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Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) Diplomatic Service Selection Syllabus
Selection process for entry into the UK Diplomatic Service and Foreign Office careers, including the Diplomatic and Development Fast Stream.. The complete Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) Diplomatic Service Selection outline — 7 subjects, 27 chapters and 93 topics — laid out so you can see exactly what has to be covered and tick each item off as you go.
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) Diplomatic Service Selection subjects
Each subject below has its own page with the full chapter → topic → sub-topic tree and a set of real exam-style flashcards.
3 chapters · 12 topics · 26 sub-topics
Success Profiles and Civil Service Assessment4 chapters · 13 topics · 28 sub-topics
Diplomatic Skills and Tradecraft4 chapters · 14 topics · 28 sub-topics
International Relations and Global Affairs4 chapters · 15 topics · 30 sub-topics
UK Foreign, Security and Development Policy4 chapters · 14 topics · 28 sub-topics
Consular, Crisis and Operational Delivery4 chapters · 13 topics · 26 sub-topics
Civil Service Ethics, Governance and Professional Conduct4 chapters · 12 topics · 24 sub-topics
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) Diplomatic Service Selection flashcard decks
353 question-and-answer cards across 7 decks, written against this syllabus. Preview any deck free.
- The FCDO, the Diplomatic Service and the Fast Stream Pathway — 50 cards
- Success Profiles and Civil Service Assessment — 50 cards
- Diplomatic Skills and Tradecraft — 50 cards
- International Relations and Global Affairs — 51 cards
- UK Foreign, Security and Development Policy — 52 cards
- Consular, Crisis and Operational Delivery — 50 cards
- Civil Service Ethics, Governance and Professional Conduct — 50 cards
How to work through the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) Diplomatic Service Selection syllabus
The outline on this page is arranged the way the syllabus itself is: subject, then chapter, then topic, then sub-topic. That last level is what most study plans skip, and it is where coverage actually goes wrong — a chapter marked "done" often has three sub-topics inside it that were never touched.
Weight your plan accordingly: International Relations and Global Affairs carries 15 topics while Civil Service Ethics, Governance and Professional Conduct carries 12. Giving both the same number of weeks is the most common planning mistake for Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) Diplomatic Service Selection.
The ~110 hour estimate above is a first pass only: roughly 45 minutes per topic plus 12 minutes per sub-topic. Revision cycles, past papers and mocks sit on top of that number.
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) Diplomatic Service Selection syllabus FAQ
What subjects are in the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) Diplomatic Service Selection syllabus?
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) Diplomatic Service Selection covers 7 subjects: The FCDO, the Diplomatic Service and the Fast Stream Pathway, Success Profiles and Civil Service Assessment, Diplomatic Skills and Tradecraft, International Relations and Global Affairs, UK Foreign, Security and Development Policy, Consular, Crisis and Operational Delivery and Civil Service Ethics, Governance and Professional Conduct. Together they contain 27 chapters and 93 named topics.
How many topics does the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) Diplomatic Service Selection syllabus contain?
The full Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) Diplomatic Service Selection outline breaks down into 27 chapters, 93 topics and 190 sub-topics. International Relations and Global Affairs is the largest single subject with 15 topics across 4 chapters.
How long does it take to cover the whole Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) Diplomatic Service Selection syllabus?
Roughly 110 hours for one full pass. That estimate allows about 45 minutes per topic plus 12 minutes per sub-topic, so it is first-pass coverage — revision, past papers and mock tests sit on top of it. At 3 hours a day that is about 5 weeks.
Are there Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) Diplomatic Service Selection flashcards?
Yes — 353 question-and-answer flashcards across 7 decks, one per subject, written against this syllabus. A sample of every deck is readable on this site for free, and the complete decks are in the Examius app.
Is this Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) Diplomatic Service Selection syllabus free to use?
Yes. Every page here is free to read, and importing the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) Diplomatic Service Selection syllabus into the Examius app to tick off topics as you finish them is free too, in United Kingdom and everywhere else. No account is needed to start.
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