Am I competitive for OCS at 35?

No offense to those who have gone to OCS, but it is not Ranger School. I understand the demands are high but they are not insurmountable. Moreover, the current prerequisites are as follows:

1. You must be a U.S. Citizen
2. GT Score of 110 or higher.
3. You are 18-32 years old. (This may be waived but good luck)
4. Must possess a bachelor's degree.
5. Have a Security Clearance (Interim Secret OK)
6. Can pass a standard 3-event APFT and meets ht/wt standards.
7. In compliance with Tattoo, Branding and Body Mutilation Policy, AR 670-1, Para 3-3g.
8. Can pass a Chapter 2 Appointment Physical (per AR 40-501).

Do you meet the criteria? If so, great! The caveat is you will have to consider others who are also competing for an OCS position. Their resume may be stronger than yours which will affect your ability to be selected. That said, if you really want to be an officer then give it a shot. Good luck!

Just to add some perspective to those who have posted the regs concerning age and waivers... I was selected for OCS in 2009 at the age of 39. The max age was higher then, as the Army was very short on junior Officers. When I got picked up, I heard the selection rate was around 85%. When I got there, there was a glut of people waiting to class-up. In December 2009, the HHC (those waiting for class slots) was over 300 people. Every 2 weeks, you could compete for a slot via an APFT. The cutoff for classing up rarely went below 280. The only exceptions were for Guard and Reserve people, who only had to pass (180) because their slots had already been paid for. So a 251 won't cut it.

Running is everything at OCS. You run everywhere; to the Combatives Gym and back, Doughboy Stadium (where you will run the stairs for about 45 minutes straight) and back, and just regular runs. There are timed runs that are graduation requirements, where the distances gets longer and your allotted time gets shorter. If you're not a marathon runner or someone who enjoys running, OCS is not the place for you.

When I left OCS after being diagnosed with bad knees and put on a permanent profile (late 2010), the max age limit went down to 35. I am not sure what it is now, but I doubt it's too much higher, if at all.

You can apply for an age waiver, but the chances of getting it are directly proportional to the Army's need for junior Officers. Good Luck!

AF Health Professionals, chaplains, and JAGS can be granted an age waiver. I did BMT at 19 and the COT at 47. Was it difficult? Having someone in your face and the lessons for the most part were a rehash of 27 years of lessons- it has to be within you to want it. I was pretty disciplined before so it was not that hard mentally. Physically was competing against people half my age was the most challenging part in my mind. Good luck.