National Officer Candidate Study Guide
The FFA Motto: Learning to Do, Doing to Learn, Earning to Live and Living to Serve
Nominating Committee | National Officer Candidates | Candidates Study Guide
Congratulations on being selected by your state as a National FFA Officer Candidate! This is an honor that many FFA members aspire to hold. As a candidate your training can be very rigorous and sometimes leave you with questions on what steps to take next. The following few pages will give you an overview of the process as well as tips and strategies that can be used to effectively prepare to be a candidate, and if elected a National FFA Officer.
Once you are chosen as the national officer candidate for your state, it’s time to think about what you need to prepare for running for office as well the possibility of being elected to office. Time and money are considerations for both.
“Character, honesty and trustworthiness—these are the qualities of strong individuals who influence FFA members and talk to the President of the United States. We can teach you what you need to know but we can’t teach character.”
Joshua Bledsoe, Former Team Leader, Leadership and Educational Programs Delivery, National FFA Organization
As far as preparing for the election, you will need time and lots of it. If you can afford not to work full time over the summer, then you will have more time to prepare and focus on running for office. The amount of time that a national officer candidate spends most days of the week in preparation for office may vary from May or June through October. This will depend upon your goals and what knowledge you need to gain and what qualities you wish to improve.
Most national officers will agree that from whenever you are selected as your state’s national officer candidate through the election is a critical time of preparation. Create a schedule detailing your goals and objectives to utilize your time effectively.
If you are elected to national office, time becomes a precious commodity and the sooner you understand this, the better your experience in office will be. Your time is no longer your own except for those few days a month when you travel home to reconnect with your family and friends.
“Self-management skills are important especially when it comes to budgeting time. Getting sleep is sometimes a challenge. There is a realization that you cannot do it all: come to some internal peace that you will have to determine the priorities and then accept that some things cannot be done. One caveat is that when you are working, be aware of other’s priorities. Great to spend time with members…but this can take away from time you might be connecting with your family.”
Seth Derner, National FFA President 1995-96
The following resources are provided to help you in preparing for the national officer selection process.
Current Selection Process Information
National Officer Selection Process Handbook (pdf)
National FFA Officer Candidate Schedule - UPDATED 8/1/08 (pdf)
National FFA Officer Candidate Application (zip)
New printer-friendly version revised in 2008! Paper copy of the application for national office. All official candidates will apply using an online system once selected by his or her state association. This copy is provided for state selection processes and to help in completing the online application.2009 Written Test Essay Question Hot Topics and Theme(pdf)
Download this document to view the selected theme and hot topics for the 2009 Written Test Essay Questions. Use the hot topics and information here to guide your preparation for this round of the interview process.2009 Stand and Deliver Practicum Hot Topics (Round 2)(pdf)
Attention all candidates! Dowload this document to view the hot topics selected for the 2009 Stand and Deliver & Facilitation Practicum Rounds. Use the hot topics to guide your studies for both of these rounds during the 2009 national officer selection process.2009 Facilitation Practicum Hot Topics (Round 3)(pdf)
Attention all candidates! Dowload this document to view the hot topics selected for the 2009 Stand and Deliver & Facilitation Practicum Rounds. Use the hot topics to guide your studies for both of these rounds during the 2009 national officer selection process.
Study Guide Resources
National Officer Selection Process Rubrics
Below are the actual rubrics showing the criterion by which each competency builder will be evaluated during the selection process.
Competency 1 (pdf)
Competency 2 (pdf)
Competency 3 (pdf)
Competency 4 (pdf)
Competency 5 (pdf)
Competency 6 (pdf)
Competency 7 (pdf)
Competency 8 (pdf)
Field Test Materials for Candidate Interview Rounds(pdf)
Curious about what the interview questions and practicum for the selection process will look like? A Field test of sample materials was conducted recently and all materials are available for candidate use. A document containing sample interview questions for rounds 1 and 5, the Stand & Deliver Practicum (Round 2), the Facilitation Practicum (Round 3), and the Round Robin Conversations (Round 4) is available on the Candidate Study Guide Page. A full description of the field test is also included.
Preparing a Study Guide (pdf)
There are a number of considerations to make when preparing a study guide. The purpose is to think about how you learn best and when you learn best. Balance those two things with what you need to know for the process and you can begin to build a study program that will help you to feel prepared for this process. Here are some resources to help you in building your own study guide for the national officer selection process.
Preparing a Study Guide Tips for preparing a study guide
Interviews Worksheet Worksheet and tips to help you in setting up information interviews as you prepare
Role Playing Questions Possible role-playing questions to use in setting up a mock interviewing situation
Suggested References Suggested reading references to incorporate in your study plan
National FFA Organization Priorities Contains several pieces including the mission, vision, strategic plan, and key strategic priority areas for the organization
FFA Fundamental Questions Listing of questions that represent the fundamental issues to be familiar with as a national officer
Agricultural Education Fundamental Questions Listing of questions and topics that represent some fundamental issues national officers must be familiar with
Agriculture Fundamental Questions Listing of the fundamental questions and topics in agriculture that national officers should be familiar with
Self Knowledge
Listing of questions to consider answering about you as you prepare for office
Sample Written Tests (pdf)
1996 National Officer Candidate written exam
1997 National Officer Candidate written exam
1998 National Officer Candidate written exam
1999 National Officer Candidate written exam
2000 National Officer Candidate written exam
2001 National Officer Candidate written exam
2002 National Officer Candidate written exam
2003 National Officer Candidate written exam
2004 National Officer Candidate written exam
2005 National Officer Candidate written exam
2006 National Officer Candidate written exam
Sample Writing Exercises (pdf)
1998 National Officer Candidate writing exercise
1999 National Officer Candidate writing exercise
2000 National Officer Candidate writing exercise
2001 National Officer Candidate writing exercise
2002 National Officer Candidate writing exercise
2003 National Officer Candidate writing exercise
2004 National Officer Candidate writing exercise
2005 National Officer Candidate writing exercise
2006 National Officer Candidate writing exercise
2007 National Officer Candidate writing exercise
2008 National Officer Candidate writing exercise
Other Resources
FFA Communication Resources Key information and statistics published by the national FFA organization
Agricultural Education and FFA Statistics Key statistics and information related to agricultural education and FFA
Writing Resource Online resource to help you improve your writing skills
2004 Agricultural Issues PowerPoint (zip)
2004 Education Issues PowerPoint (zip)
2004 Diversity PowerPoint (zip)
2008 Farm Bill (pdf)
Program Affiliation Task Force Report (pdf)
Board of Directors and Board of Trustees Directory as of January 2008 (pdf)
July 2008 Board of Directors Meeting Minutes - Organization (pdf)
July 2008 Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes - Foundation (pdf)
January 2008 Board of Directors Meeting Minutes - Organization (pdf)
January 2008 Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes - Foundation (pdf)
July 2007 Board of Directors Meeting Minutes - Organization (pdf)
July 2007 Board of Trustees Minutes - Foundation (pdf)
January 2007 Board of Directors Meeting Minutes - Organization (pdf)
January 2007 Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes - Foundation (pdf)
January 2006 Board of Directors Meeting Minutes - Organization (pdf)
January 2006 Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes - Foundation (pdf)
July 2005 Board of Directors Meeting Minutes - Organization (pdf)
July 2005 Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes - Foundation (pdf)
January 2005 Board of Directors Meeting Minutes - Organization (pdf)
January 2005 Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes - Foundation (pdf)
July 2004 Board of Directors Meeting Minutes - Organization (pdf)
July 2004 Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes - Foundation (pdf)
Mentors and Coaches
Finding a mentor and coach can be a great resource to assist in your preparation activities. Plus it has lasting value beyond "running" for national office.
Preparing for Convention
If selected as your candidate there are a number of milestones you need to consider planning for. The following timelines are provided to give you a frame of reference as you begin planning.
Timeline (pdf) Timeline of events to consider before and following convention.
Convention Week at a Glance (pdf)
Quick look at your convention week as a candidate and the considerations to make.
If you have any questions, problems or concerns, please contact Josh Bledsoe at 317-802-4291.
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