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I’d eventually like to go to OCS and become an infantry officer? How do candidates choose their branches once there? Is it based on personal preference or needs of the army? Is 11A very competitive or difficult to obtain?
Officer Candidate School (OCS) (Army)
Infantry
11A: Infantry Officer
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 7
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From my understanding it’s mainly due to needs of the Army. But I have heard before that there is a merits list and those who are higher up on the OML gets their top preference choices. And 11A is one of the most competitive branches.
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1LT Kevin Chapman
As far as how you choose your branch you literally have a numbered list and you preference your choices by filling in the number slot. 1 being your favorite choice and 17 being your least favorite.
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2LT (Join to see)
Spot on! It works kind of like a “draft” per say after the OML and Branch allocations are finalized. #1 gets first pic out of the available choices and then so on and so forth. In my experience 11A was extremely competitive but some slots fell to people in the bottom of the class. However, my class was allocated a high number of infantry slots. SGT (Join to see)
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I just recently graduated from ocs and branched infantry. If your active duty (I can’t speak for reserve or national guard, there process is slightly different.) it’s based on a combination of your OML (Order Of Merit) Ranking, Preference List, and Branching Slots available as the slots available per branch each cycle varies. I will say infantry seemed to be the most sought after in my class. The higher you are on the OML the more likely you are to get your preferred branching. Every point counts. I have friends who went to ocs as national guard and reserve candidates who had there branch selected mostly before they got to OCS, but that’s about as far as my knowledge goes if your either reserve or national guard.
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SGT (Join to see)
How do OML points work? How do I get them and how would I be able to get the highest possible?
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2LT (Join to see)
Basically every test you take regardless if its PT, Written Exam, Or field training will get you points, the higher you score obviously the more points you get. Getting in trouble can make you lose points. So basically be the most physically dominant dedicated to your craft soldier there. Feel free to direct message me with any questions and I will do my best to answer them. SGT (Join to see)
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I'm not sure which component you're in or which you're referring to....but I'll answer for the National Guard side of things. You pick your top choices based on preference....but it all depends on what slots are available.
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CPT (Join to see)
I was also asked if I cared more about my branch or staying close to home. Thankfully, I got my branch and didn’t have to drive several hours to drill.
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