Raf Oasc

[topgun172]

Could anybody help,

I am due to atend the RAF OASC for pilot sponsership at RAF Cranwell and wondered if anyone can give me any advice or examples of the mental arithmetic, i.e speed, distance, time, Any past experience or knowledge of this would be most appriciated. I am told fairly straight forward however preparation is the key.
Any additional advice would helpful

Thankyou for your time

[STANDTO]

I refer to the answer the honourable gentlemen have given some thousands of times before


---its all here on the boards, just do some searching

[topgun172]

Ok, thanks for your help guys, ill keep yopu posted on my progress, should be done by August 8th.

TG172:)

[canberra]

i'll give you a tip about oasc. when you get there you get a magic key(honest) the staff can and do check a computer to see who has been where. if they find that you used yours to get in at 0600 they wont be very impressed!!

[Eagle 1]

I will also be attending OASC in August, do any of you guys have any other tips about OASC in general, and any tips about certain routines to go through in the weeks before attending?

Cheers guys

:) Eagle1:)

[topgun172]

The only tips i have gathered from others is to stay carm and to speak logically, do not wafle cause they see right through you.
Do you know if it is just part 1 of the selection process that we complete for pilot sponsership, cause it says that on the website but not in the booklet i was given(blue one)

Thanks

TP172

[Big Green Arrow]

Top Gun et al...all the very best with OASC..be yourself and bone up on the RAF/Tri service hot potatoes etc before you go...and ps 172...get a spel chocker...yourz iz pannnts

[Eagle 1]

172...I belive that if part 1 is passed, that part 2 is undertaken by pilot scholarship candidates, which will include the leadership exercises etc...this is what the Flt Lt told me at my filter interview, hope this helps. I am going up there my self mid August and am looking foreward to it.

:) Eagle1:)

P.S...Does anybody have any good current affairs websites?

Cheers

[solotk]

A tip to the unitiated.......

www.google.com , when searching, put your enquiry in " " which restricts the search. after this "OASC" insert a plus sign, e.g. "OASC" + RAF and lo and behold, the very first url that comes up is...

http://www.airmenaircrew.freeserve.co.uk/common/careers/oasc/oasc_pp1.htm

Which contains something, that i had in pamphlet form back in 1980 , when OASC was at an airfield that stirred the loins :D

Tony

[alandhall]

Well, OASC has been done, I've been short-listed, just waiting for the final verdict.

Am I expecting a big envelope or a small one? a small one means 'No' and a large one means 'Yes'? That's a rumour I've heard. Does this hold water or leak like a collinder?

Al

[topgun172]

Alandhalll,

Well done for getting short-listed!!
Can you give me any tips or adivice on the interview(current affairs) and on the arithmetic, mine is a little rusty!
I dont supose you know if candidates going for pilot sponsership only complete part 1 of the selection process, as ive heard that the leadership side of things takes place in scotland if successful in part 1.
Thanks for your help

Regards
TP172

[Decision Altitude]

Hiya Al & all

I can confirm the 'No' letter does in fact come winging its way from Lincs in a small envelope as it only contains 1 piece of A4,it doesnt take them long to say sod off. Im not speaking from current experience though, I hope to be getting an envelope of some description soon - same boat as you.

As far as the 'yes' one being larger, could well be if it contains joining instructions and fitness gen etc, good theory but not sure in reality.

TopGun, as far as Current affairs and stuff goes, be aware its only a very small (4-5 mins) of the interview. However, of course this can be easily stretched out to put you under pressure if your'e rubbish. I found www.bbc.co.uk/news a huge help as they have a good background and maps and pictures to look at for wallys like me ;)
Arithmetic wise - check out the websites listed above (TimC) has some great examples. Get competant at DST and you wont go far wrong. You need to be quick but accurate and that Im afraid only comes with practice. Those were probably my weakest areas also but with a bit of determination itll all drop nicely into place for you, it certainly felt better this time round.
Best of luck when you do go, and yup be yourself but its about making an impact too.

Keep me posted Al - it cant be long now :rolleyes:

DA

[topgun172]

Thanks very much for your help DA, its most appreciated, hope everything goes well for you all and best of luck in the future.
One more thing, what sort of content are the individual and group problem solving exercises like, any advice(i.e arithmetic, planning wise)
Thanks again for your time and help

Regards
TP172

[Decision Altitude]

The group and individual planning are very similar in terms of content, however as youd expect not as involved for the individual.

