DFAT Graduate Program (Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Policy and Corporate streams): free practice test
DFAT graduates spend 18 months in Canberra completing four placements in either the Policy stream (bilateral relations, trade negotiations, development, international security, international law) or the Corporate stream (consular, finance, HR, ICT, security, passports), with training from the Diplomatic Academy. Selection runs from an online application through psychometric and behavioural assessment, a one-way video interview and an assessment centre with an interview, group activity and written test, to a merit pool. Graduates start at APS 4 (A$84,115 for 2027) and move to APS 5 (A$92,753) on completion, and must hold a Negative Vetting Level 2 clearance.
Watch the free 4:37 video lesson: the key DFAT Graduate concepts →
Premium: 3,000 practice questions, 6 full mock exams, 800 flashcards and 60 comprehensive key notes, topic by topic. See the study path ·
- Lesson 2: DFAT's role and the two graduate streamsWhat Policy and Corporate graduates actually do across four Canberra placements.
- Lesson 3: Eligibility rules and choosing your streamCitizenship, degree window, overseas qualifications and matching your degree to a stream.
- Lesson 4: Writing the online application in your own wordsTurning experience into specific evidence, and DFAT's rules on AI and outside help.
- Lesson 5: The qualities DFAT looks for, decodedCollaboration, humility, drive, adaptability, resilience and analytical thinking with real examples.
- Lesson 6: Verbal reasoning: true, false or cannot sayPassage logic, outside-knowledge traps and foreign-policy vocabulary in context.
- Lesson 7: Numerical reasoning: percentages, rates and tablesPercentage change, budget shares, per-unit rates and multi-step chart questions.
- Lesson 8: Abstract and logical reasoning drillsSyllogisms, sequences and deductions, timed with worked solutions.
- Lesson 9: Behavioural and personality assessmentsSituational judgement items and why consistent, honest answers score best.
- Lesson 10: The one-way video interview setupCamera, light, sound, prep time and pacing for three-minute answers.
- Lesson 11: STAR answers that fit three minutesStructure, timing and trimming your examples so the result is never cut off.
- Lesson 12: The six APS Values in your answersImpartial to Stewardship, with ways to show each one in evidence.
- Lesson 13: Video interview questions and model answersWhy DFAT, ambiguity, conflict, deadlines and mistakes, with scored model answers.
- Lesson 14: Assessment centre overview and the ILSHow assessors score the interview, group and writing against leadership capabilities.
- Lesson 15: Panel interview questions and model answersMotivation, stream knowledge and behavioural questions answered to a high standard.
- Lesson 16: Knowing Australia's international prioritiesMinisters, trade partners, the region and current issues panels expect you to know.
- Lesson 17: The group activity: lead without dominatingListening, building on ideas, timekeeping and reaching a decision together.
- Lesson 18: The written test: briefs under time pressureBottom line up front, balanced evidence, plain English and proofreading.
- Lesson 19: Written test practice with marked examplesTurn foreign-policy articles into short briefs and compare with model versions.
- Lesson 20: Referee checks and the merit poolChoosing and briefing referees, and what happens while you wait for an offer.
- Lesson 21: NV2 security clearance: the full processSecurity pack, ten-year history, finances, foreign contacts and the security interview.
- Lesson 22: Disclosure, honesty and clearance pitfallsWhat vetting assesses, common delays and why concealment is the real risk.
- Lesson 23: The graduate year, APS 5 and postingsPlacements, Diplomatic Academy training and building a record for overseas postings.
Keep going after the free lesson. Every topic gets its own lesson, plus the full question bank, timed simulations and study tools.
About the DFAT Graduate exam
DFAT graduates spend 18 months in Canberra completing four placements in either the Policy stream (bilateral relations, trade negotiations, development, international security, international law) or the Corporate stream (consular, finance, HR, ICT, security, passports), with training from the Diplomatic Academy. Selection runs from an online application through psychometric and behavioural assessment, a one-way video interview and an assessment centre with an interview, group activity and written test, to a merit pool. Graduates start at APS 4 (A$84,115 for 2027) and move to APS 5 (A$92,753) on completion, and must hold a Negative Vetting Level 2 clearance.
What's on the exam
Each branch is a topic in the official outline. Members see every key fact on the full mind map. Read the free study guide →
How to pass the DFAT Graduate exam
- Choose your stream carefully: DFAT maps degrees to streams (international relations, law, economics and similar to Policy; finance, HR, ICT, communications and similar to Corporate), and you must submit a separate application to apply for both.
