Posted on May 26, 2019
Would anyone be willing to share tips/offer advice on the type of questions asked at Army OCS Board interviews?
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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!
Junior Officers
Officer Candidate School (OCS) (Army)
Officers
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 11
Suspended Profile
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.
*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.
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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.
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LTC Jason Mackay
Sgt George Kinyaevsky - I sat on an OCS Board in 1999. We were left to our own devices to develop questions. The most prominent is as MAJ (Join to see) said, Why do you want to be an officer. Looking for any obvious red flags, but as long as the answer made sense and was sincere it was good to go. We asked some background questions just to feel out their experience and just to understand them.
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Sgt George Kinyaevsky
LTC Jason Mackay - Thank you for your answer Sir. Any particular red flags the board was looking for?
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LTC Jason Mackay
Sgt George Kinyaevsky - stupid stuff....power trips, selfishness, greed, exceptionalism, money, anything else that was incongruent with leadership
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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
http://www.armyreal.com/forms/pdf/A6285.pdf
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Sgt George Kinyaevsky
Sir, this is perfect, thank you! In your case, did you ask the board any questions at the end? Would you advise on doing/not doing so?
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Sgt George Kinyaevsky
Also, I noticed on your profile you are an Armor Officer, that branch is in my top 3, so I was wondering if you would be open to me shooting you a DM about your experience? Thank you in advance. 1LT Benjamin Flasher
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1LT Benjamin Flasher
Sgt George Kinyaevsky - I know this was included in my DM to you, but for group discussion purposes:
I would certainly have a couple of questions on standby for the interview. It shows genuine interest and is a great way to begin learning the job. I do my best to take advantage of any opportunity to ask my superiors about what to expect and how to prepare myself for the tasks ahead. It has served me well. For the interview, you could ask along the lines of what they as CPTs and MAJs expect from a Lieutenant fresh from BOLC. Maybe even advice on first interactions with your Platoon Sergeant.
I would certainly have a couple of questions on standby for the interview. It shows genuine interest and is a great way to begin learning the job. I do my best to take advantage of any opportunity to ask my superiors about what to expect and how to prepare myself for the tasks ahead. It has served me well. For the interview, you could ask along the lines of what they as CPTs and MAJs expect from a Lieutenant fresh from BOLC. Maybe even advice on first interactions with your Platoon Sergeant.
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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.
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.
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Sgt George Kinyaevsky
CPT (Join to see) Sir, thank you for giving this some thought, all of this makes perfect sense. While I will forever be proud to be a Marine, the Army has exponentially more opportunities than the Marine Corps, as far as the branches I am interested in are concerned. I believe I would be limited if I chose to seek a commission in the Corps, I am not taking anything away from Marine Officers, this is based solely on my interests. I am 100% willing to become a sponge and learn the army way of getting things done and fully willing to adopt the new mission. Although, I do believe that my experience in the Corps will positively contribute to my growth as an officer.
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CPT (Join to see)
Sgt George Kinyaevsky - Your experience in the Corps will be of great help to your soldiers. The skinny is that the Corps has been misused for decades. They are small elite and should not be wasted in a war of attrition. The war of attrition is the Army's bailiwick and we get it done. Best of luck.
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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!
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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.
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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....
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....
SERVICES FOR: Candidates Alumni Officer Families
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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
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1LT Benjamin Flasher
To my understanding, WOCS isn't too different to OCS. Just a lot more memorandums to write. Want to open the window, Chief? Better request it in an MFR... lol
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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.
Unfortunately I have no clue what I said.
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Sgt George Kinyaevsky
Thank you for your response anyway Sir! If you were a sitting member on that board now, what would you ask?
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