How do you best prepare for OCS? I am reporting in two months and would appreciate any advice.

2015-04-24T08:45:40-04:00

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 24 at 2015 8:51 AM

2015-04-24T08:51:04-04:00

To begin, there's a lot of running. If you're not ready for that, get ready. Also, you may not have an issue with humility (going to parade rest for an E5 and above; a lot of SNCOs have problems with that) but if you do just know that it's a game you play for 90 days. And finally, a lot of the stress is self-induced. Officer candidates sometimes make things harder than they have to be. That's a good start.

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 24 at 2015 9:33 AM

2015-04-24T09:33:26-04:00

Show up ready to pass an APFT, ensure you have the items on your packing list, and be a team player. Like CPT Brown said, you'll encounter a few of the prior Army guys with some time in who don't think their poo don't stink. On the flip side, you'll meet the ones who try to help all the young candidates and ones coming from sister services...ensuring they are squared away.

Finally..like CPT Brown said, pay attention...listen to the cadre. OCS isn't hard if you can do the aforementioned things.

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 24 at 2015 9:44 AM

2015-04-24T09:44:54-04:00

I would put your face in some ADRP 5-0, ADRP 1-02, and a small unit tactics smartbook. That will really put you a step ahead. You are prior enlisted so you should already have an idea of what you need to do for soldiering. But when you are there they are going to make you in student leadership more than not. When I was in IBOLC. I was in student leadership for 5 weeks straight. It usually lasts for a week but being prior service really separates you.

Response by MAJ Robert (Bob) Petrarca made Apr 24 at 2015 9:49 AM

2015-04-24T09:49:31-04:00

Ah, Chicken Sh!t U!

PT, PT, PT. Study the difference between supervising and managing. I know this may sound insignificant but it is the core fundamental between an NCO and an O. As an O you are less concentrated on, though equally concerned with, day to day soldier issues and more concentrated on the unit, starting at a platoon, as a whole. A good NCO makes sure soldier issues don't get to the O level unless its something that needs the O's attention to get progress made on it. Its a shift in paradigm that can be tough. I went in as an O through ROTC - Junior Chicken Sh!t U - and I still had a to be trained by my NCOs to worry less about soldier level issues.

Best of luck in your endeavor!

Response by MAJ Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 24 at 2015 10:21 AM

2015-04-24T10:21:35-04:00

Get ready to run...alot. Go with an open mind. You are going in with prior service experience; however, they are going to show you they way they want things done so just roll with the punches. Help out your fellow candidates that are straight out of basic. A usefull site I used when I decided to make the leap from E to O is armyocs.com. Any question you have has probably already been answered in the forum, and if it hasn't, it will be soon after you post.

Response by MAJ Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 24 at 2015 10:42 AM

2015-04-24T10:42:10-04:00

Be in great physical shape. Be prepared to run everywhere, in boots. Pay attention to detail and don't become complacent. Lead when in a leadership position; make decisions and provide a reasoning when asked by cadre. FOLLOW WHEN NOT IN A LEADERSHIP POSITION. Help your fellow OCs out. Mentor the College Ops, but remember that you are peers at the school.

It's the easiest hard school in the Army. No one single activity, event, or moment in OCS is particularly difficult; however, they just keep coming at an accelerated pace that it can become extremely difficult. However, trust me. Being an officer is far more difficult than becoming one! Good luck.

Response by CPT(P) David Thorp made Apr 24 at 2015 11:15 AM

2015-04-24T11:15:38-04:00

Create or attain a smart book for planning and briefing OPORDs. Get very familiar and comfortable with the process, you will do it a lot

Get up to speed on land nav. You do a TON of it at OCS. This whole stigma about boot LTs having no idea how to navigate and getting lost is BS. I did more Land Nav at OCS than my whole ten years in the Corps.

Ruck on your own. Don't plan to do it and then never get around to doing it. Actually do it. We had to run around everywhere with a big rock inside our rucks for most of phase 2.

