Good books to help you out
When we first started our job hunt, standing in the career section at Barnes & Noble, there were at most three books on becoming a Federal Agent or a Criminal Investigator -- and some were pretty bad. Most were just public-source information regurgitated from government websites. Not any more. With all the hiring now underway for Special Agents, the market has blossomed. Granted, there are still some hum-dingers out that you should steer clear of, but a few stand out above the rest.
We encourage you to pick a few of these up before you ever sit down for a test or interview. They're really good. We've put links to Amazon.com when we can -- they seem to be the cheapest, especially if you can get your order over $25 for the free shipping.
USMS - U.S. Marshals Service
Special Agent, Deputy U.S. Marshal (Arco Civil Service Test Tutor)
Even if you don't want to be a U.S. Marshal, odds are you will have to take an aptitude test at some point to become a Special Agent. The sample questions in this book will prepare you for them all, as the tests generally focus on practical problem solving, situational judgment and logic. Further, since many agencies forbid exam-takers from revealing the nature or content of the exams, this is the single best resource we can recommend for your testing phase. Bring on the middle-school math!
USSS - U.S. Secret Service
To Be a U.S. Secret Service Agent
This is the best book on landing a job with the Service. On first glance, you might be put off by mix of history of the Secret Service with tips for getting hired, but understand this: when you go in for your interview, the Agents sitting across from you will expect you to have a full grasp of what the hell you're getting yourself into. When most of us were applying to become Agents, we spent days reviewing the agencies - their origin, their charter, and the daily work. This book addresses the Secret Service's long, long history (it's one of the oldest federal law enforcement agencies in the U.S.), and how that history relates to the hiring for new agents. You can't go wrong here.
ATF - Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives
This is a good story of the rough-and-tumble world of weapons and alcohol enforcement in this country, from Dukes of Hazzard bootleggers through Ruby Ridge and Waco. This one is written by a former ATF agent, and it gloriously proclaims the agency. But hands-down it will give you the truest picture of what you'll be getting yourself into -- something the ATF Agents on your hiring panel will fully expect you to appreciate before shipping off to training at FLETC.
FBI - Federal Bureau of Investigation
Written by a 25 year veteran of the FBI, this is one of the best and most comprehensive books about the FBI application process. It covers everything from a brief history of the agency (at least as much as you need to know what to expect from a job), the two Phases of the application process, as well as the different career arcs you can expect from the Bureau. FBI applications are a unique breed within federal Special Agent positions -- a very regimented application process, their own training academy, and unique set of physical requirements. This book will help you tackle this specific application in your 1811 job search portfolio.
Relentless Pursuit: The DSS and the Manhunt for the Al-Qaeda Terrorists
The Foreign Service's Diplomatic Security Service is unique in the world of Special Agents. While the U.S. Dept. of State has one of the smallest groups of Special Agents of any federal agency, it is the most widely represented in the world, with Agents in almost every country on the planet. Outside of the extensive dignitary protection and motorcade movements carried out domestically, DSS's investigatory and intelligence work is not popularly known. This book sheds some light on the issue, offering a history of the agency you will need before your Board of Examiners job interview.
DEA - Drug Enforcement Administration
Special Agent DEA (Career Examination Series)
The National Learning Corp publishes testing material for a variety of jobs and positions, this one for DEA agents. While this book is old (published in 1999) and agencies are known to change their tests from year to year, they generally maintain the same thrust, so the kinds of questions you'll see here are the kinds of questions you will likely face in your own efforts to join DEA. It's definitely worth browsing through here and there, to get acquainted with the kinds of questions DEA may ask, and they way DEA expects you to think on the exams. It's spiral-bound, too, so it lays nice and flat.
Narc : The Unconventional Life and Times of a Federal Narcotics Agent
This is a great book to give you an idea of the dangerous job that is being a Special Agent with the Drug Enforcement Administration. A fromer agent takes you through his time on the streets, managing the seeminly unstoppable tide of drug flow into this country, to eforcement overseas. A great read by a great writer -- worth considering if you're looking at the DEA.
FLETC Physical Training
Ace the FLETC Physical Fitness PEB - Physical Efficiency Battery, by former Navy Seal Stew Smith
This is a great, inexpensive eBook on building the five specific physical fitness traits - cardiovascular endurance, agility, flexibility, upper body strength, and percent body fat - that are measured during the FLETC PEB, or Physical Efficiency Battery. This is a test that all Agents who train at FLETC take twice - once at the beginning, and once at the end. You must pass this test the second time you take it in order to graduate. With this training regimen, it's a piece of cake.
FBI Physical Training
Workout for the FBI PT Test, by former Navy Seal Stew Smith
This is a great workout regiment to prepare for the FBI Academy's PT test. This workout builds you gradually, helping you increase performance across all measured areas: pull-ups, sit-ups, pushups, a 300m run and a 1.5 mile run. If you follow this workout, you will have no trouble earning "points" in each category, to get your total to the required level to graduate and be sworn in. eBook format.