How can I best prepare myself for OCS?

I graduated from OCS when the earth was without form and God hadn't yet separated day from night. Well, 1967 actually, but you'll forgive the hyperbole, won't you? Still, I'm willing to bet that there is one aspect that hasn't changed. An army succeeds or fails on teamwork. No individual, no matter how strong or well-armed, can win a war by themselves. The same is true for graduating from OCS. BCT teaches the basics of team work. Drill and Ceremonies may seem pointless to many, but they are steeped in teamwork. Training in maneuver and fire (do they still call it that) is an exercise in teamwork. Well, teamwork is at the core of OCS. The simple fact of the matter is that no individual, no matter how strong, no matter how smart, no matter how well prepared, ever graduated from OCS without the help of their classmates (not when I attended). When you graduate, you will graduate with friends, brothers at your side. They will be the base of a pyramid that will grow during your service as an officer. Always be the first to lend a hand and help a classmate and they'll be there when you need them. And, trust me, you will need them.

First I would stop worrying about OCS. I would first try to learn your job. You are a PVT right now. There are a lot of boxes you have to check before you should cross over. If you wanted to go to OCS right away then you should have not enlisted and went to school first. Now that you enlisted you need to worry about that first. You need to learn your MOS and how to be a good soldier first. After you have some team leader time then I would focus on OCS. But to be honest you would be wasting your time trying to go to OCS if you don't learn your MOS first.

The best way to prepare is to understand some critical skills that they expect from officers.

1. Timely decision making: Learn how to make a good decision quickly versus trying to make the best decision late.
2. Attention to detail: Huge on this. You may never win in this game.
3. Priority of tasks: If in a leadership position do you spend more time getting your stuff done that you cause a formation to be late. There maybe tasks that are not physically possible to complete. So you have to rationalize which ones you will take a hit on.
4. Teamwork: You might be the sharpest guy there, shined shoes best bed etc, and can do it quickly. Do you do your stuff and stand around while someone may struggle. Don't be that guy that is trying to get honor graduate or DG. The guy trying to be the top performer is usually noticed and fails. Also don't be the guy that is just trying to bide time to make it through. Don't try to one up your peers.
5. Play the game! Sometimes the best course of action is not to be right, even when you want to. Especially in a group dynamic such as this. Know when to shut up color.
6. Don't be that prior E that knows it all and says, "this isn't the real military." You are right its a training environment to weed people out. Again, play the game, but don't try to game the system. 7. Bottom line its really not training its really an evaluation to see if you are officer material. You are constantly being evaluated, even when you think no one is looking, someone probably is.