Hello all,

I too am an old fart at 26 and will be attending my AOSB briefing in the next few weeks. Yes I'm nervous, no I don't feel like I've done enough prep (yet) and yes I feel the pressure of having to get a Cat 1 at Briefing to be in with any chance of not flying a desk. I've been assured by my sponsor that providing I attend and pass main board by May 1st I, and presumably other old farts, will have grandfathers rights and can enter Sandhurst with the intention of applying for all available roles up until the age of 28.11. So fingers crossed on passing both brief and MB. Alternative routes include the backdoor (not that backdoor), by completing a TA commission with say an infantry regiment, deploying (after gaining some experience) and then applying to stay a little longer FTRS. No pension or other perks but an option none the less.

Mind you there's always the Rock Apes...

Originally Posted by Michael English

is there a stooge in the bar? Who knows, they say not but act as though there is. Don't drink too much. The other guys are, for now, competition not friends. Later they'll be friends.

I agree with most of what you said, sound advice. However; There is no-one watching and taking notes in the bar, on my board (a couple of years ago), we got pretty well stuck into it on the dinner night and had a great time. We also had a fair few beers each night, and got on very well as a board and particularly in my syndicate. I have no doubt that the fact my syndicate got on very well helped me pass. It was not a competition amongst us, there were not X number of spaces to pass individuals in my syndicate. We might all have passed, or all failed if we did or did not meet the quality line.

I genuinely think that your board can be made or broken by how well you gel as a syndicate, and a strong team performance can allow you to shine where a divided and weak team might lead you to fail.

Originally Posted by Scrote56

Hello all,

I too am an old fart at 26 and will be attending my AOSB briefing in the next few weeks. Yes I'm nervous, no I don't feel like I've done enough prep (yet) and yes I feel the pressure of having to get a Cat 1 at Briefing to be in with any chance of not flying a desk. I've been assured by my sponsor that providing I attend and pass main board by May 1st I, and presumably other old farts, will have grandfathers rights and can enter Sandhurst with the intention of applying for all available roles up until the age of 28.11. So fingers crossed on passing both brief and MB. Alternative routes include the backdoor (not that backdoor), by completing a TA commission with say an infantry regiment, deploying (after gaining some experience) and then applying to stay a little longer FTRS. No pension or other perks but an option none the less.

Mind you there's always the Rock Apes...

Yeah you're right mate, TA then potentially onto FTRS could be a decent alternative. Don't really fancy the Rock Apes myself but I can see how it might be an option.
Take it you're looking at the AAC then from your not wanting to be stuck flying a desk?

Any tips/advice on preparing for AOSB would be most welcome too mate. Let us know how you get on.
Good luck man

Jsolace,

Any desk is to be avoided and as old fart the AGC is one of the only options if you don't make it through MB by May 1st. I'm hoping for infantry. If its a career your after Rock Apes may well be a viable option being that the max age is 32 I think for officers and at least youre out on the ground. I think heading up a MERT team would be pretty interesting...

In terms of tips for AOSB briefing...Ive heard loads but having not got mine until the 25th of this month I cant verify any. It seems that these forums serve to get the heart racing and cold sweat running but I'm sure its not that bad. Current affairs seem to range from whether schools should hand out nodders to whether football players get paid too much. Not so much middle eastern topics-but thats not to say some foundation knowledge wouldnt go a miss. My sponsor has said the only section that will get you a Cat 4 is the MAP tests. Im completely biff at maths and so am dreading these slightly. Other than that I think the usual common sense applies. Know service knowledge, know why youre there and why you want to be an officer and be presentable. In terms of planning ex, well, we mark it ourselves within the group then present our thoughts-be able to back them up and pay attention to the narrative before for extra details.

Other than that pal, cool, calm and bit of charm...whens your briefing?

There is a lot of good information on this forum on both briefing and main board. I used it very successfully for mine and was glad I had read it; however as lots of people point out, many people have gone before you and us, and not obsessed over ARRSE for the answer to every minute detail. I actually really enjoyed both my briefing and main board, which I see as a good sign. The activities, though they can be stressful, were good fun, and I got to know the people in my syndicate both times really well, and it helped us all. If you have any questions, feel free to PM me, I don’t claim to be an expert but I will help if I can.

Originally Posted by Scrote56

Jsolace,

Other than that pal, cool, calm and bit of charm...whens your briefing?

Not got one set yet mate, got ACO interview 6th March. I'll be 25 in 7 weeks, just hoping I can nail MB and get to RMAS before the dreaded 26th birthday! The lads at the local AFCO reckon I'm gonna be pushing it, maybe I'll just make it in time. I've heard different things on whether you can pass MB before your 26th and still be allowed to go to RMAS even if the next available intake is after your 26th, still a bit unclear on that one.

JC110;

Thanks for the insight, lots of great info on this site, like you say. It's great to see guys willing to give a little time to help others in the same position they were once in. I am both excited and slightly worried about the prospect of AOSB and MB but, I'm gonna throw myself at it and see how far I can push myself.

How did your AOSB and MB go if you don't mind me asking?

Originally Posted by jsolace

Not got one set yet mate, got ACO interview 6th March. I'll be 25 in 7 weeks, just hoping I can nail MB and get to RMAS before the dreaded 26th birthday! The lads at the local AFCO reckon I'm gonna be pushing it, maybe I'll just make it in time. I've heard different things on whether you can pass MB before your 26th and still be allowed to go to RMAS even if the next available intake is after your 26th, still a bit unclear on that one.

"If you pass MB before May 1st 2012 and you aged 26 and under you can attend Sandhurst up to the age of 28.11 years" Thats what my sponsor said...

Originally Posted by Scrote56

"If you pass MB before May 1st 2012 and you aged 26 and under you can attend Sandhurst up to the age of 28.11 years" Thats what my sponsor said...

I'm guessing that he/she may have been talking about corps that allow officers upto the age of 29 (Intelligence, RMP etc.)
This why it gets confusing.

From the Army website:

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT

"The maximum age of entry to RMAS for all regular direct entrants has been reduced to 26 (before 26th birthday). An upper age limit of 29 (before 29th Birthday) will remain in place for serving soldier entrants and for those seeking a commission in the Adjutant General's Corps (Staff & Personnel Support Branch), Adjutant General's Corps (Educational & Training Staff), Adjutant General's Corps (Royal Military Police), Royal Army Medical Corps (Medical Support Officer) and the Intelligence Corps.

If you are likely to be over 26 on entry to RMAS (less for Soldier applicants) you should discuss your options with your Army Careers Adviser as a matter of priority before progressing further with your application."

Just a question on the map tests, what is the 'fail' mark for this, and are the results from numerical, verbal and abstract collated to form one results? Did the practice one on the Army site the other day and am now terrified of the abstract reasoning :/