Checked 9 November 2026. The 2026 Global Affairs Canada FS-01 poster (page modified 5 November 2026) gives a window for the written exam, not a date or a format. GAC contacts candidates directly; if your invitation says something different from this page, follow your invitation.
The 2026 Foreign Service Officer campaign at Global Affairs Canada (GAC) closed at 23:59 Pacific Time on 9 November 2026. The next assessment after prescreening is the Canada foreign service exam step the poster calls a written exam, "scheduled for mid-to-late January 2027". Passing prescreening does not guarantee an invitation: the poster says the manager may limit how many candidates go further, and that only people selected for further consideration will be contacted. The poster then lists a simulation exercise and an interview, in person on the same day and expected in March and April 2027, and a second language evaluation.
This page covers only the written exam: what the GC Jobs poster EXT26J-179609-000011 confirms, what it leaves out, what an earlier GAC campaign in 2021 used, one original briefing-note task with a model answer, and a 4-week plan. Everything else about the job (eligibility, pay scales, the IRCC route) is in our Foreign Service Officer guide.
ProSyllabus is an independent study site. It is not part of Global Affairs Canada or the Public Service Commission of Canada. The briefing-note task, the model answer and the rewrite example on this page are original ProSyllabus practice material, written by us about an invented country; they are not Global Affairs Canada exam content.
GC Jobs poster EXT26J-179609-000011, read 9 November 2026.
What the 2026 poster confirms about the written exam
The poster is short on the exam itself. These are the lines that matter, in the order the poster gives them.
| Item | What the poster says |
|---|---|
| Is there a written exam? | Yes. The assessment steps are prescreening, written exam, simulation exercise, interview and second language evaluation. |
| When | "The written exam is scheduled for mid-to-late January 2027." No exact date. |
| What comes after | The simulation exercise and interview, in person on the same day; full-day assessments expected in March and April 2027, applicants were asked to select the city where they would like to be assessed. |
| Writing ability being sought | "Ability to share information in writing in a clear, logical and concise manner." (Listed under abilities, "applied / assessed at a later date".) |
| Competencies | Judgement and Critical Thinking; Resilience and Adaptability; Integrity and Respect; Partnerships, Networking and Relationships; Autonomy; Self-awareness; Digital Literacy. |
| Experiences in the essentials | Collaborating with others while managing multiple priorities and deadlines; analyzing and synthetizing information from various sources; working with and presenting data. |
| Your emails count | "All communications with candidates throughout the entirety of this selection process may be used to evaluate candidates on any of the essential qualifications, abilities and competencies required for this role." |
| How many go forward | The subdelegated manager "may determine the number of candidates to be retained for further assessment" using methods such as a top-down approach or the application of selected asset qualifications. |
| Who is contacted | "Only the people selected for further consideration will be contacted." No notification timetable is given. |
| Accommodation | Contact the hiring organization if you need accommodation during any phase of the evaluation process; accommodation information "will be kept confidential". |
| AI use | An AI-assisted tool may transcribe spoken responses during interviews or presentations; "Assessors, not the tool, make all decisions; no automated scoring or screening will occur." Nothing is said about AI in the written exam. |
| Contact | Human Resources Operational Services - Rotational non-EX staffing Operations (HOSP), FS-01.2026.HOSP@international.gc.ca. |
Two things follow from this. First, the poster does not say which qualifications the written exam measures: it lists the abilities and competencies as assessed "at a later date" and says "all qualifications could be assessed throughout the process". Second, because the manager may limit progression with a top-down approach or selected asset qualifications, meeting a minimum may not be enough to go further; the poster gives no written-exam pass mark and does not specify how these selection methods will be applied.
What the poster does not say
Treat each of these as unknown unless GAC tells you otherwise in your own invitation. The right-hand column is our advice.
| Question | Status | What to do now |
|---|---|---|
| Exact date and time | Not on the poster. Only "mid-to-late January 2027". | Keep the second half of January free and check your GC Jobs account and the email address you applied with, including spam, regularly. |
| Setting and supervision: at home or in person | Not on the poster. (It says the simulation and interview are in person; it says nothing about the written exam's setting.) | Practise both ways: typing in a plain editor with a timer, and writing to a time limit without notes. |
| Length and timing | Not on the poster. | Train at more than one length: a 45-minute single task and a 2-hour block with two or three tasks. |
| Question types | Not on the poster. It does not say whether the exam includes a briefing note, an essay, data analysis, multiple choice or another task. | Cover written analysis of a short information pack, a recommendation, and judgement scenarios. |
| Whether a Public Service Commission test (Test of Judgement, GCT2) is part of it | Not stated. The 2026 poster names no PSC test. | Do not assume it is; judgement practice is still useful for the "Judgement and Critical Thinking" competency. |
| Language | The poster does not say. | Under <a href="https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/p-33.01/page-3.html" rel="nofollow noopener" style="color:#255a45;font-weight:600">section 37(1) of the Public Service Employment Act</a>, an examination that is not a language test is conducted in English or French or both, at the candidate's option. Write in the language you are strongest in. |
| Pass mark, scoring and feedback | Not on the poster. | Prepare to do as well as you can, not just to clear a minimum (see the top-down point above). |
FreeTests: Analytical thinking
Canada Test of Judgement Practice: free sample
Answer 4 questions against the clock, like the real exam. You then see the right answer, the reason and your time on each. About 7 minutes · free · no sign-in.
4 questions to answer
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Where the written exam sits in the 2026-27 process
| Nov 2026 | Dec 2026 | Jan 2027 | Feb 2027 | Mar 2027 | Apr 2027 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Applications | closed 9 Nov | |||||
| Prescreening | not dated | not dated | ||||
| Written exam | mid-to-late | |||||
| Simulation + interview | expected | expected |
Dark = a date or window the poster gives. Light = our assumption: the poster gives no date for prescreening, so we show it between the close and the written exam.
Source: GC Jobs poster EXT26J-179609-000011. The second language evaluation is listed as a step but not dated.
From the 9 November close to mid-January is roughly nine to ten weeks, including the December holidays. Our 4-week plan below fits inside that and finishes before mid-January.
The 2021 precedent: the PSEE, Test of Reasoning and Test of Judgement
For comparison, the 2021 GAC Post-Secondary Recruitment poster for FS-01 said applicants "will be required to successfully write the Public service entrance exam (PSEE) which includes the Test of Reasoning (TOR) and the Test of Judgment (TOJ)", with the link sent by email later. The two posters describe assessment differently: 2021 names the PSEE and its parts, while 2026 names a written exam without saying what it contains.
| Point | 2021 campaign | 2026 campaign |
|---|---|---|
| Poster | Post-Secondary Recruitment, EXT21J-023877-000003, closed 17 November 2021 | External FS-01, EXT26J-179609-000011, closed 9 November 2026 |
| Positions | 100 | 45 (30 indeterminate, 15 ab initio) |
| Streams | Entry into one of the four streams | De-streamed onboarding, then alignment with one stream |
| Test named on the poster | PSEE: Test of Reasoning + Test of Judgment; an online test | A "written exam"; no PSC test named |
| Competencies | International core competencies (for example Judgment within a Global Context, Intercultural Proficiency) plus Analytical Thinking and Reasoning and others | The seven listed above, including Judgement and Critical Thinking and Digital Literacy |
| Writing ability | No matching line in the 2021 poster text we read | "Ability to share information in writing in a clear, logical and concise manner" |
What this tells you: GAC changed the step names and the competency list between campaigns, so the 2021 tests are a guide to the kind of thinking GAC valued, not a preview of January 2027. The Public Service Commission's Test of Judgement page describes it as a tool "used for staffing officer-level positions in the public service": the Unsupervised Test of Judgement 376 is step 1 of a 2-step assessment, and the Supervised Test of Judgement 377 is used alone or as step 2. None of that establishes its use in the 2026 campaign. Our PSEE exam guide explains both formats, and Test of Judgement practice has free explained scenarios. Use them to train judgement; do not expect the same items in the written exam.
What a strong written answer looks like
The poster lists clear, logical and concise writing and Judgement and Critical Thinking among the qualifications, but does not say which ones the written exam assesses. For a short policy or briefing task, our advice is:
- The answer first. Put the recommendation or the main finding in the first two lines. A reader who stops there should know what you want them to do.
- Only what the reader needs. Use the facts from the material that change the decision, with the numbers that matter. Leave out the rest, however interesting.
- Your own arithmetic, shown. If the material has figures, work out the one or two that decide the question (a cost per unit, a gap, a percentage) and say how you got them.
- Options weighed, not listed. Give each option a one-line reason for or against, then choose one.
- Risks and conditions. Name the main risk of your recommendation and what would reduce it.
- Within the word limit. If a limit is given, going over it is a failure to follow the instruction. Count before you submit.
- Plain, neutral language. Short sentences, no slogans, no personal opinion about the government's policy.
Our advice on good practice, not a published GAC marking scheme.
Practice task: a 300-word briefing note (original ProSyllabus material)
Set a timer for 40 minutes: 10 to read and plan, 25 to write, 5 to check. Write your own note before you read the model answer. The country, the project and every figure are invented by us for practice.
Information pack (invented scenario): school meals in the Republic of Corvania
You are a policy officer at headquarters. Canada funds a school-meals project in northern Corvania through a partner organization. Your Director General (DG) wants a briefing note by 16:00 today.
| Item 1 | The project runs for 3 years, budget $6.0 million, and ends on 31 March 2027. It feeds children in 600 primary schools. |
| Item 2 | Rainfall since June has been 40% below average. Corvania has declared 3 of the project's districts drought-affected; 350 of the 600 schools are in those districts. |
| Item 3 | In the 120 schools that ran out of food in October, attendance fell from 91% to 78%. |
| Item 4 | The partner asks Canada for a 12-month extension of the whole project at $2.4 million. |
| Item 5 | Corvania passed a national school-feeding law in September. It commits the government to fund school meals from 2028. The education minister has publicly asked donors to "bridge the gap" until then. |
| Item 6 | The regional program has $1.5 million uncommitted in 2027-28. A 2025 evaluation rated the project's delivery satisfactory but found weak monitoring in 2 districts. |
Task. Write a briefing note of no more than 300 words to the DG recommending how Canada should respond to the partner's request. Consider these options: A fund the full $2.4 million; B fund a 12-month extension in the drought-affected districts only, within the $1.5 million; C decline and refer the partner to humanitarian funding channels.
Original ProSyllabus practice task; the format is our choice, not a published GAC exam format.
Model answer (original ProSyllabus material)
BRIEFING NOTE FOR THE DIRECTOR GENERAL: Corvania school-meals extension
Purpose. To recommend a response to the partner's request for a 12-month, $2.4 million extension.
Recommendation. Approve option B in principle: a 12-month extension for the 350 schools in the three drought-affected districts, up to $1.5 million, subject to a costed proposal and two conditions.
Background. The three-year, $6.0 million project serves 600 schools and ends on 31 March 2027. Rainfall since June is 40% below average. In the 120 schools that ran out of food in October, attendance fell from 91% to 78%.
Costs. Assuming equal costs per school, $2.4 million ÷ 600 = $4,000 per school for 12 months. On that basis, 350 schools would cost about $1.4 million, leaving about $0.1 million of the $1.5 million uncommitted. Actual costs must be confirmed.
Options. A covers all 600 schools but exceeds the available $1.5 million by $0.9 million, so another funding source would be needed. B targets the drought-affected districts within budget. C avoids a new commitment, but the pack does not show that humanitarian funding is available.
Considerations. Corvania's September law commits the government to fund school meals from 2028, and the minister has asked donors to bridge the gap. A one-year targeted extension responds to that request while limiting Canada's commitment.
Risks. B leaves 250 schools out of this extension; their meals after March 2027 are uncertain. The 2025 evaluation found weak monitoring in two districts. The pack gives no handover arrangements.
Conditions. (1) The partner fixes monitoring in the two weak districts before extension funds are disbursed. (2) The partner and the education ministry agree a written handover plan to the national program.
Next steps. With your approval, we will request the costed proposal this week.
Model answer written by ProSyllabus for practice, about 290 words including its title. Arithmetic, on the stated assumption of equal costs per school: $2.4m ÷ 600 = $4,000; 350 × $4,000 = $1.4m; $1.5m − $1.4m = $0.1m; $2.4m − $1.5m = $0.9m; 600 − 350 = 250. Our own sums from the invented pack, not GAC figures.
Our commentary on the model answer
- It puts the recommendation straight after the purpose, before the background. Our advice: never save it for the end.
- It shows one estimate and its assumption. The cost per school shows how option B could fit the $1.5 million, and the note says the estimate rests on equal costs per school and must be confirmed.
- It uses Item 5 to explain why a time-limited bridge is reasonable, while noting that the pack gives no handover arrangements.
- It names the downside. 250 schools are outside this extension. Saying so shows judgement.
- It turns the evaluation into a condition instead of a reason to refuse.
- It stays under the limit, title included. A note over the stated limit has not followed the instruction.
Our commentary on our own practice task.
FreeTests: Analytical thinking
Canada Test of Judgement Practice: free sample
Answer 4 questions against the clock, like the real exam. You then see the right answer, the reason and your time on each. About 7 minutes · free · no sign-in.
4 questions to answer
Start nowabout 7 minThis one is free · no sign-in needed
Your result shows how long each question took you.
Writing concisely: one before-and-after rewrite
The poster asks for writing that is clear, logical and concise. Our advice is to practise removing words that add no meaning and replacing vague phrases with the facts you have. Here is an original example: a vague draft sentence about the invented pack above, rewritten with the pack's figures.
Before (63 words)
It is important to note that, in light of the fact that some schools ran out of food in October, there has been what could be described as a significant decrease in the levels of attendance in those particular schools, which is something that may potentially have an impact on the outcomes of the school meals project in the period that lies ahead.
After (24 words)
Attendance fell from 91% to 78% in the 120 schools that ran out of food in October, which puts the project's results at risk.
Original ProSyllabus example. What changed: the vague phrases ("some schools", "a significant decrease") became the figures from the pack; "it is important to note that" and "may potentially" went; the sentence ends on the consequence.
A 4-week plan for the January written exam
This plan assumes the exam falls in mid-to-late January 2027, as the poster says, and that you start in the week of 14 December 2026. If your invitation gives an earlier date, compress weeks 1 and 2 into one. Hours are our suggestion for someone working or studying full time.
| Week | Focus | Tasks | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1: 14 to 20 Dec | Baseline and structure | Do the briefing-note task above under time, then compare with the model answer. Learn one note structure (purpose, recommendation, background, considerations, options, risks, next steps) until you can write it from memory. Do 10 Test of Judgement scenarios to warm up your judgement reasoning. | 6 |
| 2: 21 to 27 Dec | Short information packs | Two timed notes on packs you build from real public sources (a GAC news release, a Statistics Canada table): one paragraph of facts, one recommendation. Practise the one decisive sum in each. Cut every draft by 20% after writing it. | 6 |
| 3: 28 Dec to 3 Jan | Data and longer tasks | One 2-hour block with two tasks back to back. Write a 150-word summary of a table or chart. Review the seven poster competencies and note where your notes showed judgement and where they only described. | 8 |
| 4: 4 to 10 Jan | Full rehearsal | Two timed practice sessions in conditions we chose (one typed, one without notes); the real conditions are not on the poster and may differ. Fix your three most common errors. Plan for both an online and a travel setting; check your invitation for instructions about location, equipment, identification and permitted materials, and ask the hiring contact about anything unclear. | 8 |
| From 11 Jan | Keep warm | One short timed note every two or three days until your exam. Sleep well the night before; read the invitation instructions twice. | 2 to 3 a week |
Our suggestion: 28 hours across the four weeks, then 2 to 3 hours a week until your exam. Not a GAC recommendation.
Before the day: invitation, setting and accommodation
Because the poster does not give the setting, our advice is to prepare for the practical side early:
- Read every email from the process carefully and answer it well. The poster says all communications "may be used to evaluate candidates" on the qualifications. Any reply may be used in the assessment, so write each one carefully.
- Check your GC Jobs account and the email address you applied with, including the spam folder, regularly throughout the process. The poster says only people selected for further consideration will be contacted.
- Ask for accommodation early if you need it. The poster invites you to contact the hiring organization (HOSP, FS-01.2026.HOSP@international.gc.ca) about accommodation during any phase of the evaluation process. The poster says accommodation information will be kept confidential. Ask as soon as you receive an invitation, not on the day.
- Choose your language. Section 37(1) of the Public Service Employment Act lets you be examined in English or French or both, except where the exam tests language proficiency. The second language evaluation is a separate, later step; the poster says candidates who meet everything except the language requirement may be hired ab initio, with up to 52 weeks of paid full-time language training at 80% of the FS-01 salary.
- Have two setups ready. A quiet room with a reliable connection for an online exam, and a plan to travel if it turns out to be supervised in a centre.
Common mistakes
- Assuming it is the old PSEE. The 2021 poster named the Test of Reasoning and the Test of Judgment; the 2026 poster does not. Prepare for written work as well as tests.
