Would anyone be willing to share tips/offer advice on the type of questions asked at Army OCS Board interviews?

2019-05-26T20:40:53-04:00

I'm a prior-service Marine and I'm putting together an Army OCS package for Active Duty. As I understand part of the process is a board interview at battalion level. What type of questions are usually asked at this interview? Any specifically pertaining to prior-service applicants? Thank you in advance!

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made May 26 at 2019 8:47 PM

2019-05-26T20:47:20-04:00

Lets ask!

Response by 1LT Private RallyPoint Member made May 26 at 2019 9:18 PM

2019-05-26T21:18:03-04:00

When I went through 3 years ago the board was comprised of 3 Cpt and a major. they asked me questions like -
*Why become an officer?
* Why should we approve your packet?
* Give is an example of you displayed leadership?
* they asked about my background like what school i went, what was my major etc.
by no means was this an enlisted promotion board lol. A lot of guys that go through this have no military experience so they won’t be asking you to quote ucmj regs. Having a marine prior service background is going to put you on at the top of the list I wouldn’t sweat it.

Response by LTC Jeff Shearer made May 26 at 2019 9:56 PM

2019-05-26T21:56:37-04:00

George I am an OCS grad but I don’t remember many of the questions. I am pretty sure I was ask the what can I offer the Army as an Officer. My answer must have been ok I got in haha
Unfortunately I have no clue what I said.

Response by MAJ Private RallyPoint Member made May 26 at 2019 10:14 PM

2019-05-26T22:14:57-04:00

The variance of questions they could ask is high, however I think my esteemed colleagues who answered before me have it right. When I went through, a few folks failed because they had no idea, really, what an officer does. I was fortunate as the S2 NCOIC and assistant battalion CLPM that I had a lot of hours with officers learning what they do. Make sure you are clear on exactly what we do, what an OPORD is, and what the scope of responsibility could be even for a 2LT. This feeds into “why you want to be an officer.” Guarantee that theme will be prominent especially for a prior service NCO. Have an idea of what branch you want and why. And then there will be some early discussion to “loosen you up” that talks about your background. Be prepared to talk about your past career.

Response by 1LT Benjamin Flasher made May 26 at 2019 10:24 PM

2019-05-26T22:24:34-04:00

I was OCS Class#006-17, enlisted to commissioned with no break in service. My interview was conducted by 2x CPTs and 2x MAJs from 6th MP Group; there was no BN level interview. They stuck mainly to the questions outlined in the structured interview worksheet (DA Form 6285 - linked below), but did have a few additional off-the-cuff questions that covered some of the topics I wrote about in my pre-interview "Why I Want To Be An Officer" essay. If you would like additional resources, feel free to DM me and I can also provide a copy of the OCS SOP for read ahead purposes. Best of luck.

http://www.armyreal.com/forms/pdf/A6285.pdf

A6285.pdf

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Response by Capt Daniel Goodman made May 26 at 2019 10:43 PM

2019-05-26T22:43:53-04:00

I find that really interesting...that didn't happen with me,.maybe the prior enlisted guys had to do it, I don't know...the recruiting district guys handled.me,.I got a bad letter.she to not having finished Army ROTC that I had to appeal,.I got.denied the first time...so, not having gone through precisely tjat,.I can't really.give.you.a.context,.per.se...i.had to do IS AT OTS.twice to get through it, I nearly.got.sent home once,.a.Lt..Col. on the faculty thoroughly had me.under a very large.and quite powerful microscope for a solid hour of yakking before he agreed to.let.me.recycle, I passed my mile and a half run time of 12 mins with literally one second to.soare, or is have definitely been shot down in flames, thank God, to this day,.I honestly don't know how I managed to.do.it...bejng.NCO, you'll definitely have a car easier time adjusting, all the prjor.enlisted guys at Lackland i.was.with did, that was before.it.got.moved.to.Maxwell...I woukd.tell you to at least think about trying the other svcs.as.well, though I doubt you'll need to,.I think..it's help to know your associates, bachelors, any grad level stuff, grades, GPAs,.majors you did in school, specific STEM and non-STEM coursework, what MOS and branch you want...also,.I don't care which svc you're in, from day one, if.you get done, which I'm sure you would, you're gonna be expected to do minimum a master's part time.ASAP,.as.well.as.PME.coursework for Army as.well.other svcs, IS AT was REAL serious about that for company graders when I was in, is expect Army would be for you also...if you'd wanna yak more, just ask, quite frankly, I envy you having been enlisted first, honestly,.as I'd explained, you'll have a way easier time than I did, most definitely...also, there were a LOT.of.intersex enlisted transfers when I was at Lackland, one guy even had Navy enlisted sub dolphins on his USAF blues, I was REAL.envious of those, I gotta tell.ya, I saw guys from every svc, Guard, Reserve, active as well, it was a totally.mixed bag, honest, is he quite surprised if Army OCS didn't have the same when your go, as.well, you know?

Response by CW4 Craig Urban made May 26 at 2019 11:16 PM

2019-05-26T23:16:26-04:00

As a warrant I never had any desire to be a OCS grad. You will be fine in my opinion former enlisted make the best officers

Response by Capt Daniel Goodman made May 26 at 2019 11:43 PM

2019-05-26T23:43:41-04:00

http://www.ocsfoundation.org

you might find this useful, the forum pages are quite good, it's not all inclusive, it.leaves out Army WOCS and the direct commission Indic KID programs, however, it does cover all.five of the main PCS progrmas, incl.Army....

OCS Foundation

SERVICES FOR: Candidates Alumni Officer Families

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made May 26 at 2019 11:57 PM

2019-05-26T23:57:38-04:00

After giving this a great deal of thought I have come up with some suggestions of how I would view an interview like this.
1) Do you appear to be capable educationally and socially of making the transition from NCO to commissioned officer.
2) Do you appear to have the ambition and drive necessary to reach battalion or equivalent command (LTC).
3) Most Marines appear to believe themselves superior to all other branches. I would wonder why you were choosing the Army and would you ultimately be disappointed not seeking a USMC commission? Would you be able to update your tactical and operational decision making to accomplish an entirely different type of mission?
4) I would also look for evidence of:
A) Arrogance
B) Resentment
C) Over-confidence
D) Insecurities
E) Understanding the difference between "responsibility" and "authority"
F) Unresolved issues related to previous downrange deployments
E) Personal issues that could color one's decision making matrix
F) Intellectual attainments not easily discerned by testing
G) Maturity
H) The ability to impart information to others without becoming impatient
No one could glean all of the above from a single meeting, but gut feelings count a great deal with some.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made May 27 at 2019 12:49 AM

2019-05-27T00:49:56-04:00

Boards aren't about questions, it's more about evaluating your bearing and communication skills. Expect to be asked why you want to be an officer, though.

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made May 29 at 2019 11:32 AM

2019-05-29T11:32:25-04:00

It was awhile ago but I recall that the board was looking for poise, confidence, and problem solving skills under a bit of duress. The questions were basic leadership. I too was an enlisted Marine prior to changing branch of service. The confidence and leadership skills learned in the Corps were helpful during the board. Good luck!