Getting to AOSB

The process of reaching your Army Officer Selection Board is long.

First you’ll need to apply to join as an Officer: Create a profile, submit your interest and you’re in the system; congratulations that’s the first step complete!

Here we’ll take you through what you can expect and how to prepare yourself for the Recruiting Office stage.

CSM Interview

Your Candidate Support Manager is the first person you need to impress. They’re on your side and will be with you throughout your application.

SCA Interview

Now we’re in to the meat of it: do not attempt this without good preparation.

This is where your interview preparation and having completed your 10 interview topics worksheet will begin to pay off.

Medical

Not something that you’ll spend much time prepapring for but there are some things you should consider beforehand.

Candidate Support Manager Interview

This will be the first interview that you receive after you submit your application to be an Army Officer.

A representative from Capita (the civilian company that processes you through your journey Sandhurst) will contact you via phone to conduct a short interview.

The questions will be fairly simple relating to family life, your aspirations, education, military experience and so on.

This interview is more of a get-to-know-you rather than a grilling. Build a strong realtionship with your CSM: you’re going to be in contact with them a lot and having them on your side throught the process is important.

Having a knowledge of what regiments and corps you’re interested in will allow the CSM to point you in the right direction and enrol you on Familiarisation Visits (Fam Visits) to units you’re interested in.

Being Ready: Have your first draft of your interview checklist to hand.

Senior Careers Adviser Interview

After passing the first CSM Interview your details will be passed onto the SCA at your local Army Career Centre. You will be given a date and time to attend, along with Joining Instructions on what to bring with you (ID and a document with your address on it).

This is your first face-to-face Formal Interview and will test your motivations and knowledge. No one is expecting you to know it all, but an intimate knowledge of yourself and your intentions will pay dividends throughout your application.

Let your personality, motivations and knowledge impress your interviewer.

Top Tip: Wear a suit and arrive early and (you’re going to hear this a lot) have your interview checklist in good shape

Medical

If you pass the SCA Interview you will be sent a medical form to fill out, documenting your medical history. You will be asked to fill out your section of the form, then for your doctor to fill out the rest.

This form will be sent away and you’ll then be invited to attend a face-to-face medical examination.

More often than not, the medical process is the most long-winded part of your application. There’s no way around it and no shortcuts to getting it completed. Have patience, think of the finish and use the time to focus on what you need to prepare to do well at Briefing.