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Your Time At OASC.....
I thought it might be an idea to have a thread where people write their experiences at OASC. No point in having this stickied as there are far to many of those. Just thought it would be interesting for people to write about their own experiences or read about others.
--------------
First up, Medicbex who wrote about OASC earlier in the year. Her experiences and tips were as follows:
" Ok, so some of you will have got the letters telling you about the changes to oasc that took place in april-ish. they weren't incredibly clear, so rather than giving you a blow by blow account of my week, i'll mention the bits that are new...
the itinerary is roughly as follows:
day 1: arrive in the afternoon, get an initial briefing and room keys, then chill out and get an early night
day 2: aptitudes from 0710 till approx lunchtime (take a water bottle with you so you can keep hydrated and alert).
after lunch, expect the measurments part of the medical, plus the hearing test, and also some eye exams (and for people chasing sponsorship, the academic interviews)
around 1630, get your PT kit on and head for the gym... this is different, the fitness test has been moved to part I instead of part II. you have your MSFT, then a 5 minute break before the maximal push ups in one min, then 5 mins before max sit ups in one min... be careful, i really pushed myself on the msft, then had to throw up before i did my push ups because my body had re-distributed my blood . another point to noe with the push ups, is that your arms must be shoulder width apart, which is a damn sight more difficult than spreading them further. girls do the same push up but against a bench instead of on the floor.
as you can see, this is a LONG day, so eat a good breakfast, drink loads of water and have an early night the night before.
day 3: this morning, you will have your formal interviews, your physical exam from the doctor and any academic interviews, eye tests and urine tests that weren't completed on day two. this is a long, boring morning that seems to go on forever, so take a book, a magazine, anything... also, a packet of fruit pastilles or something wouldn't go amiss, you'll get really hungry, and a lot of people had to do repeat urine samples because they had ketone bodies, which are starvation proteins, in their samples. you will also get an aptitude review at some point, and be cleared by the president of the medical board. you are then subject to the cull, and those that pass part I get their overalls.
after lunch, you get into your sexy green overalls (they really are very sexy) and have a briefing on part II. your syndicate will then have your group discussion, and they've added some weird questions at the end. our group got 'who is your hero or heroine and why?' and another group got 'what law would you enforce if you had the choice?' very odd...
then you have a hangar familiarisation and the leaderless exercise. fun and frolics all round . then comes the group planning. you have 20 mins private study and 15 mins discussion with your group. then you must GIVE BACK the information sheet and use only the map and your notes to answer the questions from the board. so make sure you take note of what times bridges close etc, because these type of questions come up.
then its off to the mess for jenga with your mates
day 4: you're all squished into the syndicate waiting area then at ten minute intervals, you will be called into a private study area for the first part of the individual planning exercise. you have 20 minutes to work on a similar problem to yesterday, however, you ARE given the briefing notes along with the map and your notes when you are interviewed by the board. so don't waste time rewriting times etc, concentrate on your plan. in the classroom, there is a large map that you must use to describe the situation to the boarding officers, then you sit down with your notes and go through your plan for about ten minutes.
then everyone hangs around oasc reception for a bit before going through the command situation exercises, again, great fun. then lunch, and home. congratulations, you've just survived what will probably have been the four most exhausting days of your life"
--------------
Next up Puk2184, post located here http://thestudentroom.co.uk/showpost.php?p=3315563&postcount=26
"My account of OASC.
DAY ONE
This day's very tame in comparison to the rest! We collected our keys, took our luggage to our rooms (there was an overspill so I had to stay in block 327 east AGAIN!), go for a short briefing at OASC and then dinner and head to the mess. Word of advice - play Jenga! It's a good icebreaker with people and good way of learning people's names. GET AN EARLY NIGHT! You'll need it for day two. Think we headed off at about 8pm.
DAY TWO
Breakfast at 6:30am, then aptitude tests start at 7:10am. I finished about 11am as I was only sitting the NCA ones, but Officer ones go on until about noon. I passed for all branches of NCA - yaaay! Then dinner! After dinner, wait around to find out if you've passed. We lost FIVE at this stage, so don't underestimate them. Then right on to the medicals, where you sit around waiting with your board all in your dressing gowns, very cosy. You'll be waiting around for AGES, so make use of the drinks fountain and as Bex said, maybe take a biscuit or some sweets or something. After these its fitness tests at around 4:50 when you're good and knackered. I was really ill at this point, I'd lost my voice and had a racy heart after even walking up some stairs! But I passed anyways, although I could've done much better. Then back to your rooms, showered, dinner and off to the mess, we were minus a few more people. HAVE ANOTHER EARLY NIGHT! If you think today sounds tiring, wait until day 3!
DAY THREE
Breakfast as norm. Medicals to complete. Then, the big one. INTERVIEWS! I was pleased with how mine went but they were tough. There was only one question that I had to say I don't know to, "what's different about the Merlin h/c?" - and I knew it, damn mind blanks. For Christ's sake, know you're weapons and aircraft, they will ask you! And the more you know about current affairs, the better. These last 45 minutes. Wait around after these to find out if you've passed phase one! People get called in individually (on ours, only those who have failed). These lot were asked to leave and not to hang around us (probably as they were worried about them lowering morale or something). Then the St Lucian guy came over and told us all we had passed!! We were given 20 mins to go collect our overalls, have dinner, get changed, grab our swimkits (for all aircrew and regiment, not for officers except pilots & WSOs) and head back over and meet outside the overall storeroom (although usually it's not that rushed supposedly).
This is where the fun begins. Get your overalls - Bex was right - these are waaay sexy! Forget everybody's name, they're going to become a number now! (e.g. I was D6). Get your photo taken holding your number below your face like a convict.
We had our group discussions - 15 minutes, 3 subjects, 5 minutes on each subject. I think these went ok. Then there was the group planning exercise. I think I messed this one up a bit. THEN (yaaaaay!) hangar exercises! On day three it's your familiarisation and then the leaderless exercise. SPEAK UP on these, but don't talk over your group, be a team player in this one. We were a good group in this, we all listened and contributed ideas, and we nearly completed the course! Then we were told to head over for the bus to get a lift for the swim test! This is ONLY for aircrew and regiment. There was only three of us that had to do this. You don your soaking wet overalls (given to you in the pool) and jump in, four lengths without touching the sides with any front or side stroke, two minutes treading water and then (the hardest part) climb out unaided, and the sides are quite high up. If you can't swim, you may struggle, so get a few lessons and get confident in the water.
Then back on the bus, have about 30 minutes to get ready for dinner! Then, back to the mess. We really pushed the boat out and stayed in there until 9pm, then toddled off to bed feeling absolutely knackered!!
DAY FOUR
Breakfast as norm. Then over to OASC for the individual planning exercises. Fifteen minutes to plan on your own, then taken to a room to be interviewed (this can be intimidating!). I think I also messed this one up a bit. Then the leader exercises in the hangar. These are FUN, but take them seriously. Our group was praised for our enthusiasm. When it's your turn as the leader, SHOUT for your team. It's sometimes unclear of where exactly in the hangar they are. You get two minutes to survey the course, make use of this by picking up the objects, seeing if they will bridge gaps, etc, ask questions if you're unsure.
After this, it's the final brief!! Do NOT panic about this, they just want to check you're details and ensure you've not encountered any problems at OASC. Shake their hands, and you're off!! Well done!! This really will be four of the most exhausting days of your life!!
CONCLUSION
It's tough but it's a fantastic four days, it's really easy to make friends and you'll have a good laugh. I was really sad when it came to leaving!!
On mine it began with 25 people, only ELEVEN completed. So DO NOT UNDERESTIMATE OASC. Work WITH people, not against them, don't be in the frame of mind that you're in competition. Don't forget to get everybody's emails and phone numbers! (unless you don't want to, obviously!)
Then welcome to the torturous WAITING!
Phew, sorry for the long post! If I've wrote anything that's wrong, please correct me and feel free to add anything. If anyone's got any questions, fire ahead and I'll do my best to answer."
--------------
First up, Medicbex who wrote about OASC earlier in the year. Her experiences and tips were as follows:
" Ok, so some of you will have got the letters telling you about the changes to oasc that took place in april-ish. they weren't incredibly clear, so rather than giving you a blow by blow account of my week, i'll mention the bits that are new...
the itinerary is roughly as follows:
day 1: arrive in the afternoon, get an initial briefing and room keys, then chill out and get an early night
day 2: aptitudes from 0710 till approx lunchtime (take a water bottle with you so you can keep hydrated and alert).
after lunch, expect the measurments part of the medical, plus the hearing test, and also some eye exams (and for people chasing sponsorship, the academic interviews)
around 1630, get your PT kit on and head for the gym... this is different, the fitness test has been moved to part I instead of part II. you have your MSFT, then a 5 minute break before the maximal push ups in one min, then 5 mins before max sit ups in one min... be careful, i really pushed myself on the msft, then had to throw up before i did my push ups because my body had re-distributed my blood . another point to noe with the push ups, is that your arms must be shoulder width apart, which is a damn sight more difficult than spreading them further. girls do the same push up but against a bench instead of on the floor.
as you can see, this is a LONG day, so eat a good breakfast, drink loads of water and have an early night the night before.
day 3: this morning, you will have your formal interviews, your physical exam from the doctor and any academic interviews, eye tests and urine tests that weren't completed on day two. this is a long, boring morning that seems to go on forever, so take a book, a magazine, anything... also, a packet of fruit pastilles or something wouldn't go amiss, you'll get really hungry, and a lot of people had to do repeat urine samples because they had ketone bodies, which are starvation proteins, in their samples. you will also get an aptitude review at some point, and be cleared by the president of the medical board. you are then subject to the cull, and those that pass part I get their overalls.
after lunch, you get into your sexy green overalls (they really are very sexy) and have a briefing on part II. your syndicate will then have your group discussion, and they've added some weird questions at the end. our group got 'who is your hero or heroine and why?' and another group got 'what law would you enforce if you had the choice?' very odd...
then you have a hangar familiarisation and the leaderless exercise. fun and frolics all round . then comes the group planning. you have 20 mins private study and 15 mins discussion with your group. then you must GIVE BACK the information sheet and use only the map and your notes to answer the questions from the board. so make sure you take note of what times bridges close etc, because these type of questions come up.
then its off to the mess for jenga with your mates
day 4: you're all squished into the syndicate waiting area then at ten minute intervals, you will be called into a private study area for the first part of the individual planning exercise. you have 20 minutes to work on a similar problem to yesterday, however, you ARE given the briefing notes along with the map and your notes when you are interviewed by the board. so don't waste time rewriting times etc, concentrate on your plan. in the classroom, there is a large map that you must use to describe the situation to the boarding officers, then you sit down with your notes and go through your plan for about ten minutes.
then everyone hangs around oasc reception for a bit before going through the command situation exercises, again, great fun. then lunch, and home. congratulations, you've just survived what will probably have been the four most exhausting days of your life"
--------------
Next up Puk2184, post located here http://thestudentroom.co.uk/showpost.php?p=3315563&postcount=26
"My account of OASC.
DAY ONE
This day's very tame in comparison to the rest! We collected our keys, took our luggage to our rooms (there was an overspill so I had to stay in block 327 east AGAIN!), go for a short briefing at OASC and then dinner and head to the mess. Word of advice - play Jenga! It's a good icebreaker with people and good way of learning people's names. GET AN EARLY NIGHT! You'll need it for day two. Think we headed off at about 8pm.
DAY TWO
Breakfast at 6:30am, then aptitude tests start at 7:10am. I finished about 11am as I was only sitting the NCA ones, but Officer ones go on until about noon. I passed for all branches of NCA - yaaay! Then dinner! After dinner, wait around to find out if you've passed. We lost FIVE at this stage, so don't underestimate them. Then right on to the medicals, where you sit around waiting with your board all in your dressing gowns, very cosy. You'll be waiting around for AGES, so make use of the drinks fountain and as Bex said, maybe take a biscuit or some sweets or something. After these its fitness tests at around 4:50 when you're good and knackered. I was really ill at this point, I'd lost my voice and had a racy heart after even walking up some stairs! But I passed anyways, although I could've done much better. Then back to your rooms, showered, dinner and off to the mess, we were minus a few more people. HAVE ANOTHER EARLY NIGHT! If you think today sounds tiring, wait until day 3!
DAY THREE
Breakfast as norm. Medicals to complete. Then, the big one. INTERVIEWS! I was pleased with how mine went but they were tough. There was only one question that I had to say I don't know to, "what's different about the Merlin h/c?" - and I knew it, damn mind blanks. For Christ's sake, know you're weapons and aircraft, they will ask you! And the more you know about current affairs, the better. These last 45 minutes. Wait around after these to find out if you've passed phase one! People get called in individually (on ours, only those who have failed). These lot were asked to leave and not to hang around us (probably as they were worried about them lowering morale or something). Then the St Lucian guy came over and told us all we had passed!! We were given 20 mins to go collect our overalls, have dinner, get changed, grab our swimkits (for all aircrew and regiment, not for officers except pilots & WSOs) and head back over and meet outside the overall storeroom (although usually it's not that rushed supposedly).
This is where the fun begins. Get your overalls - Bex was right - these are waaay sexy! Forget everybody's name, they're going to become a number now! (e.g. I was D6). Get your photo taken holding your number below your face like a convict.
We had our group discussions - 15 minutes, 3 subjects, 5 minutes on each subject. I think these went ok. Then there was the group planning exercise. I think I messed this one up a bit. THEN (yaaaaay!) hangar exercises! On day three it's your familiarisation and then the leaderless exercise. SPEAK UP on these, but don't talk over your group, be a team player in this one. We were a good group in this, we all listened and contributed ideas, and we nearly completed the course! Then we were told to head over for the bus to get a lift for the swim test! This is ONLY for aircrew and regiment. There was only three of us that had to do this. You don your soaking wet overalls (given to you in the pool) and jump in, four lengths without touching the sides with any front or side stroke, two minutes treading water and then (the hardest part) climb out unaided, and the sides are quite high up. If you can't swim, you may struggle, so get a few lessons and get confident in the water.
Then back on the bus, have about 30 minutes to get ready for dinner! Then, back to the mess. We really pushed the boat out and stayed in there until 9pm, then toddled off to bed feeling absolutely knackered!!
DAY FOUR
Breakfast as norm. Then over to OASC for the individual planning exercises. Fifteen minutes to plan on your own, then taken to a room to be interviewed (this can be intimidating!). I think I also messed this one up a bit. Then the leader exercises in the hangar. These are FUN, but take them seriously. Our group was praised for our enthusiasm. When it's your turn as the leader, SHOUT for your team. It's sometimes unclear of where exactly in the hangar they are. You get two minutes to survey the course, make use of this by picking up the objects, seeing if they will bridge gaps, etc, ask questions if you're unsure.
After this, it's the final brief!! Do NOT panic about this, they just want to check you're details and ensure you've not encountered any problems at OASC. Shake their hands, and you're off!! Well done!! This really will be four of the most exhausting days of your life!!
CONCLUSION
It's tough but it's a fantastic four days, it's really easy to make friends and you'll have a good laugh. I was really sad when it came to leaving!!
On mine it began with 25 people, only ELEVEN completed. So DO NOT UNDERESTIMATE OASC. Work WITH people, not against them, don't be in the frame of mind that you're in competition. Don't forget to get everybody's emails and phone numbers! (unless you don't want to, obviously!)
Then welcome to the torturous WAITING!
Phew, sorry for the long post! If I've wrote anything that's wrong, please correct me and feel free to add anything. If anyone's got any questions, fire ahead and I'll do my best to answer."
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Now for my own experience at OASC when I was applying for a University Air Squadron. This meant I only had to undergo the aptitude and medical. Thankfully I was successful in my application and I am awaiting my full selection for direct entry in January.
Medical: We had this first thing in the morning on our first day. (About 7am) Eat a good breakfast, even if you don't feel like it. There will be lots of waiting around and everyone gets pretty hungry before lunch. Now there are several different sections to the medical. This includes: Hearing test, eyesight test, general medical check up, urine test and measurements. Everyone will do these in a different order. However, you can do the urine test anytime you like. They leave a box at the front of the room so it's up to you when you troop off to the toilet to give them a sample. Now I have listed the measurements that you need for Pilot in the FAQ. Everyone who goes through OASC is measured just in case they wish to fly. If you're applying for Medical Officer and you find out your arms are too short to reach the controls in a FJ then who cares? You hearing test is pretty simple, push the button when you hear the beep. It will go at three different frequencies. Keep in mind that you cannot hear anyone elses beeps, just your own. Sounds silly now but you'll see.... The general medical look over is pretty simple, they check your balance, give you a once over and query you about your medical history. They will have your medical forms in front of them so try to remember what you wrote. Thoroughout the medicals you'll be wearing a sexy blue dressing gown which goes to about knee height. I suggest that girls wear proper underwear for their medical, you'll be seen in it alot. You'll have lockers to put your things into and these do lock but you shouldn't really have many valuables on you anyway. This whole process lasts about 5 hours and then it's off to lunch.
On a side note, do not smoke before your medical, nor should you consume copious amounts of coffee. You'd be surprised how many people failed the medical due to 'heart murmurs.'
Aptitude:
Medical: We had this first thing in the morning on our first day. (About 7am) Eat a good breakfast, even if you don't feel like it. There will be lots of waiting around and everyone gets pretty hungry before lunch. Now there are several different sections to the medical. This includes: Hearing test, eyesight test, general medical check up, urine test and measurements. Everyone will do these in a different order. However, you can do the urine test anytime you like. They leave a box at the front of the room so it's up to you when you troop off to the toilet to give them a sample. Now I have listed the measurements that you need for Pilot in the FAQ. Everyone who goes through OASC is measured just in case they wish to fly. If you're applying for Medical Officer and you find out your arms are too short to reach the controls in a FJ then who cares? You hearing test is pretty simple, push the button when you hear the beep. It will go at three different frequencies. Keep in mind that you cannot hear anyone elses beeps, just your own. Sounds silly now but you'll see.... The general medical look over is pretty simple, they check your balance, give you a once over and query you about your medical history. They will have your medical forms in front of them so try to remember what you wrote. Thoroughout the medicals you'll be wearing a sexy blue dressing gown which goes to about knee height. I suggest that girls wear proper underwear for their medical, you'll be seen in it alot. You'll have lockers to put your things into and these do lock but you shouldn't really have many valuables on you anyway. This whole process lasts about 5 hours and then it's off to lunch.
On a side note, do not smoke before your medical, nor should you consume copious amounts of coffee. You'd be surprised how many people failed the medical due to 'heart murmurs.'
Aptitude:
I wrote this the day I got back from OASC (May 27th) as an email to some friends who were also applying – this thread seems like the place to put it.
I drove to Cranwell so I arrived early, try and get the earlier train/bus because you’ll then get a chance to put all your stuff in your room before the brief in the evening.
You need to collect your key from the Candidates mess preferably before the briefing.
The briefing is on the other side of the main road at Adastral Hall at about 4:45 ish – you’ll have to get there a few minutes earlier though. Nothing spectacular but take a pen and paper as they give you times. Then you go for dinner – the food is amazing. Then you’ve got the whole evening in the mess. Drinks are cheap (30p for a ½ pint of coke, can’t remember alcohol pricings but they are cheap too). Get an early night though!
The beds are awful as you sink into them – and tall people will bash their feet on the towel rail! I took my mattress off the bed and put it on the floor – I’d recommend it! Also if you don’t like feather pillows bring your own as the ones there lose all the padding where you put your head down on them as it’s all pushed to the sides of the pillow!
Breakfast is v.early and if you’re like me you’ll feel nervous and your stomach will be churning and you might not be able to eat that early. If that’s the case try and take something in your pocket to munch on later as lunch isn’t until 12:40 and they don’t let you leave during the day to go and get food. This is especially important on the day of the fitness test as you’ll need the energy.
Anyway, we had to be at the OASC centre on Wednesday for 07:10 and we had the aptitude tests. They gave us lots of 5 minute breaks – and I think we only took about 4 hours to get through them all – including the pilot ones. You NEED to practise time/distance calculations and try and do calculations with miles per hour and minutes (instead of hours for the time unit) as they’re trickier and did come up. Also there were questions about fuel consumption – amount of fuel used per hour at a certain speed. Lastly try and practise the type of questions where two planes/cars are say 80 miles apart and they fly towards each other at different speeds and you have to say what time they meet.
Also there are a couple where learning your times tables can be VERY helpful (the multitasking ‘CLAN’ exercise for one).
In the afternoon we had a hearing test, sight test and height and weight measurements (including the pilot ones if needed). After that we got the results for our aptitude tests. Finished at about 3:30 and the rest of the day was free.
Thursday morning we had interviews and medicals – one half did one thing and then swapped. Be warned, you could get your interview at 7:30 in the morning – or you could get it at 10. You also get a medical briefing. Be warned that if you’re going for intelligence you may be found unfit for it if your eyesight is not good – my eyes are -1.75 and I was found unfit for it. Contact your AFCO to check up on this if you’re worried.
In the afternoon part 2 started and we did the hanger familiarisation exercise (unassessed), leaderless exercise, group discussion and group problem and finished at 17:00. Make sure you get a plastic surgeon to put a permanent smile put on your face before part 2 as this is all they seem to tell you to do!
This is the good night in the mess as no-one is stressing over their interview and revising in the pool room – as a few people were! If you do want to have a drink, save it for this evening – but don’t over do it as there’s still more the next day.
On Friday we had the Command situation and the individual problem. The individual and group problems are not as hard as the one in the book they gave you before OASC.
After that we all had a chance to verify our branch choices, then we did the fitness test (you all do the bleep test at the same time) then we went home!
A word of advice for the interview – don’t just assume you can talk about your own achievements – it’s surprisingly difficult. Practise it first and remember months and years you did things.
Make sure you know what’s involved at IOTC and your branch training. Current affairs is short amount of time but they ask a lot of questions within that time, make sure you are aware of at LEAST 6 home events (I even mentioned Jamie Oliver’s crusade and he wanted me to expand on it!) and 6 world ones (they asked me for 4 of each). They like NATO – LEARN A BRIEF HISTORY OF NATO! Learn the reasons that RAF’s Bruggen, Laarbruch and Guttersloh are no longer RAF – it has to do with NATO. And also why NATO still exists when the Warsaw pact doesn’t (NATO’s role has changed). Also learn which countries are new to NATO and remember that they are (I think) ex Warsaw – (don’t quote me on that, check it first). Other people on your OASC may tell you don't need much current affairs but I personally feel that you can't over prepare for it. Same goes for the Planes and equipment as they could ask you anything. Learn where the permanent overseas bases are and also where the RAF are deployed and why.
Also make sure you have opinions on things!!!! For example they asked me if I thought it was good that George Bush got back in.
Lastly – get friendly with every one – very easy to do though – as you’ll need that friendship in Part 2 when you’re put into syndicates. Also, if someone tells you their name and you forget it, ask them again or by the second day you’ll have bonded with them but won’t know their name! It’s easy to forget and people don’t ask again cause it’s a little embarrassing – it’s better to just ask and get it over with!
On my OASC there were 28 people, 6 didn’t turn up, 2 failed aptitude, 2 failed medical, one failed interview and 17 went through to Part 2. So out of 22 people, only 5 failed part one!
I hope I didn’t waffle too much and I hope all the information (or at least some of it) is useful.
One minor thing, if you're looking for the toilet and showers in your block, they're through the door marked "Ablutions"! It took us a while!
(I went on OASC while they were in the process of changing things - therefore the order in which we did it was a messed up and might not apply to other OASC's)
I drove to Cranwell so I arrived early, try and get the earlier train/bus because you’ll then get a chance to put all your stuff in your room before the brief in the evening.
You need to collect your key from the Candidates mess preferably before the briefing.
The briefing is on the other side of the main road at Adastral Hall at about 4:45 ish – you’ll have to get there a few minutes earlier though. Nothing spectacular but take a pen and paper as they give you times. Then you go for dinner – the food is amazing. Then you’ve got the whole evening in the mess. Drinks are cheap (30p for a ½ pint of coke, can’t remember alcohol pricings but they are cheap too). Get an early night though!
The beds are awful as you sink into them – and tall people will bash their feet on the towel rail! I took my mattress off the bed and put it on the floor – I’d recommend it! Also if you don’t like feather pillows bring your own as the ones there lose all the padding where you put your head down on them as it’s all pushed to the sides of the pillow!
Breakfast is v.early and if you’re like me you’ll feel nervous and your stomach will be churning and you might not be able to eat that early. If that’s the case try and take something in your pocket to munch on later as lunch isn’t until 12:40 and they don’t let you leave during the day to go and get food. This is especially important on the day of the fitness test as you’ll need the energy.
Anyway, we had to be at the OASC centre on Wednesday for 07:10 and we had the aptitude tests. They gave us lots of 5 minute breaks – and I think we only took about 4 hours to get through them all – including the pilot ones. You NEED to practise time/distance calculations and try and do calculations with miles per hour and minutes (instead of hours for the time unit) as they’re trickier and did come up. Also there were questions about fuel consumption – amount of fuel used per hour at a certain speed. Lastly try and practise the type of questions where two planes/cars are say 80 miles apart and they fly towards each other at different speeds and you have to say what time they meet.
Also there are a couple where learning your times tables can be VERY helpful (the multitasking ‘CLAN’ exercise for one).
