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| General Information | Your Guide to Getting Started | Preparing to Take the Tests | | Phase 1 Testing | Phase 2 Testing | | Tips on Completing the Application for Employment (FD-140) | Desirable Weight Ranges Chart | | Closing | FBI Employment Homepage | Steps in the Special Agent Application and Selection Process There are five main steps to the selection process:
Truthfulness throughout the entire applicant
process is of utmost importance. Any intentional false statement
or willful misrepresentation will result in disqualification
for the Special Agent position. If the misrepresentation is discovered
after hiring, the employee may be subject to inquiry and suitable
administrative or disciplinary action up to and including Preliminary Application If you are interested in a career as an FBI Special Agent, the first thing to do is to read and complete the APPLICATION CHECKLIST FOR THE SPECIAL AGENT POSITION (FD-869), the short form application titled PRELIMINARY APPLICATION FOR SPECIAL AGENT POSITION (FD-646), the SPECIAL AGENT QUALIFICATIONS QUESTIONNAIRE (SAQQ) (FD-843), and the APPLICANT BACKGROUND SURVEY (FD-804). See Special Agent Employment/Vacancies, Application Process, respectively, for forms in pdf format. You may complete the actual forms. When completed, send all forms to the FBI field Office nearest you. Locations and addresses of all FBI Field Offices are listed in Special Agent Employment/Vacancies, Application Process. All applicants will be screened using the
preliminary application to determine whether or not the minimum
qualifications outlined in Chapter 1 have been met. The Applicant
Background Survey is used to obtain demographic information so
that the FBI can provide summary demographic information in compliance
with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's annual reporting
requirements. The information supplied on the FD-804 is not used
in any way in selecting applicants for further processing and
appointment. All applicants will receive consideration and equal
treatment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin,
age,
You will be informed of your standing upon review of your application and other forms. If you are not considered competitive at that time, a letter will be sent to you indicating this. If you are considered competitive for further processing, you will be notified by the Applicant Coordinator from the FBI field office nearest you. Based on the needs of the FBI, you may be scheduled for a particular date, time, and location to take the Phase I tests. The Applicant Coordinator is your point-of-contact throughout the applicant process. It is inappropriate to contact any other FBI official without specific direction by the Applicant Coordinator in the FBI field offices nearest you. Phase I Testing The first phase of the testing process consists of a battery of three tests: Biodata Inventory, Cognitive Ability Test, and the Situational Judgment Test. These are all paper-and-pencil tests and are described in more detail in Chapter 4 of this booklet. After taking these tests, you will be notified in writing within 30 days whether you have passed or failed Phase I testing. If you pass Phase I, you will be asked to submit within 10 days the more lengthy application which is described next. If you do not pass, you might be eligible for a one-time retest. (See Retest Policy, page 20.) Application for Employment If you pass Phase I testing, you will be notified by letter and asked to submit a detailed application by a specific date. This application is titled Application for Employment (FD-140). The FD-140 application must be completed fully in order to be considered further. Failure to fully and accurately complete the entire application will result in the delay or discontinuation of the processing of your application. ( See Tips on Completing the FD-140, page 31.) Once the completed FD-140 is received,
your qualifications will once again be reviewed to determine
your competitiveness. Only the most competitive applicants, based
on the hiring needs of the FBI, will be scheduled for Phase II
which is described below. You will be notified of this by your
Applicant Coordinator. If selected, you will be scheduled for
a particular date, time, and location to take Phase II. Phase II Testing The second phase of the testing process consists of a structured interview and a written exercise. Performance on these tests will be evaluated by FBI Special Agents who will serve as assessors. The Special Agent Assessors receive no application or background information on the applicants and, therefore, know nothing about them at the time of the interviews. If you do not pass Phase II testing, you will receive a letter notifying you of such and alerting you that you might be eligible for a one-time retest. (See Retest Policy, page 30.) If you pass the second phase of tests, you will be sent a letter saying that you passed. You may also receive a conditional letter of appointment (see the Final Screening Process below), dependent upon the determination of your competitiveness and the needs of the FBI. However, the final offer of employment will be contingent upon successful completion of the final screening process. Special Agent applicants who are being scheduled for Phase II testing must be available for employment within 90 days of the date of Phase II testing. They must also be willing to accept a two-weeks' notice to report to New Agents' Class (NAC) upon successfully completing the final stages of the applicant process. An exception to this policy has been granted to active-duty military applicants who may proceed through the process, and may delay their request for discharge (from the military) upon notification that they have passed Phase II testing and the polygraph examination. They must also accept a two-weeks' notice to report to a NAC to commence subsequent to the date of their military discharge. Military applicants are prohibited from being on terminal leave upon beginning employment with the FBI. Final Screening Process The final screening process is for those applicants who pass Phase II testing. It comprises the following steps:
