Pack has timed written-exam practice on invented information packs (briefing notes, recommendations, key messages), each task with a worked example.

In the PSC's own TOJ 376 sample, one response is "Speak with your supervisor immediately to address the issue quickly and implement correct procedures." A thinking aid we use: ask three questions of any response. Does it solve the problem? Does it respect the people involved? Does it fit your role? Then rate the response on its overall effectiveness and likely consequences, on its own merits rather than against the other options: each response gets its own rating, so the scale is not a ranking.

Suppose your first draft of a 90-word summary runs to about 150 words. Cut in this order: background the reader already knows, adjectives, then any fact that would not change what the reader says or decides. Keep a short phrase that shows the scale of the problem and one that says how long it may last; a long list of causes can usually shrink to a few words.

Read these with this page: the PSEE exam explained (Test of Judgement 376 and 377), Test of Judgement practice with explained answers, and how to become a foreign service officer in Canada.