In the afternoon we had a hearing test, sight test and height and weight measurements (including the pilot ones if needed). After that we got the results for our aptitude tests. Finished at about 3:30 and the rest of the day was free.
Thursday morning we had interviews and medicals – one half did one thing and then swapped. Be warned, you could get your interview at 7:30 in the morning – or you could get it at 10. You also get a medical briefing. Be warned that if you’re going for intelligence you may be found unfit for it if your eyesight is not good – my eyes are -1.75 and I was found unfit for it. Contact your AFCO to check up on this if you’re worried.
In the afternoon part 2 started and we did the hanger familiarisation exercise (unassessed), leaderless exercise, group discussion and group problem and finished at 17:00. Make sure you get a plastic surgeon to put a permanent smile put on your face before part 2 as this is all they seem to tell you to do!
This is the good night in the mess as no-one is stressing over their interview and revising in the pool room – as a few people were! If you do want to have a drink, save it for this evening – but don’t over do it as there’s still more the next day.
On Friday we had the Command situation and the individual problem. The individual and group problems are not as hard as the one in the book they gave you before OASC.
After that we all had a chance to verify our branch choices, then we did the fitness test (you all do the bleep test at the same time) then we went home!
A word of advice for the interview – don’t just assume you can talk about your own achievements – it’s surprisingly difficult. Practise it first and remember months and years you did things.
Make sure you know what’s involved at IOTC and your branch training. Current affairs is short amount of time but they ask a lot of questions within that time, make sure you are aware of at LEAST 6 home events (I even mentioned Jamie Oliver’s crusade and he wanted me to expand on it!) and 6 world ones (they asked me for 4 of each). They like NATO – LEARN A BRIEF HISTORY OF NATO! Learn the reasons that RAF’s Bruggen, Laarbruch and Guttersloh are no longer RAF – it has to do with NATO. And also why NATO still exists when the Warsaw pact doesn’t (NATO’s role has changed). Also learn which countries are new to NATO and remember that they are (I think) ex Warsaw – (don’t quote me on that, check it first). Other people on your OASC may tell you don't need much current affairs but I personally feel that you can't over prepare for it. Same goes for the Planes and equipment as they could ask you anything. Learn where the permanent overseas bases are and also where the RAF are deployed and why.
Also make sure you have opinions on things!!!! For example they asked me if I thought it was good that George Bush got back in.
Lastly – get friendly with every one – very easy to do though – as you’ll need that friendship in Part 2 when you’re put into syndicates. Also, if someone tells you their name and you forget it, ask them again or by the second day you’ll have bonded with them but won’t know their name! It’s easy to forget and people don’t ask again cause it’s a little embarrassing – it’s better to just ask and get it over with!
On my OASC there were 28 people, 6 didn’t turn up, 2 failed aptitude, 2 failed medical, one failed interview and 17 went through to Part 2. So out of 22 people, only 5 failed part one!
I hope I didn’t waffle too much and I hope all the information (or at least some of it) is useful.
One minor thing, if you're looking for the toilet and showers in your block, they're through the door marked "Ablutions"! It took us a while!
(I went on OASC while they were in the process of changing things - therefore the order in which we did it was a messed up and might not apply to other OASC's)
Well guys I got back from OASC on Friday after having had four of the most enjoyable, yet tiring days of my life! So here's how it went:
Day 1 - Arrived at Grantham, caught the bus to OASC and collected room key. The first thing I noticed when I entered the accommodation block was the heat! It was like a furnace in there so I recommend opening the window and turning the radiator off to ensure you get a good nights sleep!! Then went off to meet the other candidates and have the briefing at 4pm. Here, the boarding officer just informs you about what will be happening over the next few days. The rest of the evening is yours so head to the Candidates Mess and chat to the other guys and girls! I headed off to bed at around 8.30-9pm as it's an early start next day!
Day 2 - After having about 2 hours sleep the whole night (nerves and the heat of the room!) I got up at around 5.45 and felt surprisingly wide awake! You then go to breakfast at 6.30 (eat as much as you can as you'll need your energy) and then head to OASC for the aptitude tests. You'll then be briefed about the tests such as how to use the keyboard, pedals etc and then you go to the aptitude room and sit at a computer terminal. I'd recommend taking some energy drinks and maybe some sweets or something as you'll be there for a while! You get a 5 minute break every sort of 45mins or so and you just work through the tests at your own pace. There are loads and loads of different tests, not many that you can revise for really, but just make sure your mental arithmetic is spot on.
The tests then finish and you go for lunch. Make sure you have a really good lunch as the fitness test is at about 5pm and I was starving at this point!
You then spend the afternoon in the medicals. (I wouldn't bother taking your own dressing gown unless you're about 6' 6" as the gowns aren't really that short. Just saves some space in your suitcase). In this part of the medicals I was just weighed, height measured and had the hearing test. The rest of it then continues the next day.
At 4.50 you head over to the gym for the fitness test. I was feeling really dehydrated at this point as the heating was on full blast in every building! I was also feeling a bit lightheaded as I hadn't eaten since lunch. Try and eat an energy bar or something a bit before the test to keep your energy levels up. You do the shuttle run first then maximal press-ups and finally the maximal sit-ups in one minute. If you are female I'd recommend practising these press-ups on a bench 60cm from the ground, keeping your hands shoulder width apart and your back straight. I'd practised the men's press-ups, which I found easier than the women's and didn't do too well! The PTIs are very strict, (I know they have to be!) and don't count them if your sternum doesn't touch the bench. After a quick rest you do the sit-ups, making sure your fingers are touching your temples and your elbows come over your knees when you come up. After that's done and dusted time for a quick shower then off to dinner. Went to the Candidates Mess that evening and had just the one drink. Most people had an early night this evening as the interviews are the next day.
Day 3 - After breakfast you head over to the OASC and find out whether you are going for your interview at 7.30 or are going to the second part of the medicals. I was one of the lucky ones to have my interview at 7.30 and get it over with. The boarding officers were really friendly and the one who comes to collect you briefly describes what will happen in the interview. So first of all one officer will ask you all about your achievements at school, university etc. and then the other one will ask you about the current affairs, current RAF deployments, aircraft etc. They asked me to take them around the world giving headlines and then they'll pick on one or two to talk about in depth. Mine were Iran's nuclear programme and Bird Flu. Then they did the same for the UK so they picked on London Bombings (Tony Blair's reaction to it) and something else I can't quite remember! They also asked me about NATO's role since the end of the Cold War and asked who the newest members were. All in all I quite enjoyed the interview and the 45 minutes flew by! Just remember to know what dates you did things as they want the year rather than what year you were in at school etc. Also, be aware that they fly through the questions so try and keep your answers concise and don't waffle too much! After the interview I could relax a little as I just had to go to the second part of the medicals after that. Went into see the doctor who takes your blood pressure, checks your ears and a few other things, not too much to worry about here. You are then sent down to wait in the reception area and this is the nerve-wracking bit! Everyone is on tenterhooks waiting for the phone to ring and if your name is called then that's it, your off home. It's horrible to see other people go home when it meant so much to them. It's also a time of great relief when they don't call your name. I was one of the lucky ones, and we were then congratulated on making it through to part two and then sent to go and collect our green overalls!
So then you go to lunch and then part two begins. I was in a syndicate of five and there were two other groups of four. First of all you go for the group discussion. This last 15 mins and the topics we got were "Should the retirement age be abolished?", "Should the TV licence be scrapped?" and I can't for the life of me think what the other one was! Just get involved and voice your opinion on this one. We then did the Group Planning exercise. Here you get 20 minutes to work the problem out on your own and then 15 minutes (I think) to come up with a group plan. I found this the most challenging of all the exercises as I started to panic and then my mind went blank and also my maths is a bit weak. You then have 10 minutes of questions which the boarding officers will fire at each one of you. After this we headed over to the hangar for the familiarisation. This is unassessed, you are just told the rules of the hangar exercises and tips so make sure you listen carefully. We then went straight into the leaderless exercise, which was a lot of fun but I ended up with a few bruises after falling off planks etc!
This is an incredibly long day and I felt really tired after all that. Had three drinks (went a bit mad!) on the last evening and all that remains the next day is the individual planning exercise and the command exercises.
Day 4 - You head over to OASC reception for 7.25 (bit later than usual) and then you go to the waiting room until you are called to do the individual planning exercise. When you are called, you sit in a booth for 20 minutes and come up with a plan for the problem set. All the calculations were given here so this one is much easier than the Group Planning exercise. You then go to the boarding officers room and present your plan and you are then asked questions, such as possible other solutions etc.
You then go back to the hangar for the final exercise, the Command situation task. Here, you take it in turns to be the leader and you have to try and get your syndicate across using the equipment provided. I found this the most enjoyable exercise and we had lots of fun and even a laugh with the boarding officers! You then have your final interview just to confirm contact details, branch choices etc. and then your are free to go. Most people headed off straight away and a few of us had lunch and then caught the bus to Grantham station.
All in all I thoroughly enjoyed my time at OASC and even if I don't manage to get in the RAF it's been a great experience and no other job interview will ever compare to this!
PS. Quick "Hi" to Big Dave and James! Hope you guys are ok and I'm keeping my fingers crossed for all of us! :-)
Day 1 - Arrived at Grantham, caught the bus to OASC and collected room key. The first thing I noticed when I entered the accommodation block was the heat! It was like a furnace in there so I recommend opening the window and turning the radiator off to ensure you get a good nights sleep!! Then went off to meet the other candidates and have the briefing at 4pm. Here, the boarding officer just informs you about what will be happening over the next few days. The rest of the evening is yours so head to the Candidates Mess and chat to the other guys and girls! I headed off to bed at around 8.30-9pm as it's an early start next day!
Day 2 - After having about 2 hours sleep the whole night (nerves and the heat of the room!) I got up at around 5.45 and felt surprisingly wide awake! You then go to breakfast at 6.30 (eat as much as you can as you'll need your energy) and then head to OASC for the aptitude tests. You'll then be briefed about the tests such as how to use the keyboard, pedals etc and then you go to the aptitude room and sit at a computer terminal. I'd recommend taking some energy drinks and maybe some sweets or something as you'll be there for a while! You get a 5 minute break every sort of 45mins or so and you just work through the tests at your own pace. There are loads and loads of different tests, not many that you can revise for really, but just make sure your mental arithmetic is spot on.
The tests then finish and you go for lunch. Make sure you have a really good lunch as the fitness test is at about 5pm and I was starving at this point!
You then spend the afternoon in the medicals. (I wouldn't bother taking your own dressing gown unless you're about 6' 6" as the gowns aren't really that short. Just saves some space in your suitcase). In this part of the medicals I was just weighed, height measured and had the hearing test. The rest of it then continues the next day.
At 4.50 you head over to the gym for the fitness test. I was feeling really dehydrated at this point as the heating was on full blast in every building! I was also feeling a bit lightheaded as I hadn't eaten since lunch. Try and eat an energy bar or something a bit before the test to keep your energy levels up. You do the shuttle run first then maximal press-ups and finally the maximal sit-ups in one minute. If you are female I'd recommend practising these press-ups on a bench 60cm from the ground, keeping your hands shoulder width apart and your back straight. I'd practised the men's press-ups, which I found easier than the women's and didn't do too well! The PTIs are very strict, (I know they have to be!) and don't count them if your sternum doesn't touch the bench. After a quick rest you do the sit-ups, making sure your fingers are touching your temples and your elbows come over your knees when you come up. After that's done and dusted time for a quick shower then off to dinner. Went to the Candidates Mess that evening and had just the one drink. Most people had an early night this evening as the interviews are the next day.
Day 3 - After breakfast you head over to the OASC and find out whether you are going for your interview at 7.30 or are going to the second part of the medicals. I was one of the lucky ones to have my interview at 7.30 and get it over with. The boarding officers were really friendly and the one who comes to collect you briefly describes what will happen in the interview. So first of all one officer will ask you all about your achievements at school, university etc. and then the other one will ask you about the current affairs, current RAF deployments, aircraft etc. They asked me to take them around the world giving headlines and then they'll pick on one or two to talk about in depth. Mine were Iran's nuclear programme and Bird Flu. Then they did the same for the UK so they picked on London Bombings (Tony Blair's reaction to it) and something else I can't quite remember! They also asked me about NATO's role since the end of the Cold War and asked who the newest members were. All in all I quite enjoyed the interview and the 45 minutes flew by! Just remember to know what dates you did things as they want the year rather than what year you were in at school etc. Also, be aware that they fly through the questions so try and keep your answers concise and don't waffle too much! After the interview I could relax a little as I just had to go to the second part of the medicals after that. Went into see the doctor who takes your blood pressure, checks your ears and a few other things, not too much to worry about here. You are then sent down to wait in the reception area and this is the nerve-wracking bit! Everyone is on tenterhooks waiting for the phone to ring and if your name is called then that's it, your off home. It's horrible to see other people go home when it meant so much to them. It's also a time of great relief when they don't call your name. I was one of the lucky ones, and we were then congratulated on making it through to part two and then sent to go and collect our green overalls!
So then you go to lunch and then part two begins. I was in a syndicate of five and there were two other groups of four. First of all you go for the group discussion. This last 15 mins and the topics we got were "Should the retirement age be abolished?", "Should the TV licence be scrapped?" and I can't for the life of me think what the other one was! Just get involved and voice your opinion on this one. We then did the Group Planning exercise. Here you get 20 minutes to work the problem out on your own and then 15 minutes (I think) to come up with a group plan. I found this the most challenging of all the exercises as I started to panic and then my mind went blank and also my maths is a bit weak. You then have 10 minutes of questions which the boarding officers will fire at each one of you. After this we headed over to the hangar for the familiarisation. This is unassessed, you are just told the rules of the hangar exercises and tips so make sure you listen carefully. We then went straight into the leaderless exercise, which was a lot of fun but I ended up with a few bruises after falling off planks etc!
This is an incredibly long day and I felt really tired after all that. Had three drinks (went a bit mad!) on the last evening and all that remains the next day is the individual planning exercise and the command exercises.
Day 4 - You head over to OASC reception for 7.25 (bit later than usual) and then you go to the waiting room until you are called to do the individual planning exercise. When you are called, you sit in a booth for 20 minutes and come up with a plan for the problem set. All the calculations were given here so this one is much easier than the Group Planning exercise. You then go to the boarding officers room and present your plan and you are then asked questions, such as possible other solutions etc.
You then go back to the hangar for the final exercise, the Command situation task. Here, you take it in turns to be the leader and you have to try and get your syndicate across using the equipment provided. I found this the most enjoyable exercise and we had lots of fun and even a laugh with the boarding officers! You then have your final interview just to confirm contact details, branch choices etc. and then your are free to go. Most people headed off straight away and a few of us had lunch and then caught the bus to Grantham station.
All in all I thoroughly enjoyed my time at OASC and even if I don't manage to get in the RAF it's been a great experience and no other job interview will ever compare to this!
PS. Quick "Hi" to Big Dave and James! Hope you guys are ok and I'm keeping my fingers crossed for all of us! :-)
hey guys, well this is my 1st post on this site but what a great site it is! some of you guys may know me from mfat.co.uk but i thought id join in on the fun here too! here is my officer selection diary so that the people who havent seen it can get an insight to what its like and hopefully find it useful. i know there is alot of info about OASC and that kind a stuff but i think the more the merrier! just want to say hey to gemmals, blackhawk and gr4 who have all been great from the other site. cheers guys!
would love any feedback any of you guys and gals wanna leave. Im also considering doing the same kinda thing for the prep leading up to and throughout IOT as i v v recently got accepted for my first choice so i was obviosly thrilled to pieces and it was sites like this that helped me greatly!
Filter Interview
Well it all started with my RAF presentation, which was interesting and informative, however a bit frightening as the career’s officer said that only 1 % get selected to become officer’s from start to finish so was slightly unnerved by the task which I had set myself but also saw it as a great challenge. From there, I went for my filter interview about a month later as it took forever to collect all my past educational and qualification certificates. When I got there and met the careers officer, he told me that my 1st choice branch of PEdO (my other branch being Provost) had ‘moved the goal posts’ and that I needed a post grad in education to be able to go for it! I was mortified as I have a degree in sport science and the GCSE’s and A levels needed but not the PGCE. I couldn’t believe it; I thought I’d failed before I’d even started! Anyway I told him that I had a fitness instructor course of a high standard and had work experience in P.E teaching whilst at college. He said it may help and would contact the head honcho at RAF Cranwell to see if I could still go for it. There was no reply when he tried so I said I’d go ahead with the interview anyway, as I knew my stuff and had psyched myself up for it. He covered my background (which you really need to know and also get to know your dates and be able to sell yourself, I threw in my representative honours in sports and my travelling experiences etc so really get to know the good things you have done in your life) then he moved onto my motivation for joining the RAF as an officer, (here you need to be original, sincere and genuine! Really mean it! Know the benefits of joining the RAF as an officer and what appeals to you) he or she then may move onto RAF equipment depending on branch choice e.g. if your going for pilot then expect it, then possibly RAF Op’s, so get onto the RAF website and know what they are doing and where. You will definitely need to know about OASC and IOT and your branch training and about your branch in general so put the homework in. Know it crystal clear in your head so you sound confident when asked. He or she may cover a bit of current affairs but not a lot, so have a good general awareness of what is going on around the world and at home but don’t go over the top. They will mainly just ask your opinion on something, not ask for stacks of info on a topic. In general that is it, just be confident and be yourself, seem comfortable even if your crapping it and try to smile as much as possible. At the end of my interview he told me that he was impressed and that I would be going to OASC and that he would fight for me to be able to go for PEdO even without the PGCE (that certainly put a smile on my face). Whilst telling me this there was a phone call from Cranwell and it was the top brass wanting to speak to the careers officer. When he came back after the phone call, he told me the good news and said that I would be allowed to go for PEdO still. I was delighted and thought that it was the good start I needed. The moral to this story is that no matter what hurdles come your way, try and be as prepared as possible and just go for it with everything you have got, no matter what.
Preparation
Then comes the wait for your OASC date if you get thru the filter interview. To prepare for this I read the Telegraph and the Mail regularly and the Time and the Week magazine, also the BBC website is great for getting the core of your topics in the current affairs part, and to keep up to date with it all, Sky news and BBC news 24 is great if you have got it that is. I got hold of some psychometric test books and IQ test books from the library and worked on them when I could so that I could try and familiarise myself with that kind of testing. I also wrote down all my notes in a A4 book, which covered IOT, branch info, RAF equipment, RAF Ops, RAF history, NATO and UN info, difference between manager and leader, difference between NCO and Officer, etc. I picked 5 international topics (Zimbabwe, EU and UK rebate, N Korea, Israel and Columbia, I chose Columbia as it’s a bit obscure and thought it might interest them and guess what, that’s the topic they asked me about in the interview, anyway ill carry on) then I chose 5 national topics (MRSA, MG Rover demise, Olympics 2012, London bombings and Lions tour) and as you can see there is a nice wide variety of subjects, not purely military or political, and as they say, variety is the spice of life, so try and mix it up with a good range of stories. I followed these religiously over the next few months so not to miss anything and I’d advise you do the same, but also keep on top of any other headlines that are hitting the news .I also managed to get hold of some problem solving questions from my AFCO, so ask as this will be invaluable help when you come to your problem solving tasks. I also took out a couple of GCSE maths books from the library and went over mental arithmetic which should help keep your mind sharp for both the aptitude and the problem solving. Fitness wise, I was already pretty fit so had a good head start but you really want to hit the mid 12’s for blokes and mid 9’s for girl’s at least to impress on the bleep test, and to be able to do this you need to practice. As a lot of it is down to technique as well as fitness. I got hold of a bleep test tape and did this about 2-3 times a week in a local leisure centre and did the 1 min press up’s and 1 min sit up’s everyday and tried to beat my score almost all the time. I was hitting around the late 12’s early 13’s in the bleep test and around 50 - 65 in the press ups and sit ups. In addition I went on bike rides and runs as often as possible and went to the gym or the pool most days for about an hour or so. If your going for Aircrew or Regiment or PEdO then practice swimming 4 lengths and tread water for 2 min’s with overalls on. I managed to borrow a pair and just asked to use a lane at the local swimming pool for about 10 min’s (it’s a bit embarrassing but its all down to how much you want it) I only did this once as I found it no problem, as the swim test isn’t a race, its just to see if you can do it. So that was my preparation in general. I drove my family and girlfriend mad as all I talked about was the RAF and current affairs and that is what you have to do, just absorb yourself into it completely. Stay focused and positive, and with the training don’t over train either, as you’re likely to injure yourself and that is a very big blow to overcome. I’d recommend getting early nights and taking vitamins and eat as healthy as possible to keep your body in top shape, also if you don’t already get into the habit of getting up at around 6 am a couple of weeks before you go to OASC so your body clock is used to this when you arrive. I also organised a couple of RAF station visits and met the officer’s of my chosen branch’s which I found very insightful (I just got the numbers from the net and contacted them, that easy), and it also looks good when you mention this in your interview. I managed to join a local ATC squadron as a civilian instructor to further submerge myself in the RAF environment, which I found great fun and useful but also is seen as helping the local community as you’re a volunteer worker (I helped out with the adventurous training and playing the sport). I was also fortunate enough to be able to go and speak to my old UAS friends and the officers there for advice and any other info I needed, and I also managed to get a practice interview in (this will definitely help you for your confidence and know a bit more of what to expect). Id would also advice that you slow down on your revision a week before and just get into the mindset of what is coming up. The last week should be a wind down of what you have been doing for the past couple of months, so that when you arrive your not too uptight or your mind isn’t racing with info, as you will have quite enough to take on board. This is quite similar with regards to training, I would not recommend training as hard as you have been a day or 2 before you head off to OASC, so that you aren’t too tired and that you have plenty of energy as you really are going to need it.
30th of Aug
Then came the day I left for OASC (wow, nerve racking)! Make sure you leave nice and early so you can get there and mix with all the people your going to be with for the next couple of days (it should settle the nerves a wee bit). I’d recommend taking mini chocolate bars and energy drinks to keep topped up with fluids and energy. Also don’t do what 90% of the candidates did when I was there and revise every night because if you don’t know your stuff by now then your not going to remember much more with a few hours panicked revision. It will just confuse you and put certain info to the front of your mind and other stuff to the back when it was probably all in perfect order beforehand. You need to relax and maybe playing pool or watching TV and having a Shandy or something will help you do this. It’s all about your mental state now, not last minute cramming. So when I arrived we were all given the brief about what was going to happen and then I went to my room and unpacked all my stuff and made it as homely as possible (the beds are terrible if your anything over 5’10”, so you may need to put your mattress on the floor which helped a lot of people) then it was dinner time and this is when you start to get to know the guys and gals who are in the same boat as you. There were 18 of us in total, which included 4 girls and 14 blokes. Generally all of a good sort. Here you chat about the usual and ask questions like ‘what branch you going for’ and stuff like that. If there is someone there who has been before then it might be worth having a chat about his or her experience of it and gleaning any info you can or want about it. I got a fairly early night, about 10pm and had a pretty good sleep.
cont.......
would love any feedback any of you guys and gals wanna leave. Im also considering doing the same kinda thing for the prep leading up to and throughout IOT as i v v recently got accepted for my first choice so i was obviosly thrilled to pieces and it was sites like this that helped me greatly!
Filter Interview
Well it all started with my RAF presentation, which was interesting and informative, however a bit frightening as the career’s officer said that only 1 % get selected to become officer’s from start to finish so was slightly unnerved by the task which I had set myself but also saw it as a great challenge. From there, I went for my filter interview about a month later as it took forever to collect all my past educational and qualification certificates. When I got there and met the careers officer, he told me that my 1st choice branch of PEdO (my other branch being Provost) had ‘moved the goal posts’ and that I needed a post grad in education to be able to go for it! I was mortified as I have a degree in sport science and the GCSE’s and A levels needed but not the PGCE. I couldn’t believe it; I thought I’d failed before I’d even started! Anyway I told him that I had a fitness instructor course of a high standard and had work experience in P.E teaching whilst at college. He said it may help and would contact the head honcho at RAF Cranwell to see if I could still go for it. There was no reply when he tried so I said I’d go ahead with the interview anyway, as I knew my stuff and had psyched myself up for it. He covered my background (which you really need to know and also get to know your dates and be able to sell yourself, I threw in my representative honours in sports and my travelling experiences etc so really get to know the good things you have done in your life) then he moved onto my motivation for joining the RAF as an officer, (here you need to be original, sincere and genuine! Really mean it! Know the benefits of joining the RAF as an officer and what appeals to you) he or she then may move onto RAF equipment depending on branch choice e.g. if your going for pilot then expect it, then possibly RAF Op’s, so get onto the RAF website and know what they are doing and where. You will definitely need to know about OASC and IOT and your branch training and about your branch in general so put the homework in. Know it crystal clear in your head so you sound confident when asked. He or she may cover a bit of current affairs but not a lot, so have a good general awareness of what is going on around the world and at home but don’t go over the top. They will mainly just ask your opinion on something, not ask for stacks of info on a topic. In general that is it, just be confident and be yourself, seem comfortable even if your crapping it and try to smile as much as possible. At the end of my interview he told me that he was impressed and that I would be going to OASC and that he would fight for me to be able to go for PEdO even without the PGCE (that certainly put a smile on my face). Whilst telling me this there was a phone call from Cranwell and it was the top brass wanting to speak to the careers officer. When he came back after the phone call, he told me the good news and said that I would be allowed to go for PEdO still. I was delighted and thought that it was the good start I needed. The moral to this story is that no matter what hurdles come your way, try and be as prepared as possible and just go for it with everything you have got, no matter what.
