The process of applying to OCS is time consuming and at times an intensive process. The time it takes to complete the process will vary based on each individual's situation and what steps the Army or MEPS requires the applicant to complete. These steps may include outside medical consultations or waivers for various conditions or situations in the applicant's life. For most applicants, the process will take two or three months. Some applications may take less time to complete and some will take more.

The best advice I can give my readers is to stay on top of the process at all times. Your application is not the only one your recruiter is responsible for so it is your responsibility to be sure things continue to move forward. Staying on top of the process avoids unnecessary delays and prevents your application from missing important deadlines.

Posted by Son of the Raven – November 23, 2005 @ 05:23 PM
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The paperwork you have to complete as part of the application requires a great deal of information about you. Make sure you have as much information collected before you first visit the recruiter. By doing so you will avoid delays. The list includes the following types of information:

• Your social security number and card
• If you are a man, your selective services number and card
• Your high school diploma
• Your college degree and transcripts
• A list of addresses you have lived at for the past 10 years.
• Contact information for people who knew you while you lived at those addresses.
• The jobs you have worked since leaving school including the addresses, job titles, job descriptions and names of supervisors.
• Your medical history including surgeries, trips to the emergency room, etc.
• Information pertaining to any legal matters including traffic tickets, arrests, legal suits, etc.

This list is not intended to be exhaustive as there is no way I can know everything about you. In short, the Army (or any branch for that matter) wants to know everything about you. DO NOT expect to hide anything because they will find out. Remember, if need be, you can obtain a waiver for almost anything. Be forthright with everyone during the process. Trying to hide something only to have it discovered later on is far worse than being upfront about it and addressing it in the first place.

Posted by Son of the Raven – November 23, 2005 @ 06:35 PM
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LORs are an important aspect of your application. You will need letters from individuals that know you well and if possible are people who understand what it takes to be an officer in the military. While I have heard mixed opinions, I would avoid family members unless they can speak about your qualifications as officer material.

For example, while mommy may be able to say your the greatest, a letter from your uncle who is an Officer in the Army and can speak to the qualities you possess that will make you an excellent officer would mean that much more to your application. For most civilians, the most common Letters of Recommendation come from senior management at their place of work. Asking for these LORs may be awkward but they are vital piece of any solid application.

Posted by Son of the Raven – November 23, 2005 @ 06:40 PM
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As a civilian you will need to work with a recruiter to complete your OCS application. The Go Army website has a tool where you can Find a Recruiter . Call the recruiter and set up a time to meet with them. Be sure to bring all the paperwork/information that you can. The more information you have with you at your finger tips the less time you will have to waste. The process will have enough waiting time anyway, do not add to it by have to find information that you should already have.

Posted by Son of the Raven – November 23, 2005 @ 07:01 PM
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The Army requires all recruits, both enlisted and commissioned, to take the ASVAB. This is a test of:

• Word Knowledge (WK)
• Paragraph Comprehension (PC)
• Arithmetic Reasoning (AR)
• Mathematics Knowledge (MK)
• General Science (GS)
• Mechanical Comprehension (MC)
• Electronics Information (EI)
• Auto & Shop (AS)
• Assembling Objects (AO)

There are several study guides that explain these sections in greater detail but suffice to say, you do not need a college degree to take this test. It is a very practical test. An AFQT score, calculated from scores in WK, PC, AR and MK, determines if you are qualified to join the military. The AFQT is a percentile score (0 to 99).

The Army uses various combinations of all nine scores are used to determine qualification for particular specialties. These scores are:

• Clerical (CL) - Determined from Verbal Expression (VE), Arithmetic Reasoning (AR), and Mathematics Knowledge (MK).
• Combat (CO) - Determined from Verbal Expression (VE), Coding Speed (CS), Auto & Shop (AS) and Mechanical Comprehension (MC). Note: Because CS has been removed from the ASVAB, a "dummy score" is inserted for this area.
• Electronics (EL) - Determined from General Science (GS), Arithmetic Reasoning (AR), Mathematics Knowledge (MK) and Electronic Information (EI).
• Field Artillery (FA) - Determined from Arithmetic Reasoning (AR), Coding Speed (CS), Mathematics Knowledge (MK) and Mechanical Comprehension (MC). Note: Because CS has been removed from the ASVAB, a "dummy score" is inserted for this area.
• General Maintenance (GM) - Determined from General Science (GS), Auto & Shop (AS), Mathematics Knowledge (MK) and Electronics Information (EI).
• General Technical (GT) - Determined from Verbal Expression (VE) and Arithmetic Reasoning (AR).
• Mechanical Maintenance (MM) - Determined from Numerical Operations (NO), Auto & Shop (AS), Mechanical Comprehension (MC) and Electronic Information (EI). Note: Because NO has been removed from the ASVAB, a "dummy score" is inserted for this area.
• Operators and Food (OF) - Determined from Verbal Expression (VE), Numerical Operations (NO), Auto & Shop (AS) and Mechanical Comprehension (MC). Note: Because NO has been removed from the ASVAB, a "dummy score" is inserted for this area.
• Surveillance and Communications (SC) - Determined from Verbal Expression (VE), Arithmetic Reasoning (AR), Auto & Shop (AS) and Mechanical Comprehension (MC).
• Skilled Technical (ST) - Determined from General Science (GS), Verbal Expression (VE), Mechanical Comprehension (MC) and Mathematics Knowledge (MK).

Of special importance to OCS Applicants is the GT score. OCS Hopefuls must score a minimum of 110 in GT. This minimum is not something that is waiverable.

Posted by Son of the Raven – November 23, 2005 @ 07:45 PM
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What paperwork is required for an OCS application is governed by Army Regulation 350-51 . Additionally, civilian applications are governed by USAREC Regulation 601-91 . This attached application checklist is the current one available for Active Duty Applications. Your O9S or Civilian Application will require much of the same documentation but with obvious exceptions not all of these items.

