OASC selection is really a case of convincing the chairman, the one in the middle, that on a cold damp February evening in the mess, he would find you interesting to chat to. As long as you pass the medical and any aptitude test, then his views are the important ones. The rest is window dressing, so they can write about why you failed to make the grade.
Many years ago a colleague decided to go for a branch commission. He was not only considered by his peers to be outstanding, the station commander, who had known him for some time, dispatched him with his personal recommendation. When he failed OASC because of a lack of leadership potential, his peers and superiors laughed at such a crass and wrong decision. When the Station Commander queried the decision of the board, especially as he had personally recommended the man, he was dismissed with the phrase that it was their decision and that was final.
So whether selection considers nature over nurture is really not an issue. As training progresses no doubt it becomes apparent and in truth we need a mixture of both. A team of leaders is not a team.
As an aside, I was selected for pilot training and as I was waiting for my OCTU course, the station air experience flight gave me a trip in a Chipmonk. Given the controls for the first time I grabbed the control column as if my life depended on it. The Chippy, of course, responded to my nervousness by trying to move in all planes of axis at once. Realising my plight the young pilot regained control explaining where I was going wrong. I must have missed his “you have control” announcement for as I was thinking about what to do with the column he announces “now you have got the idea”, I then realised the perfectly trimmed Chippy was flying by itself.
Guess I'm not a natural then. Oh and I failed OCTU so I never found out.