Preparation
Then comes the wait for your OASC date if you get thru the filter interview. To prepare for this I read the Telegraph and the Mail regularly and the Time and the Week magazine, also the BBC website is great for getting the core of your topics in the current affairs part, and to keep up to date with it all, Sky news and BBC news 24 is great if you have got it that is. I got hold of some psychometric test books and IQ test books from the library and worked on them when I could so that I could try and familiarise myself with that kind of testing. I also wrote down all my notes in a A4 book, which covered IOT, branch info, RAF equipment, RAF Ops, RAF history, NATO and UN info, difference between manager and leader, difference between NCO and Officer, etc. I picked 5 international topics (Zimbabwe, EU and UK rebate, N Korea, Israel and Columbia, I chose Columbia as it’s a bit obscure and thought it might interest them and guess what, that’s the topic they asked me about in the interview, anyway ill carry on) then I chose 5 national topics (MRSA, MG Rover demise, Olympics 2012, London bombings and Lions tour) and as you can see there is a nice wide variety of subjects, not purely military or political, and as they say, variety is the spice of life, so try and mix it up with a good range of stories. I followed these religiously over the next few months so not to miss anything and I’d advise you do the same, but also keep on top of any other headlines that are hitting the news .I also managed to get hold of some problem solving questions from my AFCO, so ask as this will be invaluable help when you come to your problem solving tasks. I also took out a couple of GCSE maths books from the library and went over mental arithmetic which should help keep your mind sharp for both the aptitude and the problem solving. Fitness wise, I was already pretty fit so had a good head start but you really want to hit the mid 12’s for blokes and mid 9’s for girl’s at least to impress on the bleep test, and to be able to do this you need to practice. As a lot of it is down to technique as well as fitness. I got hold of a bleep test tape and did this about 2-3 times a week in a local leisure centre and did the 1 min press up’s and 1 min sit up’s everyday and tried to beat my score almost all the time. I was hitting around the late 12’s early 13’s in the bleep test and around 50 - 65 in the press ups and sit ups. In addition I went on bike rides and runs as often as possible and went to the gym or the pool most days for about an hour or so. If your going for Aircrew or Regiment or PEdO then practice swimming 4 lengths and tread water for 2 min’s with overalls on. I managed to borrow a pair and just asked to use a lane at the local swimming pool for about 10 min’s (it’s a bit embarrassing but its all down to how much you want it) I only did this once as I found it no problem, as the swim test isn’t a race, its just to see if you can do it. So that was my preparation in general. I drove my family and girlfriend mad as all I talked about was the RAF and current affairs and that is what you have to do, just absorb yourself into it completely. Stay focused and positive, and with the training don’t over train either, as you’re likely to injure yourself and that is a very big blow to overcome. I’d recommend getting early nights and taking vitamins and eat as healthy as possible to keep your body in top shape, also if you don’t already get into the habit of getting up at around 6 am a couple of weeks before you go to OASC so your body clock is used to this when you arrive. I also organised a couple of RAF station visits and met the officer’s of my chosen branch’s which I found very insightful (I just got the numbers from the net and contacted them, that easy), and it also looks good when you mention this in your interview. I managed to join a local ATC squadron as a civilian instructor to further submerge myself in the RAF environment, which I found great fun and useful but also is seen as helping the local community as you’re a volunteer worker (I helped out with the adventurous training and playing the sport). I was also fortunate enough to be able to go and speak to my old UAS friends and the officers there for advice and any other info I needed, and I also managed to get a practice interview in (this will definitely help you for your confidence and know a bit more of what to expect). Id would also advice that you slow down on your revision a week before and just get into the mindset of what is coming up. The last week should be a wind down of what you have been doing for the past couple of months, so that when you arrive your not too uptight or your mind isn’t racing with info, as you will have quite enough to take on board. This is quite similar with regards to training, I would not recommend training as hard as you have been a day or 2 before you head off to OASC, so that you aren’t too tired and that you have plenty of energy as you really are going to need it.
30th of Aug
Then came the day I left for OASC (wow, nerve racking)! Make sure you leave nice and early so you can get there and mix with all the people your going to be with for the next couple of days (it should settle the nerves a wee bit). I’d recommend taking mini chocolate bars and energy drinks to keep topped up with fluids and energy. Also don’t do what 90% of the candidates did when I was there and revise every night because if you don’t know your stuff by now then your not going to remember much more with a few hours panicked revision. It will just confuse you and put certain info to the front of your mind and other stuff to the back when it was probably all in perfect order beforehand. You need to relax and maybe playing pool or watching TV and having a Shandy or something will help you do this. It’s all about your mental state now, not last minute cramming. So when I arrived we were all given the brief about what was going to happen and then I went to my room and unpacked all my stuff and made it as homely as possible (the beds are terrible if your anything over 5’10”, so you may need to put your mattress on the floor which helped a lot of people) then it was dinner time and this is when you start to get to know the guys and gals who are in the same boat as you. There were 18 of us in total, which included 4 girls and 14 blokes. Generally all of a good sort. Here you chat about the usual and ask questions like ‘what branch you going for’ and stuff like that. If there is someone there who has been before then it might be worth having a chat about his or her experience of it and gleaning any info you can or want about it. I got a fairly early night, about 10pm and had a pretty good sleep.
cont.......
hey guys, well this is my 1st post on this site but what a great site it is! some of you guys may know me from mfat.co.uk but i thought id join in on the fun here too! here is my officer selection diary so that the people who havent seen it can get an insight to what its like and hopefully find it useful. i know there is alot of info about OASC and that kind a stuff but i think the more the merrier! just want to say hey to gemmals, blackhawk and gr4 who have all been great from the other site. cheers guys!
would love any feedback any of you guys and gals wanna leave. Im also considering doing the same kinda thing for the prep leading up to and throughout IOT as i v v recently got accepted for my first choice so i was obviosly thrilled to pieces and it was sites like this that helped me greatly!
Filter Interview
Well it all started with my RAF presentation, which was interesting and informative, however a bit frightening as the career’s officer said that only 1 % get selected to become officer’s from start to finish so was slightly unnerved by the task which I had set myself but also saw it as a great challenge. From there, I went for my filter interview about a month later as it took forever to collect all my past educational and qualification certificates. When I got there and met the careers officer, he told me that my 1st choice branch of PEdO (my other branch being Provost) had ‘moved the goal posts’ and that I needed a post grad in education to be able to go for it! I was mortified as I have a degree in sport science and the GCSE’s and A levels needed but not the PGCE. I couldn’t believe it; I thought I’d failed before I’d even started! Anyway I told him that I had a fitness instructor course of a high standard and had work experience in P.E teaching whilst at college. He said it may help and would contact the head honcho at RAF Cranwell to see if I could still go for it. There was no reply when he tried so I said I’d go ahead with the interview anyway, as I knew my stuff and had psyched myself up for it. He covered my background (which you really need to know and also get to know your dates and be able to sell yourself, I threw in my representative honours in sports and my travelling experiences etc so really get to know the good things you have done in your life) then he moved onto my motivation for joining the RAF as an officer, (here you need to be original, sincere and genuine! Really mean it! Know the benefits of joining the RAF as an officer and what appeals to you) he or she then may move onto RAF equipment depending on branch choice e.g. if your going for pilot then expect it, then possibly RAF Op’s, so get onto the RAF website and know what they are doing and where. You will definitely need to know about OASC and IOT and your branch training and about your branch in general so put the homework in. Know it crystal clear in your head so you sound confident when asked. He or she may cover a bit of current affairs but not a lot, so have a good general awareness of what is going on around the world and at home but don’t go over the top. They will mainly just ask your opinion on something, not ask for stacks of info on a topic. In general that is it, just be confident and be yourself, seem comfortable even if your crapping it and try to smile as much as possible. At the end of my interview he told me that he was impressed and that I would be going to OASC and that he would fight for me to be able to go for PEdO even without the PGCE (that certainly put a smile on my face). Whilst telling me this there was a phone call from Cranwell and it was the top brass wanting to speak to the careers officer. When he came back after the phone call, he told me the good news and said that I would be allowed to go for PEdO still. I was delighted and thought that it was the good start I needed. The moral to this story is that no matter what hurdles come your way, try and be as prepared as possible and just go for it with everything you have got, no matter what.
Preparation
Then comes the wait for your OASC date if you get thru the filter interview. To prepare for this I read the Telegraph and the Mail regularly and the Time and the Week magazine, also the BBC website is great for getting the core of your topics in the current affairs part, and to keep up to date with it all, Sky news and BBC news 24 is great if you have got it that is. I got hold of some psychometric test books and IQ test books from the library and worked on them when I could so that I could try and familiarise myself with that kind of testing. I also wrote down all my notes in a A4 book, which covered IOT, branch info, RAF equipment, RAF Ops, RAF history, NATO and UN info, difference between manager and leader, difference between NCO and Officer, etc. I picked 5 international topics (Zimbabwe, EU and UK rebate, N Korea, Israel and Columbia, I chose Columbia as it’s a bit obscure and thought it might interest them and guess what, that’s the topic they asked me about in the interview, anyway ill carry on) then I chose 5 national topics (MRSA, MG Rover demise, Olympics 2012, London bombings and Lions tour) and as you can see there is a nice wide variety of subjects, not purely military or political, and as they say, variety is the spice of life, so try and mix it up with a good range of stories. I followed these religiously over the next few months so not to miss anything and I’d advise you do the same, but also keep on top of any other headlines that are hitting the news .I also managed to get hold of some problem solving questions from my AFCO, so ask as this will be invaluable help when you come to your problem solving tasks. I also took out a couple of GCSE maths books from the library and went over mental arithmetic which should help keep your mind sharp for both the aptitude and the problem solving. Fitness wise, I was already pretty fit so had a good head start but you really want to hit the mid 12’s for blokes and mid 9’s for girl’s at least to impress on the bleep test, and to be able to do this you need to practice. As a lot of it is down to technique as well as fitness. I got hold of a bleep test tape and did this about 2-3 times a week in a local leisure centre and did the 1 min press up’s and 1 min sit up’s everyday and tried to beat my score almost all the time. I was hitting around the late 12’s early 13’s in the bleep test and around 50 - 65 in the press ups and sit ups. In addition I went on bike rides and runs as often as possible and went to the gym or the pool most days for about an hour or so. If your going for Aircrew or Regiment or PEdO then practice swimming 4 lengths and tread water for 2 min’s with overalls on. I managed to borrow a pair and just asked to use a lane at the local swimming pool for about 10 min’s (it’s a bit embarrassing but its all down to how much you want it) I only did this once as I found it no problem, as the swim test isn’t a race, its just to see if you can do it. So that was my preparation in general. I drove my family and girlfriend mad as all I talked about was the RAF and current affairs and that is what you have to do, just absorb yourself into it completely. Stay focused and positive, and with the training don’t over train either, as you’re likely to injure yourself and that is a very big blow to overcome. I’d recommend getting early nights and taking vitamins and eat as healthy as possible to keep your body in top shape, also if you don’t already get into the habit of getting up at around 6 am a couple of weeks before you go to OASC so your body clock is used to this when you arrive. I also organised a couple of RAF station visits and met the officer’s of my chosen branch’s which I found very insightful (I just got the numbers from the net and contacted them, that easy), and it also looks good when you mention this in your interview. I managed to join a local ATC squadron as a civilian instructor to further submerge myself in the RAF environment, which I found great fun and useful but also is seen as helping the local community as you’re a volunteer worker (I helped out with the adventurous training and playing the sport). I was also fortunate enough to be able to go and speak to my old UAS friends and the officers there for advice and any other info I needed, and I also managed to get a practice interview in (this will definitely help you for your confidence and know a bit more of what to expect). Id would also advice that you slow down on your revision a week before and just get into the mindset of what is coming up. The last week should be a wind down of what you have been doing for the past couple of months, so that when you arrive your not too uptight or your mind isn’t racing with info, as you will have quite enough to take on board. This is quite similar with regards to training, I would not recommend training as hard as you have been a day or 2 before you head off to OASC, so that you aren’t too tired and that you have plenty of energy as you really are going to need it.
30th of Aug
Then came the day I left for OASC (wow, nerve racking)! Make sure you leave nice and early so you can get there and mix with all the people your going to be with for the next couple of days (it should settle the nerves a wee bit). I’d recommend taking mini chocolate bars and energy drinks to keep topped up with fluids and energy. Also don’t do what 90% of the candidates did when I was there and revise every night because if you don’t know your stuff by now then your not going to remember much more with a few hours panicked revision. It will just confuse you and put certain info to the front of your mind and other stuff to the back when it was probably all in perfect order beforehand. You need to relax and maybe playing pool or watching TV and having a Shandy or something will help you do this. It’s all about your mental state now, not last minute cramming. So when I arrived we were all given the brief about what was going to happen and then I went to my room and unpacked all my stuff and made it as homely as possible (the beds are terrible if your anything over 5’10”, so you may need to put your mattress on the floor which helped a lot of people) then it was dinner time and this is when you start to get to know the guys and gals who are in the same boat as you. There were 18 of us in total, which included 4 girls and 14 blokes. Generally all of a good sort. Here you chat about the usual and ask questions like ‘what branch you going for’ and stuff like that. If there is someone there who has been before then it might be worth having a chat about his or her experience of it and gleaning any info you can or want about it. I got a fairly early night, about 10pm and had a pretty good sleep.
cont.......
would love any feedback any of you guys and gals wanna leave. Im also considering doing the same kinda thing for the prep leading up to and throughout IOT as i v v recently got accepted for my first choice so i was obviosly thrilled to pieces and it was sites like this that helped me greatly!
Filter Interview
Well it all started with my RAF presentation, which was interesting and informative, however a bit frightening as the career’s officer said that only 1 % get selected to become officer’s from start to finish so was slightly unnerved by the task which I had set myself but also saw it as a great challenge. From there, I went for my filter interview about a month later as it took forever to collect all my past educational and qualification certificates. When I got there and met the careers officer, he told me that my 1st choice branch of PEdO (my other branch being Provost) had ‘moved the goal posts’ and that I needed a post grad in education to be able to go for it! I was mortified as I have a degree in sport science and the GCSE’s and A levels needed but not the PGCE. I couldn’t believe it; I thought I’d failed before I’d even started! Anyway I told him that I had a fitness instructor course of a high standard and had work experience in P.E teaching whilst at college. He said it may help and would contact the head honcho at RAF Cranwell to see if I could still go for it. There was no reply when he tried so I said I’d go ahead with the interview anyway, as I knew my stuff and had psyched myself up for it. He covered my background (which you really need to know and also get to know your dates and be able to sell yourself, I threw in my representative honours in sports and my travelling experiences etc so really get to know the good things you have done in your life) then he moved onto my motivation for joining the RAF as an officer, (here you need to be original, sincere and genuine! Really mean it! Know the benefits of joining the RAF as an officer and what appeals to you) he or she then may move onto RAF equipment depending on branch choice e.g. if your going for pilot then expect it, then possibly RAF Op’s, so get onto the RAF website and know what they are doing and where. You will definitely need to know about OASC and IOT and your branch training and about your branch in general so put the homework in. Know it crystal clear in your head so you sound confident when asked. He or she may cover a bit of current affairs but not a lot, so have a good general awareness of what is going on around the world and at home but don’t go over the top. They will mainly just ask your opinion on something, not ask for stacks of info on a topic. In general that is it, just be confident and be yourself, seem comfortable even if your crapping it and try to smile as much as possible. At the end of my interview he told me that he was impressed and that I would be going to OASC and that he would fight for me to be able to go for PEdO even without the PGCE (that certainly put a smile on my face). Whilst telling me this there was a phone call from Cranwell and it was the top brass wanting to speak to the careers officer. When he came back after the phone call, he told me the good news and said that I would be allowed to go for PEdO still. I was delighted and thought that it was the good start I needed. The moral to this story is that no matter what hurdles come your way, try and be as prepared as possible and just go for it with everything you have got, no matter what.
Preparation
Then comes the wait for your OASC date if you get thru the filter interview. To prepare for this I read the Telegraph and the Mail regularly and the Time and the Week magazine, also the BBC website is great for getting the core of your topics in the current affairs part, and to keep up to date with it all, Sky news and BBC news 24 is great if you have got it that is. I got hold of some psychometric test books and IQ test books from the library and worked on them when I could so that I could try and familiarise myself with that kind of testing. I also wrote down all my notes in a A4 book, which covered IOT, branch info, RAF equipment, RAF Ops, RAF history, NATO and UN info, difference between manager and leader, difference between NCO and Officer, etc. I picked 5 international topics (Zimbabwe, EU and UK rebate, N Korea, Israel and Columbia, I chose Columbia as it’s a bit obscure and thought it might interest them and guess what, that’s the topic they asked me about in the interview, anyway ill carry on) then I chose 5 national topics (MRSA, MG Rover demise, Olympics 2012, London bombings and Lions tour) and as you can see there is a nice wide variety of subjects, not purely military or political, and as they say, variety is the spice of life, so try and mix it up with a good range of stories. I followed these religiously over the next few months so not to miss anything and I’d advise you do the same, but also keep on top of any other headlines that are hitting the news .I also managed to get hold of some problem solving questions from my AFCO, so ask as this will be invaluable help when you come to your problem solving tasks. I also took out a couple of GCSE maths books from the library and went over mental arithmetic which should help keep your mind sharp for both the aptitude and the problem solving. Fitness wise, I was already pretty fit so had a good head start but you really want to hit the mid 12’s for blokes and mid 9’s for girl’s at least to impress on the bleep test, and to be able to do this you need to practice. As a lot of it is down to technique as well as fitness. I got hold of a bleep test tape and did this about 2-3 times a week in a local leisure centre and did the 1 min press up’s and 1 min sit up’s everyday and tried to beat my score almost all the time. I was hitting around the late 12’s early 13’s in the bleep test and around 50 - 65 in the press ups and sit ups. In addition I went on bike rides and runs as often as possible and went to the gym or the pool most days for about an hour or so. If your going for Aircrew or Regiment or PEdO then practice swimming 4 lengths and tread water for 2 min’s with overalls on. I managed to borrow a pair and just asked to use a lane at the local swimming pool for about 10 min’s (it’s a bit embarrassing but its all down to how much you want it) I only did this once as I found it no problem, as the swim test isn’t a race, its just to see if you can do it. So that was my preparation in general. I drove my family and girlfriend mad as all I talked about was the RAF and current affairs and that is what you have to do, just absorb yourself into it completely. Stay focused and positive, and with the training don’t over train either, as you’re likely to injure yourself and that is a very big blow to overcome. I’d recommend getting early nights and taking vitamins and eat as healthy as possible to keep your body in top shape, also if you don’t already get into the habit of getting up at around 6 am a couple of weeks before you go to OASC so your body clock is used to this when you arrive. I also organised a couple of RAF station visits and met the officer’s of my chosen branch’s which I found very insightful (I just got the numbers from the net and contacted them, that easy), and it also looks good when you mention this in your interview. I managed to join a local ATC squadron as a civilian instructor to further submerge myself in the RAF environment, which I found great fun and useful but also is seen as helping the local community as you’re a volunteer worker (I helped out with the adventurous training and playing the sport). I was also fortunate enough to be able to go and speak to my old UAS friends and the officers there for advice and any other info I needed, and I also managed to get a practice interview in (this will definitely help you for your confidence and know a bit more of what to expect). Id would also advice that you slow down on your revision a week before and just get into the mindset of what is coming up. The last week should be a wind down of what you have been doing for the past couple of months, so that when you arrive your not too uptight or your mind isn’t racing with info, as you will have quite enough to take on board. This is quite similar with regards to training, I would not recommend training as hard as you have been a day or 2 before you head off to OASC, so that you aren’t too tired and that you have plenty of energy as you really are going to need it.
30th of Aug
Then came the day I left for OASC (wow, nerve racking)! Make sure you leave nice and early so you can get there and mix with all the people your going to be with for the next couple of days (it should settle the nerves a wee bit). I’d recommend taking mini chocolate bars and energy drinks to keep topped up with fluids and energy. Also don’t do what 90% of the candidates did when I was there and revise every night because if you don’t know your stuff by now then your not going to remember much more with a few hours panicked revision. It will just confuse you and put certain info to the front of your mind and other stuff to the back when it was probably all in perfect order beforehand. You need to relax and maybe playing pool or watching TV and having a Shandy or something will help you do this. It’s all about your mental state now, not last minute cramming. So when I arrived we were all given the brief about what was going to happen and then I went to my room and unpacked all my stuff and made it as homely as possible (the beds are terrible if your anything over 5’10”, so you may need to put your mattress on the floor which helped a lot of people) then it was dinner time and this is when you start to get to know the guys and gals who are in the same boat as you. There were 18 of us in total, which included 4 girls and 14 blokes. Generally all of a good sort. Here you chat about the usual and ask questions like ‘what branch you going for’ and stuff like that. If there is someone there who has been before then it might be worth having a chat about his or her experience of it and gleaning any info you can or want about it. I got a fairly early night, about 10pm and had a pretty good sleep.
cont.......
hey guys, well this is my 1st post on this site but what a great site it is! some of you guys may know me from mfat.co.uk but i thought id join in on the fun here too! here is my officer selection diary so that the people who havent seen it can get an insight to what its like and hopefully find it useful. i know there is alot of info about OASC and that kind a stuff but i think the more the merrier! just want to say hey to gemmals, blackhawk and gr4 who have all been great from the other site. cheers guys!
would love any feedback any of you guys and gals wanna leave. Im also considering doing the same kinda thing for the prep leading up to and throughout IOT as i v v recently got accepted for my first choice so i was obviosly thrilled to pieces and it was sites like this that helped me greatly!
Filter Interview
Well it all started with my RAF presentation, which was interesting and informative, however a bit frightening as the career’s officer said that only 1 % get selected to become officer’s from start to finish so was slightly unnerved by the task which I had set myself but also saw it as a great challenge. From there, I went for my filter interview about a month later as it took forever to collect all my past educational and qualification certificates. When I got there and met the careers officer, he told me that my 1st choice branch of PEdO (my other branch being Provost) had ‘moved the goal posts’ and that I needed a post grad in education to be able to go for it! I was mortified as I have a degree in sport science and the GCSE’s and A levels needed but not the PGCE. I couldn’t believe it; I thought I’d failed before I’d even started! Anyway I told him that I had a fitness instructor course of a high standard and had work experience in P.E teaching whilst at college. He said it may help and would contact the head honcho at RAF Cranwell to see if I could still go for it. There was no reply when he tried so I said I’d go ahead with the interview anyway, as I knew my stuff and had psyched myself up for it. He covered my background (which you really need to know and also get to know your dates and be able to sell yourself, I threw in my representative honours in sports and my travelling experiences etc so really get to know the good things you have done in your life) then he moved onto my motivation for joining the RAF as an officer, (here you need to be original, sincere and genuine! Really mean it! Know the benefits of joining the RAF as an officer and what appeals to you) he or she then may move onto RAF equipment depending on branch choice e.g. if your going for pilot then expect it, then possibly RAF Op’s, so get onto the RAF website and know what they are doing and where. You will definitely need to know about OASC and IOT and your branch training and about your branch in general so put the homework in. Know it crystal clear in your head so you sound confident when asked. He or she may cover a bit of current affairs but not a lot, so have a good general awareness of what is going on around the world and at home but don’t go over the top. They will mainly just ask your opinion on something, not ask for stacks of info on a topic. In general that is it, just be confident and be yourself, seem comfortable even if your crapping it and try to smile as much as possible. At the end of my interview he told me that he was impressed and that I would be going to OASC and that he would fight for me to be able to go for PEdO even without the PGCE (that certainly put a smile on my face). Whilst telling me this there was a phone call from Cranwell and it was the top brass wanting to speak to the careers officer. When he came back after the phone call, he told me the good news and said that I would be allowed to go for PEdO still. I was delighted and thought that it was the good start I needed. The moral to this story is that no matter what hurdles come your way, try and be as prepared as possible and just go for it with everything you have got, no matter what.