(I have been in OCS since last May and graduate in a couple months / traditional Army NG OCS)

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 24 at 2015 12:42 PM

2015-04-24T12:42:00-04:00

SGT SHIELDS: Congratulations on your acceptance into OCS. As a graduate over 20-Years Ago, I recommend doing physical training in preparation for the APFT, as well as doing Pull-ups & Road-marches. Make certain you bring the packing-list items along with updating service records, DA-Photo and uniforms are correct.

Good-luck, LTC-G.

Response by CDR Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 24 at 2015 2:58 PM

2015-04-24T14:58:17-04:00

I'm speaking from Navy OCS experience instead of Army OCS, but I'll bet the main points are the same. Obviously get in shape; lots of running and PT every day. However, the best advice I've given to people heading to OCS is to remember WHY the course exists. They have 3 months to see if you are going to be an acceptable officer, and one of the primary ways that they do it is to see how you react under stress. If they can weed out people who will crumble under stress now, they won't have to deal with them folding when in the real world. Remember that OCS is not the real military; you can't WIN when you are at OCS. If they tell you to make up your rack for an inspection in the morning, and you make it perfect and sleep on the floor so your rack isn't messed up, they still might come in, look at it, say it is horrible and rip the sheets off and tell you to do it again while they are shouting at you to hurry up. It has nothing to do with being able to make your rack; it has to do with how you respond in that situation. So if you can go with the flow, and remember that what the drill instructors do is not personal, you should be fine.

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 24 at 2015 8:40 PM

2015-04-24T20:40:48-04:00

I am an OCS Graduate. I graduated Feb 19th 2015. I branched Adjutant General with a 4-year Branch Detail to Infantry. I start IBOLC in May, then Ranger and Airborne to follow.

I typed a long post. Im going to copy and paste it. If it wont take it all, then email me and I will share with you all I know. Forgive the fact that this will not flow as well as an academically perfect piece. OCS is kind of a blur, but I did my best to just type out the conscious stream of thought. If anything is unclear, message me and ask anything you want.

Some will frown on any advice that doesn’t build up your expectations, and fill you full of Hooah. I dont do that. I will tell you the hard truth.
For me, OCS was a letdown. Admittedly, it was my fault. I had built up my expectations to expect that I would be groomed as an officer; That I would learn “Officership”. I hoped to learn the strategic thinking that I assumed all Officers were taught. Nope. Wrong. OCS is little more than a colander. You will be thrown into a total immersion environment to see if you can survive and grow, or fold and wash out.. Go there with ZERO expectations and you will be much better off. The College-Op candidates had a much easier time since they hadn't already been in the big Army. They only knew TRADOC. For us prior service, the games were the some of the most frustrating parts.

Its better to give you a realistic look of what you will be going through. Keep in mind, the OCS experience is different for every single person, and greatly depends on which company you have and what Cadre you have. Also, your peers willhave a huge influence on your time there.

I was in Crusher Co. It was painful at first since we had a high-speed 1SG who was an RI (ranger instructor) for a couple of years after doing some USASOC time. He was a great 1SG. The kind you love to hate. He definitely put us through the gauntlet. Then, as we grew as candidates and earned his respect, he was a great mentor. We also had a great Senior Trainer, SFC Kolar. The most OUTSTANDING, PROFESSIONAL NCO I have ever worked for or with. Hands DOWN. You will have platoon mentors and trainers for each of the three platoons. Each platoon has one officer to be your mentor, and an NCO to be your trainer. My platoon trainer was excellent, SSG Proft. A hardass, but a great trainer who truly loves to train and teach. All of our Cadre except one were infantry. All of them were ranger, save for 2 or 3. Needless to say, we were known as a very “tactical” company. It paid off in the STX Lanes in our field time. But, moving on…

Before you “class up”, you will do some time at HHC. It’s Purgatory. The place where all of the drama starts, the rumor mill for the entire army seems to have been created in that building. You will be surrounded by negative people who have been recycled, injured, and who are pieces of pure trash that have no place in the army. My point is: stay positive, stay out of trouble, and get your mind right for the next 12 weeks. If you hear rumors, IGNORE THEM. PNN (private news network) is ridiculous. Stay away from anyone who tries to fill your ear with “I heard”. Walk away. No…run away. That kind of crap creates headaches for you down the road. You will learn who to trust, and who talks out of their A**.

Be prepared to pass an APFT and score well. For our class, we had to combine another class with ours. The previous class had a shortage of cadre, and was delayed two weeks. They classed up with us, bringing our total count to 152 candidates. Then, the following class after mine for C Co was only 52. This is why I say don’t listen to rumors about having too many people and them dropping people. IF (big IF) they implement an APFT cutoff, you WILL NOT know what the cutoff score is. They will test you and drop the bottom number of candidates until they get to the magic number they are allotted for that class. (Eg: 180 show up, 152 is the max bed space, 28 of the bottom APFT scores will not class up and wait for the next classes APFT to see if they make it in). The army, for some reason, forgets how to count, and sends too many candidates. Or maybe they take attrition into account. Either way. Score well, and you’ll be fine.

Once you pass the APFT and class up, You remove your gold OCS rank, and put on your black OCS rank. It’s a good feeling. Use that feeling to motivate you. Those little victories are what will keep driving you. This is your first. It separates you from the HHC crowd. Every time to move from phase to phase, it'll be another piece of victory for you.

Day one is much like what you may have experienced at basic. You will probably do a bag drag. Lots of smoking, lots of yelling. Lots of stairs to run. Up and down. Multiple times. Do it without showing emotion or complaining. You will be tired. They will ask who wants to quit. There will be mind games. Play that game. You've been there, it’s nothing new.

Side note: GET A COPY OF YOUR OCSSOP asap. You will carry it everywhere for the duration of the course. It is your “bible”. LEARN IT WORD FOR WORD. This is not an exaggeration. You need to know it by heart. If you have a question, refer to your OCSSOP before going to student CoC or Cadre. This is important, as the Cadre will allow you to hang yourself. We had cadre do the typical cadre thing and not communicate with each other. They gave us conflicting information, and it ended up costing some candidates dearly. The OCSSOP is your rule book. Follow it and your command policy letter, you’ll be fine. Study them both. Bring up discrepancies to your student CoC. The two will likely have conflicting rules (Eg: OCS SOP says you can walk in Intermediate phase, but the policy letter says only senior candidates can walk). You can change the company policies through memorandums to the commander. You must have them perfect and well written and justified or they will get kicked back.

Time Management is the common theme and your most important lesson to be learned. Learn to come together, make a quick decision, and execute AS A TEAM. You will have the typical “I have a better idea” kind of people. They will slow you down at first and create unnecessary pain. Don’t worry though, they will learn or get dropped/recycled. OCS is good about that at least. When you are given 8 minutes to get all of the bags off the truck (completely unorganized since you were given 5 to throw them on there to begin with, which you will mess up and have to redo), you will fail. TRY YOUR HARDEST. But, You will fail because you and your platoon/company have not yet learned to come together. It’s normal. Learn from your mistakes, and drive on. Hopefully, over time you will gel and work together. If not, it will be a long 12 weeks.

The course’s progression is structured like basic as well, with three phases.

Basic Phase (Black Ascot): You are lower than pond scum. You cannot do anything on your own. It sucks. But don’t let it get you down. You will make it through. You will run (airborne shuffle) everywhere. You are not allowed to walk. You haven’t earned that privilege yet. It consists of long days, land nav, the first of two separate 3 mile release runs, CWST (it’s a joke), and tactics. A lot of boring power point.

Intermediate Phase (Blue Ascot): You will spend the majority of your Blue time in the field running lanes. It is your 10-day field problem. You MUST pass your assessments for field leadership. We lost more people in this and Land Nav than any other single event. At the end, you will do the Senior Officer Candidate Review (SOCR). You must pass this to move on to Senior Phase.

Senior Phase (White Ascot): You are basically a 3rd Lieutenant. You are able to leave the barracks after final formation. You can consume alcohol (WAHOO!). There is not much schooling that happens here. Some review, some mentorship. You are entitled to officer courtesies from the candidates in Basic and Intermediate phases (Sir/Ma’am, salutes, etc). The Cadre leave you alone. You are almost officers and are expected to manage your time wisely without direct supervision.