Some highlights of your Packet include:

• DA-61 - Application for Appointment - This is the primary application in your OCS Packet. On it you provide information about yourself and choose which of the Army Branches you wish to join. Information about each of the branches is offered at the Branch Orientation Website .
• SF-86 - Questionnaire for National Security Positions - The SF-86 is the paper equivelant of the EPQS your recruiter will fill out for you to sign.
• You will also be asked to submit a Personal Statement. This one page document must be submitted both in handwriten and typed form. The essay must explain why you wish to be an Army Officer.
• Security Interview - In addition to the EPSQ you will complete a preliminary security interview. The interview includes a form which contains basic information about your past (criminal record, bankruptcies, judgements, etc.).
• You will be asked to complete an APFT and to submit the results of the test along with your packet. The APFT consists of three parts.
  1. How many pushups you can complete in 2 minutes.
  2. How many situps you can complete in 2 minutes.
  3. How long it takes you to run 2 miles.
  Your APFT is scored based on your age and gender. You can see how the APFT is scored at the APFT website . You may also do a modified APFT which reduces the timed portions to 1 minute and the run to 1 mile.

There are also several documents that your recruiter will have to complete and have you sign. These include background checks for a criminal record and for prior sex offenses.

Posted by Son of the Raven – November 23, 2005 @ 08:05 PM
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Every military branch requires that you be of physically sound mind and body, as such you are required to complete a physical at a local MEPS. At MEPS, doctors will test everything from your vision and hearing to your joints, blood, and urine. The military wants to make sure that there is nothing that would put you at risk of injury or death because of some inability to carry out your duties as an officer. You start the day by completing a Medical Questionaire in which you will be asked to detail your medical history. This questionaire will be added to your packet.

They will ask for every detail. Give it to them. As I said before, with some exceptions everything is waiverable. Serious heart conditions or asthma are the kinds of things that are not but if you don't tell the doctors about something and it is discovered later on then you will be looking at a dishonorable discharge, fines and maybe even prison time for falsifying medical information.

Some medical issues may require that you have an independent consultation. For example, if you suffered a head trauma at some time a neurological consult might be required just to make sure everything is as it should be. This is one of those case-by-case requirements I mentioned earlier.

Posted by Son of the Raven – November 23, 2005 @ 08:26 PM
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If you have ever been on a job interview this is the same thing only you are meeting with three Officers from the local Battalion. Usually they are of the rank of Captain or Higher. You will usually sit across a table from the three officers and they will ask you a series of questions to determine if you possess the qualities that they believe the Army is looking for in an officer.

They will ask you all sorts of questions pertaining to the contents of your application and in some cases to provide more detail about some of the information in there. What follows comes from USAREC Reg 601-91 which provides interviewers with the questions and guidelines for evaluating the Interview. In general the process takes 30 to 60 minutes.

Previously, completed applications were sent to Ft. Knox where a selection board met monthly to approve or deny applications, but a recent change has left the selection decision up to the Battalion.

A fellow OCS applicant asked me for some pointers for excelling at the Battalion Board. Here is the advice I gave him:

The first time I went through Battalion it was just like an intense job interview. This is not an interrogation. They are not trying to get you to confess to being the gunman in the Grassy Knoll. They just want to see how you present yourself and how you can think on your feet.

With that in mind here are a few tips:

1. If it is a general question try to look from one member to the next as you answer.
2. However, if it is a specific question, about something you have said, look at the officer that asked the question.
3. Stop and think about each question before you answer. Ask yourself what you are really being asked. Sometimes you will be asked the same question in two different ways to see how you handle yourself. At other times, the question will have deeper implications or it may be a trap intended to trip you up should you not stop and think. The Board wants to see how preceptive you are. Again this is not an interrogation but that does not mean that they will not test you.
4. Be aware of current events. I was asked questions about the upcoming Super Bowl. I believe they wanted to see how I would handle an unexpected line of questioning. Again goes to how you handle yourself.
5. Explain yourself but keep your answers concise. They want to hear that you can speak intelligently but they also want to see that you know when to shut up.
6. Most Important - Speak from your heart and your mind. Don't go fishing for the answer that you think they want to hear. Give them the one that you believe. A great example of what not to do could be seen in the movie The Untouchables . In it there is a scene where Ness (Costner) and Malone (Connery) are interviewing police cadets with the hopes of making them part of Ness' task force. One of the cadets continually searches for the textbook answer to the questions Ness and Malone were asking. By fishing for the "text book" answers the came off looking like a dolt. Don't be him.

Posted by Son of the Raven – November 23, 2005 @ 08:40 PM
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After your selection by Battalion, you will report to MEPS to swear in and to sign your contract. You will sit down with a counselor who will walk you through the contract you will sign. He will also help you get together whatever else you will need to ship. You will be given your shipping dates and other pertenant information. Make sure you ask all the questions you need to ask, esspecially pertaining to arrangements for your family (if married) or other needs (ie a power of attorney) you might have to get yourself ready.

When you sign your contract make sure that any promises of bonuses, follow-on schools and the like are included in writing. Verbal promises do not mean a thing.

Posted by Son of the Raven – November 23, 2005 @ 09:00 PM
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While I am listing this last it is important to start this step as soon as possible. Start working out and start memorizing the information that you will be required to know. OCS requires that you be in excellent physical shape. Scoring well on the APFT is a must both when you start and when you complete OCS.

If you want to know what are solid scores check out this APFT calculator. Check out the Valuable Links section for sites with more information about preparing for OCS.

Posted by Son of the Raven – November 23, 2005 @ 09:21 PM
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