Preparation
Then comes the wait for your OASC date if you get thru the filter interview. To prepare for this I read the Telegraph and the Mail regularly and the Time and the Week magazine, also the BBC website is great for getting the core of your topics in the current affairs part, and to keep up to date with it all, Sky news and BBC news 24 is great if you have got it that is. I got hold of some psychometric test books and IQ test books from the library and worked on them when I could so that I could try and familiarise myself with that kind of testing. I also wrote down all my notes in a A4 book, which covered IOT, branch info, RAF equipment, RAF Ops, RAF history, NATO and UN info, difference between manager and leader, difference between NCO and Officer, etc. I picked 5 international topics (Zimbabwe, EU and UK rebate, N Korea, Israel and Columbia, I chose Columbia as it’s a bit obscure and thought it might interest them and guess what, that’s the topic they asked me about in the interview, anyway ill carry on) then I chose 5 national topics (MRSA, MG Rover demise, Olympics 2012, London bombings and Lions tour) and as you can see there is a nice wide variety of subjects, not purely military or political, and as they say, variety is the spice of life, so try and mix it up with a good range of stories. I followed these religiously over the next few months so not to miss anything and I’d advise you do the same, but also keep on top of any other headlines that are hitting the news .I also managed to get hold of some problem solving questions from my AFCO, so ask as this will be invaluable help when you come to your problem solving tasks. I also took out a couple of GCSE maths books from the library and went over mental arithmetic which should help keep your mind sharp for both the aptitude and the problem solving. Fitness wise, I was already pretty fit so had a good head start but you really want to hit the mid 12’s for blokes and mid 9’s for girl’s at least to impress on the bleep test, and to be able to do this you need to practice. As a lot of it is down to technique as well as fitness. I got hold of a bleep test tape and did this about 2-3 times a week in a local leisure centre and did the 1 min press up’s and 1 min sit up’s everyday and tried to beat my score almost all the time. I was hitting around the late 12’s early 13’s in the bleep test and around 50 - 65 in the press ups and sit ups. In addition I went on bike rides and runs as often as possible and went to the gym or the pool most days for about an hour or so. If your going for Aircrew or Regiment or PEdO then practice swimming 4 lengths and tread water for 2 min’s with overalls on. I managed to borrow a pair and just asked to use a lane at the local swimming pool for about 10 min’s (it’s a bit embarrassing but its all down to how much you want it) I only did this once as I found it no problem, as the swim test isn’t a race, its just to see if you can do it. So that was my preparation in general. I drove my family and girlfriend mad as all I talked about was the RAF and current affairs and that is what you have to do, just absorb yourself into it completely. Stay focused and positive, and with the training don’t over train either, as you’re likely to injure yourself and that is a very big blow to overcome. I’d recommend getting early nights and taking vitamins and eat as healthy as possible to keep your body in top shape, also if you don’t already get into the habit of getting up at around 6 am a couple of weeks before you go to OASC so your body clock is used to this when you arrive. I also organised a couple of RAF station visits and met the officer’s of my chosen branch’s which I found very insightful (I just got the numbers from the net and contacted them, that easy), and it also looks good when you mention this in your interview. I managed to join a local ATC squadron as a civilian instructor to further submerge myself in the RAF environment, which I found great fun and useful but also is seen as helping the local community as you’re a volunteer worker (I helped out with the adventurous training and playing the sport). I was also fortunate enough to be able to go and speak to my old UAS friends and the officers there for advice and any other info I needed, and I also managed to get a practice interview in (this will definitely help you for your confidence and know a bit more of what to expect). Id would also advice that you slow down on your revision a week before and just get into the mindset of what is coming up. The last week should be a wind down of what you have been doing for the past couple of months, so that when you arrive your not too uptight or your mind isn’t racing with info, as you will have quite enough to take on board. This is quite similar with regards to training, I would not recommend training as hard as you have been a day or 2 before you head off to OASC, so that you aren’t too tired and that you have plenty of energy as you really are going to need it.
30th of Aug
Then came the day I left for OASC (wow, nerve racking)! Make sure you leave nice and early so you can get there and mix with all the people your going to be with for the next couple of days (it should settle the nerves a wee bit). I’d recommend taking mini chocolate bars and energy drinks to keep topped up with fluids and energy. Also don’t do what 90% of the candidates did when I was there and revise every night because if you don’t know your stuff by now then your not going to remember much more with a few hours panicked revision. It will just confuse you and put certain info to the front of your mind and other stuff to the back when it was probably all in perfect order beforehand. You need to relax and maybe playing pool or watching TV and having a Shandy or something will help you do this. It’s all about your mental state now, not last minute cramming. So when I arrived we were all given the brief about what was going to happen and then I went to my room and unpacked all my stuff and made it as homely as possible (the beds are terrible if your anything over 5’10”, so you may need to put your mattress on the floor which helped a lot of people) then it was dinner time and this is when you start to get to know the guys and gals who are in the same boat as you. There were 18 of us in total, which included 4 girls and 14 blokes. Generally all of a good sort. Here you chat about the usual and ask questions like ‘what branch you going for’ and stuff like that. If there is someone there who has been before then it might be worth having a chat about his or her experience of it and gleaning any info you can or want about it. I got a fairly early night, about 10pm and had a pretty good sleep.
cont.......
would love any feedback any of you guys and gals wanna leave. Im also considering doing the same kinda thing for the prep leading up to and throughout IOT as i v v recently got accepted for my first choice so i was obviosly thrilled to pieces and it was sites like this that helped me greatly!
Filter Interview
Well it all started with my RAF presentation, which was interesting and informative, however a bit frightening as the career’s officer said that only 1 % get selected to become officer’s from start to finish so was slightly unnerved by the task which I had set myself but also saw it as a great challenge. From there, I went for my filter interview about a month later as it took forever to collect all my past educational and qualification certificates. When I got there and met the careers officer, he told me that my 1st choice branch of PEdO (my other branch being Provost) had ‘moved the goal posts’ and that I needed a post grad in education to be able to go for it! I was mortified as I have a degree in sport science and the GCSE’s and A levels needed but not the PGCE. I couldn’t believe it; I thought I’d failed before I’d even started! Anyway I told him that I had a fitness instructor course of a high standard and had work experience in P.E teaching whilst at college. He said it may help and would contact the head honcho at RAF Cranwell to see if I could still go for it. There was no reply when he tried so I said I’d go ahead with the interview anyway, as I knew my stuff and had psyched myself up for it. He covered my background (which you really need to know and also get to know your dates and be able to sell yourself, I threw in my representative honours in sports and my travelling experiences etc so really get to know the good things you have done in your life) then he moved onto my motivation for joining the RAF as an officer, (here you need to be original, sincere and genuine! Really mean it! Know the benefits of joining the RAF as an officer and what appeals to you) he or she then may move onto RAF equipment depending on branch choice e.g. if your going for pilot then expect it, then possibly RAF Op’s, so get onto the RAF website and know what they are doing and where. You will definitely need to know about OASC and IOT and your branch training and about your branch in general so put the homework in. Know it crystal clear in your head so you sound confident when asked. He or she may cover a bit of current affairs but not a lot, so have a good general awareness of what is going on around the world and at home but don’t go over the top. They will mainly just ask your opinion on something, not ask for stacks of info on a topic. In general that is it, just be confident and be yourself, seem comfortable even if your crapping it and try to smile as much as possible. At the end of my interview he told me that he was impressed and that I would be going to OASC and that he would fight for me to be able to go for PEdO even without the PGCE (that certainly put a smile on my face). Whilst telling me this there was a phone call from Cranwell and it was the top brass wanting to speak to the careers officer. When he came back after the phone call, he told me the good news and said that I would be allowed to go for PEdO still. I was delighted and thought that it was the good start I needed. The moral to this story is that no matter what hurdles come your way, try and be as prepared as possible and just go for it with everything you have got, no matter what.
Preparation
Then comes the wait for your OASC date if you get thru the filter interview. To prepare for this I read the Telegraph and the Mail regularly and the Time and the Week magazine, also the BBC website is great for getting the core of your topics in the current affairs part, and to keep up to date with it all, Sky news and BBC news 24 is great if you have got it that is. I got hold of some psychometric test books and IQ test books from the library and worked on them when I could so that I could try and familiarise myself with that kind of testing. I also wrote down all my notes in a A4 book, which covered IOT, branch info, RAF equipment, RAF Ops, RAF history, NATO and UN info, difference between manager and leader, difference between NCO and Officer, etc. I picked 5 international topics (Zimbabwe, EU and UK rebate, N Korea, Israel and Columbia, I chose Columbia as it’s a bit obscure and thought it might interest them and guess what, that’s the topic they asked me about in the interview, anyway ill carry on) then I chose 5 national topics (MRSA, MG Rover demise, Olympics 2012, London bombings and Lions tour) and as you can see there is a nice wide variety of subjects, not purely military or political, and as they say, variety is the spice of life, so try and mix it up with a good range of stories. I followed these religiously over the next few months so not to miss anything and I’d advise you do the same, but also keep on top of any other headlines that are hitting the news .I also managed to get hold of some problem solving questions from my AFCO, so ask as this will be invaluable help when you come to your problem solving tasks. I also took out a couple of GCSE maths books from the library and went over mental arithmetic which should help keep your mind sharp for both the aptitude and the problem solving. Fitness wise, I was already pretty fit so had a good head start but you really want to hit the mid 12’s for blokes and mid 9’s for girl’s at least to impress on the bleep test, and to be able to do this you need to practice. As a lot of it is down to technique as well as fitness. I got hold of a bleep test tape and did this about 2-3 times a week in a local leisure centre and did the 1 min press up’s and 1 min sit up’s everyday and tried to beat my score almost all the time. I was hitting around the late 12’s early 13’s in the bleep test and around 50 - 65 in the press ups and sit ups. In addition I went on bike rides and runs as often as possible and went to the gym or the pool most days for about an hour or so. If your going for Aircrew or Regiment or PEdO then practice swimming 4 lengths and tread water for 2 min’s with overalls on. I managed to borrow a pair and just asked to use a lane at the local swimming pool for about 10 min’s (it’s a bit embarrassing but its all down to how much you want it) I only did this once as I found it no problem, as the swim test isn’t a race, its just to see if you can do it. So that was my preparation in general. I drove my family and girlfriend mad as all I talked about was the RAF and current affairs and that is what you have to do, just absorb yourself into it completely. Stay focused and positive, and with the training don’t over train either, as you’re likely to injure yourself and that is a very big blow to overcome. I’d recommend getting early nights and taking vitamins and eat as healthy as possible to keep your body in top shape, also if you don’t already get into the habit of getting up at around 6 am a couple of weeks before you go to OASC so your body clock is used to this when you arrive. I also organised a couple of RAF station visits and met the officer’s of my chosen branch’s which I found very insightful (I just got the numbers from the net and contacted them, that easy), and it also looks good when you mention this in your interview. I managed to join a local ATC squadron as a civilian instructor to further submerge myself in the RAF environment, which I found great fun and useful but also is seen as helping the local community as you’re a volunteer worker (I helped out with the adventurous training and playing the sport). I was also fortunate enough to be able to go and speak to my old UAS friends and the officers there for advice and any other info I needed, and I also managed to get a practice interview in (this will definitely help you for your confidence and know a bit more of what to expect). Id would also advice that you slow down on your revision a week before and just get into the mindset of what is coming up. The last week should be a wind down of what you have been doing for the past couple of months, so that when you arrive your not too uptight or your mind isn’t racing with info, as you will have quite enough to take on board. This is quite similar with regards to training, I would not recommend training as hard as you have been a day or 2 before you head off to OASC, so that you aren’t too tired and that you have plenty of energy as you really are going to need it.
30th of Aug
Then came the day I left for OASC (wow, nerve racking)! Make sure you leave nice and early so you can get there and mix with all the people your going to be with for the next couple of days (it should settle the nerves a wee bit). I’d recommend taking mini chocolate bars and energy drinks to keep topped up with fluids and energy. Also don’t do what 90% of the candidates did when I was there and revise every night because if you don’t know your stuff by now then your not going to remember much more with a few hours panicked revision. It will just confuse you and put certain info to the front of your mind and other stuff to the back when it was probably all in perfect order beforehand. You need to relax and maybe playing pool or watching TV and having a Shandy or something will help you do this. It’s all about your mental state now, not last minute cramming. So when I arrived we were all given the brief about what was going to happen and then I went to my room and unpacked all my stuff and made it as homely as possible (the beds are terrible if your anything over 5’10”, so you may need to put your mattress on the floor which helped a lot of people) then it was dinner time and this is when you start to get to know the guys and gals who are in the same boat as you. There were 18 of us in total, which included 4 girls and 14 blokes. Generally all of a good sort. Here you chat about the usual and ask questions like ‘what branch you going for’ and stuff like that. If there is someone there who has been before then it might be worth having a chat about his or her experience of it and gleaning any info you can or want about it. I got a fairly early night, about 10pm and had a pretty good sleep.
cont.......
continued.....
31st of Aug
I set my alarm for about 6am as the bell goes off at 6.15, so its better to get up and jump in the showers before everyone else does (don’t worry girls, your separated from the blokes!). Then it was off to breakfast and across the road to the Adastral hall for the aptitude testing. Here you will be briefed by a very nice woman on what its all about. Don’t be nervous or worried about it, as there really isn’t much you can do in the terms of preparation, its just natural innate skills, and I actually quite enjoyed it, as did everyone else. Make sure you take on plenty of fluids and a tip I’ve been told is to chew gum as it helps you concentrate and can help memory. Not sure whether it is true but worth a go. Take as much time as you need here when not being timed but try not to let the timed tasks pressure you too much either. You do the tests at a kind of desk cubicle with a monitor, keyboard, joystick and foot pedals which you actually only use once (foot pedals, that is). Try and see these as fun, because the more relaxed you are, the better you will perform. You should finish just before lunch and then off for some food you go. I came out with passes in all the trades except air load master, which was strange but was generally pleased with that, even though the branches that I had chosen were not aptitude tested.
Then came the medical. This is completely out of you hands so don’t worry about it. They test your hearing, vision, weigh and measure you etc. I was cleared for everything, which was a big relief that’s for sure. I’d recommend taking a pair of flip flops otherwise you will have to wear your nice black polished shoes with the dressing gown your given (and u look a total nonce if u do this, I did!), which by the way the dressing gowns have changed and are actually quite nice, so no need to worry about bringing your own, unless your attached to wearing your own dressing gown that is! These take you till about 4ish, and then it’s off to get changed back across the road and to the sports hall for the fitness test.
The fitness test consists of the bleep test; the maximal press up test in a minute and the maximal sit up test in a minute. There are 2, 5 a side football areas side by side here and you will probably be split into 2 groups for the bleep test. The bleep test is where you have to run 20 metres back and forth for as long as you possibly can but making sure you make it to the end in time with the bleep, you cant go too fast or too slow. A technique I had learned from my father, who was a very good long distance runner, was to get your breathing under control before you start, to make sure there is plenty of oxygen in the muscles to be able to work properly. I did this by taking big, deep breaths and holding it for a few seconds then slowly releasing it. I did this for about 5 minutes before it started. Another tip I was given was to keep your arms low so that your not using extra energy to hold them up and pump them and it also opens up your diaphragm, which controls your breathing. It worked for me, and with the added help of adrenaline I managed to get 14.1, which I was ecstatic about. Even the PTI’s said they were impressed which definitely helped boost my confidence. Next (after about 3-4 minutes rest) it was the press up’s (arms shoulder width apart) and here you have a partner who makes a fist and places it on the floor and your chest has to hit his or her fist on the way down to make a press up count (try and get a guy with huge hands, as every millimetre helps hahaha). I managed to reach 53 in a minute which wasn’t my best but I was quite pleased with it as I was shattered after the bleep test. Lastly it’s the sit up test and here you have a partner who holds your feet down and your shoulder blades have to hit the floor and your hands have to touch your temples at all times, and on the way up your elbows have to touch the tops of your knee’s. I scored 52 and once again was quite pleased. I’d advice taking a drink with you (non fizzy energy drink) and to keep taking small sips as often as possible between tests. Once we did this it was back to the accommodation and showers knowing our first day was over with. Then onto dinner and once again I tried to chill out and just socialise with everyone as we all had quite a lot in common (highly motivated people who want to be a part of the RAF). Once again had a couple of shandy’s and had an early night.
1st of Sept
Unfortunately I didn’t get as good as night sleep as the night before and woke up feeling a bit sick with apprehension as I knew it was make or break time for getting onto part 2 because it was interviews in the morning. Breakfast was a quiet affair as I was not the only one nervous. We all went over to the Adastral hall were it all happens and found out who was going to have the interview straight away and those who were going to finish there medicals. I really wanted to have the interview first and get it out of the way but unfortunately that was not meant to be and found out I was in the 2nd group of interviews. The rest of the medical consists of seeing a doctor who checks your heart and blood pressure etc, and if your bloke, the crown jewels. Then it’s on to the interview. A woman came and met me at the waiting area that was fantastic at calming me down and put me at ease. She took me to the interview room where another elderly male officer was sitting. Make sure you smile lots and seem confident and a good firm handshake makes a big difference. The room I had wasn’t too large so you don’t have to shout but make sure you make an impact when you speak. The first part of the interview was very similar to the filter as he just went over my background, and once again its here that you have to sell yourself in short, sharp concise answers as they speed you through the questions. Make sure you know your dates and be able to throw in as many achievements as possible without it sounding unnatural. Try not to be put off with the other officer writing or the CCTV, just focus on the person who is asking the questions. Remember lots of eye contact, smiling and try not to fidget or mess with your hands or scratch anything! Then the other officer took over and moved on to why I wanted to join the RAF and why as an officer. Make sure you have a clear and confident answer ready in your head. Then she moved onto RAF equipment and they will delve deeper and deeper into your knowledge to see how much you know. They are not trying to trick you; they are just trying to find out if your going to blag. Whatever you do don’t blag as they will see right through it, just say ‘ I’m afraid I don’t know’, as simple as that. She also made me cover RAF operations and stations and asked a bit about NATO and the difference between a leader and a manager etc. Then it was onto the current affairs, and for some reason everyone including myself absolutely cacked our pants about this part beforehand but it really isn’t that bad. The interview lasts about 45 minutes and the current affairs part lasts about 5 at the most. Like I said previously she asked me about Columbia and shortly after I had started she cut me off, as it was obvious I knew about it (don’t be put off if the interviewer does cut you off, it’s just obvious to them that you know it, so they want to move onto other stuff you may not know). So then she just asked questions of her own which generally meant having an opinion on it and being able to put your point across. So don’t worry about knowing dates and names too much, just having a good general knowledge is more important and an understanding of the subject, but also an opinion. After this she asked me what had caught my interest at home with regards to current affairs and I named the topics I had chosen and she asked me a few questions about the London bombings and that was it, all over. Then she moved onto the usual questions, which include drugs use and the RAF laws etc. No need to worry here either. Then it’s all over and you have just completed part 1. Then comes the most horrific part of the ordeal, the waiting to find out if you have made it onto part 2.
Let me try and paint a picture here for you. All of the guys and gals you have been getting on with, who you could even start considering as friends are now all down with you in the waiting room and you know that if the phone rings at reception, which is right in front of you, it will probably mean someone is going home. If your name is called out then that is it, you’re off, no more, end of the road, get the picture. It’s absolutely horrible. You’re all chatting and then the phone goes, and it goes deadly silent. You all look at each other, quite literally seeing the fear in each other’s eyes. A name is called and its not you, there is so much relief but at the same time it was Joe Bloggs who you were sitting next to, chatting to him and you thought ‘what a great guy, he’s definitely a contender’, and the next minute he’s gone, BAM. You can’t help but feel sorry and gutted for him. There is such conflicting emotions flying around, it’s crazy. Saw a couple of people break down and cry when they didn’t make it, it meant that much to them. Unfortunately, I was the first to finish my interview and medical so I had the longest wait, but on the plus side, I felt like the interview had gone well, but you just never know. All I can say to the people, who go through this, is good luck and expect to go through a harrowing experience. I take my hat off to anyone who goes through it.
Finally when 8 people had been called out and told to go home, and only 10 remained, a woman came over to those of us who were left and congratulated us on getting through to part 2. The relief is immense! I had made it to the final stage. We were then told to follow a guy to collect our very sexy overalls and bibs, and its here you find out what syndicate your in, I was in alpha syndicate as ALPHA 1 (the number your given means nothing by the way). Once given these, we then headed off to lunch and then got changed into sports kit and overalls and went back to the waiting area in the Adastral hall. Here you get your picture taken and briefed on what is about to happen. Then you’re marched (not literally) off to the exercise hangars for the familiarisation part of the exercises, and you’re shown the basics of the exercises and the general rules. Pay close attention to this as it’s very important.
After this you’re rushed off to your syndicate room and the group discussion begins. The officers will throw in all sorts of topics. We were given ‘do footballers get paid to much’ and ‘do you think the new licensing laws will make a difference’ and another one that I cant really remember (sorry). Here you have to make sure you make a positive contribution and say something that is worthwhile. Whatever you do don’t just sit there and stay quiet but on the other hand don’t over power the debate by not letting other people speak or say something that has no relevance to the debate just to say something. Reach a happy medium and you will do fine. Remember your manners and don’t interrupt people but at the same time don’t be timid. Pay attention to what everyone is saying and be interested in what they say. Just try and forget about the officers assessing you. This will just fly by, so make sure you make your mark.
Next came the group exercise. This is where your syndicate is taken to a large hangar where there are a few tasks that need to be accomplished in a certain amount of time. There is no leader appointed here but I do think they are looking at whom the syndicate will accept as the natural leader. This does not always happen as there may be more than 1 strong character in the syndicate, so teamwork and making a vital contribution is of the up most importance. Try to make your self heard but once again don’t be over bearing. Try to keep your syndicate motivated and be aware of your time. Our syndicate almost completed the task but I think we talked too much about possible ways of doing things when we should have just gone and given it a go. Even if you get penalised then it really doesn’t matter too much as they will make your penalty a fairly small one, so just give your idea a go.
Then we had to head back to our syndicate room for the group problem solving task. Here you are given I think 20 minutes to try to work out the problem on your own first and then your given some more time to discuss with the rest of the syndicate your plan and possible others if you haven’t come up with something. Don’t worry too much if you haven’t thought of a plan during the individual time, as that happened to the other syndicate and they came up with one together. I was fortunate enough to think of a solution, which our syndicate eventually used, but it could have been better. My suggestion here is to try and stick to a plan you think you should logically follow instead of trying lots of different options, as you will run out of time and have no solution where as if you just stick to a plan, it may not be the best but at least you will have a finished article which you can then put forward to the rest of the group. Try and come up with ideas and also make sure you know your speed distance time calculations, I found it useful to write these down as soon as I could start writing. Once this is over then that is your tasks over for the day. You will be mentally and physically exhausted so once again, make sure you eat and drink well and just relax in the evening. Had a really pleasant night with the rest of the candidates and generally felt at ease. However, had a terrible night sleep as I think I was very nervous about the leadership task and performing well.
cont......
31st of Aug
I set my alarm for about 6am as the bell goes off at 6.15, so its better to get up and jump in the showers before everyone else does (don’t worry girls, your separated from the blokes!). Then it was off to breakfast and across the road to the Adastral hall for the aptitude testing. Here you will be briefed by a very nice woman on what its all about. Don’t be nervous or worried about it, as there really isn’t much you can do in the terms of preparation, its just natural innate skills, and I actually quite enjoyed it, as did everyone else. Make sure you take on plenty of fluids and a tip I’ve been told is to chew gum as it helps you concentrate and can help memory. Not sure whether it is true but worth a go. Take as much time as you need here when not being timed but try not to let the timed tasks pressure you too much either. You do the tests at a kind of desk cubicle with a monitor, keyboard, joystick and foot pedals which you actually only use once (foot pedals, that is). Try and see these as fun, because the more relaxed you are, the better you will perform. You should finish just before lunch and then off for some food you go. I came out with passes in all the trades except air load master, which was strange but was generally pleased with that, even though the branches that I had chosen were not aptitude tested.
Then came the medical. This is completely out of you hands so don’t worry about it. They test your hearing, vision, weigh and measure you etc. I was cleared for everything, which was a big relief that’s for sure. I’d recommend taking a pair of flip flops otherwise you will have to wear your nice black polished shoes with the dressing gown your given (and u look a total nonce if u do this, I did!), which by the way the dressing gowns have changed and are actually quite nice, so no need to worry about bringing your own, unless your attached to wearing your own dressing gown that is! These take you till about 4ish, and then it’s off to get changed back across the road and to the sports hall for the fitness test.
The fitness test consists of the bleep test; the maximal press up test in a minute and the maximal sit up test in a minute. There are 2, 5 a side football areas side by side here and you will probably be split into 2 groups for the bleep test. The bleep test is where you have to run 20 metres back and forth for as long as you possibly can but making sure you make it to the end in time with the bleep, you cant go too fast or too slow. A technique I had learned from my father, who was a very good long distance runner, was to get your breathing under control before you start, to make sure there is plenty of oxygen in the muscles to be able to work properly. I did this by taking big, deep breaths and holding it for a few seconds then slowly releasing it. I did this for about 5 minutes before it started. Another tip I was given was to keep your arms low so that your not using extra energy to hold them up and pump them and it also opens up your diaphragm, which controls your breathing. It worked for me, and with the added help of adrenaline I managed to get 14.1, which I was ecstatic about. Even the PTI’s said they were impressed which definitely helped boost my confidence. Next (after about 3-4 minutes rest) it was the press up’s (arms shoulder width apart) and here you have a partner who makes a fist and places it on the floor and your chest has to hit his or her fist on the way down to make a press up count (try and get a guy with huge hands, as every millimetre helps hahaha). I managed to reach 53 in a minute which wasn’t my best but I was quite pleased with it as I was shattered after the bleep test. Lastly it’s the sit up test and here you have a partner who holds your feet down and your shoulder blades have to hit the floor and your hands have to touch your temples at all times, and on the way up your elbows have to touch the tops of your knee’s. I scored 52 and once again was quite pleased. I’d advice taking a drink with you (non fizzy energy drink) and to keep taking small sips as often as possible between tests. Once we did this it was back to the accommodation and showers knowing our first day was over with. Then onto dinner and once again I tried to chill out and just socialise with everyone as we all had quite a lot in common (highly motivated people who want to be a part of the RAF). Once again had a couple of shandy’s and had an early night.
