Applying to Army OCS - Part 2
Last week I wrote about putting together my OCS packet, read Applying to Army OCS - Part 1. The last part of the application process was the ASVAB test, the medical exam and the interview with the Battalion OCS Board.
ASVAB Test and Medical Exam
The ASVAB test and the medical exam were both taken at the United States Military Entrance Processing Station (MEPS) in Des Plaines, IL. Walking into this building was like walking into the 1950s. It looks like nothing has changed, except for some added computers and a few flat panel TVs.
I took the ASVAB first. ASVAB stands for Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery. It’s a computerized, multiple choice test used to detemine if someone is qualified to enlist in the armed forces. It contains 9 sections:
- General Science (GS)
- Arithmetic Reasoning (AR)
- Word Knowledge (WK)
- Paragraph Comprehension (PC)
- Mathematics Knowledge (MK)
- Electronics Information (EI)
- Auto Shop (AS)
- Mechanical Comprehension (MC)
- Assembling Objects (AO)
The typical ASVAB test score that is used is the Armed Forces Qualification Test (AFQT or QT). The QT score is a precentage of how well you did compared to everyone else. To become an officer in the U.S. Army, you have to score over a 110 on the General Technical (GT). The GT is a combination of AR, WK, PC and MK. I’m not too sure how they calculate the score, not all the questions are weighted equally and I believe the WK and PC sections are weighed more than the AR and MK sections.
More information about the ASVAB test can be found here, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armed_Services_Vocational_Aptitude_Battery
The medical exam was the next morning, so I had to spend the night at a hotel a few miles away. That morning I got a wake up call at 4 a.m., breakfast was served at 4:15 a.m. and I had to be ready for the bus at 4:45 a.m. I arrived at MEPS around 5 a.m. and waited in the Army liaison’s office until they were ready for my group, the people who were not shipping out that day. The whole morning consisted of hurrying up and then waiting at different stations. The stations were set up to give the different tests, like vision, hearing or blood work. It was pretty much an intense sports physical with really unfriendly people and doctors who had worked there since the 1960s. It was a small group and we finished around 10 a.m. The day before it went to 2 p.m. and they didn’t even get through everybody.
I passed both the ASVAB test and the medical exam, so I was on to the interview.
Recruiting Battalion OCS Board Interview
The board only meets once a month, so I had to get everything ready for the board on June 19th. I had to wear a suit and look professional, which unfortunately meant I had to shave my sideburns (every time I went into the recruiting office I was reminded of that). I arrived there at 10 a.m. and the interview was scheduled for 11 a.m. I was there with two other applicants, one was prior service from the same recruiting office as me and a female applicant from another recruiting office. We waited in the conference room until the board was ready for us, which turned out to be 12:30 p.m.
When they were finally ready, they set the order of the interviews. I was second, the prior service guy was first and the female applicant was last. I was a little nervous and I had spent quite a bit of time beforehand preparing for the interview by reading over the questions that are in USAREC Requlation 601-9. The prior service guy came back within 5 minutes and told me to wait 5 minutes and go in. I waited, walked to the room and knocked three times like I was instructed. I sat down and was asked 5 questions and was out of there within 5 minutes, about 30 minutes less than I expected. The female applicant was also only in there for 5 minutes. 10 minutes after that, we all found out that we were being recommended for OCS. It was much easier than I thought it was going to be.
Usually, after the interview, the applicant would go back to MEPS to swear in and sign their contract. MEPS was closed that day, so I had to go back to MEPS the next day. This MEPS experience was much more pleasant. I met with a counselor who went over my contract, I had to sign a few things and I was all set. I had my ship date and my OCS class date and found my recruiter to go home.
Since I have to wait a month to go basic training, I am part of the future soldier’s program. This would normally mean I would meet with other future soldiers at the recruiting office once a week. Instead, because I moved to Michigan the weekend after I signed up, I just have to call the future soldier’s recruiter once a week and check in.
That was the whole process of applying for Army Officer Candidate School. This does not guarantee that I will become an officer, it just guarantees me a spot in OCS (as long as I make it through basic training). I still have a long way to go before I get commissioned.