The Phase I Test - 2010-01-01 19:08
I remember the day I took the Phase I test vividly. As I sat answering logical reasoning questions and various other types of questions, my mind was racing. I had just finished reading both Cold Zero: Inside the FBI Hostage Rescue Team and Inside Delta Force. I could barely focus on the test, but I got it done. I was one of the last people to finish the situational judgment test, and I kept staring into space and at the Applicant Coordinator thinking about what I would do in the situations presented. Some were really interesting, and all are subject to a non-disclosure agreement...
The best though was being there with all of the other applicants. I felt like I was with a group of friends, almost like I was in high school again. It felt that comfortable. There was the guy with the unusual arm tattoos; the guy who was really late; the guy who had awkward mannerisms- actually, a few of those; and of course, the positives- the stunning 6 foot brunette (who later dropped, apparently); meeting the Applicant Coordinator and assistant, and so on. Seeing some but not all of these people at Phase II was pretty cool too, and as we proceeded further, the people from Phase I became more and more sparse, as if a winnowing was occurring.
A couple of days after I took the test, I visited a U.S. Army recruiter and asked about officer opportunities. I think it's probably unusual for them to have a 4th year attorney stroll in and ask about the best way to walk away from a law career to be an infantry or special forces officer if the FBI doesn't work out. I was very up front with him in advising that the FBI was my first choice, and while part of me has always wanted to be a Ranger, I made sure not to get his hopes up too high. I took the practice ASVAB and we exchanged a few emails over the following months. When I got selected for Phase II, I emailed him back to let him know I'd been selected and anticipated passing the interview. That was that, and I feel comfortable with my choice. I admire those who serve in the military, but it's not for me. Maybe if I were still in my first year of law school and had another chance to choose whether I wanted to go forward with law, things would be different.