1st of Sept
Unfortunately I didn’t get as good as night sleep as the night before and woke up feeling a bit sick with apprehension as I knew it was make or break time for getting onto part 2 because it was interviews in the morning. Breakfast was a quiet affair as I was not the only one nervous. We all went over to the Adastral hall were it all happens and found out who was going to have the interview straight away and those who were going to finish there medicals. I really wanted to have the interview first and get it out of the way but unfortunately that was not meant to be and found out I was in the 2nd group of interviews. The rest of the medical consists of seeing a doctor who checks your heart and blood pressure etc, and if your bloke, the crown jewels. Then it’s on to the interview. A woman came and met me at the waiting area that was fantastic at calming me down and put me at ease. She took me to the interview room where another elderly male officer was sitting. Make sure you smile lots and seem confident and a good firm handshake makes a big difference. The room I had wasn’t too large so you don’t have to shout but make sure you make an impact when you speak. The first part of the interview was very similar to the filter as he just went over my background, and once again its here that you have to sell yourself in short, sharp concise answers as they speed you through the questions. Make sure you know your dates and be able to throw in as many achievements as possible without it sounding unnatural. Try not to be put off with the other officer writing or the CCTV, just focus on the person who is asking the questions. Remember lots of eye contact, smiling and try not to fidget or mess with your hands or scratch anything! Then the other officer took over and moved on to why I wanted to join the RAF and why as an officer. Make sure you have a clear and confident answer ready in your head. Then she moved onto RAF equipment and they will delve deeper and deeper into your knowledge to see how much you know. They are not trying to trick you; they are just trying to find out if your going to blag. Whatever you do don’t blag as they will see right through it, just say ‘ I’m afraid I don’t know’, as simple as that. She also made me cover RAF operations and stations and asked a bit about NATO and the difference between a leader and a manager etc. Then it was onto the current affairs, and for some reason everyone including myself absolutely cacked our pants about this part beforehand but it really isn’t that bad. The interview lasts about 45 minutes and the current affairs part lasts about 5 at the most. Like I said previously she asked me about Columbia and shortly after I had started she cut me off, as it was obvious I knew about it (don’t be put off if the interviewer does cut you off, it’s just obvious to them that you know it, so they want to move onto other stuff you may not know). So then she just asked questions of her own which generally meant having an opinion on it and being able to put your point across. So don’t worry about knowing dates and names too much, just having a good general knowledge is more important and an understanding of the subject, but also an opinion. After this she asked me what had caught my interest at home with regards to current affairs and I named the topics I had chosen and she asked me a few questions about the London bombings and that was it, all over. Then she moved onto the usual questions, which include drugs use and the RAF laws etc. No need to worry here either. Then it’s all over and you have just completed part 1. Then comes the most horrific part of the ordeal, the waiting to find out if you have made it onto part 2.
Let me try and paint a picture here for you. All of the guys and gals you have been getting on with, who you could even start considering as friends are now all down with you in the waiting room and you know that if the phone rings at reception, which is right in front of you, it will probably mean someone is going home. If your name is called out then that is it, you’re off, no more, end of the road, get the picture. It’s absolutely horrible. You’re all chatting and then the phone goes, and it goes deadly silent. You all look at each other, quite literally seeing the fear in each other’s eyes. A name is called and its not you, there is so much relief but at the same time it was Joe Bloggs who you were sitting next to, chatting to him and you thought ‘what a great guy, he’s definitely a contender’, and the next minute he’s gone, BAM. You can’t help but feel sorry and gutted for him. There is such conflicting emotions flying around, it’s crazy. Saw a couple of people break down and cry when they didn’t make it, it meant that much to them. Unfortunately, I was the first to finish my interview and medical so I had the longest wait, but on the plus side, I felt like the interview had gone well, but you just never know. All I can say to the people, who go through this, is good luck and expect to go through a harrowing experience. I take my hat off to anyone who goes through it.
Finally when 8 people had been called out and told to go home, and only 10 remained, a woman came over to those of us who were left and congratulated us on getting through to part 2. The relief is immense! I had made it to the final stage. We were then told to follow a guy to collect our very sexy overalls and bibs, and its here you find out what syndicate your in, I was in alpha syndicate as ALPHA 1 (the number your given means nothing by the way). Once given these, we then headed off to lunch and then got changed into sports kit and overalls and went back to the waiting area in the Adastral hall. Here you get your picture taken and briefed on what is about to happen. Then you’re marched (not literally) off to the exercise hangars for the familiarisation part of the exercises, and you’re shown the basics of the exercises and the general rules. Pay close attention to this as it’s very important.
After this you’re rushed off to your syndicate room and the group discussion begins. The officers will throw in all sorts of topics. We were given ‘do footballers get paid to much’ and ‘do you think the new licensing laws will make a difference’ and another one that I cant really remember (sorry). Here you have to make sure you make a positive contribution and say something that is worthwhile. Whatever you do don’t just sit there and stay quiet but on the other hand don’t over power the debate by not letting other people speak or say something that has no relevance to the debate just to say something. Reach a happy medium and you will do fine. Remember your manners and don’t interrupt people but at the same time don’t be timid. Pay attention to what everyone is saying and be interested in what they say. Just try and forget about the officers assessing you. This will just fly by, so make sure you make your mark.
Next came the group exercise. This is where your syndicate is taken to a large hangar where there are a few tasks that need to be accomplished in a certain amount of time. There is no leader appointed here but I do think they are looking at whom the syndicate will accept as the natural leader. This does not always happen as there may be more than 1 strong character in the syndicate, so teamwork and making a vital contribution is of the up most importance. Try to make your self heard but once again don’t be over bearing. Try to keep your syndicate motivated and be aware of your time. Our syndicate almost completed the task but I think we talked too much about possible ways of doing things when we should have just gone and given it a go. Even if you get penalised then it really doesn’t matter too much as they will make your penalty a fairly small one, so just give your idea a go.
Then we had to head back to our syndicate room for the group problem solving task. Here you are given I think 20 minutes to try to work out the problem on your own first and then your given some more time to discuss with the rest of the syndicate your plan and possible others if you haven’t come up with something. Don’t worry too much if you haven’t thought of a plan during the individual time, as that happened to the other syndicate and they came up with one together. I was fortunate enough to think of a solution, which our syndicate eventually used, but it could have been better. My suggestion here is to try and stick to a plan you think you should logically follow instead of trying lots of different options, as you will run out of time and have no solution where as if you just stick to a plan, it may not be the best but at least you will have a finished article which you can then put forward to the rest of the group. Try and come up with ideas and also make sure you know your speed distance time calculations, I found it useful to write these down as soon as I could start writing. Once this is over then that is your tasks over for the day. You will be mentally and physically exhausted so once again, make sure you eat and drink well and just relax in the evening. Had a really pleasant night with the rest of the candidates and generally felt at ease. However, had a terrible night sleep as I think I was very nervous about the leadership task and performing well.
cont......
continued.....
31st of Aug
I set my alarm for about 6am as the bell goes off at 6.15, so its better to get up and jump in the showers before everyone else does (don’t worry girls, your separated from the blokes!). Then it was off to breakfast and across the road to the Adastral hall for the aptitude testing. Here you will be briefed by a very nice woman on what its all about. Don’t be nervous or worried about it, as there really isn’t much you can do in the terms of preparation, its just natural innate skills, and I actually quite enjoyed it, as did everyone else. Make sure you take on plenty of fluids and a tip I’ve been told is to chew gum as it helps you concentrate and can help memory. Not sure whether it is true but worth a go. Take as much time as you need here when not being timed but try not to let the timed tasks pressure you too much either. You do the tests at a kind of desk cubicle with a monitor, keyboard, joystick and foot pedals which you actually only use once (foot pedals, that is). Try and see these as fun, because the more relaxed you are, the better you will perform. You should finish just before lunch and then off for some food you go. I came out with passes in all the trades except air load master, which was strange but was generally pleased with that, even though the branches that I had chosen were not aptitude tested.
Then came the medical. This is completely out of you hands so don’t worry about it. They test your hearing, vision, weigh and measure you etc. I was cleared for everything, which was a big relief that’s for sure. I’d recommend taking a pair of flip flops otherwise you will have to wear your nice black polished shoes with the dressing gown your given (and u look a total nonce if u do this, I did!), which by the way the dressing gowns have changed and are actually quite nice, so no need to worry about bringing your own, unless your attached to wearing your own dressing gown that is! These take you till about 4ish, and then it’s off to get changed back across the road and to the sports hall for the fitness test.
The fitness test consists of the bleep test; the maximal press up test in a minute and the maximal sit up test in a minute. There are 2, 5 a side football areas side by side here and you will probably be split into 2 groups for the bleep test. The bleep test is where you have to run 20 metres back and forth for as long as you possibly can but making sure you make it to the end in time with the bleep, you cant go too fast or too slow. A technique I had learned from my father, who was a very good long distance runner, was to get your breathing under control before you start, to make sure there is plenty of oxygen in the muscles to be able to work properly. I did this by taking big, deep breaths and holding it for a few seconds then slowly releasing it. I did this for about 5 minutes before it started. Another tip I was given was to keep your arms low so that your not using extra energy to hold them up and pump them and it also opens up your diaphragm, which controls your breathing. It worked for me, and with the added help of adrenaline I managed to get 14.1, which I was ecstatic about. Even the PTI’s said they were impressed which definitely helped boost my confidence. Next (after about 3-4 minutes rest) it was the press up’s (arms shoulder width apart) and here you have a partner who makes a fist and places it on the floor and your chest has to hit his or her fist on the way down to make a press up count (try and get a guy with huge hands, as every millimetre helps hahaha). I managed to reach 53 in a minute which wasn’t my best but I was quite pleased with it as I was shattered after the bleep test. Lastly it’s the sit up test and here you have a partner who holds your feet down and your shoulder blades have to hit the floor and your hands have to touch your temples at all times, and on the way up your elbows have to touch the tops of your knee’s. I scored 52 and once again was quite pleased. I’d advice taking a drink with you (non fizzy energy drink) and to keep taking small sips as often as possible between tests. Once we did this it was back to the accommodation and showers knowing our first day was over with. Then onto dinner and once again I tried to chill out and just socialise with everyone as we all had quite a lot in common (highly motivated people who want to be a part of the RAF). Once again had a couple of shandy’s and had an early night.
1st of Sept
Unfortunately I didn’t get as good as night sleep as the night before and woke up feeling a bit sick with apprehension as I knew it was make or break time for getting onto part 2 because it was interviews in the morning. Breakfast was a quiet affair as I was not the only one nervous. We all went over to the Adastral hall were it all happens and found out who was going to have the interview straight away and those who were going to finish there medicals. I really wanted to have the interview first and get it out of the way but unfortunately that was not meant to be and found out I was in the 2nd group of interviews. The rest of the medical consists of seeing a doctor who checks your heart and blood pressure etc, and if your bloke, the crown jewels. Then it’s on to the interview. A woman came and met me at the waiting area that was fantastic at calming me down and put me at ease. She took me to the interview room where another elderly male officer was sitting. Make sure you smile lots and seem confident and a good firm handshake makes a big difference. The room I had wasn’t too large so you don’t have to shout but make sure you make an impact when you speak. The first part of the interview was very similar to the filter as he just went over my background, and once again its here that you have to sell yourself in short, sharp concise answers as they speed you through the questions. Make sure you know your dates and be able to throw in as many achievements as possible without it sounding unnatural. Try not to be put off with the other officer writing or the CCTV, just focus on the person who is asking the questions. Remember lots of eye contact, smiling and try not to fidget or mess with your hands or scratch anything! Then the other officer took over and moved on to why I wanted to join the RAF and why as an officer. Make sure you have a clear and confident answer ready in your head. Then she moved onto RAF equipment and they will delve deeper and deeper into your knowledge to see how much you know. They are not trying to trick you; they are just trying to find out if your going to blag. Whatever you do don’t blag as they will see right through it, just say ‘ I’m afraid I don’t know’, as simple as that. She also made me cover RAF operations and stations and asked a bit about NATO and the difference between a leader and a manager etc. Then it was onto the current affairs, and for some reason everyone including myself absolutely cacked our pants about this part beforehand but it really isn’t that bad. The interview lasts about 45 minutes and the current affairs part lasts about 5 at the most. Like I said previously she asked me about Columbia and shortly after I had started she cut me off, as it was obvious I knew about it (don’t be put off if the interviewer does cut you off, it’s just obvious to them that you know it, so they want to move onto other stuff you may not know). So then she just asked questions of her own which generally meant having an opinion on it and being able to put your point across. So don’t worry about knowing dates and names too much, just having a good general knowledge is more important and an understanding of the subject, but also an opinion. After this she asked me what had caught my interest at home with regards to current affairs and I named the topics I had chosen and she asked me a few questions about the London bombings and that was it, all over. Then she moved onto the usual questions, which include drugs use and the RAF laws etc. No need to worry here either. Then it’s all over and you have just completed part 1. Then comes the most horrific part of the ordeal, the waiting to find out if you have made it onto part 2.
Let me try and paint a picture here for you. All of the guys and gals you have been getting on with, who you could even start considering as friends are now all down with you in the waiting room and you know that if the phone rings at reception, which is right in front of you, it will probably mean someone is going home. If your name is called out then that is it, you’re off, no more, end of the road, get the picture. It’s absolutely horrible. You’re all chatting and then the phone goes, and it goes deadly silent. You all look at each other, quite literally seeing the fear in each other’s eyes. A name is called and its not you, there is so much relief but at the same time it was Joe Bloggs who you were sitting next to, chatting to him and you thought ‘what a great guy, he’s definitely a contender’, and the next minute he’s gone, BAM. You can’t help but feel sorry and gutted for him. There is such conflicting emotions flying around, it’s crazy. Saw a couple of people break down and cry when they didn’t make it, it meant that much to them. Unfortunately, I was the first to finish my interview and medical so I had the longest wait, but on the plus side, I felt like the interview had gone well, but you just never know. All I can say to the people, who go through this, is good luck and expect to go through a harrowing experience. I take my hat off to anyone who goes through it.
Finally when 8 people had been called out and told to go home, and only 10 remained, a woman came over to those of us who were left and congratulated us on getting through to part 2. The relief is immense! I had made it to the final stage. We were then told to follow a guy to collect our very sexy overalls and bibs, and its here you find out what syndicate your in, I was in alpha syndicate as ALPHA 1 (the number your given means nothing by the way). Once given these, we then headed off to lunch and then got changed into sports kit and overalls and went back to the waiting area in the Adastral hall. Here you get your picture taken and briefed on what is about to happen. Then you’re marched (not literally) off to the exercise hangars for the familiarisation part of the exercises, and you’re shown the basics of the exercises and the general rules. Pay close attention to this as it’s very important.
After this you’re rushed off to your syndicate room and the group discussion begins. The officers will throw in all sorts of topics. We were given ‘do footballers get paid to much’ and ‘do you think the new licensing laws will make a difference’ and another one that I cant really remember (sorry). Here you have to make sure you make a positive contribution and say something that is worthwhile. Whatever you do don’t just sit there and stay quiet but on the other hand don’t over power the debate by not letting other people speak or say something that has no relevance to the debate just to say something. Reach a happy medium and you will do fine. Remember your manners and don’t interrupt people but at the same time don’t be timid. Pay attention to what everyone is saying and be interested in what they say. Just try and forget about the officers assessing you. This will just fly by, so make sure you make your mark.
Next came the group exercise. This is where your syndicate is taken to a large hangar where there are a few tasks that need to be accomplished in a certain amount of time. There is no leader appointed here but I do think they are looking at whom the syndicate will accept as the natural leader. This does not always happen as there may be more than 1 strong character in the syndicate, so teamwork and making a vital contribution is of the up most importance. Try to make your self heard but once again don’t be over bearing. Try to keep your syndicate motivated and be aware of your time. Our syndicate almost completed the task but I think we talked too much about possible ways of doing things when we should have just gone and given it a go. Even if you get penalised then it really doesn’t matter too much as they will make your penalty a fairly small one, so just give your idea a go.
Then we had to head back to our syndicate room for the group problem solving task. Here you are given I think 20 minutes to try to work out the problem on your own first and then your given some more time to discuss with the rest of the syndicate your plan and possible others if you haven’t come up with something. Don’t worry too much if you haven’t thought of a plan during the individual time, as that happened to the other syndicate and they came up with one together. I was fortunate enough to think of a solution, which our syndicate eventually used, but it could have been better. My suggestion here is to try and stick to a plan you think you should logically follow instead of trying lots of different options, as you will run out of time and have no solution where as if you just stick to a plan, it may not be the best but at least you will have a finished article which you can then put forward to the rest of the group. Try and come up with ideas and also make sure you know your speed distance time calculations, I found it useful to write these down as soon as I could start writing. Once this is over then that is your tasks over for the day. You will be mentally and physically exhausted so once again, make sure you eat and drink well and just relax in the evening. Had a really pleasant night with the rest of the candidates and generally felt at ease. However, had a terrible night sleep as I think I was very nervous about the leadership task and performing well.
cont......
31st of Aug
I set my alarm for about 6am as the bell goes off at 6.15, so its better to get up and jump in the showers before everyone else does (don’t worry girls, your separated from the blokes!). Then it was off to breakfast and across the road to the Adastral hall for the aptitude testing. Here you will be briefed by a very nice woman on what its all about. Don’t be nervous or worried about it, as there really isn’t much you can do in the terms of preparation, its just natural innate skills, and I actually quite enjoyed it, as did everyone else. Make sure you take on plenty of fluids and a tip I’ve been told is to chew gum as it helps you concentrate and can help memory. Not sure whether it is true but worth a go. Take as much time as you need here when not being timed but try not to let the timed tasks pressure you too much either. You do the tests at a kind of desk cubicle with a monitor, keyboard, joystick and foot pedals which you actually only use once (foot pedals, that is). Try and see these as fun, because the more relaxed you are, the better you will perform. You should finish just before lunch and then off for some food you go. I came out with passes in all the trades except air load master, which was strange but was generally pleased with that, even though the branches that I had chosen were not aptitude tested.
Then came the medical. This is completely out of you hands so don’t worry about it. They test your hearing, vision, weigh and measure you etc. I was cleared for everything, which was a big relief that’s for sure. I’d recommend taking a pair of flip flops otherwise you will have to wear your nice black polished shoes with the dressing gown your given (and u look a total nonce if u do this, I did!), which by the way the dressing gowns have changed and are actually quite nice, so no need to worry about bringing your own, unless your attached to wearing your own dressing gown that is! These take you till about 4ish, and then it’s off to get changed back across the road and to the sports hall for the fitness test.
The fitness test consists of the bleep test; the maximal press up test in a minute and the maximal sit up test in a minute. There are 2, 5 a side football areas side by side here and you will probably be split into 2 groups for the bleep test. The bleep test is where you have to run 20 metres back and forth for as long as you possibly can but making sure you make it to the end in time with the bleep, you cant go too fast or too slow. A technique I had learned from my father, who was a very good long distance runner, was to get your breathing under control before you start, to make sure there is plenty of oxygen in the muscles to be able to work properly. I did this by taking big, deep breaths and holding it for a few seconds then slowly releasing it. I did this for about 5 minutes before it started. Another tip I was given was to keep your arms low so that your not using extra energy to hold them up and pump them and it also opens up your diaphragm, which controls your breathing. It worked for me, and with the added help of adrenaline I managed to get 14.1, which I was ecstatic about. Even the PTI’s said they were impressed which definitely helped boost my confidence. Next (after about 3-4 minutes rest) it was the press up’s (arms shoulder width apart) and here you have a partner who makes a fist and places it on the floor and your chest has to hit his or her fist on the way down to make a press up count (try and get a guy with huge hands, as every millimetre helps hahaha). I managed to reach 53 in a minute which wasn’t my best but I was quite pleased with it as I was shattered after the bleep test. Lastly it’s the sit up test and here you have a partner who holds your feet down and your shoulder blades have to hit the floor and your hands have to touch your temples at all times, and on the way up your elbows have to touch the tops of your knee’s. I scored 52 and once again was quite pleased. I’d advice taking a drink with you (non fizzy energy drink) and to keep taking small sips as often as possible between tests. Once we did this it was back to the accommodation and showers knowing our first day was over with. Then onto dinner and once again I tried to chill out and just socialise with everyone as we all had quite a lot in common (highly motivated people who want to be a part of the RAF). Once again had a couple of shandy’s and had an early night.
1st of Sept
Unfortunately I didn’t get as good as night sleep as the night before and woke up feeling a bit sick with apprehension as I knew it was make or break time for getting onto part 2 because it was interviews in the morning. Breakfast was a quiet affair as I was not the only one nervous. We all went over to the Adastral hall were it all happens and found out who was going to have the interview straight away and those who were going to finish there medicals. I really wanted to have the interview first and get it out of the way but unfortunately that was not meant to be and found out I was in the 2nd group of interviews. The rest of the medical consists of seeing a doctor who checks your heart and blood pressure etc, and if your bloke, the crown jewels. Then it’s on to the interview. A woman came and met me at the waiting area that was fantastic at calming me down and put me at ease. She took me to the interview room where another elderly male officer was sitting. Make sure you smile lots and seem confident and a good firm handshake makes a big difference. The room I had wasn’t too large so you don’t have to shout but make sure you make an impact when you speak. The first part of the interview was very similar to the filter as he just went over my background, and once again its here that you have to sell yourself in short, sharp concise answers as they speed you through the questions. Make sure you know your dates and be able to throw in as many achievements as possible without it sounding unnatural. Try not to be put off with the other officer writing or the CCTV, just focus on the person who is asking the questions. Remember lots of eye contact, smiling and try not to fidget or mess with your hands or scratch anything! Then the other officer took over and moved on to why I wanted to join the RAF and why as an officer. Make sure you have a clear and confident answer ready in your head. Then she moved onto RAF equipment and they will delve deeper and deeper into your knowledge to see how much you know. They are not trying to trick you; they are just trying to find out if your going to blag. Whatever you do don’t blag as they will see right through it, just say ‘ I’m afraid I don’t know’, as simple as that. She also made me cover RAF operations and stations and asked a bit about NATO and the difference between a leader and a manager etc. Then it was onto the current affairs, and for some reason everyone including myself absolutely cacked our pants about this part beforehand but it really isn’t that bad. The interview lasts about 45 minutes and the current affairs part lasts about 5 at the most. Like I said previously she asked me about Columbia and shortly after I had started she cut me off, as it was obvious I knew about it (don’t be put off if the interviewer does cut you off, it’s just obvious to them that you know it, so they want to move onto other stuff you may not know). So then she just asked questions of her own which generally meant having an opinion on it and being able to put your point across. So don’t worry about knowing dates and names too much, just having a good general knowledge is more important and an understanding of the subject, but also an opinion. After this she asked me what had caught my interest at home with regards to current affairs and I named the topics I had chosen and she asked me a few questions about the London bombings and that was it, all over. Then she moved onto the usual questions, which include drugs use and the RAF laws etc. No need to worry here either. Then it’s all over and you have just completed part 1. Then comes the most horrific part of the ordeal, the waiting to find out if you have made it onto part 2.
Let me try and paint a picture here for you. All of the guys and gals you have been getting on with, who you could even start considering as friends are now all down with you in the waiting room and you know that if the phone rings at reception, which is right in front of you, it will probably mean someone is going home. If your name is called out then that is it, you’re off, no more, end of the road, get the picture. It’s absolutely horrible. You’re all chatting and then the phone goes, and it goes deadly silent. You all look at each other, quite literally seeing the fear in each other’s eyes. A name is called and its not you, there is so much relief but at the same time it was Joe Bloggs who you were sitting next to, chatting to him and you thought ‘what a great guy, he’s definitely a contender’, and the next minute he’s gone, BAM. You can’t help but feel sorry and gutted for him. There is such conflicting emotions flying around, it’s crazy. Saw a couple of people break down and cry when they didn’t make it, it meant that much to them. Unfortunately, I was the first to finish my interview and medical so I had the longest wait, but on the plus side, I felt like the interview had gone well, but you just never know. All I can say to the people, who go through this, is good luck and expect to go through a harrowing experience. I take my hat off to anyone who goes through it.
Finally when 8 people had been called out and told to go home, and only 10 remained, a woman came over to those of us who were left and congratulated us on getting through to part 2. The relief is immense! I had made it to the final stage. We were then told to follow a guy to collect our very sexy overalls and bibs, and its here you find out what syndicate your in, I was in alpha syndicate as ALPHA 1 (the number your given means nothing by the way). Once given these, we then headed off to lunch and then got changed into sports kit and overalls and went back to the waiting area in the Adastral hall. Here you get your picture taken and briefed on what is about to happen. Then you’re marched (not literally) off to the exercise hangars for the familiarisation part of the exercises, and you’re shown the basics of the exercises and the general rules. Pay close attention to this as it’s very important.
After this you’re rushed off to your syndicate room and the group discussion begins. The officers will throw in all sorts of topics. We were given ‘do footballers get paid to much’ and ‘do you think the new licensing laws will make a difference’ and another one that I cant really remember (sorry). Here you have to make sure you make a positive contribution and say something that is worthwhile. Whatever you do don’t just sit there and stay quiet but on the other hand don’t over power the debate by not letting other people speak or say something that has no relevance to the debate just to say something. Reach a happy medium and you will do fine. Remember your manners and don’t interrupt people but at the same time don’t be timid. Pay attention to what everyone is saying and be interested in what they say. Just try and forget about the officers assessing you. This will just fly by, so make sure you make your mark.
