In many ways, the AOSB is like an assessment centre you would attend for more conventional jobs. In other ways, it’s not. Yes, you will sit psychometric tests, participate in group discussions and in-person interviews but, the AOSB selection process includes so much more than that.
The psychometric tests you will face during the AOSB process include those for numerical, verbal, and abstract reasoning, as well as a personality test. These assessments are computer-based and administered under strict time constraints.
Note: Both Briefing and Main Board act as elimination processes for Army Officer hopefuls. If you are unable to prove your skills during your time at Westbury, you may be unable to continue in the process indefinitely. If a military career is the path you have set forth for yourself, you must prepare for both your physical and intellectual assessments several weeks in advance.
Let’s find out more about this process below:
The AOSB selection process includes mental and physical assessments. The purpose of this process is to evaluate a variety of traits deemed necessary for military life. These traits include your intelligence, fitness (stamina, agility, upper body strength, etc.), as well as your problem-solving, leadership, and teamwork skills. Here is a general break down of what you can expect during your time at Westbury:
The initial briefing lasts over a 24-hour period and includes the following:
Be advised: Your performance during Brieifing will determine whether you can attend Main Board. Your result will be discussed during a brief final interview which will cover the strengths and weaknesses you exhibited. Once this interview is completed, you will find out which category you have fallen into based on your performance. These categories are detailed below.
Category 1 |
You have been deemed worthy of proceeding to Main Board and may do so as soon as possible. |
Category 2 |
You show promise but must improve on areas not deemed suitible for attending Main Board. You will be given the option to delay attending for 3-24 months in order to improve before returning. |
Category 3 |
The board has deemed you unlikely to pass Main Board due to low performance during briefing. You will still have the option to continue to Main Board if you wish to attend. |
Category 4 |
The board has deemed you unsuitable to continue to Main Board due to a number of factors including the inability to apply your intellect or personality issues. You can try to appeal this decision if you feel that your performance was not representative of your capabilities during your time at briefing. |
If you have successfully passed the initial briefing, you will receive an invitation to attend Main Board. Main Board lasts 3 ½ days and consists of many of the activities you participated in while on Brief, albeit, with a few exceptions:
Remember: You get only (2) attempts to pass the Main Board and a minimum of 8 months must pass between these attempts. As such, preparing for each assessment gives you a better chance of passing the AOSB selection process and moving on to officer training at Sandhurst.
Proving your intellectual ability is crucial during the Army Officer selection process as it can predict your success while in the military. You can improve your psychometric test scores and reduce stress through practise. Why not give the following sample questions a go before looking at the provided answer explanations? Good luck!
Number of questions: 36
Types of questions: Tables & graphs, word problems,
Time Limit: 15 minutes
In this section, you are given five answer options to choose from for each question. You may not use a calculator during the test, as mental arithmetic is one of the abilities the assessors are on the lookout for. You must work quickly to ensure that you answer all questions promptly.
The answer to this question is 4.
In this question we need to find the year in which the number of men swimmers equals half the total number of swimmers. We can use the data we calculated on question 1. In the year 2006 there were 120 swimmers all together and 60 of them (which is half) were men.
Note: To answer this question one can make an estimation by looking at the numbers. If one group equals half the sum of all the groups, then the sum of the two remaining groups also equals half the sum of the swimmers. We need to find a year in which the men column equals the sum of the other two columns.
Good news! You can significantly improve your mental arithmetic abilities and answering speed using the practise materials in this pack. Not only does it include examples of questions you will face on your actual test, it also includes full answer explanations and study guides to help you learn as you go.
Number of questions: 40
Types of questions: True, False, Cannot Say
Time Limit: 15 minutes
During this section you will read short passages to read along with four statements related to the text. Your task is to decide if the statement is true, false or if you cannot say based on the information in the text. Careful reading is imperative here, as you need to fully understand the text.
Read the passage to choose the correct answer.
A day of national mourning is a day marked by mourning and memorial activities observed among the majority of a country's populace. Most are designated by that nation's government. Sociologists claim that national mourning is both a symbolic political gesture as well as a meaningful expression of grief. On the one hand, predetermined mourning days reflect and create a national community, united in a feeling of grief. On the other hand, mostly in mourning days instigated by the people, such as on the day of Princess Diana’s funeral, they reflect a spontaneous bout of pure grief manifested in the closing of shops and banks, cancellation of sports, theatre and cinema showings. Although the fervour of the mourning can differ dramatically from one country to another, there is no doubt that a day of collective grief is extremely good for national unity.
Different countries manifest national mourning in different memorial activities.
Being able to communicate well verbally, non-verbally and via text is essential for military life. The purpose of a verbal reasoning test is to assess these vital skills.
This portion of the test contains 70 questions and is 12 minutes in length. Each question presents two sets of shapes, Set A and Set B. Your first task is to determine how the shapes in each set are related. You are then given five further shapes and must determine if they belong in Set A, Set B or neither.
The following test shape belongs to:
Tip: There are many tricks to solving abstract reasoning questions quickly. By practising, you will be able to train your brain in pinpointing both the patterns and differences between each set of images you are presented. This will not only help you beat the clock but also increase your probability for success.
Number of questions: 200
Time Limit: 30 to 40 minutes
The AOSB personality test determines to which degree your traits influence your daily behaviour. Be sure to keep your responses consistent as the test can detect inconsistencies and differences between responses.
Please indicate to which extent you agree or disagree with the following statement:
This statement is trying to figure out your level of anxiety. As you may have guessed, there are no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ answers here. Regardless, it is important to note that although this may be technically true, certain responses can have a negative impact on your overall profile. A combination of responses is needed prior to getting a full analysis of each trait.
Tip: It is wise during a personality test to adapt your answers to the job you are applying for. The Personality Tests Guide found in this pack includes everything you need to know about how personality tests work and how you should go about answering each question.
Keep in mind that parts of your personality (e.g. your leadership and teamwork skills) will be on display and evaluated throughout the AOSB selection process. Not only during this written assessment, but also during your group exercises, outdoor tasks, and interviews.
In this test, you are presented with a series of either matrices (grids) or letters. You must memorise the order in which they are shown to answer a follow-up question.
Types of questions: Following instructions and procedures
Time Limit: 20 Minutes
The purpose of this assessment is to see how quickly and accurately you can memorise and apply guidelines and procedures. During this test, the number and complexity of instructions increases. Your MAT results detail a pattern of responses which make up your performance profile. Your score is based on the following criteria:
The strict time constraint and amount of information you must remember to answer each question in this section can make it a bit tricky to pass. Check out the RAF-style memory test question below to put your skills to the test: