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Post by harrison on Nov 24, 2020 10:28:08 GMT 12
I'm not sure if anyone still uses this page, but if you do, hi there. Recently, I've been selected to go down to Whenuapai in less than two weeks for the officer board selection and I'd like to be as prepared as I can be. I've done some research about what to expect, but I'm not sure on what will happen as they've been rather old sources that I looked at. Here are some things that I managed to scope out. - 5km, 20kg weighted march - bursts of press-ups, sometimes 20 in a row - must swim 30m continuously using breast stroke, then continue for the following 120m in any other stroke - tread water for 15 minutes in overalls and boots & more survival tips in the pool - series of leadership/teamwork activities - psychometric tests - written and verbal communication skills - interviews with senior army officers and army psychologists - preferred time in the 2.4km run is less than 12m and 20s - prepare for questions, such as moral dilemmas - carrying heavy boxes - be 100% certain why I want to be an officer I'm hoping that someone can offer me some advice on what to expect, if they went through the officer board selection recently or know a few people who did so  Thank you, Harrison. |
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Post by Dave Homewood on Nov 24, 2020 12:53:17 GMT 12
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Post by baronbeeza on Nov 24, 2020 16:06:34 GMT 12
I was somewhat surprised to see that list. I didn't realise things had changed.
In my day I think it was just a matter of looking handsome, having brains and a good surname. School tie may have helped but that would not have applied in my case.
Actually I am not so sure of those others now that I think about it.
I didn't run or swim for selection, actually didn't do so much after either.
We did a 2 mile run at the start of our training. I think the idea was that we would do one at the end to show the improvement. That never happened..
We never did a marching type parade for graduation either, probably for similar reasons.
All the other guys about were smart and handsome fellows, I imagine they didn't run so much either.
Officers don't run, it only panics the troops.
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Post by harrison on Nov 24, 2020 21:27:23 GMT 12
Good luck Harrison. I have shifted this thread into the relevant board. There are similar threads on the forum started by previous recent candidates, you might like to have a read of their threads and perhaps contact them directly by clicking on their name and hitting "Send Message" for advice based on what they recently went through. Thank you so much. This is one of my first times using this website, and my official first time posting so I wasn't too sure on where my post should have gone. I will look at the links under, it is much appreciated |
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Post by harrison on Nov 24, 2020 21:30:57 GMT 12
I was somewhat surprised to see that list. I didn't realise things had changed. In my day I think it was just a matter of looking handsome, having brains and a good surname. School tie may have helped but that would not have applied in my case. Actually I am not so sure of those others now that I think about it. I didn't run or swim for selection, actually didn't do so much after either. We did a 2 mile run at the start of our training. I think the idea was that we would do one at the end to show the improvement. That never happened.. We never did a marching type parade for graduation either, probably for similar reasons. All the other guys about were smart and handsome fellows, I imagine they didn't run so much either. Officers don't run, it only panics the troops. Wow, thank you for that. One of my mates had done the officer selection board last year, and told me that it was predominantly just PT and leadership sessions. Then again, the sources I had looked at was from 2013-2014, which may explain why any of the other things weren't recognisable to him either. How did you find the selection board, and did you get in? |
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Post by Dave Homewood on Nov 24, 2020 21:31:51 GMT 12
One of the problems here on the forum Harrison is most people who have done it did it a long time ago and things may be different. And the forum members who are serving RNZAF members and may have done it recently may feel obliged not to write about it because they are serving members. So unfortunately I think there might not be a lot of good helpful advice out there. My advice would be if you have any specific questions, ask your recruiting officer, that is their job to prepare you for potential service. I think the research you have already done shows you've been doing your homework and that will hopefully stand you in good stead.
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Post by baronbeeza on Nov 24, 2020 22:35:02 GMT 12
What Dave said is correct. You may find it difficult to get a straight answer, certainly on a public forum. It is much easier to talk directly to someone who has done the process more recently, pass or fail.
Regards the Recruiting Officer, that will help. On my board when it came time for the President's interview some guys knew and had appropriate clothes, others didn't.
So funny, I watched one pair of trousers do the interview 3 times in an hour.
At the end of my interview I was asked if I had any questions. Yep, just one. How come some guys were told to bring clothes and others weren't? I said I was wearing my own clothes, but related my observations.
Smiles all round and I got the congratulations signal. That is what they were wanting to hear.
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Post by Dave Homewood on Nov 25, 2020 13:30:54 GMT 12
I am not sure if clothing will be such an issue these days. The modern RNZAF is all beards and tattoos now so they have obviously dropped the grooming standard policy from our days. But, like any interview, you should definitely dress smartly as it does make an impression.
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Post by baronbeeza on Nov 25, 2020 15:23:56 GMT 12
While I had good clothes suitable for a formal interview, before the board, I did not pack any running or swimming gear. Perhaps clothing these days is actually more of an issue.
I think we did wear shorts and tee shirts for some of the activities however. Possibly overalls that would have been provided.
I would be interested to hear how the selection transformed into some form of physical fitness competition. That is why I was surprised to see those activities listed, Would it have been introduced over a period of time or more sudden ?
There was never any mention, or hint, of running anywhere. As for swimming I doubt I ever swam more than a few lengths at anytime, anywhere. We did play some ball sport in the pool in Wigram a couple of times.
The selection process way back then involved hour upon hour of sitting. The smarter guys had reading material. One guy managed to read his von Däniken book and still have time to tell us all about it.
The syndicate I was in can't have been random. Out of something like 16 syndicates I think half the successful candidates were people I knew. It could have been more. That would imply many of the syndicates had no-one get through.
You had no idea of who else had made it until you fronted up to enlist. Some of those fellows were tough debaters and two in particular had been briefed by serving officers. I think it was a brother-in-law situation but one, at least, never made the medical grade.
I watched those BBC programmes and listened to the RAF guys I knew well, their Biggin Hill process seemed to be very similar. Their IOT, Initial Officer Training, was much more physical than our's at that time.
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Post by phil on Dec 9, 2020 19:41:16 GMT 12
I am not sure if clothing will be such an issue these days. The modern RNZAF is all beards and tattoos now so they have obviously dropped the grooming standard policy from our days. But, like any interview, you should definitely dress smartly as it does make an impression. They changed the grooming standards, they haven't dropped them. Beards still have to be to a standard. |
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Post by Dave Homewood on Dec 9, 2020 19:43:13 GMT 12
Lowered the standard, I should have said.
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Post by phil on Dec 10, 2020 17:14:10 GMT 12
Lowered the standard, I should have said. No Dave, changed the standard. It isn't any lower. There is no relationship between having a beard and adhering to lower standards. It takes far more effort and discipline to keep a beard groomed within the standards in NZAP 207 than it does to be clean shaven. |
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