Army Officer Selection Board - AOSB (Regular) Main Board

AOSB (Regular) Main Board

This is a four day course consisting of many different academic, physical, mental and aptitude tests. It is designed to put the candidates under pressure whilst fostering their team spirit and competitiveness.

On arrival, candidates are allocated a number (used instead of one's name) and placed into teams. They remain in these teams for the duration of the board, making it common for strong friendships to develop during the process. As candidates are assessed against a standard and not against each other's performance (there are no set quotas for acceptance - if you meet the standard you pass), it is often found that strong teams will see all members meet the standard.

On the last night of the course a formal dinner is held for the candidates. In the past this was regarded by the candidates as another test, this time of their manners and social skills; it is not clear whether this was ever actually the case. Nowadays, the staff are at pains to point out that the meal is not an assessment, and no directing staff are present at the event.

The details of the physical tasks, command tasks, interviews and academic tests are not made public. It is known that the assessment consists of a physical fitness assessment, individual obstacle course, three multiple-choice tests on current affairs, general knowledge and military knowledge, three interviews, a group discussion and essay on current and moral affairs, a 5-minute lecturette, individual planning exercise, and both leaderless team tasks and a series of command tasks where an individual team member commands the rest. There is also an end of board team race across an obstacle course which does form part of the assessment. However, the winning team is not given any extra credit for the race victory.