Next came the group exercise. This is where your syndicate is taken to a large hangar where there are a few tasks that need to be accomplished in a certain amount of time. There is no leader appointed here but I do think they are looking at whom the syndicate will accept as the natural leader. This does not always happen as there may be more than 1 strong character in the syndicate, so teamwork and making a vital contribution is of the up most importance. Try to make your self heard but once again don’t be over bearing. Try to keep your syndicate motivated and be aware of your time. Our syndicate almost completed the task but I think we talked too much about possible ways of doing things when we should have just gone and given it a go. Even if you get penalised then it really doesn’t matter too much as they will make your penalty a fairly small one, so just give your idea a go.
Then we had to head back to our syndicate room for the group problem solving task. Here you are given I think 20 minutes to try to work out the problem on your own first and then your given some more time to discuss with the rest of the syndicate your plan and possible others if you haven’t come up with something. Don’t worry too much if you haven’t thought of a plan during the individual time, as that happened to the other syndicate and they came up with one together. I was fortunate enough to think of a solution, which our syndicate eventually used, but it could have been better. My suggestion here is to try and stick to a plan you think you should logically follow instead of trying lots of different options, as you will run out of time and have no solution where as if you just stick to a plan, it may not be the best but at least you will have a finished article which you can then put forward to the rest of the group. Try and come up with ideas and also make sure you know your speed distance time calculations, I found it useful to write these down as soon as I could start writing. Once this is over then that is your tasks over for the day. You will be mentally and physically exhausted so once again, make sure you eat and drink well and just relax in the evening. Had a really pleasant night with the rest of the candidates and generally felt at ease. However, had a terrible night sleep as I think I was very nervous about the leadership task and performing well.
cont......
continued.....
31st of Aug
I set my alarm for about 6am as the bell goes off at 6.15, so its better to get up and jump in the showers before everyone else does (don’t worry girls, your separated from the blokes!). Then it was off to breakfast and across the road to the Adastral hall for the aptitude testing. Here you will be briefed by a very nice woman on what its all about. Don’t be nervous or worried about it, as there really isn’t much you can do in the terms of preparation, its just natural innate skills, and I actually quite enjoyed it, as did everyone else. Make sure you take on plenty of fluids and a tip I’ve been told is to chew gum as it helps you concentrate and can help memory. Not sure whether it is true but worth a go. Take as much time as you need here when not being timed but try not to let the timed tasks pressure you too much either. You do the tests at a kind of desk cubicle with a monitor, keyboard, joystick and foot pedals which you actually only use once (foot pedals, that is). Try and see these as fun, because the more relaxed you are, the better you will perform. You should finish just before lunch and then off for some food you go. I came out with passes in all the trades except air load master, which was strange but was generally pleased with that, even though the branches that I had chosen were not aptitude tested.
Then came the medical. This is completely out of you hands so don’t worry about it. They test your hearing, vision, weigh and measure you etc. I was cleared for everything, which was a big relief that’s for sure. I’d recommend taking a pair of flip flops otherwise you will have to wear your nice black polished shoes with the dressing gown your given (and u look a total nonce if u do this, I did!), which by the way the dressing gowns have changed and are actually quite nice, so no need to worry about bringing your own, unless your attached to wearing your own dressing gown that is! These take you till about 4ish, and then it’s off to get changed back across the road and to the sports hall for the fitness test.
The fitness test consists of the bleep test; the maximal press up test in a minute and the maximal sit up test in a minute. There are 2, 5 a side football areas side by side here and you will probably be split into 2 groups for the bleep test. The bleep test is where you have to run 20 metres back and forth for as long as you possibly can but making sure you make it to the end in time with the bleep, you cant go too fast or too slow. A technique I had learned from my father, who was a very good long distance runner, was to get your breathing under control before you start, to make sure there is plenty of oxygen in the muscles to be able to work properly. I did this by taking big, deep breaths and holding it for a few seconds then slowly releasing it. I did this for about 5 minutes before it started. Another tip I was given was to keep your arms low so that your not using extra energy to hold them up and pump them and it also opens up your diaphragm, which controls your breathing. It worked for me, and with the added help of adrenaline I managed to get 14.1, which I was ecstatic about. Even the PTI’s said they were impressed which definitely helped boost my confidence. Next (after about 3-4 minutes rest) it was the press up’s (arms shoulder width apart) and here you have a partner who makes a fist and places it on the floor and your chest has to hit his or her fist on the way down to make a press up count (try and get a guy with huge hands, as every millimetre helps hahaha). I managed to reach 53 in a minute which wasn’t my best but I was quite pleased with it as I was shattered after the bleep test. Lastly it’s the sit up test and here you have a partner who holds your feet down and your shoulder blades have to hit the floor and your hands have to touch your temples at all times, and on the way up your elbows have to touch the tops of your knee’s. I scored 52 and once again was quite pleased. I’d advice taking a drink with you (non fizzy energy drink) and to keep taking small sips as often as possible between tests. Once we did this it was back to the accommodation and showers knowing our first day was over with. Then onto dinner and once again I tried to chill out and just socialise with everyone as we all had quite a lot in common (highly motivated people who want to be a part of the RAF). Once again had a couple of shandy’s and had an early night.
1st of Sept
Unfortunately I didn’t get as good as night sleep as the night before and woke up feeling a bit sick with apprehension as I knew it was make or break time for getting onto part 2 because it was interviews in the morning. Breakfast was a quiet affair as I was not the only one nervous. We all went over to the Adastral hall were it all happens and found out who was going to have the interview straight away and those who were going to finish there medicals. I really wanted to have the interview first and get it out of the way but unfortunately that was not meant to be and found out I was in the 2nd group of interviews. The rest of the medical consists of seeing a doctor who checks your heart and blood pressure etc, and if your bloke, the crown jewels. Then it’s on to the interview. A woman came and met me at the waiting area that was fantastic at calming me down and put me at ease. She took me to the interview room where another elderly male officer was sitting. Make sure you smile lots and seem confident and a good firm handshake makes a big difference. The room I had wasn’t too large so you don’t have to shout but make sure you make an impact when you speak. The first part of the interview was very similar to the filter as he just went over my background, and once again its here that you have to sell yourself in short, sharp concise answers as they speed you through the questions. Make sure you know your dates and be able to throw in as many achievements as possible without it sounding unnatural. Try not to be put off with the other officer writing or the CCTV, just focus on the person who is asking the questions. Remember lots of eye contact, smiling and try not to fidget or mess with your hands or scratch anything! Then the other officer took over and moved on to why I wanted to join the RAF and why as an officer. Make sure you have a clear and confident answer ready in your head. Then she moved onto RAF equipment and they will delve deeper and deeper into your knowledge to see how much you know. They are not trying to trick you; they are just trying to find out if your going to blag. Whatever you do don’t blag as they will see right through it, just say ‘ I’m afraid I don’t know’, as simple as that. She also made me cover RAF operations and stations and asked a bit about NATO and the difference between a leader and a manager etc. Then it was onto the current affairs, and for some reason everyone including myself absolutely cacked our pants about this part beforehand but it really isn’t that bad. The interview lasts about 45 minutes and the current affairs part lasts about 5 at the most. Like I said previously she asked me about Columbia and shortly after I had started she cut me off, as it was obvious I knew about it (don’t be put off if the interviewer does cut you off, it’s just obvious to them that you know it, so they want to move onto other stuff you may not know). So then she just asked questions of her own which generally meant having an opinion on it and being able to put your point across. So don’t worry about knowing dates and names too much, just having a good general knowledge is more important and an understanding of the subject, but also an opinion. After this she asked me what had caught my interest at home with regards to current affairs and I named the topics I had chosen and she asked me a few questions about the London bombings and that was it, all over. Then she moved onto the usual questions, which include drugs use and the RAF laws etc. No need to worry here either. Then it’s all over and you have just completed part 1. Then comes the most horrific part of the ordeal, the waiting to find out if you have made it onto part 2.
Let me try and paint a picture here for you. All of the guys and gals you have been getting on with, who you could even start considering as friends are now all down with you in the waiting room and you know that if the phone rings at reception, which is right in front of you, it will probably mean someone is going home. If your name is called out then that is it, you’re off, no more, end of the road, get the picture. It’s absolutely horrible. You’re all chatting and then the phone goes, and it goes deadly silent. You all look at each other, quite literally seeing the fear in each other’s eyes. A name is called and its not you, there is so much relief but at the same time it was Joe Bloggs who you were sitting next to, chatting to him and you thought ‘what a great guy, he’s definitely a contender’, and the next minute he’s gone, BAM. You can’t help but feel sorry and gutted for him. There is such conflicting emotions flying around, it’s crazy. Saw a couple of people break down and cry when they didn’t make it, it meant that much to them. Unfortunately, I was the first to finish my interview and medical so I had the longest wait, but on the plus side, I felt like the interview had gone well, but you just never know. All I can say to the people, who go through this, is good luck and expect to go through a harrowing experience. I take my hat off to anyone who goes through it.
Finally when 8 people had been called out and told to go home, and only 10 remained, a woman came over to those of us who were left and congratulated us on getting through to part 2. The relief is immense! I had made it to the final stage. We were then told to follow a guy to collect our very sexy overalls and bibs, and its here you find out what syndicate your in, I was in alpha syndicate as ALPHA 1 (the number your given means nothing by the way). Once given these, we then headed off to lunch and then got changed into sports kit and overalls and went back to the waiting area in the Adastral hall. Here you get your picture taken and briefed on what is about to happen. Then you’re marched (not literally) off to the exercise hangars for the familiarisation part of the exercises, and you’re shown the basics of the exercises and the general rules. Pay close attention to this as it’s very important.
After this you’re rushed off to your syndicate room and the group discussion begins. The officers will throw in all sorts of topics. We were given ‘do footballers get paid to much’ and ‘do you think the new licensing laws will make a difference’ and another one that I cant really remember (sorry). Here you have to make sure you make a positive contribution and say something that is worthwhile. Whatever you do don’t just sit there and stay quiet but on the other hand don’t over power the debate by not letting other people speak or say something that has no relevance to the debate just to say something. Reach a happy medium and you will do fine. Remember your manners and don’t interrupt people but at the same time don’t be timid. Pay attention to what everyone is saying and be interested in what they say. Just try and forget about the officers assessing you. This will just fly by, so make sure you make your mark.
Next came the group exercise. This is where your syndicate is taken to a large hangar where there are a few tasks that need to be accomplished in a certain amount of time. There is no leader appointed here but I do think they are looking at whom the syndicate will accept as the natural leader. This does not always happen as there may be more than 1 strong character in the syndicate, so teamwork and making a vital contribution is of the up most importance. Try to make your self heard but once again don’t be over bearing. Try to keep your syndicate motivated and be aware of your time. Our syndicate almost completed the task but I think we talked too much about possible ways of doing things when we should have just gone and given it a go. Even if you get penalised then it really doesn’t matter too much as they will make your penalty a fairly small one, so just give your idea a go.
Then we had to head back to our syndicate room for the group problem solving task. Here you are given I think 20 minutes to try to work out the problem on your own first and then your given some more time to discuss with the rest of the syndicate your plan and possible others if you haven’t come up with something. Don’t worry too much if you haven’t thought of a plan during the individual time, as that happened to the other syndicate and they came up with one together. I was fortunate enough to think of a solution, which our syndicate eventually used, but it could have been better. My suggestion here is to try and stick to a plan you think you should logically follow instead of trying lots of different options, as you will run out of time and have no solution where as if you just stick to a plan, it may not be the best but at least you will have a finished article which you can then put forward to the rest of the group. Try and come up with ideas and also make sure you know your speed distance time calculations, I found it useful to write these down as soon as I could start writing. Once this is over then that is your tasks over for the day. You will be mentally and physically exhausted so once again, make sure you eat and drink well and just relax in the evening. Had a really pleasant night with the rest of the candidates and generally felt at ease. However, had a terrible night sleep as I think I was very nervous about the leadership task and performing well.
cont......
31st of Aug
I set my alarm for about 6am as the bell goes off at 6.15, so its better to get up and jump in the showers before everyone else does (don’t worry girls, your separated from the blokes!). Then it was off to breakfast and across the road to the Adastral hall for the aptitude testing. Here you will be briefed by a very nice woman on what its all about. Don’t be nervous or worried about it, as there really isn’t much you can do in the terms of preparation, its just natural innate skills, and I actually quite enjoyed it, as did everyone else. Make sure you take on plenty of fluids and a tip I’ve been told is to chew gum as it helps you concentrate and can help memory. Not sure whether it is true but worth a go. Take as much time as you need here when not being timed but try not to let the timed tasks pressure you too much either. You do the tests at a kind of desk cubicle with a monitor, keyboard, joystick and foot pedals which you actually only use once (foot pedals, that is). Try and see these as fun, because the more relaxed you are, the better you will perform. You should finish just before lunch and then off for some food you go. I came out with passes in all the trades except air load master, which was strange but was generally pleased with that, even though the branches that I had chosen were not aptitude tested.
Then came the medical. This is completely out of you hands so don’t worry about it. They test your hearing, vision, weigh and measure you etc. I was cleared for everything, which was a big relief that’s for sure. I’d recommend taking a pair of flip flops otherwise you will have to wear your nice black polished shoes with the dressing gown your given (and u look a total nonce if u do this, I did!), which by the way the dressing gowns have changed and are actually quite nice, so no need to worry about bringing your own, unless your attached to wearing your own dressing gown that is! These take you till about 4ish, and then it’s off to get changed back across the road and to the sports hall for the fitness test.
The fitness test consists of the bleep test; the maximal press up test in a minute and the maximal sit up test in a minute. There are 2, 5 a side football areas side by side here and you will probably be split into 2 groups for the bleep test. The bleep test is where you have to run 20 metres back and forth for as long as you possibly can but making sure you make it to the end in time with the bleep, you cant go too fast or too slow. A technique I had learned from my father, who was a very good long distance runner, was to get your breathing under control before you start, to make sure there is plenty of oxygen in the muscles to be able to work properly. I did this by taking big, deep breaths and holding it for a few seconds then slowly releasing it. I did this for about 5 minutes before it started. Another tip I was given was to keep your arms low so that your not using extra energy to hold them up and pump them and it also opens up your diaphragm, which controls your breathing. It worked for me, and with the added help of adrenaline I managed to get 14.1, which I was ecstatic about. Even the PTI’s said they were impressed which definitely helped boost my confidence. Next (after about 3-4 minutes rest) it was the press up’s (arms shoulder width apart) and here you have a partner who makes a fist and places it on the floor and your chest has to hit his or her fist on the way down to make a press up count (try and get a guy with huge hands, as every millimetre helps hahaha). I managed to reach 53 in a minute which wasn’t my best but I was quite pleased with it as I was shattered after the bleep test. Lastly it’s the sit up test and here you have a partner who holds your feet down and your shoulder blades have to hit the floor and your hands have to touch your temples at all times, and on the way up your elbows have to touch the tops of your knee’s. I scored 52 and once again was quite pleased. I’d advice taking a drink with you (non fizzy energy drink) and to keep taking small sips as often as possible between tests. Once we did this it was back to the accommodation and showers knowing our first day was over with. Then onto dinner and once again I tried to chill out and just socialise with everyone as we all had quite a lot in common (highly motivated people who want to be a part of the RAF). Once again had a couple of shandy’s and had an early night.
1st of Sept
Unfortunately I didn’t get as good as night sleep as the night before and woke up feeling a bit sick with apprehension as I knew it was make or break time for getting onto part 2 because it was interviews in the morning. Breakfast was a quiet affair as I was not the only one nervous. We all went over to the Adastral hall were it all happens and found out who was going to have the interview straight away and those who were going to finish there medicals. I really wanted to have the interview first and get it out of the way but unfortunately that was not meant to be and found out I was in the 2nd group of interviews. The rest of the medical consists of seeing a doctor who checks your heart and blood pressure etc, and if your bloke, the crown jewels. Then it’s on to the interview. A woman came and met me at the waiting area that was fantastic at calming me down and put me at ease. She took me to the interview room where another elderly male officer was sitting. Make sure you smile lots and seem confident and a good firm handshake makes a big difference. The room I had wasn’t too large so you don’t have to shout but make sure you make an impact when you speak. The first part of the interview was very similar to the filter as he just went over my background, and once again its here that you have to sell yourself in short, sharp concise answers as they speed you through the questions. Make sure you know your dates and be able to throw in as many achievements as possible without it sounding unnatural. Try not to be put off with the other officer writing or the CCTV, just focus on the person who is asking the questions. Remember lots of eye contact, smiling and try not to fidget or mess with your hands or scratch anything! Then the other officer took over and moved on to why I wanted to join the RAF and why as an officer. Make sure you have a clear and confident answer ready in your head. Then she moved onto RAF equipment and they will delve deeper and deeper into your knowledge to see how much you know. They are not trying to trick you; they are just trying to find out if your going to blag. Whatever you do don’t blag as they will see right through it, just say ‘ I’m afraid I don’t know’, as simple as that. She also made me cover RAF operations and stations and asked a bit about NATO and the difference between a leader and a manager etc. Then it was onto the current affairs, and for some reason everyone including myself absolutely cacked our pants about this part beforehand but it really isn’t that bad. The interview lasts about 45 minutes and the current affairs part lasts about 5 at the most. Like I said previously she asked me about Columbia and shortly after I had started she cut me off, as it was obvious I knew about it (don’t be put off if the interviewer does cut you off, it’s just obvious to them that you know it, so they want to move onto other stuff you may not know). So then she just asked questions of her own which generally meant having an opinion on it and being able to put your point across. So don’t worry about knowing dates and names too much, just having a good general knowledge is more important and an understanding of the subject, but also an opinion. After this she asked me what had caught my interest at home with regards to current affairs and I named the topics I had chosen and she asked me a few questions about the London bombings and that was it, all over. Then she moved onto the usual questions, which include drugs use and the RAF laws etc. No need to worry here either. Then it’s all over and you have just completed part 1. Then comes the most horrific part of the ordeal, the waiting to find out if you have made it onto part 2.
Let me try and paint a picture here for you. All of the guys and gals you have been getting on with, who you could even start considering as friends are now all down with you in the waiting room and you know that if the phone rings at reception, which is right in front of you, it will probably mean someone is going home. If your name is called out then that is it, you’re off, no more, end of the road, get the picture. It’s absolutely horrible. You’re all chatting and then the phone goes, and it goes deadly silent. You all look at each other, quite literally seeing the fear in each other’s eyes. A name is called and its not you, there is so much relief but at the same time it was Joe Bloggs who you were sitting next to, chatting to him and you thought ‘what a great guy, he’s definitely a contender’, and the next minute he’s gone, BAM. You can’t help but feel sorry and gutted for him. There is such conflicting emotions flying around, it’s crazy. Saw a couple of people break down and cry when they didn’t make it, it meant that much to them. Unfortunately, I was the first to finish my interview and medical so I had the longest wait, but on the plus side, I felt like the interview had gone well, but you just never know. All I can say to the people, who go through this, is good luck and expect to go through a harrowing experience. I take my hat off to anyone who goes through it.
Finally when 8 people had been called out and told to go home, and only 10 remained, a woman came over to those of us who were left and congratulated us on getting through to part 2. The relief is immense! I had made it to the final stage. We were then told to follow a guy to collect our very sexy overalls and bibs, and its here you find out what syndicate your in, I was in alpha syndicate as ALPHA 1 (the number your given means nothing by the way). Once given these, we then headed off to lunch and then got changed into sports kit and overalls and went back to the waiting area in the Adastral hall. Here you get your picture taken and briefed on what is about to happen. Then you’re marched (not literally) off to the exercise hangars for the familiarisation part of the exercises, and you’re shown the basics of the exercises and the general rules. Pay close attention to this as it’s very important.
After this you’re rushed off to your syndicate room and the group discussion begins. The officers will throw in all sorts of topics. We were given ‘do footballers get paid to much’ and ‘do you think the new licensing laws will make a difference’ and another one that I cant really remember (sorry). Here you have to make sure you make a positive contribution and say something that is worthwhile. Whatever you do don’t just sit there and stay quiet but on the other hand don’t over power the debate by not letting other people speak or say something that has no relevance to the debate just to say something. Reach a happy medium and you will do fine. Remember your manners and don’t interrupt people but at the same time don’t be timid. Pay attention to what everyone is saying and be interested in what they say. Just try and forget about the officers assessing you. This will just fly by, so make sure you make your mark.
Next came the group exercise. This is where your syndicate is taken to a large hangar where there are a few tasks that need to be accomplished in a certain amount of time. There is no leader appointed here but I do think they are looking at whom the syndicate will accept as the natural leader. This does not always happen as there may be more than 1 strong character in the syndicate, so teamwork and making a vital contribution is of the up most importance. Try to make your self heard but once again don’t be over bearing. Try to keep your syndicate motivated and be aware of your time. Our syndicate almost completed the task but I think we talked too much about possible ways of doing things when we should have just gone and given it a go. Even if you get penalised then it really doesn’t matter too much as they will make your penalty a fairly small one, so just give your idea a go.
Then we had to head back to our syndicate room for the group problem solving task. Here you are given I think 20 minutes to try to work out the problem on your own first and then your given some more time to discuss with the rest of the syndicate your plan and possible others if you haven’t come up with something. Don’t worry too much if you haven’t thought of a plan during the individual time, as that happened to the other syndicate and they came up with one together. I was fortunate enough to think of a solution, which our syndicate eventually used, but it could have been better. My suggestion here is to try and stick to a plan you think you should logically follow instead of trying lots of different options, as you will run out of time and have no solution where as if you just stick to a plan, it may not be the best but at least you will have a finished article which you can then put forward to the rest of the group. Try and come up with ideas and also make sure you know your speed distance time calculations, I found it useful to write these down as soon as I could start writing. Once this is over then that is your tasks over for the day. You will be mentally and physically exhausted so once again, make sure you eat and drink well and just relax in the evening. Had a really pleasant night with the rest of the candidates and generally felt at ease. However, had a terrible night sleep as I think I was very nervous about the leadership task and performing well.
cont......
continued......
2nd of Sept
It was a strange feeling knowing it was the last day that morning and that we were going to leave and maybe never see each other again as we had certainly bonded a lot since the start. Once again we were in our overalls and this time it was the individual problem solving task, where you are taken to a room and are given a set amount of time to crack the problem and come up with a solution, these are generally a bit more simple than the group ones (in other words, less information to digest). Then you are taken to the syndicate room and have to explain your solution to the boarding officers without your notes and a large map (here you just have to give a very simple account of your plan). That part wasn’t as daunting as I thought because I felt I had a decent plan. However, the next part was tough as you then have to sit down in front of them and they will hammer you with all sorts of questions, such as ‘what group are you part of’ and ‘how far could the bike go if you used that’ etc. Here I feel I didn’t manage to put enough information on my notes so that I could answer the questions quickly, so I stumbled once or twice with a couple of questions they threw at me. So make sure you get as much information as possible down on paper so that you don’t trip up on any the questions they ask. Try and get into the habit of writing down as much information as possible as quick as possible, but remember be neat in what you write so it’s easy to read and get your information from. Once your done here you head down to the waiting room again and wait for the rest of the guys and gals to finish. Once everyone is done then it’s onto the leadership task.
This is definitely the grand finale. Here you are given command and you get a couple of minutes to look over your task while the others are in a small enclosure waiting for you to call them. I’d seriously recommend using all of this time to test things out, like does that piece of wood reach to the barrel and how heavy is that item etc, as there is nothing worse than basing your plan on something that doesn’t work, that’s when you begin to flap. Next you have to stand at the other end of the task and brief your team on it all. It goes like this: what the task is, what equipment you have, what rules and special rules apply and how your going to execute your plan. After doing this I ran over to my syndicate and asked them if they understood what I had said and then asked a couple of them questions to make sure they really did understand. Then it’s down to your leadership. I delegated the jobs and gave everyone something to do while I watched and made sure it was being done correctly but also constantly motivating. I found being quite vocal and praising people a good way to go about it, especially when they had thought or done something of value, but always remain the leader and make sure that no one tries to take that from you. Try and take your time when explaining what you want done as it is easy in the heat of the moment with the adrenaline pumping to miss out important information and get it wrong. I think the key to this exercise is to show good leadership qualities, which involves staying at all times in control of your syndicate and motivating as much as possible to keep them revved up for the job at hand (not so much on completing the task). Make sure your voice can be heard easily but without shouting also. I felt my lead went really well as I had a good group of guys and gals who worked really well for me and each other, which helps massively, and if you do manage to do well in this it will leave you on a major high and make you work extra hard in the tasks when you are not leader. When you’re a team member and someone else is leading then make sure you are the god damn best team member you can be and do anything your leader says, because if you haven’t led yet, then you want them to do the same for you as you did for them, whereas if you don’t listen or try and take over their lead then they will certainly not want to help you when it comes to your turn. It’s all about working for each other here and giving the guy or girl who is leading the best chance to actually lead. If you don’t you will also be marked down for certain by the boarding officers for not being a good team member which is equally if not more important. Just use common sense! Once this is all over, you will probably be shattered but there is one last very brief interview, where they ask you about your branch choices to make sure they are in the correct order of preference, and stuff like ‘ what did you find the most difficult’ or ‘ what if anything did you learn about yourself here’. So there is nothing to worry about here, they aren’t suddenly going to barrage you with questions again about RAF equipment or anything like that! Once this is completed then that’s it, its all over, you have probably just finished the most challenging 4 days of your life. It’s a very weird feeling knowing it’s all over. I for one was quite saddened by it as I had also enjoyed myself a lot and made some good friends even though it being such a short time. We all then got changed and had lunch together and said our goodbyes and then head off in our different directions, back to normality. Like I’ve said before, anyone who is thinking of going through that or is about to go through it or even more so, been through it, then I take my hat off to you as it was an incredible experience which requires dedication, training and motivation like nothing else I had crossed before. I certainly felt slightly different from that experience. In a way more experienced and more confident, knowing that even if I didn’t get in and had to follow another career, I would never have to go through anything as tough as OASC. Good luck.
