Hello everyone,

This is my first time on the site so I apologise if this is the wrong place for this thread.

I will be attending an Officers brief early next month and was wondering what I can expect in the first stage of the Officer selection process?
The recruiter has told me to wear a suit and bring my education certificates but has so far been vague as he said due to not being commissioned he is unsure of exactly what I can expect.

I have the necessary qualifications and I'm working on my fitness (which I recognise needs to be improved before I can join).

One last question, if I were to fail the Officer selection process, would it then be possible to enroll as a Soldier? I would like to serve either way (I'm interested in serving as a soldier, I just feel that if I can gain admission to Sandhurst it would be silly not to pursue it).

Thanks, James.

mmmm, you've got a purty mouth....

Originally Posted by Jamesy1190

The recruiter has told me to wear a suit and bring my education certificates but has so far been vague as he said due to not being commissioned he is unsure of exactly what I can expect.

It's a brief. Turn up, try not to come across as a complete idiot. Listen to the brief which will almost certainly explain the process to you, then ask questions on anything you didn't understand.

Originally Posted by Jamesy1190

One last question, if I were to fail the Officer selection process, would it then be possible to enroll as a Soldier?

Yes.

Thank you very much.

Good luck in your endeavours, regarding your fitness you haven't stated what you have done so far or where you need to improve i.e Cardio, Stamina, Upper body strength.

Thank you everyone.

Fitness: 1.5 mile run 10:30.
Sit ups: 40 in 1 minute.
Press ups: 17 in 1 minute.
Tricep dips: 20 in 1 minute.

I was told by the recruiter that I will need to be able to run 1.5 miles in 10:30.
Complete 60 sit ups in 2 minutes.
Complete 44 press ups in 2 minutes.

He stressed these are the minimum requirements so for the moment these are my current goals but I would like to get as fit as possible.
I could do with more upper body strength as I can't do chin ups.

I'd aim to get 1 min or more off that run time for an officer. As a rupert you need to be able to run and dish out some motivation at the same time. I found that motivation tends to work better from up the front of the pack, rather than trailing at the rear.

Originally Posted by Jamesy1190

Thank you everyone.

Fitness: 1.5 mile run 10:30.
Sit ups: 40 in 1 minute.
Press ups: 17 in 1 minute.
Tricep dips: 20 in 1 minute.

I was told by the recruiter that I will need to be able to run 1.5 miles in 10:30.
Complete 60 sit ups in 2 minutes.
Complete 44 press ups in 2 minutes.

He stressed these are the minimum requirements so for the moment these are my current goals but I would like to get as fit as possible.
I could do with more upper body strength as I can't do chin ups.

Ok then, it sounds like your reasonably on track at the moment old chap, to improve your weaker area of upper body strength (and this is largely dependant on your time limit) you might want to go swimming, this will also improve C.V and Stamina levels, will strengthen your arms, shoulders, neck and back (traps and lats). Also have a look at weights (moderate only for the moment, you can build up as you go along). Diet is important too, watch your fat intake, you dont want to be a Gomer Pile do you!!. Balance out the proteins and carbs for slow release energy and drink plain warm water or weak fruitjuice. Anything else you can P.M me mate. Good luck.

Originally Posted by ex_donkey_man

I'd aim to get 1 min or more off that run time for an officer. As a rupert you need to be able to run and dish out some motivation at the same time. I found that motivation tends to work better from up the front of the pack, rather than trailing at the rear.

Completely agree, you at the front makes sprogs keep to your pace, as you will find out, rather than them dictate the speed to you, it's more consistant that way and you'll react better to upping the pace if reqd.

From my very limited experience I'd say that the most important thing to show the staff at Briefing is your determination and heart for the career you are applying for. Finding people who are fit/intelligent enough for Sandhurst isn't hard for the staff, but finding people who are also dedicated and will grit their teeth and carry on no matter what is probably quite a bit rarer.

Your mile and a half time could do with dropping another minute as already said, this isn't really anygood as an indicator of how you will do on the beep test (MSFT) though as the two test completely different things. The beep test shows VO2 Max and recovery rate, and requires you to be able to launch yourself cleanly when changing directions without loosing too much speed. Personally I find running 1.5mile at a good pace to be rather easy, but the beep test is where I am currently having to spend the most effort. My PT has advise me to start playing squash and also to run in diagonal lines, launching out of each 'turn' to build leg strength.

I would also suggest that you book in to Redwood Lodge when you go to your Briefing as the staff there are great and will give you a few tips. They also have a huge pile of postcards from people who have passed selection and wanted to give feedback to recruits. The night before briefing they also cook a huge dinner and get all the candidates together for a chat and it just helps put your nerves at ease as when you get there you at least know some of the people already.



As for if you were to fail as an officer, the answer is yes you could still apply as a soldier, so long as you weren't failed on medical grounds. I currently have a soldier application on hold, ready for me to go straight to selection if I don't manage to get in to Sandhurst. Not everyone is suitable for Sandhurst, but that doesn't have any reflection on the suitability of those people as soldiers.

In short - Give the briefing your all and work on whatever criticism you get, keep your current affairs knowledge up along with your fitness and give 100% for your Main Board. That way if you don't pass at least it's because you just aren't made to be an officer, rather than letting yourself down by being under-prepared. Then go for the soldier application if a military career si definitely what you want.


Good luck with your application.