- DFAT says it wants drive, analytical thinking, curiosity, adaptability, collaboration, humility, accountability and resilience. Build a STAR example for each and use them across the application, video interview and assessment centre.
- Practise one-way video answers to a 3-minute limit: a one-line answer, a specific example, the result and what you learned. Running out of time mid-example is the most common mistake.
- Start preparing for the NV2 clearance now: gather 10 years of addresses, travel, employment and referee details. Honest, complete disclosure matters more than a perfect history.
Save your results and get your Readiness Score
Create a free account after the test: your score by topic, a mistakes bank, the complete study notes for the first topic, flashcards and the Hiring Process Cheat Sheet.
What's in the premium DFAT Graduate prep
Premium DFAT Graduate prep is studied one topic at a time. Each step starts with that topic's key notes and flashcard deck, then its own question sets of 25, so you master one topic before you move to the next. When every topic is strong, the 6 full mock exams show you're ready.
Your step-by-step study path
- 1The Job and Eligibility8 key notes, 100 flashcards, then 375 practice questions in 15 sets of 25Notes free with an account
- 2Online Psychometric Reasoning8 key notes, 100 flashcards, then 375 practice questions in 15 sets of 25Premium
- 3Behavioural Assessment and the Video Interview8 key notes, 100 flashcards, then 375 practice questions in 15 sets of 25Premium
- 4The Written Test8 key notes, 100 flashcards, then 375 practice questions in 15 sets of 25Premium
- 5Security Clearance (Negative Vetting Level 2)7 key notes, 100 flashcards, then 375 practice questions in 15 sets of 25Premium
- 6Assessment Centre: Interview and Group Activity7 key notes, 100 flashcards, then 375 practice questions in 15 sets of 25Premium
- 7Application Strategy and Timeline7 key notes, 100 flashcards, then 375 practice questions in 15 sets of 25Premium
- 8The Graduate Program and Overseas Postings7 key notes, 100 flashcards, then 375 practice questions in 15 sets of 25Premium
- Final step: 6 full mock exams50 questions each, timed like test day. Pass them, then book your exam.Premium
Read the complete DFAT Graduate study notes for “The Job and Eligibility”
Our first full set of comprehensive notes, about 11 minutes of reading: What DFAT does · Eligibility · Choosing a stream · What the program offers, a worked exam example, the traps examiners use and a one-minute recap. Create a free account to read it and see how premium notes work before you decide.
Study tools included
3,000 practice questions
3,000 exam-style questions per exam, organized topic by topic in sets of 25. Every answer explained, with the rule it comes from.
6 full mock exams
6 full-length timed mock exams per exam, with real question counts and time limits, so test day feels like practice day.
Exam Readiness Score
One 0 to 100 number that tells you when you're ready to book. Reach 80 and you're covered by our Pass Guarantee.
800 flashcards + spaced repetition
800 flashcards per exam, in a deck for each topic, that come back right before you'd forget them. Five minutes a day keeps every number fresh.
60 comprehensive key notes
60 key notes per exam, split across its topics and each explained in full: the concepts, worked exam examples, the traps examiners use and a quick recap. Your first set is free with an account.
Mind maps
See the whole exam on one screen: every topic and the facts under it.
Sample questions with answers
These are the questions in the free test above, with answers. Try the test first. You'll learn more by getting some wrong.
1. Read the passage: "Free trade agreements reduce tariffs between parties, but exporters gain only if they use the preferential rates, which often requires proof that goods meet rules of origin." Which statement is supported by the passage?
2. Which word best completes the sentence? "The minister's statement was deliberately ____, allowing both sides to claim it supported their position."
3. Australia's two-way trade with a partner was A$40 billion in Year 1 and A$46 billion in Year 2. What was the percentage increase?
4. An aid budget of A$120 million is split: 45% to health, 30% to education and the rest equally between governance and climate programs. How much does climate receive?
5. A post's consular caseload rose from 240 to 300 cases while staff stayed at 4. By how many cases did the average caseload per officer increase?
6. All diplomats posted to Mission X speak French. Some officers at Mission X are not diplomats. Which statement must be true?
7. You must summarise a 20-page report for a senior officer in a one-page brief. What should come first?
8. Which sentence is clearest for a ministerial brief?
9. Choose the correctly punctuated sentence.
10. In the assessment centre group activity, you strongly disagree with the approach most of the group supports. What is the best response?
11. During your placement, a friend asks what Australia's position will be in an upcoming trade negotiation you are working on. What should you do?
