ARmy Rumour SErvice

Originally Posted by LiamP

For those attending ADSC Glencorse in the future wishing for a run down of the 36 hours, here you go:

ADSC Glencorse

I'm not going to spell out every single second of it for you, then that would ruin your own experience, but here's how things go. Travelling down in a suit is your choice, some lads went fully suited, some went in smart civvies (such as me) and some went in trackies, the Cpl who picked us up from outside the station (you walk up the big ramp to get to the meet outside, where the bus station is) didn't look to fussed. It's about a half an hour coach ride to the barracks, upon arrival you jump off, grab your kit then line up in 2 ranks (it will be shown to you) from then on whenever the Cpl says line up in such a place, do so in 2 ranks. You'll go grab your piss pot and do the business, and grab your badge with a number on it, which will be your identity to everyone for the next 2 days, including the other lads usually.

No talking at all when walking around outside, for example when you walk from the rooms to the cookhouse for scoff, just keep your mouth shut, it's a 60 second walk. Lunch time as as soon as you've dumped your kit in one of the rooms and had a bried from one of the Senior Officers. (your not allocated a bed space until you pass the medical). The scoff is good, we all enjoyed it and you get 4 meals whilst you are there (lunch, dinner, breakfast, lunch). After that it's straight over to the medical building.

Grenade Test and Icebreaker

You'll most likely be split into 2 groups so the wait isn't as long, one group waits in the medical area and cracks on with that, watching an orgy of Ross Kemp: Return to Afghanistan episodes on the TV, whilst the other goes off to do the Grenade Test and the Icebreaker. Hardly difficult, you go into separate rooms so there are about 6-8 of you per group, go up once at a time and blab off, the topic headings are on a board, just be confident and the Cpl will mark you down well. Grenade test is piss as well, I won't tell you the answers obviously but there are no worries.

The Medical

Long, boring and arse-numbing. Simple as that, lots of waiting around for 20 minutes total of examination but it needs doing. First part is your hearing test, done in a sound proof cubicle, you press a clicker when you hear the beeps. No drama. Second part is reading letters in a mirror and some numbers in a book. Easy stuff, 3rd part is the real medical, strip to your boxers, test your joints and breathing, quick cough test... hardly an issue, over before you know it. Then you wait and get your bib if your passed with your number on it and crack on with it.

After the medical process is over you get your bedspace and room allocated then it's off to scoff again for dinner. After that, PSS(R) time.

Physical Tests

Your only in groups of about 15, you go into the gym and do the Jerry Can walk, it's 4 lengths, then a half length and back. No one dropped it, easy stuff. Straight down the hall after and do the dynamic lift, then heaves, they give you a chalk bucket for grip as well. Off the heaves bar, back extension on the rig, followed directly by the static lift. It's all over in no time. That was it for the physical stuff for us on that day, no relay games, probably because the medical went on far too long, the med staff were edgy about it and non too happy. We did the actual Grenade test from what we learnt earlier whilst the trade lads did their TST, then it was a video and briefing all done in the TV room, after which we were allowed to go get showered, change into civvies and spend sometime in the NAAFI. Later followed by a day 2 briefing before we went back to the rooms, all the lads in our room sat around the table and played cards until lights out, 2230.

Day 2

Day 2 is pretty simple, and where most of the physical stuff takes place including the run. Reveille at 0530, get showered and all the bed kit sorted out and placed outside the rooms. Once your sorted it's off for morning scoff, sausages, bacon, eggs, beans, toast, you name it they have it - and it's good quality. Cereal available as well. After scoff it's a brief, then you eventually get into the team tasks.

Team Tasks

I won't go into detail on this, but just know that's it's not a worry. It's really fun, I loved them and it's a great way of just bonding more with the lads if you've been quite so far. It sounds daunting when I say to shout your mouth off and keep screaming out encouragement but trust me once you get started it's easy, you all support each other, for example when passing one of the planks between each other on the barrels you won't just go "here", all the lads involved, maybe 4 (2 on each barrel) will be saying "here mate here, you got it? Bit further lads, good stuff let's keep moving!" ect ect, but honestly you'll find that in the moment when your doing them, you'll have no problems and have a good time. It's not about completing the tasks either, that's just a bonus.

The 1.5 mile (2.4km) run

This is obviously one of the important parts of selection, and if you've done some proper training you won't have any drama. The fastest run on my selection was 8.45, which is pretty slow really for first place, so there's a good chance the route is a bit longer than 1.5 miles, since it's from 2 physical objects and the chances are for that reason they chose it, with the length being slightly out. For a warm up you do some jogging around the camp field, heels up, knees up ect.. one or two quick sprints, some push-ups, then a light jog out of the barracks and across the road, then down a hill to the tunnel where the run begins, it's not tough and you have a few minutes before the run starts anyway whilst your briefed in the tunnel. From there you run out to a gate, then around the gate and back to the tunnel. The path is a forest path, quite flat and normal, it starts of quite wide and then gets quite thin, but usually by this point people have spaced out. You WON'T get stuck behind somone so don't start flapping over that, you can always get around them. Run your balls off since it's the last physical test anyway.

Final Interview

Back to Barracks, get showered, suited and booted, then down into the TV room for a quick brief. Then you play the waiting game, as people are called in for the interview. Interview is simple, just answer the questions confidently and loudly, and you'll sell it. You'll be given a grade based on everything about you since arriving at the train station. Afterwards you can go to the NAAFI for a bit with the other lads until the interviews are rapped up, it's then back to the TV room for a last brief before you get the coach back to the station. Happy days.

It's not a difficult time if you've done some training, aren't bluffing it and arrive with a good attitude and an open mind, be sociable, and have fun. Good luck to everyone who's attending!

Cheers for that LiamP, good tips and help.

Has anybody got any advice for the jerry can test though?

Anybody no the bmi requirements at selection ? my mate got his dates in for the 7th at glencorse and hes panicking a fair bit. cheers

anyone going on the 14th ?