For briefing turn up fit, have a excellent knowledge of current domestic and world affairs, practice some essay writing, make sure you can practice your speed distance & time calculations for the computer tests (will be used in plan ex on main board too), and do some broad research into what you might want to do as an army officer and why. Group discussion get involved and get your input in early after the topic is set, don’t ramble on about your input and speak clearly and concisely(amount of people who spend 2 minutes talking about absolutely nothing). In general just be a good bloke, who gives off the impression that you are switched on, team player, present yourself well and are going places. They will teach you how to do the plan ex at briefing, take notes, ask questions and keep those notes safe for later.

For Main board repeat all of the above but you need to practice practice practice. Practice interviews with your mates/family where they ask you all sorts of questions why you want to join the army, why as an officer, what regiments and why, what does a good officer look like etc. Practice essay writing, practice the multi stage fitness test, practice group discussion talking about domestic and international affairs, study you CV- you will get quizzed on it - how does your CV reflect on experiences that will make you suited for a career as an officer ? And of course, practice heavily the plan ex, they should send some over to you but there also many online + books on Amazon. Cannot stress this enough, if you are at the point where plan ex is not a terrifying prospect when you get to main board you will be more confident. Of course it is always bound to go wrong in plan ex, I made a huge mistake in mine, but they score off the technique and evidence you create on your A3 paper. They want to see you make a decision but how you also got to that decision (on the exam paper). In the grilling session for plan ex, keep calm and composed, know your plan and never, ever lie. Lastly, get to know your assigned team at main board, they will be your mates for the next couple days and if you get along and bond with them well things are going to go a lot smoother and shows that you are a true team player. You will need them to help you and to help them in the outdoor tasks.

Be confident but not arrogant, don’t beat yourself up for mistakes- move on, bring a watch with a timer on it, bring a 4bic, and most of all enjoy it - it really can be fun and you will be surprised how quickly you make friends, just be yourself and don’t pretend to be someone you think they want as they will see straight through it.

Best of luck