The Army Officer Selection Board, more usually referred to as the A.O.S.B., is located at Leighton House, Westbury in Wiltshire, England, and runs selection courses which must be passed before being offered a place at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. Selection boards are run for entry into the Regular and Territorial Army. Other boards are also run for Army Scholarships, entry to Welbeck Defence Sixth Form College, Professionally Qualified Officers in the Army Medical Services, Army Legal Services Branch and the Royal Army Chaplains' Department, as well as for Army Cadet Force Officers.
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This is a two day course which must be passed before proceeding to the main AOSB. It is a relatively easy course intended to give potential officers an idea of what is required and expected on the main board. There will also be a series of three aptitude tests on verbal reasoning, numeracy and abstract reasoning. The results of these tests form an overall Officer Intelligence Rating, which will be carried forward to Main Board.
Before leaving the AOSB Briefing, candidates are assigned one of four possible categories:
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.
This is the course that is primarily intended for the selection of TA officers, run over a weekend. The qualities sought are the same as for Regular Service and are also open to Regular applicants who are unable to attend midweek and vice versa. The standard AOSB (TA) Main Boards were introduced in April 2004, replacing the various regional Territorial Commissioning Boards (TCBs).
The TA Main Boards are identical in content to that provided to Regular officer candidates midweek, with one universal AOSB Main Board Pass, valid for both Regular and TA Commissioning Courses. Since they are held in a little over half the time of the Regular Main Boards however it is more time pressured.
The Army Cadet Force Officer will also do the same course under the same time scale. The only difference being that they do not have to do the Physical tests.
The Army runs two Scholarship Boards each year for boys and girls aged between sixteen and seventeen. The board is similar in many ways to the Main Board, with a fitness test, interviews, planning exercise and leadership tasks. However, the Scholarship Board is only 24 hours, and the expectations are proportionately lower to account for the difference in age. The Board seeks to find examples of intelligence and leadership at a young age, with successful candidates broadly being described as 'a wise head on young shoulders'. Recipients of the award currently receive £1500 each year they are at sixth form, £1000 for each year they spend at university, and a £3000 bonus on completion of the 44 week Commissioning Course. By passing the Board, scholars have a guaranteed place at Sandhurst, and they do not need to pass the AOSB Main Board to enter RMAS.
The general fitness requirements for both Regular and TA officer entrants are:
The Fitness requirements for the Welbeck Board and the Army VI form scholarship board are:
5.88 HT