The settings all vary but you need to formulate a plan to get yourselves from a-b (or more) within a very tight time span. You are given time to plan this and then are questioned on it by the board. Again, you need to be quick and accurate and be able to handle the pressure when the goal posts change under questioning by the board, so dont sweat it and switch on - same applies for all of Part2.

Hope this helps, but keep searching as there is some top gen around from past visits to OASC.

Best of luck, but I can only say the best preparation is to attend OASC and see exactly what goes on, only then will you know exactly what you need to brush up on.

Rgds

DA

Oops yeh, forgot to mention, when you get a firm date you will be given an info booklet from your AFCO outlining the whole selection process so take time to read it and they include practice questions so you will be under no illusion what to expect.

[Whoosh]

TG172. The interview at OASC is a filter tool to get you through to part 2 of the selection process. That too is at Cranwell, and it forms the main part of the assessment. As I mentioned on another thread, being fit is a simple way of improving your chances of selection. The "Bleep Test" which you do on day 2 can put you in with a shout of selection if you have above average fitness or then again, take you out of it if you are unfit.

In the interview be yourself and do not try to bulls**t. The guys will see through you and allow you to start digging a hole to bury yourself in. It helps if you've done D of E and have done some adventurous training but it is not the be all.

If you are near to a UAS, give them a bell and ask if there is the possibility of a visit. You might learn a lot more than you can through this thread.

[alandhall]

As mentioned in another thread, if you want any advice on OASC use the search facility at the top of the page and search for 'OASC' You'll get a huuuge heap of posts to trawl through!

There's only so much that we can tell you, just get your mental arithmetic sorted, and be confident at all times.

Oh yeah, try and enjoy it, I've loved it twice now - still waiting for the latest result :mad:

I'll keep you posted DA :)

Al

[Decision Altitude]

Yeh thats also a good point, maintain your composure and stay confident, even if youve had a bad element, keep your head up, bits in tits out :) Cos you never know who is looking out of their office window at the time and walking with your chin on your chest isnt a good image, your being assesed at all times

Rgds

DA

[topgun172]

OK DA, thanks for all your advice, your definately right in saying that you only know what to brush up on once you've attened OASC!
I have a friend that took three attemps at OASC before he was selected and he ended up flying JAGS, so it goes to show that failing to be short-listed first time round does'nt mean the end of the road!
Anyway thanks again

Regards
TP172

[topgun172]

Thanks alandhall, aswell

[alandhall]

Glad to hear you're still alive QJK04! S when do you start IOT? I'm going GA-GA waiting for the letter!

Oh yeah, STOP SHOUTING! People get irked about that kinda thing :-)

Take care

AL

[Fg Off Max Stout]

alandhall,
you could just try opening the envelope, rather than measuring it!!

[The mother alligator]

Hi guys!
I am ALSO attending OASC in August for the pilot scholarship! I am arriving on the 11th, returning (I hope) the day before my AS Level results come through. Fun week huh? I have had all the advice I could possibly receive in my YEARS of asking questions. I also know RAFC Cranwell like the back of my hand having attended two lots of work experience there, a summer camp with the ATC some three years ago, and a gliding scholarship! I am returning to my second home not only in August, but next week for a conversion course (AGT 15) from the vigilant to the viking! Should be fun! Anyway, to all you guys out there waiting for THE letter, GOD I would sort of love to be in your position. At least you've got a more realistic chance. I am practically certain by the way that we only do part 1 of the selection, I heard it at my presentation, and read it on the RAF careers website. :D Remember, a good firm handshake will not go a miss when entering the room of doom. Good luck fellow military wannabes, The Mother Alligator.

[alandhall]

Got an envelope this morning! After I had measured it - A4 size - I gave it with trembling hands to my girlfriend to read its contents.

It seems that I start IOT in October! Me a happy bunny! Hello to anyone else that's gonna be on course 200!

AL

[Decision Altitude]

You have mail but not sure if got sent correctly. Congrats on cracking it, hopefully my letter (of size undisclosed) will be on its way soon ;)

Rgds

DA

[Aynayda Pizaqvick]

Okay, completely off the topic, but can anyone tell me what the RAF fitness standard is for IOT? Apparently I will undergo a run test, a fitness test and a swimming test but unfortunately I wont be attending the familiarisation visit where we find out how our fitness is stacking up.

Cheers.

[leshodge]

Oasc was good for me, not really a big problem. I just went and gave it my best. Start on 201 IOT on 1 december, and looking forward to it.
My advice.
Simple one sentence to remember.

Play their game

Not yours, but theirs.
Whether that is being yourself or not is another thing.
:)
Anyway, good luck and let us know ho you get on.
Later
Im off to practice running 1 1/2 miles in ten mins wearing para boots and long johns.
Lee
:rolleyes:
Long live the invasion of the body snatchers!

[wub]

Well done Al :) Give it everything you've got and enjoy the experience. Just don't come back here in November and tell us you've failed the ironing test and give us 400 reasons why it's not your fault :D

[Eagle 1]

Just a quick question:

Does any body know if the mental arithmatic tests at OASC give you a set of multiple choice answers?

Any help would be gratefuly recieved. Cheers

:) Eagle1:)

[rivetjoint]

Good Luck to those who have got to IOT.
If you want to know how not to fail, well I guess there is some good reading material in this forum to gen up on.

[gijoe]

I did the whole bank of tests on Monday 8th July.

I can confirm that most of the mental arithmetic tests are multi-choice and, if not, it is a case of keying in an answer whilst doing something else. For example selecting a series of letters from the four options that you have had to memorise whilst doing some sums.

G

[topgun172]

gijoe, i was under the impression that all of the computer apptitude tests were individual i.e, instrument scanning, keeping the dot in the square, memoriseing numbers etc, rather than different things in the same test, perhaps i am wrong.
What sort of questions are asked in the mental arithmetic, an example and advice would be most appriciated

Regards

TP172

[Aynayda Pizaqvick]

The arithmetic questions vary considerably in difficulty. The first ones start off along the lines of....
Your aircraft is travelling 150mph, how long to travel 25 miles?
They then become more complicated such as...
Aircraft A leaves station A at 1100hrs travelling 350mph. 10 minutes later Aircraft B leaves station B travelling at 285mph. The stations are 600miles apart. At what time and how far from station B will the aircraft meet. (or something to that effect).
At the end of the day you are still doing no more than basic DST questions with a few complications thrown in. From what I remember this was about the only specific arithmetic exercise (though I am sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong) so just practise a bunch load of DST questions and you should be home and hosed. As with most of the tests you will probably be thinking how hard it all seems and how much you are being fried, but relax - the tests are written to accomodate for the most intelligent individuals so you are not expected to get through them all.
Topgun, most of the aptitude tests are individual, however there is a specific test which measures ones ability to multi task. It does this by getting you to remember a sequence of letters whilst doing basic arithmetic (i.e 97+25=) and getting you to cancel out shapes that fly across the screen. From my experience (and I have had the pleasure of doing 3 lots of aptitude tests in 2 countries) I believe one cannot do a lot to enhance their scores at OASC. However practice some arithmetic and sharpen up your hand eye coordination on flight sim or the likes as this will greatly increase your confidence - if there is one quality that potential candidates lack most it is confidence.

Once again, best of luck to all heading up to OASC.
(ps. my spelling is not normally this bad, honest!)

[topgun172]

OK thanks for your help, what is the correct answer for that second example you gave me, and how did you do it
Thanks

Regards
TP172

[Aynayda Pizaqvick]

Woops! Probably should have mentioned that the Aircraft are on a head to head track!
No worrys, heres my best shot.....
Ok, for the first 10mins only Aircraft A is moving (350mph) - in that time it would have travelled 58 miles. The distance between the Aircraft is now only 542 miles (600-58). With A/C A at 350mph and B at 285mph, the closing speed is now 635mph (350+285). From this point it will take (542miles/635mph) 51mins to meet. to find where they meet, best we use Aircraft B - It has been travelling for 51mins at 285mph so it has travelled 243 miles. VOILA! We have now answered the second part of our question.
So what time is it? It has been 51mins since B took off however A/C A took off 10mins prior at 1100hrs - a total of 61mins has elapsed. BINGO! Therefore our final answer is 1201hrs and 243 miles form station B (at least I hope that is the answer!)
Remember that this is at the higher end in terms of difficulty and there would have been a number of easier variations of this previously in the test. The actual test does use more user-friendly numbers - most times and speeds work out to be a multiple of 5 (this eliminates inaccuracies caused by rounding), but practice using oddball numbers and it will seem that much easier when you reach Cranwell.
Enjoy.

[topgun172]

AP, thanks for your help, its most appriciated, i suppose that there can only be a few variations in difficulty, i.e head to head (Quite difficult) and from A to B (straight forward).
Would i be right in saying that if you didnt do well on the more difficult examples on the day, it wouldnt really affect your chances of fast jet training?
Anyway had a trip to Coltishall today with a friend (chief tech), sat in the GR3 and loaded all the HUD, HDD etc, it was cool
Thanks again

Regards

TP172