I can tell you that the hardest part for prior enlisted is the transition from being “in charge” to being treated like you are less than a private. We had to stand at parade rest for our supply pfc... It was hard for me. I was a SSG when I attended.
Other than that, OCS has fully implemented PRT and will build you up physically. Show up being able to pass a PT test and in decent running shape. Most of your running will be for the 3-mile release runs and AGR. Other than that you will have only a few company and battalion runs. The PT schedule will posted for you to learn and prepare for. Ask for a copy to keep in your room. It’s good to know what the next days PT will be.

Work on your core. It helps with rucking. Then work on your rucking some more. Build your feet up. The rucks are NOT HARD. However, if you aren't prepared, you can injure yourself and that can be a showstopper. Land Nav is a beast. You’re going in Summer. Good Luck. It was the single biggest killer in terms of dropping candidates for recycle. Its 3 days. You will walk the course ten times at least before you test. Pay Attention. It will help to know the lay of the land. Red Diamond is no joke. Its not “hard”, but it is not easy either. It is not self-correcting. You will test with 2 hours at night and 2 hours in the day. The 5 hour time limit was reduced to 4 hours for us. They also reduced our 3-mile run standards. I think they were trying to dwindle down the class.
Prepare yourself for things to happen that you don't agree with. Some things you may feel are unethical. Choose your battles here. Some were shown the door in these situations. We had many battalion standards that were manipulated to make our standards much more difficult to pass. People who brought it up and asked why were not given an answer. We figured they were trying to just get students out to through attrition to make the graduating class smaller. Either way, the whole "standards, no compromise" mantra you will say a thousand times is just a catch-phrase. OCS makes its own standards, and they can, and will, change on the fly.

The PEERS system is a grading system that pits you against your squad. It is a rating system similar to an OER. 10 people in your squad will mean a 1-10 rating. If you rate as one of the bottom two more than once, and it can lead to a recycle. At the least, it can affect your garrison leadership assessment. Cadre DO NOT CARE ABOUT YOU. Don't fool yourself into thinking they invest themselves into you like your line unit NCO does. All they are going to do is “Train, assess, select”. We had people getting dismissed for peers and the “whole soldier concept” 6 days prior to graduating. So help yourself and your squad by being a team player. Dont rely on your cadre to "look out" for you. Don’t argue with your squad leaders or other student chain of command. Instead, offer alternatives, but let your student leadership lead. If you take the reins from them, you can screw them up pretty badly. Don’t be that guy. Be discreet. If they are missing something, pull them offline and help them out. Don’t throw them under the bus.This was probably the most common problem with the interaction between student leadership and their candidates. Peers starts out pretty civil, but turns downright brutal and cut-throat in the last few weeks.

Final obstacle worth mentioning. HISTORY.
If you haven’t heard yet, let me tell you about History. First, DO NOT PANIC. It is hard. Really hard. But it is not impossible. It is a comprehensive exam with 5 multiple choice questions, 3 short essay and one long essay. Depending on who you have, Dr. Campbell or COL(R) Suich, you will have a TON of info thrown at you.
You cover 2 textbooks in 8 days. Then you test.

There is NO strategy to prepare. In class, listen. Take a ton of notes. Send examples to the instructor for his review. He WILL HELP YOU. Just stay calm. They know it is stressful. Just focus, and study. You will have to make some choices here. Sleep, or study. I’ll say this. You can sleep when you die.
Our first go round, we had 30-something failures. Here’s why. There is no grading rubric. Its all subjective. That’s why you have to reach out to him and ask for him to proofread some examples from the practice questions he gives out in the study guide. STUDY. STUDY. STUDY. Then study some more.

Some helpful hints for what to bring.

Bring a laptop. Bring things for blisters. Bring extra spandex. DO NOT GO CRAZY with the packing list. It is really tempting to go to commandos (almost every does), and buy lots of extras. Save your money. If you need anything, you will have weekend passes to buy what you need. Nearly everyone was returning stuff after OCS because they never used half of it.
If you have an ipad, bring it. You can use it in class, and ALL of your material will soon be available for download. I used mine every single day.