Conditional Letter of Appointment - This letter offers applicants who have passed both Phase I and Phase II testing a conditional appointment as a Special Agent, contingent upon budgetary limitations, authorized positions, and successful completion of a background investigation, preemployment polygraph, physical examination, and urinalysis drug test. This letter provides information regarding questions most frequently asked by applicants, e.g., questions about the nature of the background investigation and issues that may surface in it. Personnel Security Interview (PSI) - All applicants are given a PSI. This is a personal interview which encompasses questions concerning foreign travel and contacts, the extent of any drug usage, status of financial obligations, veracity of the information contained in the application, and other security issues. Information provided during the PSI is often verified through use of the polygraph examination. Polygraph Examination - Each applicant who successfully completes Phase II testing will be required to successfully complete a polygraph examination in order to continue processing. You will be notified of the date, time, and location of the polygraph test. Polygraph results are not official until they are approved by FBI Headquarters officials in Washington, D.C. This examination will focus on national
security and counterintelligence issues, whether the applicant
has ever sold illegal drugs for profit or violated the FBI guidelines
pertaining to the use of illegal drugs, and the accuracy and
completeness of the Application for Employment (FD-140). Applicants
who do not fall within acceptable parameters for any of these
areas of the polygraph examination will be disqualified. Further,
applicants who do not provide full information pertaining to
drug usage/sales or do not meet the criteria of the drug policy
for employment will be disqualified. For more information, see
the Employment Drug Policy found Drug Testing - All applicants in the final screening will be given a urinalysis to test for illegal drug usage. Background Investigation - All applicants in this stage will be afforded a full field background investigation that includes credit and criminal checks; interviews of associates; contacts with personal and business references; interviews of past and current employers and neighbors; and verification of birth, citizenship, and educational achievements. It will routinely encompass your entire adult life (age 18) and earlier years as necessary to fully resolve issues that arise. Information developed of a derogatory nature will be forwarded to FBI Headquarters in Washington, D.C. for adjudication. Preemployment Physical Examination - All applicants will be afforded a physical examination to determine physical suitability for the Special Agent position. Often times the Government-offered physical examination raises medical issues or conditions that require applicants to obtain additional information and/or undergo additional examination, at the applicant's expense. Failure to promptly provide the additional medical information will cause a delay, and possible deactivation, in the process. Questions regarding the applicant selection and hiring process should be directed to the Applicant Coordinator in your nearest FBI field office. Contact should be restricted to the Applicant Coordinator unless specifically and explicitly directly otherwise by the Applicant Coordinator. If you change addresses during your application process, it is imperative to inform your processing office immediately so your paperwork can be forwarded (if necessary) to the FBI field office covering your new place of residence. Test Results It is important that applicants know that they will only receive a "pass" or "fail" as a result of their Phase I and Phase II testing. The FBI utilizes a cut score for both Phase I and Phase II. That is, the applicant's test score is compared to one cut score, if the applicant's score is at or higher than the cut score, he or she passes that phase of testing. If the applicant's score is below the cut score, he or she fails that phase of testing. Phase I and Phase II each have one set cut score that is applied uniformly to all applicants. In a pass/fail system, the numerical score provides no useful information as to how an applicant ranks among other applicants. Nor can the total score provide meaningful information regarding strengths or weaknesses an applicant showed in testing. Due to the enormous volume of testing, issues of security, and other practical reasons, the FBI does not provide applicants with their specific numeric scores nor with areas of deficiency or strength. This is FBI policy and an inquiry will not result in additional information on your performance. FBI Academy If you successfully complete all of the above steps, you will join a class with other new Special Agent trainees for 16 weeks of intensive training at one of the world's finest law enforcement training facilities, the FBI Academy at Quantico, Virginia. During training at the Academy, you will study a wide variety of academic and investigative topics and also receive intensive training in physical fitness, defensive tactics, practical application exercises, and the use of firearms. You must successfully pass all training requirements for the Special Agent position to graduate. |