12. A minister's office asks you to change a brief so it supports the minister's preferred option, although the evidence does not. Which APS Value is most directly at stake?
13. What security clearance must DFAT graduates obtain before starting the program?
14. You want to be considered for both the Policy and Corporate streams of the DFAT Graduate Program. What must you do?
15. What classification and salary does a DFAT graduate start on in the 2027 program?
Get the full DFAT Graduate prep
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- One career of your choice: any police force, APS, Defence, border, corrections, fire or state public service career
- 3,000 practice questions + 6 full mock exams per exam
- 800 flashcards + 60 key notes per exam, by topic, plus mind maps
- Spaced repetition + mistakes bank
- Readiness Score & detailed reports
- Video lessons as they release
- Content updates during your access
- 5 bonuses: hiring process cheat sheet, interview answer builder, fitness test table and more
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Renews monthly until you cancel. Cancel in two clicks from your account; you keep access until the end of the month you've paid for. No minimum term.
Premium Yearly
- One career of your choice: any police force, APS, Defence, border, corrections, fire or state public service career
- 3,000 practice questions + 6 full mock exams per exam
- 800 flashcards + 60 key notes per exam, by topic, plus mind maps
- Spaced repetition + mistakes bank
- Readiness Score & detailed reports
- Video lessons as they release
- Content updates during your access
- 5 bonuses: hiring process cheat sheet, interview answer builder, fitness test table and more
- Pass Guarantee: complete the prep, pass or 100% back
Renews once a year until you cancel. We email you before each renewal. Cancel any time from your account; you keep access until the end of the year you've paid for.
Certification guide
Australian security clearances explained: Many federal careers, including the AFP, Border Force, Defence, ASIO and much of the APS, need an Australian Government security clearance, issued in most cases by the [Australian Government Security Vetting Agency (AGSVA)](https://www.agsva.gov.au/). A clearance isn't something you can get on your own: the employer sponsors it once you're offered a role that needs it. Here is what each level allows, how long it takes and what vetting looks at.
DFAT Graduate exam FAQ
How many questions are on the DFAT Graduate exam?
Online behavioural and/or psychometric assessments (there may be more than one); DFAT does not publish question numbers or content. Video interview answers of up to three minutes each, with a time limit of not published for the online assessments. video interview responses up to 3 minutes each. selection runs about april to july. Format: ai tools must not be used during the interview or any assessment task. written application answers must be your own; dfat asks you to reference any ai or outside help used, and knowingly false statements can disqualify you and affect your security clearance suitability.
What is the passing score for DFAT Graduate?
No published pass mark. Candidates are ranked at each stage; suitable candidates enter a merit pool after the assessment centre and referee checks, and offers depend on obtaining an NV2 security clearance.
How much does the DFAT Graduate exam cost?
No fee. If you are overseas during security vetting you must return to Australia for the security interview at your own expense. Most government agencies charge no application fee, but some tests and checks cost money (for example Victoria Police's entrance exam, medicals, first aid certificates and police checks). Confirm current costs on the agency's recruiting website before you apply.
Which languages is the DFAT Graduate exam offered in?
English (foreign languages are valued but not required).
Where do I take the DFAT Graduate exam?
Online application on DFAT's careers portal, online behavioural and/or psychometric assessment, a one-way recorded video interview, an assessment centre (interview, group activity and written test), referee checks online, then a merit pool and NV2 security clearance.
Is this DFAT Graduate practice test free?
Yes. The 15-question practice test on this page is free, with an explanation for every answer and no signup. A free account also unlocks the complete study notes for the first topic. The full DFAT Graduate prep is Premium at A$89 a month for this exam.
What's in the premium DFAT Graduate prep?
3,000 practice questions organized topic by topic (The Job and Eligibility: 375; Online Psychometric Reasoning: 375; Behavioural Assessment and the Video Interview: 375; The Written Test: 375; Security Clearance (Negative Vetting Level 2): 375; Assessment Centre: Interview and Group Activity: 375; Application Strategy and Timeline: 375; The Graduate Program and Overseas Postings: 375), 6 full-length timed mock exams of 50 questions, 800 flashcards and 60 comprehensive key notes split across all 8 topics, plus a mistakes bank and the Readiness Score.
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Exam details are summarized from the official candidate information available in November 2026. The recruiting agency changes formats and fees, so confirm with Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), Australian Public Service; recruitment administered with DFP Recruitment before you book. AusGovCareer is an independent career-prep service, not affiliated with or endorsed by any government agency.