Things are fluid in OCS, and change constantly. Go there with an open mind, motivated to earn your bar, and ready to learn and you will make it.
You will see some turds make it through. Sadly.
If they can do it, so can you.

Response by CPT Anthony Kennedy made Apr 29 at 2015 12:14 PM

2015-04-29T12:14:19-04:00

Do lots of running and start memorizing the OCS requires knowledge

Response by SFC Gordon Lamb made Apr 30 at 2015 10:19 AM

2015-04-30T10:19:57-04:00

Learn OPORDS and your Troop Leading Procedures

Response by CH (CPT) Heather Davis made May 3 at 2015 6:45 AM

2015-05-03T06:45:16-04:00

SGT Shields:

Humiltiy, many of your peers will be brandnew Officers, and the last thing you want to do is be remembered as the KNOW IT ALL. I have transitioned from enlisted, warrant officer, and officer and I will share with you the importance of building future relationships.

Remember this will be your peer group for the rest of your military career. This is vital to remember based on your interpersonal skills will be the future recommendations from your peers. I am very proud of you!!

Response by SGT Richard H. made May 3 at 2015 5:19 PM

2015-05-03T17:19:42-04:00

You'll have to think like a young Officer. Throw away your map and ask an NCO where you are.

Sorry. I couldn't resist.

Response by MAJ Ken Landgren made May 3 at 2015 5:32 PM

2015-05-03T17:32:38-04:00

Did we not have this exact thread a couple weeks ago?

Response by MAJ Ken Landgren made May 4 at 2015 1:04 PM

2015-05-04T13:04:09-04:00

Take your POV, and a cheap electric shaver for the field.

Response by MAJ Private RallyPoint Member made May 5 at 2015 10:54 AM

2015-05-05T10:54:56-04:00

Congratulations, Candidate! There have been many great responses here, but the most important one to zoom into is what MAJ Petrarca said about learning the difference between supervising and managing, especially as a former NCO.

I spent 15 years as an enlisted Soldier with 8 as an NCO before crossing over. I was used to being the "man that made it happen". Once I crossed over, it took me about 4 years to truly transition from the NCO to the Officer because of the MINDSET of each group. Now as an OCS Platoon Trainer (T.A.C.), I empower my candidates by pushing them to be stewards of the Army, meaning while in OCS, learn how to delegate responsibility to your "subordinate" leaders when you are in charge. This builds their leadership abilities and builds you as far as the mission being accomplished when in charge. Once you learn how to empower your leaders and not micromanage because of F.E.A.R (False Evidence Appearing Real), you will excel as an Officer and create "Legacy Leadership" that will continue past your time in leadership.

Much success to you, feel free to connect with me!

CPT Michael Kane
Platoon Trainer/Instructor
Virginia Army National Guard OCS

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made May 12 at 2015 8:29 PM

2015-05-12T20:29:54-04:00

As long as you can memorize info quickly, run, ruck and do some basic platoon level infantry stuff it's very easy.

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 3 at 2015 10:04 PM

2015-09-03T22:04:26-04:00

Run 5 miles sub 40, ruck 12 under 3 hours and memorize the required knowledge before you get there. Your APFT will have a high influence on your OML position so score at least 300 with a very strict grader prior to going.

oh yeah just remembered, if you're going in the summer make the investment in underarmor shirts. I was one of the only people that didn't suffer from sweat pimples, or whatever you call it, on my back like the rest of the students.

Response by Zel Ilano made Feb 28 at 2016 6:38 PM

2016-02-28T18:38:18-05:00

Great Article. writing . I loved the information . Does someone know where my company can access a sample a form copy to edit ?

Response by LTC Kenneth Harris made Apr 7 at 2019 11:06 AM

2019-04-07T11:06:29-04:00

I am sure the course has changed since 1985! Be in great physical shape. One of the requirements long ago was a perfect APFT score to graduate. Heat in summer can be taxing. Best quality is a never quit one. I saw people quit the first day. They will test your mental, physical, and emotional toughness and agility in a number of ways. Believe they went to two phases instead of three.