Possible Improvements
Although I worked extremely hard in preparation for both filter interview and OASC, I still feel I could of improved on a few things. I could of got in a couple more station visits, as I think especially in the interview this shows great commitment, and these visits can be very useful and informative. I also could of joined the ATC as a civilian instructor earlier, it just came to as a brainwave one day, just wish I could of thought of it earlier, as once again its looked upon as commitment and a contribution to the community and to the RAF and its great fun and an excellent experience. In the interview my sporting and adventurous activities were extensive but I feel I lacked slightly in other areas, such as being able to play a musical instrument or other certain hobbies that don’t come under sport. If you do something like this then it makes you seem a much more rounded person and therefore much more desirable for selection. Try and take something like this up if its possible, if you don’t already. Even though I felt that my group discussion went well, and I got my point across fairly well, I still believe that if I had practiced a bit more debating at home or with friends then I would of come across even better, which is always the aim. Also, like I said before, in the group leaderless task, I wish that instead of chatting and trying to work out possible ways round problems, we should have just got on with giving it a go. So don’t pussy foot around it, if you have got an idea then just say’ right gang, lets give this a go’. Lastly, in the individual problems solving I could of got down a lot more important information, so that when the boarding officers do ask the questions, you can readily answer them which always feels good. Other than the things I mentioned, I do feel it went really well and was told so by some of the guys there, which was nice and a great confidence booster, but there is always room for improvement, so you should always look at what you are doing and think how could I improve on it or make it better, I feel that doing that, confidence and preparation is the key to success, especially when it comes to trying to get into the wonderful world of the Royal Air Force.
Good Luck
I’ll keep everyone updated on how I get on as I’m now in for the big wait.
Well I waited for 2 weeks exactly and didn’t get the news I was hoping for to be honest. I wasn’t at home when the letter arrived but knew it wasn’t a straight yes as I asked what size was the envelope and it was a normal small one (if it’s a large one like an A4 then its good news, as it has all the forms you need to fill in). I was gutted and was really down and angry with myself when I was on my way to pick up the letter. I felt like I had put my heart and soul into it and it wasn’t good enough for the RAF. I didn’t like failure, never have! Anyway when I had the letter my hand was shaking even though I kind of knew it wasn’t the news I was dreaming of. So I read the letter and it said I had been put into competition for the October review and will be notified on the outcome. Along with it came the debrief of my OASC performance. The selection president was ok in his comments but the selection board gave me a glowing report and said things like ‘emerged as the natural leader’ and ‘ his physical ability and contribution was commendable’ etc, so I was very pleased with all that but still didn’t change the fact that I wasn’t being given a date for IOT which I had been so excited about. I honestly thought I had done enough. I know that may seem big headed but I just thought things had gone my way and worked out well and all the other candidates kept saying things that really boosted my confidence. So I was quite down about it all and analysed the letter time and time again trying to find all different types of meanings to it. Whatever you do don’t do this, as it will drive you potty! Im sure I drove everyone around me mad going over it again and again. What I didn’t realise that when your in competition, they have actually accepted you and want you to become a commissioned officer but just need to find a job for you as there are so few (or something like that) I was even told by a source that there are branches that they will either say NO, come back in 12 months, or your in competition. They don’t seem to want to give out right yes’s because if you think about it logically, they want as many people as possible to pick from so they can get the best of that bunch so they put candidates in the competition pool and so the numbers grow, see where I’m going with that one. Makes sense to me.
Anyway, after about a week or so of being a moody bugger I finally convinced myself that I wasn’t going to make it this time and was going to have to reapply next year. I’m not usually a pessimist at all I just really didn’t want to be let down again. So I kind of forgot about the whole thing apart from around the end of October when I knew the review was going to be, that’s when the niggling thoughts kept creeping back. Then whilst away working in America for a friend, I received a txt from my girlfriend saying ‘ I’m going to ring you…… pick up the phone!’, now that scared the crap out of me as I thought it was 1 of 2 things. Either a death or something like that within the family or the RAF had got back to me! My heart was going like the clappers! Anyway after waiting…. Oh at least 20 seconds I decided I would ring her (on my mobile, ouch!) and after much ringing I got thru but on a terrible signal and I could hardly hear a word she was saying. However, I manage to pick up that I had a letter from the RAF (OH MY GOD! But also phew lol) and I immediately asked was a big or a small letter…….. The line went dead!!!!!!!!!!!! I could not believe it. It was like out of a bloody movie. After that I couldn’t get a signal for ages! I could not believe my luck! Eventually after about 20 minutes of cursing and very close to losing my insanity I got thru. Straight away I asked ‘ what size is the letter?’ she replies (and please no laughing or take this the wrong way lol) ‘ its humungous!’ YES YES YES! I couldn’t believe it. This was honestly the last thing I was expecting as I had just set my mind for a long wait and then having to go thru it all again. I had even been planning what I was going to do in the year wait to make myself more attractive to the RAF and how I could improve on my performance at OASC! Crazy eh?! Then my girlfriend asked ‘shall I open it?’ Now don’t get me wrong here, I love my girlfriend very much, but what kind of question is that?! Its like saying ‘ you have got a winning lottery ticket, shall I cash it in or not? Hahahaha. I very quickly replied ‘ please’ in my most polite and calm voice I could possibly do at the moment. Then after a few moments which felt like time had stopped, she finally read out to me ‘ dear rogue (not really that) we are delighted to inform you blah blah blah that you have been selected for commissioned service with the RAF’ I went absolutely nuts! I couldn’t talk for about a minute, and I have to admit that there was a tear or two running down my cheek at the time. What a feeling, what a rush! My start date is in May 2006 so im on the 3rd new IOT. I can’t wait for it. It has been 4 days since I found out and im still in America and it definitely hasn’t sunk in, probably because im not at home and I haven’t even seen the letter yet! Could all be a major wind up lol! Now that wouldn’t be funny, I think there would be murder done hehehe. Anyway I suppose there is a moral to the whole of this story and that is, if you give it absolutely everything and I mean everything, the lot, blood, sweat, tears then your in with a fighting chance, in fact more than, because a lot of what there looking for is commitment and if you have done that then it will show and they will see it, believe me, those guys are the best at there job and the British armed forces selection boards are known throughout the world as been the best and toughest selection processes in the world! Remember, if it’s your dream and you want it bad enough then go out and get it as it certainly won’t come and get you!
Well done to all who have made throughout my whole time thru it and good luck to those who are going for it, whether it is your 1st, 2nd or 3rd time. Take care guys
Over and out
Rogue
cheers!!!!!!!!
--------------
hey kspin, sorry about that first time on this one and thought that if im goin to do a full diary including oasc and iot then there wasnt really a place to put it. does that make sense?
cheers
rogue
2nd of Sept
It was a strange feeling knowing it was the last day that morning and that we were going to leave and maybe never see each other again as we had certainly bonded a lot since the start. Once again we were in our overalls and this time it was the individual problem solving task, where you are taken to a room and are given a set amount of time to crack the problem and come up with a solution, these are generally a bit more simple than the group ones (in other words, less information to digest). Then you are taken to the syndicate room and have to explain your solution to the boarding officers without your notes and a large map (here you just have to give a very simple account of your plan). That part wasn’t as daunting as I thought because I felt I had a decent plan. However, the next part was tough as you then have to sit down in front of them and they will hammer you with all sorts of questions, such as ‘what group are you part of’ and ‘how far could the bike go if you used that’ etc. Here I feel I didn’t manage to put enough information on my notes so that I could answer the questions quickly, so I stumbled once or twice with a couple of questions they threw at me. So make sure you get as much information as possible down on paper so that you don’t trip up on any the questions they ask. Try and get into the habit of writing down as much information as possible as quick as possible, but remember be neat in what you write so it’s easy to read and get your information from. Once your done here you head down to the waiting room again and wait for the rest of the guys and gals to finish. Once everyone is done then it’s onto the leadership task.
This is definitely the grand finale. Here you are given command and you get a couple of minutes to look over your task while the others are in a small enclosure waiting for you to call them. I’d seriously recommend using all of this time to test things out, like does that piece of wood reach to the barrel and how heavy is that item etc, as there is nothing worse than basing your plan on something that doesn’t work, that’s when you begin to flap. Next you have to stand at the other end of the task and brief your team on it all. It goes like this: what the task is, what equipment you have, what rules and special rules apply and how your going to execute your plan. After doing this I ran over to my syndicate and asked them if they understood what I had said and then asked a couple of them questions to make sure they really did understand. Then it’s down to your leadership. I delegated the jobs and gave everyone something to do while I watched and made sure it was being done correctly but also constantly motivating. I found being quite vocal and praising people a good way to go about it, especially when they had thought or done something of value, but always remain the leader and make sure that no one tries to take that from you. Try and take your time when explaining what you want done as it is easy in the heat of the moment with the adrenaline pumping to miss out important information and get it wrong. I think the key to this exercise is to show good leadership qualities, which involves staying at all times in control of your syndicate and motivating as much as possible to keep them revved up for the job at hand (not so much on completing the task). Make sure your voice can be heard easily but without shouting also. I felt my lead went really well as I had a good group of guys and gals who worked really well for me and each other, which helps massively, and if you do manage to do well in this it will leave you on a major high and make you work extra hard in the tasks when you are not leader. When you’re a team member and someone else is leading then make sure you are the god damn best team member you can be and do anything your leader says, because if you haven’t led yet, then you want them to do the same for you as you did for them, whereas if you don’t listen or try and take over their lead then they will certainly not want to help you when it comes to your turn. It’s all about working for each other here and giving the guy or girl who is leading the best chance to actually lead. If you don’t you will also be marked down for certain by the boarding officers for not being a good team member which is equally if not more important. Just use common sense! Once this is all over, you will probably be shattered but there is one last very brief interview, where they ask you about your branch choices to make sure they are in the correct order of preference, and stuff like ‘ what did you find the most difficult’ or ‘ what if anything did you learn about yourself here’. So there is nothing to worry about here, they aren’t suddenly going to barrage you with questions again about RAF equipment or anything like that! Once this is completed then that’s it, its all over, you have probably just finished the most challenging 4 days of your life. It’s a very weird feeling knowing it’s all over. I for one was quite saddened by it as I had also enjoyed myself a lot and made some good friends even though it being such a short time. We all then got changed and had lunch together and said our goodbyes and then head off in our different directions, back to normality. Like I’ve said before, anyone who is thinking of going through that or is about to go through it or even more so, been through it, then I take my hat off to you as it was an incredible experience which requires dedication, training and motivation like nothing else I had crossed before. I certainly felt slightly different from that experience. In a way more experienced and more confident, knowing that even if I didn’t get in and had to follow another career, I would never have to go through anything as tough as OASC. Good luck.
Possible Improvements
Although I worked extremely hard in preparation for both filter interview and OASC, I still feel I could of improved on a few things. I could of got in a couple more station visits, as I think especially in the interview this shows great commitment, and these visits can be very useful and informative. I also could of joined the ATC as a civilian instructor earlier, it just came to as a brainwave one day, just wish I could of thought of it earlier, as once again its looked upon as commitment and a contribution to the community and to the RAF and its great fun and an excellent experience. In the interview my sporting and adventurous activities were extensive but I feel I lacked slightly in other areas, such as being able to play a musical instrument or other certain hobbies that don’t come under sport. If you do something like this then it makes you seem a much more rounded person and therefore much more desirable for selection. Try and take something like this up if its possible, if you don’t already. Even though I felt that my group discussion went well, and I got my point across fairly well, I still believe that if I had practiced a bit more debating at home or with friends then I would of come across even better, which is always the aim. Also, like I said before, in the group leaderless task, I wish that instead of chatting and trying to work out possible ways round problems, we should have just got on with giving it a go. So don’t pussy foot around it, if you have got an idea then just say’ right gang, lets give this a go’. Lastly, in the individual problems solving I could of got down a lot more important information, so that when the boarding officers do ask the questions, you can readily answer them which always feels good. Other than the things I mentioned, I do feel it went really well and was told so by some of the guys there, which was nice and a great confidence booster, but there is always room for improvement, so you should always look at what you are doing and think how could I improve on it or make it better, I feel that doing that, confidence and preparation is the key to success, especially when it comes to trying to get into the wonderful world of the Royal Air Force.
Good Luck
I’ll keep everyone updated on how I get on as I’m now in for the big wait.
Well I waited for 2 weeks exactly and didn’t get the news I was hoping for to be honest. I wasn’t at home when the letter arrived but knew it wasn’t a straight yes as I asked what size was the envelope and it was a normal small one (if it’s a large one like an A4 then its good news, as it has all the forms you need to fill in). I was gutted and was really down and angry with myself when I was on my way to pick up the letter. I felt like I had put my heart and soul into it and it wasn’t good enough for the RAF. I didn’t like failure, never have! Anyway when I had the letter my hand was shaking even though I kind of knew it wasn’t the news I was dreaming of. So I read the letter and it said I had been put into competition for the October review and will be notified on the outcome. Along with it came the debrief of my OASC performance. The selection president was ok in his comments but the selection board gave me a glowing report and said things like ‘emerged as the natural leader’ and ‘ his physical ability and contribution was commendable’ etc, so I was very pleased with all that but still didn’t change the fact that I wasn’t being given a date for IOT which I had been so excited about. I honestly thought I had done enough. I know that may seem big headed but I just thought things had gone my way and worked out well and all the other candidates kept saying things that really boosted my confidence. So I was quite down about it all and analysed the letter time and time again trying to find all different types of meanings to it. Whatever you do don’t do this, as it will drive you potty! Im sure I drove everyone around me mad going over it again and again. What I didn’t realise that when your in competition, they have actually accepted you and want you to become a commissioned officer but just need to find a job for you as there are so few (or something like that) I was even told by a source that there are branches that they will either say NO, come back in 12 months, or your in competition. They don’t seem to want to give out right yes’s because if you think about it logically, they want as many people as possible to pick from so they can get the best of that bunch so they put candidates in the competition pool and so the numbers grow, see where I’m going with that one. Makes sense to me.
Anyway, after about a week or so of being a moody bugger I finally convinced myself that I wasn’t going to make it this time and was going to have to reapply next year. I’m not usually a pessimist at all I just really didn’t want to be let down again. So I kind of forgot about the whole thing apart from around the end of October when I knew the review was going to be, that’s when the niggling thoughts kept creeping back. Then whilst away working in America for a friend, I received a txt from my girlfriend saying ‘ I’m going to ring you…… pick up the phone!’, now that scared the crap out of me as I thought it was 1 of 2 things. Either a death or something like that within the family or the RAF had got back to me! My heart was going like the clappers! Anyway after waiting…. Oh at least 20 seconds I decided I would ring her (on my mobile, ouch!) and after much ringing I got thru but on a terrible signal and I could hardly hear a word she was saying. However, I manage to pick up that I had a letter from the RAF (OH MY GOD! But also phew lol) and I immediately asked was a big or a small letter…….. The line went dead!!!!!!!!!!!! I could not believe it. It was like out of a bloody movie. After that I couldn’t get a signal for ages! I could not believe my luck! Eventually after about 20 minutes of cursing and very close to losing my insanity I got thru. Straight away I asked ‘ what size is the letter?’ she replies (and please no laughing or take this the wrong way lol) ‘ its humungous!’ YES YES YES! I couldn’t believe it. This was honestly the last thing I was expecting as I had just set my mind for a long wait and then having to go thru it all again. I had even been planning what I was going to do in the year wait to make myself more attractive to the RAF and how I could improve on my performance at OASC! Crazy eh?! Then my girlfriend asked ‘shall I open it?’ Now don’t get me wrong here, I love my girlfriend very much, but what kind of question is that?! Its like saying ‘ you have got a winning lottery ticket, shall I cash it in or not? Hahahaha. I very quickly replied ‘ please’ in my most polite and calm voice I could possibly do at the moment. Then after a few moments which felt like time had stopped, she finally read out to me ‘ dear rogue (not really that) we are delighted to inform you blah blah blah that you have been selected for commissioned service with the RAF’ I went absolutely nuts! I couldn’t talk for about a minute, and I have to admit that there was a tear or two running down my cheek at the time. What a feeling, what a rush! My start date is in May 2006 so im on the 3rd new IOT. I can’t wait for it. It has been 4 days since I found out and im still in America and it definitely hasn’t sunk in, probably because im not at home and I haven’t even seen the letter yet! Could all be a major wind up lol! Now that wouldn’t be funny, I think there would be murder done hehehe. Anyway I suppose there is a moral to the whole of this story and that is, if you give it absolutely everything and I mean everything, the lot, blood, sweat, tears then your in with a fighting chance, in fact more than, because a lot of what there looking for is commitment and if you have done that then it will show and they will see it, believe me, those guys are the best at there job and the British armed forces selection boards are known throughout the world as been the best and toughest selection processes in the world! Remember, if it’s your dream and you want it bad enough then go out and get it as it certainly won’t come and get you!
Well done to all who have made throughout my whole time thru it and good luck to those who are going for it, whether it is your 1st, 2nd or 3rd time. Take care guys
Over and out
Rogue
cheers!!!!!!!!
--------------
hey kspin, sorry about that first time on this one and thought that if im goin to do a full diary including oasc and iot then there wasnt really a place to put it. does that make sense?
cheers
rogue
continued......
2nd of Sept
It was a strange feeling knowing it was the last day that morning and that we were going to leave and maybe never see each other again as we had certainly bonded a lot since the start. Once again we were in our overalls and this time it was the individual problem solving task, where you are taken to a room and are given a set amount of time to crack the problem and come up with a solution, these are generally a bit more simple than the group ones (in other words, less information to digest). Then you are taken to the syndicate room and have to explain your solution to the boarding officers without your notes and a large map (here you just have to give a very simple account of your plan). That part wasn’t as daunting as I thought because I felt I had a decent plan. However, the next part was tough as you then have to sit down in front of them and they will hammer you with all sorts of questions, such as ‘what group are you part of’ and ‘how far could the bike go if you used that’ etc. Here I feel I didn’t manage to put enough information on my notes so that I could answer the questions quickly, so I stumbled once or twice with a couple of questions they threw at me. So make sure you get as much information as possible down on paper so that you don’t trip up on any the questions they ask. Try and get into the habit of writing down as much information as possible as quick as possible, but remember be neat in what you write so it’s easy to read and get your information from. Once your done here you head down to the waiting room again and wait for the rest of the guys and gals to finish. Once everyone is done then it’s onto the leadership task.
This is definitely the grand finale. Here you are given command and you get a couple of minutes to look over your task while the others are in a small enclosure waiting for you to call them. I’d seriously recommend using all of this time to test things out, like does that piece of wood reach to the barrel and how heavy is that item etc, as there is nothing worse than basing your plan on something that doesn’t work, that’s when you begin to flap. Next you have to stand at the other end of the task and brief your team on it all. It goes like this: what the task is, what equipment you have, what rules and special rules apply and how your going to execute your plan. After doing this I ran over to my syndicate and asked them if they understood what I had said and then asked a couple of them questions to make sure they really did understand. Then it’s down to your leadership. I delegated the jobs and gave everyone something to do while I watched and made sure it was being done correctly but also constantly motivating. I found being quite vocal and praising people a good way to go about it, especially when they had thought or done something of value, but always remain the leader and make sure that no one tries to take that from you. Try and take your time when explaining what you want done as it is easy in the heat of the moment with the adrenaline pumping to miss out important information and get it wrong. I think the key to this exercise is to show good leadership qualities, which involves staying at all times in control of your syndicate and motivating as much as possible to keep them revved up for the job at hand (not so much on completing the task). Make sure your voice can be heard easily but without shouting also. I felt my lead went really well as I had a good group of guys and gals who worked really well for me and each other, which helps massively, and if you do manage to do well in this it will leave you on a major high and make you work extra hard in the tasks when you are not leader. When you’re a team member and someone else is leading then make sure you are the god damn best team member you can be and do anything your leader says, because if you haven’t led yet, then you want them to do the same for you as you did for them, whereas if you don’t listen or try and take over their lead then they will certainly not want to help you when it comes to your turn. It’s all about working for each other here and giving the guy or girl who is leading the best chance to actually lead. If you don’t you will also be marked down for certain by the boarding officers for not being a good team member which is equally if not more important. Just use common sense! Once this is all over, you will probably be shattered but there is one last very brief interview, where they ask you about your branch choices to make sure they are in the correct order of preference, and stuff like ‘ what did you find the most difficult’ or ‘ what if anything did you learn about yourself here’. So there is nothing to worry about here, they aren’t suddenly going to barrage you with questions again about RAF equipment or anything like that! Once this is completed then that’s it, its all over, you have probably just finished the most challenging 4 days of your life. It’s a very weird feeling knowing it’s all over. I for one was quite saddened by it as I had also enjoyed myself a lot and made some good friends even though it being such a short time. We all then got changed and had lunch together and said our goodbyes and then head off in our different directions, back to normality. Like I’ve said before, anyone who is thinking of going through that or is about to go through it or even more so, been through it, then I take my hat off to you as it was an incredible experience which requires dedication, training and motivation like nothing else I had crossed before. I certainly felt slightly different from that experience. In a way more experienced and more confident, knowing that even if I didn’t get in and had to follow another career, I would never have to go through anything as tough as OASC. Good luck.
Possible Improvements
Although I worked extremely hard in preparation for both filter interview and OASC, I still feel I could of improved on a few things. I could of got in a couple more station visits, as I think especially in the interview this shows great commitment, and these visits can be very useful and informative. I also could of joined the ATC as a civilian instructor earlier, it just came to as a brainwave one day, just wish I could of thought of it earlier, as once again its looked upon as commitment and a contribution to the community and to the RAF and its great fun and an excellent experience. In the interview my sporting and adventurous activities were extensive but I feel I lacked slightly in other areas, such as being able to play a musical instrument or other certain hobbies that don’t come under sport. If you do something like this then it makes you seem a much more rounded person and therefore much more desirable for selection. Try and take something like this up if its possible, if you don’t already. Even though I felt that my group discussion went well, and I got my point across fairly well, I still believe that if I had practiced a bit more debating at home or with friends then I would of come across even better, which is always the aim. Also, like I said before, in the group leaderless task, I wish that instead of chatting and trying to work out possible ways round problems, we should have just got on with giving it a go. So don’t pussy foot around it, if you have got an idea then just say’ right gang, lets give this a go’. Lastly, in the individual problems solving I could of got down a lot more important information, so that when the boarding officers do ask the questions, you can readily answer them which always feels good. Other than the things I mentioned, I do feel it went really well and was told so by some of the guys there, which was nice and a great confidence booster, but there is always room for improvement, so you should always look at what you are doing and think how could I improve on it or make it better, I feel that doing that, confidence and preparation is the key to success, especially when it comes to trying to get into the wonderful world of the Royal Air Force.
Good Luck
I’ll keep everyone updated on how I get on as I’m now in for the big wait.
Well I waited for 2 weeks exactly and didn’t get the news I was hoping for to be honest. I wasn’t at home when the letter arrived but knew it wasn’t a straight yes as I asked what size was the envelope and it was a normal small one (if it’s a large one like an A4 then its good news, as it has all the forms you need to fill in). I was gutted and was really down and angry with myself when I was on my way to pick up the letter. I felt like I had put my heart and soul into it and it wasn’t good enough for the RAF. I didn’t like failure, never have! Anyway when I had the letter my hand was shaking even though I kind of knew it wasn’t the news I was dreaming of. So I read the letter and it said I had been put into competition for the October review and will be notified on the outcome. Along with it came the debrief of my OASC performance. The selection president was ok in his comments but the selection board gave me a glowing report and said things like ‘emerged as the natural leader’ and ‘ his physical ability and contribution was commendable’ etc, so I was very pleased with all that but still didn’t change the fact that I wasn’t being given a date for IOT which I had been so excited about. I honestly thought I had done enough. I know that may seem big headed but I just thought things had gone my way and worked out well and all the other candidates kept saying things that really boosted my confidence. So I was quite down about it all and analysed the letter time and time again trying to find all different types of meanings to it. Whatever you do don’t do this, as it will drive you potty! Im sure I drove everyone around me mad going over it again and again. What I didn’t realise that when your in competition, they have actually accepted you and want you to become a commissioned officer but just need to find a job for you as there are so few (or something like that) I was even told by a source that there are branches that they will either say NO, come back in 12 months, or your in competition. They don’t seem to want to give out right yes’s because if you think about it logically, they want as many people as possible to pick from so they can get the best of that bunch so they put candidates in the competition pool and so the numbers grow, see where I’m going with that one. Makes sense to me.