- Writing an essay when a decision is asked for. If a task asks what to do, the first lines should say what to do.
- Ignoring the numbers. The essentials include "working with and presenting data". A note that skips the figures in the material wastes the evidence.
- Running over the limit. Concise is in the poster's own words.
- Taking a political side. The poster asks whether you are willing to advance the positions of the government in office. Analyse; do not campaign.
- Leaving prep until January. The window starts in mid-January and the holidays come first.
After the written exam: simulation exercise and interview
The poster says the simulation exercise and the interview will be held in person on the same day, as full-day assessments expected in March and April 2027; applicants were asked to select the city where they would like to be assessed. It does not describe either one. Our Foreign Service Officer guide covers those steps, the competencies and the pay scales; for the wider routes into the profession, see how to become a diplomat in Canada. Canadian foreign service exam sample questions has more original practice in reasoning, judgement and written tasks.
FreeTests: Analytical thinking
Canada Test of Judgement Practice: free sample
Answer 4 questions against the clock, like the real exam. You then see the right answer, the reason and your time on each. About 7 minutes · free · no sign-in.
4 questions to answer
Start nowabout 7 minThis one is free · no sign-in needed
Your result shows how long each question took you.
Frequently asked questions
When is the Foreign Service Officer written exam in 2027?
The 2026 Global Affairs Canada FS-01 poster says the written exam is scheduled for mid-to-late January 2027. It gives no exact date, and it says only people selected for further consideration will be contacted.
What is on the Global Affairs Canada written exam?
The poster does not give the content or format. It asks for the ability to share information in writing in a clear, logical and concise manner and lists seven competencies, including Judgement and Critical Thinking, but does not say which ones the written exam measures.
Is the Canada foreign service exam the PSEE?
The 2026 poster does not say so. The 2021 GAC Post-Secondary Recruitment poster required the Public Service Entrance Exam (Test of Reasoning and Test of Judgment); the 2026 poster names a written exam and no Public Service Commission test.
Is the written exam online or in person?
The poster does not say. It says only that the later simulation exercise and interview are in person on the same day. Our advice is to prepare for either an at-home or an in-person exam.
Can I write the exam in French?
The poster does not address it, but section 37(1) of the Public Service Employment Act says an examination that is not a language test is conducted in English or French or both, at the candidate's option.
How long should I prepare for the FSO written exam?
Our 4-week plan of about 28 hours, starting in the week of 14 December 2026, finishes before mid-January. Start earlier if you have never written a briefing note.
Is there a pass mark?
The poster gives none. It says the manager may decide how many candidates go further using methods such as a top-down approach or selected asset qualifications, so meeting a minimum may not guarantee progression; it gives no written-exam pass mark or weighting and does not specify how these selection methods will be applied.
What comes after the written exam?
For candidates selected to continue: a simulation exercise and an interview, in person on the same day, expected in March and April 2027. The poster also lists a second language evaluation.
Our independent Foreign Service practice bundle
The Test of Judgement + GCT2 + Foreign Service Guide bundle has three parts: original Test of Judgement practice with every option explained; a GCT2 practice test; and a Foreign Service competition pack with invented written tasks (information packs with briefing-note and recommendation tasks) and original simulation and interview exercises informed by the 2026 poster's qualifications and competencies. All of it is written by us, not GAC or PSC material, and its formats are our choice: they do not show the formats used in this campaign. The 2026 poster does not name the Test of Judgement or the GCT2 as an assessment, and it does not describe the written exam's content.
Independent practice, not affiliated with Global Affairs Canada or the Public Service Commission of Canada.
See the Foreign Service bundleMore in this series
Sources
- official — GC Jobs: Foreign Service Officer, Global Affairs Canada, FS-01, reference EXT26J-179609-000011 (closed 9 November 2026; page modified 5 November 2026, read 9 November 2026)
- official — GC Jobs: Foreign Service Officer - Post-Secondary Recruitment, Global Affairs Canada, FS-01, reference EXT21J-023877-000003 (closed 17 November 2021)
- official — Public Service Commission of Canada: Understanding the Test of Judgement (page dated 22 July 2025, read 1 November 2026)
- official — Justice Laws: Public Service Employment Act, section 37 (language of examination; current to 19 October 2026)
official = a document published by the conducting body. reported = a news or coaching site we could not check against an original. Where sources disagree this page says so rather than picking one.
