My buddy recently Commisioned, and said he expected a lot more out of OCS. Is it a case of An NCO stuck in an NCO mindset?

It's hard to say, SSG (Join to see), as I really don't know what your friend expected. Times have changed, and I'm sure that OCS has changed along with the times. When I was commissioned from OCS in JUN73, the experience had been brutal. However, that doesn't necessarily mean it was better. Tactical officers were like drill sergeants on steroids, and believe me, if a Tac decided you didn't deserve to be in OCS, he could almost assure your departure, one way or another. However, I still believe that the U.S. Army produces the best army officers in the world, so we still must be doing something right.
When I entered OCS, I was a sergeant and already airborne and Special Forces qualified, so many of the blocks of instruction were nothing more than refresher training (map reading, land navigation, weapons training, patrolling, etc.). However, there were other components of the curriculum that were invaluable, like D&C from squad to company level, presentation skills, and other things I can't even remember. I may never have learned those skills outside the OCS environment. Overall, I felt much better prepared to be an officer after OCS than I did before. I wanted to become an officer, so I "got with the program" and learned as much as I could. As with most things, you get out of it what you put in to it. Much of what I learned has been applicable in my civilian life and work, and for me, it was a life changer.
It wouldn't surprise me in the least that if you query your friend some years from now, he might have a completely different response.
CPT Jack Durish Sgt Aaron Kennedy, MS CPT (Join to see) CPT (Join to see) CPT (Join to see) 1LT (Join to see) MAJ Laurie H. MAJ (Join to see) 1LT (Join to see) LTC (Join to see) 1LT (Join to see) CPT Peter Nabel

I was an enlisted Marine for nearly 11 years before going to Army OCS bro. It seemed to me to be much like MAJ Ballinger noted already, and looking back on it I think of it as a 12 week examination, to which they only send people who are considered very likely to have what it takes to pass.

SSG (Join to see) , like LTC Stephen C. mentioned below, its difficult to have a reference of your friends mind set and exactly what he was expecting the training to be like. It has been little over 14 years since I went through USAF OTS as a prior service NCO so I can't speak to the current training. However, I recall times during the 12 week training where I was thinking "WTH did I get myself into" but there were also times when I thought "wow, this is too easy". Bottom line is that they could have a separate OTS class for prior service trainees but then they would likely have to double the length of training for the non-priors... The mix the classes so that as a prior you can pass on some of your core service experience and knowledge...you teach the basics like how to wear a uniform and proper customs and courtesies so the Cadre can focus on teaching leadership and doctrine.

If your friend thought that when he graduated from OCS that he would know all there is to know about Leadership then he was mistaken. In my opinion, in our military, about 2% of the Officer corps are "natural born leaders", the rest of us have to make a distinct effort to be a student of leadership and to continually grow and develop our leadership abilities because there is no magic wand that an instructor can wave that will give you the right answer in every leadership situation. It takes dedicated effort everyday and it takes making some mistakes and then learning from them so you don't make the same mistake again.