Anyway, after about a week or so of being a moody bugger I finally convinced myself that I wasn’t going to make it this time and was going to have to reapply next year. I’m not usually a pessimist at all I just really didn’t want to be let down again. So I kind of forgot about the whole thing apart from around the end of October when I knew the review was going to be, that’s when the niggling thoughts kept creeping back. Then whilst away working in America for a friend, I received a txt from my girlfriend saying ‘ I’m going to ring you…… pick up the phone!’, now that scared the crap out of me as I thought it was 1 of 2 things. Either a death or something like that within the family or the RAF had got back to me! My heart was going like the clappers! Anyway after waiting…. Oh at least 20 seconds I decided I would ring her (on my mobile, ouch!) and after much ringing I got thru but on a terrible signal and I could hardly hear a word she was saying. However, I manage to pick up that I had a letter from the RAF (OH MY GOD! But also phew lol) and I immediately asked was a big or a small letter…….. The line went dead!!!!!!!!!!!! I could not believe it. It was like out of a bloody movie. After that I couldn’t get a signal for ages! I could not believe my luck! Eventually after about 20 minutes of cursing and very close to losing my insanity I got thru. Straight away I asked ‘ what size is the letter?’ she replies (and please no laughing or take this the wrong way lol) ‘ its humungous!’ YES YES YES! I couldn’t believe it. This was honestly the last thing I was expecting as I had just set my mind for a long wait and then having to go thru it all again. I had even been planning what I was going to do in the year wait to make myself more attractive to the RAF and how I could improve on my performance at OASC! Crazy eh?! Then my girlfriend asked ‘shall I open it?’ Now don’t get me wrong here, I love my girlfriend very much, but what kind of question is that?! Its like saying ‘ you have got a winning lottery ticket, shall I cash it in or not? Hahahaha. I very quickly replied ‘ please’ in my most polite and calm voice I could possibly do at the moment. Then after a few moments which felt like time had stopped, she finally read out to me ‘ dear rogue (not really that) we are delighted to inform you blah blah blah that you have been selected for commissioned service with the RAF’ I went absolutely nuts! I couldn’t talk for about a minute, and I have to admit that there was a tear or two running down my cheek at the time. What a feeling, what a rush! My start date is in May 2006 so im on the 3rd new IOT. I can’t wait for it. It has been 4 days since I found out and im still in America and it definitely hasn’t sunk in, probably because im not at home and I haven’t even seen the letter yet! Could all be a major wind up lol! Now that wouldn’t be funny, I think there would be murder done hehehe. Anyway I suppose there is a moral to the whole of this story and that is, if you give it absolutely everything and I mean everything, the lot, blood, sweat, tears then your in with a fighting chance, in fact more than, because a lot of what there looking for is commitment and if you have done that then it will show and they will see it, believe me, those guys are the best at there job and the British armed forces selection boards are known throughout the world as been the best and toughest selection processes in the world! Remember, if it’s your dream and you want it bad enough then go out and get it as it certainly won’t come and get you!
Well done to all who have made throughout my whole time thru it and good luck to those who are going for it, whether it is your 1st, 2nd or 3rd time. Take care guys
Over and out
Rogue
cheers!!!!!!!!
--------------
hey kspin, sorry about that first time on this one and thought that if im goin to do a full diary including oasc and iot then there wasnt really a place to put it. does that make sense?
cheers
rogue
2nd of Sept
It was a strange feeling knowing it was the last day that morning and that we were going to leave and maybe never see each other again as we had certainly bonded a lot since the start. Once again we were in our overalls and this time it was the individual problem solving task, where you are taken to a room and are given a set amount of time to crack the problem and come up with a solution, these are generally a bit more simple than the group ones (in other words, less information to digest). Then you are taken to the syndicate room and have to explain your solution to the boarding officers without your notes and a large map (here you just have to give a very simple account of your plan). That part wasn’t as daunting as I thought because I felt I had a decent plan. However, the next part was tough as you then have to sit down in front of them and they will hammer you with all sorts of questions, such as ‘what group are you part of’ and ‘how far could the bike go if you used that’ etc. Here I feel I didn’t manage to put enough information on my notes so that I could answer the questions quickly, so I stumbled once or twice with a couple of questions they threw at me. So make sure you get as much information as possible down on paper so that you don’t trip up on any the questions they ask. Try and get into the habit of writing down as much information as possible as quick as possible, but remember be neat in what you write so it’s easy to read and get your information from. Once your done here you head down to the waiting room again and wait for the rest of the guys and gals to finish. Once everyone is done then it’s onto the leadership task.
This is definitely the grand finale. Here you are given command and you get a couple of minutes to look over your task while the others are in a small enclosure waiting for you to call them. I’d seriously recommend using all of this time to test things out, like does that piece of wood reach to the barrel and how heavy is that item etc, as there is nothing worse than basing your plan on something that doesn’t work, that’s when you begin to flap. Next you have to stand at the other end of the task and brief your team on it all. It goes like this: what the task is, what equipment you have, what rules and special rules apply and how your going to execute your plan. After doing this I ran over to my syndicate and asked them if they understood what I had said and then asked a couple of them questions to make sure they really did understand. Then it’s down to your leadership. I delegated the jobs and gave everyone something to do while I watched and made sure it was being done correctly but also constantly motivating. I found being quite vocal and praising people a good way to go about it, especially when they had thought or done something of value, but always remain the leader and make sure that no one tries to take that from you. Try and take your time when explaining what you want done as it is easy in the heat of the moment with the adrenaline pumping to miss out important information and get it wrong. I think the key to this exercise is to show good leadership qualities, which involves staying at all times in control of your syndicate and motivating as much as possible to keep them revved up for the job at hand (not so much on completing the task). Make sure your voice can be heard easily but without shouting also. I felt my lead went really well as I had a good group of guys and gals who worked really well for me and each other, which helps massively, and if you do manage to do well in this it will leave you on a major high and make you work extra hard in the tasks when you are not leader. When you’re a team member and someone else is leading then make sure you are the god damn best team member you can be and do anything your leader says, because if you haven’t led yet, then you want them to do the same for you as you did for them, whereas if you don’t listen or try and take over their lead then they will certainly not want to help you when it comes to your turn. It’s all about working for each other here and giving the guy or girl who is leading the best chance to actually lead. If you don’t you will also be marked down for certain by the boarding officers for not being a good team member which is equally if not more important. Just use common sense! Once this is all over, you will probably be shattered but there is one last very brief interview, where they ask you about your branch choices to make sure they are in the correct order of preference, and stuff like ‘ what did you find the most difficult’ or ‘ what if anything did you learn about yourself here’. So there is nothing to worry about here, they aren’t suddenly going to barrage you with questions again about RAF equipment or anything like that! Once this is completed then that’s it, its all over, you have probably just finished the most challenging 4 days of your life. It’s a very weird feeling knowing it’s all over. I for one was quite saddened by it as I had also enjoyed myself a lot and made some good friends even though it being such a short time. We all then got changed and had lunch together and said our goodbyes and then head off in our different directions, back to normality. Like I’ve said before, anyone who is thinking of going through that or is about to go through it or even more so, been through it, then I take my hat off to you as it was an incredible experience which requires dedication, training and motivation like nothing else I had crossed before. I certainly felt slightly different from that experience. In a way more experienced and more confident, knowing that even if I didn’t get in and had to follow another career, I would never have to go through anything as tough as OASC. Good luck.
Possible Improvements
Although I worked extremely hard in preparation for both filter interview and OASC, I still feel I could of improved on a few things. I could of got in a couple more station visits, as I think especially in the interview this shows great commitment, and these visits can be very useful and informative. I also could of joined the ATC as a civilian instructor earlier, it just came to as a brainwave one day, just wish I could of thought of it earlier, as once again its looked upon as commitment and a contribution to the community and to the RAF and its great fun and an excellent experience. In the interview my sporting and adventurous activities were extensive but I feel I lacked slightly in other areas, such as being able to play a musical instrument or other certain hobbies that don’t come under sport. If you do something like this then it makes you seem a much more rounded person and therefore much more desirable for selection. Try and take something like this up if its possible, if you don’t already. Even though I felt that my group discussion went well, and I got my point across fairly well, I still believe that if I had practiced a bit more debating at home or with friends then I would of come across even better, which is always the aim. Also, like I said before, in the group leaderless task, I wish that instead of chatting and trying to work out possible ways round problems, we should have just got on with giving it a go. So don’t pussy foot around it, if you have got an idea then just say’ right gang, lets give this a go’. Lastly, in the individual problems solving I could of got down a lot more important information, so that when the boarding officers do ask the questions, you can readily answer them which always feels good. Other than the things I mentioned, I do feel it went really well and was told so by some of the guys there, which was nice and a great confidence booster, but there is always room for improvement, so you should always look at what you are doing and think how could I improve on it or make it better, I feel that doing that, confidence and preparation is the key to success, especially when it comes to trying to get into the wonderful world of the Royal Air Force.
Good Luck
I’ll keep everyone updated on how I get on as I’m now in for the big wait.
Well I waited for 2 weeks exactly and didn’t get the news I was hoping for to be honest. I wasn’t at home when the letter arrived but knew it wasn’t a straight yes as I asked what size was the envelope and it was a normal small one (if it’s a large one like an A4 then its good news, as it has all the forms you need to fill in). I was gutted and was really down and angry with myself when I was on my way to pick up the letter. I felt like I had put my heart and soul into it and it wasn’t good enough for the RAF. I didn’t like failure, never have! Anyway when I had the letter my hand was shaking even though I kind of knew it wasn’t the news I was dreaming of. So I read the letter and it said I had been put into competition for the October review and will be notified on the outcome. Along with it came the debrief of my OASC performance. The selection president was ok in his comments but the selection board gave me a glowing report and said things like ‘emerged as the natural leader’ and ‘ his physical ability and contribution was commendable’ etc, so I was very pleased with all that but still didn’t change the fact that I wasn’t being given a date for IOT which I had been so excited about. I honestly thought I had done enough. I know that may seem big headed but I just thought things had gone my way and worked out well and all the other candidates kept saying things that really boosted my confidence. So I was quite down about it all and analysed the letter time and time again trying to find all different types of meanings to it. Whatever you do don’t do this, as it will drive you potty! Im sure I drove everyone around me mad going over it again and again. What I didn’t realise that when your in competition, they have actually accepted you and want you to become a commissioned officer but just need to find a job for you as there are so few (or something like that) I was even told by a source that there are branches that they will either say NO, come back in 12 months, or your in competition. They don’t seem to want to give out right yes’s because if you think about it logically, they want as many people as possible to pick from so they can get the best of that bunch so they put candidates in the competition pool and so the numbers grow, see where I’m going with that one. Makes sense to me.
Anyway, after about a week or so of being a moody bugger I finally convinced myself that I wasn’t going to make it this time and was going to have to reapply next year. I’m not usually a pessimist at all I just really didn’t want to be let down again. So I kind of forgot about the whole thing apart from around the end of October when I knew the review was going to be, that’s when the niggling thoughts kept creeping back. Then whilst away working in America for a friend, I received a txt from my girlfriend saying ‘ I’m going to ring you…… pick up the phone!’, now that scared the crap out of me as I thought it was 1 of 2 things. Either a death or something like that within the family or the RAF had got back to me! My heart was going like the clappers! Anyway after waiting…. Oh at least 20 seconds I decided I would ring her (on my mobile, ouch!) and after much ringing I got thru but on a terrible signal and I could hardly hear a word she was saying. However, I manage to pick up that I had a letter from the RAF (OH MY GOD! But also phew lol) and I immediately asked was a big or a small letter…….. The line went dead!!!!!!!!!!!! I could not believe it. It was like out of a bloody movie. After that I couldn’t get a signal for ages! I could not believe my luck! Eventually after about 20 minutes of cursing and very close to losing my insanity I got thru. Straight away I asked ‘ what size is the letter?’ she replies (and please no laughing or take this the wrong way lol) ‘ its humungous!’ YES YES YES! I couldn’t believe it. This was honestly the last thing I was expecting as I had just set my mind for a long wait and then having to go thru it all again. I had even been planning what I was going to do in the year wait to make myself more attractive to the RAF and how I could improve on my performance at OASC! Crazy eh?! Then my girlfriend asked ‘shall I open it?’ Now don’t get me wrong here, I love my girlfriend very much, but what kind of question is that?! Its like saying ‘ you have got a winning lottery ticket, shall I cash it in or not? Hahahaha. I very quickly replied ‘ please’ in my most polite and calm voice I could possibly do at the moment. Then after a few moments which felt like time had stopped, she finally read out to me ‘ dear rogue (not really that) we are delighted to inform you blah blah blah that you have been selected for commissioned service with the RAF’ I went absolutely nuts! I couldn’t talk for about a minute, and I have to admit that there was a tear or two running down my cheek at the time. What a feeling, what a rush! My start date is in May 2006 so im on the 3rd new IOT. I can’t wait for it. It has been 4 days since I found out and im still in America and it definitely hasn’t sunk in, probably because im not at home and I haven’t even seen the letter yet! Could all be a major wind up lol! Now that wouldn’t be funny, I think there would be murder done hehehe. Anyway I suppose there is a moral to the whole of this story and that is, if you give it absolutely everything and I mean everything, the lot, blood, sweat, tears then your in with a fighting chance, in fact more than, because a lot of what there looking for is commitment and if you have done that then it will show and they will see it, believe me, those guys are the best at there job and the British armed forces selection boards are known throughout the world as been the best and toughest selection processes in the world! Remember, if it’s your dream and you want it bad enough then go out and get it as it certainly won’t come and get you!
Well done to all who have made throughout my whole time thru it and good luck to those who are going for it, whether it is your 1st, 2nd or 3rd time. Take care guys
Over and out
Rogue
cheers!!!!!!!!
--------------
hey kspin, sorry about that first time on this one and thought that if im goin to do a full diary including oasc and iot then there wasnt really a place to put it. does that make sense?
cheers
rogue
continued......
2nd of Sept
It was a strange feeling knowing it was the last day that morning and that we were going to leave and maybe never see each other again as we had certainly bonded a lot since the start. Once again we were in our overalls and this time it was the individual problem solving task, where you are taken to a room and are given a set amount of time to crack the problem and come up with a solution, these are generally a bit more simple than the group ones (in other words, less information to digest). Then you are taken to the syndicate room and have to explain your solution to the boarding officers without your notes and a large map (here you just have to give a very simple account of your plan). That part wasn’t as daunting as I thought because I felt I had a decent plan. However, the next part was tough as you then have to sit down in front of them and they will hammer you with all sorts of questions, such as ‘what group are you part of’ and ‘how far could the bike go if you used that’ etc. Here I feel I didn’t manage to put enough information on my notes so that I could answer the questions quickly, so I stumbled once or twice with a couple of questions they threw at me. So make sure you get as much information as possible down on paper so that you don’t trip up on any the questions they ask. Try and get into the habit of writing down as much information as possible as quick as possible, but remember be neat in what you write so it’s easy to read and get your information from. Once your done here you head down to the waiting room again and wait for the rest of the guys and gals to finish. Once everyone is done then it’s onto the leadership task.
This is definitely the grand finale. Here you are given command and you get a couple of minutes to look over your task while the others are in a small enclosure waiting for you to call them. I’d seriously recommend using all of this time to test things out, like does that piece of wood reach to the barrel and how heavy is that item etc, as there is nothing worse than basing your plan on something that doesn’t work, that’s when you begin to flap. Next you have to stand at the other end of the task and brief your team on it all. It goes like this: what the task is, what equipment you have, what rules and special rules apply and how your going to execute your plan. After doing this I ran over to my syndicate and asked them if they understood what I had said and then asked a couple of them questions to make sure they really did understand. Then it’s down to your leadership. I delegated the jobs and gave everyone something to do while I watched and made sure it was being done correctly but also constantly motivating. I found being quite vocal and praising people a good way to go about it, especially when they had thought or done something of value, but always remain the leader and make sure that no one tries to take that from you. Try and take your time when explaining what you want done as it is easy in the heat of the moment with the adrenaline pumping to miss out important information and get it wrong. I think the key to this exercise is to show good leadership qualities, which involves staying at all times in control of your syndicate and motivating as much as possible to keep them revved up for the job at hand (not so much on completing the task). Make sure your voice can be heard easily but without shouting also. I felt my lead went really well as I had a good group of guys and gals who worked really well for me and each other, which helps massively, and if you do manage to do well in this it will leave you on a major high and make you work extra hard in the tasks when you are not leader. When you’re a team member and someone else is leading then make sure you are the god damn best team member you can be and do anything your leader says, because if you haven’t led yet, then you want them to do the same for you as you did for them, whereas if you don’t listen or try and take over their lead then they will certainly not want to help you when it comes to your turn. It’s all about working for each other here and giving the guy or girl who is leading the best chance to actually lead. If you don’t you will also be marked down for certain by the boarding officers for not being a good team member which is equally if not more important. Just use common sense! Once this is all over, you will probably be shattered but there is one last very brief interview, where they ask you about your branch choices to make sure they are in the correct order of preference, and stuff like ‘ what did you find the most difficult’ or ‘ what if anything did you learn about yourself here’. So there is nothing to worry about here, they aren’t suddenly going to barrage you with questions again about RAF equipment or anything like that! Once this is completed then that’s it, its all over, you have probably just finished the most challenging 4 days of your life. It’s a very weird feeling knowing it’s all over. I for one was quite saddened by it as I had also enjoyed myself a lot and made some good friends even though it being such a short time. We all then got changed and had lunch together and said our goodbyes and then head off in our different directions, back to normality. Like I’ve said before, anyone who is thinking of going through that or is about to go through it or even more so, been through it, then I take my hat off to you as it was an incredible experience which requires dedication, training and motivation like nothing else I had crossed before. I certainly felt slightly different from that experience. In a way more experienced and more confident, knowing that even if I didn’t get in and had to follow another career, I would never have to go through anything as tough as OASC. Good luck.
Possible Improvements
Although I worked extremely hard in preparation for both filter interview and OASC, I still feel I could of improved on a few things. I could of got in a couple more station visits, as I think especially in the interview this shows great commitment, and these visits can be very useful and informative. I also could of joined the ATC as a civilian instructor earlier, it just came to as a brainwave one day, just wish I could of thought of it earlier, as once again its looked upon as commitment and a contribution to the community and to the RAF and its great fun and an excellent experience. In the interview my sporting and adventurous activities were extensive but I feel I lacked slightly in other areas, such as being able to play a musical instrument or other certain hobbies that don’t come under sport. If you do something like this then it makes you seem a much more rounded person and therefore much more desirable for selection. Try and take something like this up if its possible, if you don’t already. Even though I felt that my group discussion went well, and I got my point across fairly well, I still believe that if I had practiced a bit more debating at home or with friends then I would of come across even better, which is always the aim. Also, like I said before, in the group leaderless task, I wish that instead of chatting and trying to work out possible ways round problems, we should have just got on with giving it a go. So don’t pussy foot around it, if you have got an idea then just say’ right gang, lets give this a go’. Lastly, in the individual problems solving I could of got down a lot more important information, so that when the boarding officers do ask the questions, you can readily answer them which always feels good. Other than the things I mentioned, I do feel it went really well and was told so by some of the guys there, which was nice and a great confidence booster, but there is always room for improvement, so you should always look at what you are doing and think how could I improve on it or make it better, I feel that doing that, confidence and preparation is the key to success, especially when it comes to trying to get into the wonderful world of the Royal Air Force.
Good Luck
I’ll keep everyone updated on how I get on as I’m now in for the big wait.
Well I waited for 2 weeks exactly and didn’t get the news I was hoping
2nd of Sept
It was a strange feeling knowing it was the last day that morning and that we were going to leave and maybe never see each other again as we had certainly bonded a lot since the start. Once again we were in our overalls and this time it was the individual problem solving task, where you are taken to a room and are given a set amount of time to crack the problem and come up with a solution, these are generally a bit more simple than the group ones (in other words, less information to digest). Then you are taken to the syndicate room and have to explain your solution to the boarding officers without your notes and a large map (here you just have to give a very simple account of your plan). That part wasn’t as daunting as I thought because I felt I had a decent plan. However, the next part was tough as you then have to sit down in front of them and they will hammer you with all sorts of questions, such as ‘what group are you part of’ and ‘how far could the bike go if you used that’ etc. Here I feel I didn’t manage to put enough information on my notes so that I could answer the questions quickly, so I stumbled once or twice with a couple of questions they threw at me. So make sure you get as much information as possible down on paper so that you don’t trip up on any the questions they ask. Try and get into the habit of writing down as much information as possible as quick as possible, but remember be neat in what you write so it’s easy to read and get your information from. Once your done here you head down to the waiting room again and wait for the rest of the guys and gals to finish. Once everyone is done then it’s onto the leadership task.
This is definitely the grand finale. Here you are given command and you get a couple of minutes to look over your task while the others are in a small enclosure waiting for you to call them. I’d seriously recommend using all of this time to test things out, like does that piece of wood reach to the barrel and how heavy is that item etc, as there is nothing worse than basing your plan on something that doesn’t work, that’s when you begin to flap. Next you have to stand at the other end of the task and brief your team on it all. It goes like this: what the task is, what equipment you have, what rules and special rules apply and how your going to execute your plan. After doing this I ran over to my syndicate and asked them if they understood what I had said and then asked a couple of them questions to make sure they really did understand. Then it’s down to your leadership. I delegated the jobs and gave everyone something to do while I watched and made sure it was being done correctly but also constantly motivating. I found being quite vocal and praising people a good way to go about it, especially when they had thought or done something of value, but always remain the leader and make sure that no one tries to take that from you. Try and take your time when explaining what you want done as it is easy in the heat of the moment with the adrenaline pumping to miss out important information and get it wrong. I think the key to this exercise is to show good leadership qualities, which involves staying at all times in control of your syndicate and motivating as much as possible to keep them revved up for the job at hand (not so much on completing the task). Make sure your voice can be heard easily but without shouting also. I felt my lead went really well as I had a good group of guys and gals who worked really well for me and each other, which helps massively, and if you do manage to do well in this it will leave you on a major high and make you work extra hard in the tasks when you are not leader. When you’re a team member and someone else is leading then make sure you are the god damn best team member you can be and do anything your leader says, because if you haven’t led yet, then you want them to do the same for you as you did for them, whereas if you don’t listen or try and take over their lead then they will certainly not want to help you when it comes to your turn. It’s all about working for each other here and giving the guy or girl who is leading the best chance to actually lead. If you don’t you will also be marked down for certain by the boarding officers for not being a good team member which is equally if not more important. Just use common sense! Once this is all over, you will probably be shattered but there is one last very brief interview, where they ask you about your branch choices to make sure they are in the correct order of preference, and stuff like ‘ what did you find the most difficult’ or ‘ what if anything did you learn about yourself here’. So there is nothing to worry about here, they aren’t suddenly going to barrage you with questions again about RAF equipment or anything like that! Once this is completed then that’s it, its all over, you have probably just finished the most challenging 4 days of your life. It’s a very weird feeling knowing it’s all over. I for one was quite saddened by it as I had also enjoyed myself a lot and made some good friends even though it being such a short time. We all then got changed and had lunch together and said our goodbyes and then head off in our different directions, back to normality. Like I’ve said before, anyone who is thinking of going through that or is about to go through it or even more so, been through it, then I take my hat off to you as it was an incredible experience which requires dedication, training and motivation like nothing else I had crossed before. I certainly felt slightly different from that experience. In a way more experienced and more confident, knowing that even if I didn’t get in and had to follow another career, I would never have to go through anything as tough as OASC. Good luck.
Possible Improvements
Although I worked extremely hard in preparation for both filter interview and OASC, I still feel I could of improved on a few things. I could of got in a couple more station visits, as I think especially in the interview this shows great commitment, and these visits can be very useful and informative. I also could of joined the ATC as a civilian instructor earlier, it just came to as a brainwave one day, just wish I could of thought of it earlier, as once again its looked upon as commitment and a contribution to the community and to the RAF and its great fun and an excellent experience. In the interview my sporting and adventurous activities were extensive but I feel I lacked slightly in other areas, such as being able to play a musical instrument or other certain hobbies that don’t come under sport. If you do something like this then it makes you seem a much more rounded person and therefore much more desirable for selection. Try and take something like this up if its possible, if you don’t already. Even though I felt that my group discussion went well, and I got my point across fairly well, I still believe that if I had practiced a bit more debating at home or with friends then I would of come across even better, which is always the aim. Also, like I said before, in the group leaderless task, I wish that instead of chatting and trying to work out possible ways round problems, we should have just got on with giving it a go. So don’t pussy foot around it, if you have got an idea then just say’ right gang, lets give this a go’. Lastly, in the individual problems solving I could of got down a lot more important information, so that when the boarding officers do ask the questions, you can readily answer them which always feels good. Other than the things I mentioned, I do feel it went really well and was told so by some of the guys there, which was nice and a great confidence booster, but there is always room for improvement, so you should always look at what you are doing and think how could I improve on it or make it better, I feel that doing that, confidence and preparation is the key to success, especially when it comes to trying to get into the wonderful world of the Royal Air Force.
Good Luck
I’ll keep everyone updated on how I get on as I’m now in for the big wait.
Well I waited for 2 weeks exactly and didn’t get the news I was hoping