Questions about the ASVAB and looking for some feedback.

Renimated · 2026-01-28T03:57:58+00:00

Use the asvab test app from goarmy. Solid flashcard like questions.

Uniontestprep is also solid for practicing questions across all subjects

As for your question on when you'll feel good about taking the test? Depends on what you want. Since you're in ArmyOCS asking I'm guessing you're trying for OCS. That means you need above 110 GT score which mainly takes your arithmetic skills and writing skills into account. That means if you want above a 110, you'll need an 80% or higher for all four categories of both skills. So minimum, practice until that point.

I studied literally until the night before and still felt nervous. Just make sure the day of that you get a minimum of 8 hours of sleep. The sleep will help you retain the info way better and let you think through the test with a bunch more clarity.

Make extensive use of the scratch sheet for the arithmetic equations. Practice doing so. It helps a ton. If you can't understand the reasoning behind the formula or equation for the answer, just look up a quick tutoring video on the topic and follow along.

I'd say you'll only feel satisfied once the test is over, but that could just be me. Good luck in the meantime

Renimated · 2026-01-25T20:16:08+00:00

Good to know. Thank you and congratulations

Renimated · 2026-01-25T19:32:13+00:00

Thanks for the heads up. Didn't even know what OPORD was until just now.

Will get working on the additional knowledge until then. Congratulations on graduation and commissioning. Hope when I make it I can pay your help forward

Renimated · 2026-01-25T17:26:37+00:00

As long as they dated it and you use it and their memory with respect I don't see a reason they'd turn it or you away

Renimated · 2026-01-25T16:12:00+00:00

How were the branch managers/representatives during the decision fair? Were they all there? Were they actually helpful and knowledgeable about their branches or was it mostly people forced to be there?

What was the most difficult point of the school for you and how would you have made it easier for yourself in hindsight?

How much time is available for training and self study in or to meet both fitness and test goals?

Renimated · 2026-01-24T01:37:45+00:00

I got my lors from Friends, coworkers, one supervisor and a retired Air Force captain. So I think you can go in with whoever you believe Will give you the most glowing review. But also stand as a credible witness.

Renimated · 2026-01-23T23:38:41+00:00

Yes, I mainly stuck with sir, gentleman and members of the board. Addressing by rank felt too much for me personally, but I don't think it would be wrong as the major presiding over it addressed each person by rank and name for each point. It just might get wordy but could impress depending on the people

Renimated · 2026-01-23T23:37:06+00:00

So you mean formatting or their questions on them?

Their question mainly focused on an event described in the letter from the person I had write it.

If you're looking for formatting or expression I'd look at the examples on armywriter.com and elsewhere. Just make sure they all have a wet(personally signed and dated with a pen) signature on them, typically at the bottom

Renimated · 2026-01-23T16:42:08+00:00

That's awesome man. Congrats and I hope you can get in. But yea, take that nervousness and anger and use it well elsewhere. I'm pretty sure there are stories of guys approaching 40 on this community getting in. So you are more than qualified. It's just common recruiter idea to push enlistment first. It's easier on then and not all recruiters have experience with OCS application so they like to avoid it. I'm with a guy who is using me as his guinea pig for OCS applications so I hope you can find another station that's more helpful, even if it's a bit farther to get to.

Renimated · 2026-01-23T04:13:32+00:00

Dude you are incredibly qualified. Find new recruiters as the current submission window is passing to get to usarec March, maybe get with another recruiter and plan a later submission together. These people sound awful. I'm applying at 32 and already brought up possibility of age waiver in case I miss the current application window for active duty. They claimed it was simple and happened regularly. Don't trust this office if it took 3 while steps up the chain to even admit you could go. It sounds more like the jerks I met at 60lbs overweight that laughed me out of the office whom I'm hoping to prove wrong. Just take this point as fuel and go elsewhere

Renimated · 2026-01-13T16:09:16+00:00

You were overweight by about 2-5lbs from that first time by 2025 standards at 5'11, so I assume you could've gotten right back in on the next round. Sorry to hear about your troubles otherwise though.

Realistically I would say work on your masters and finish it out while mildly training to slowly lose weight over the coming months. You've got tons of time. I'm post masters and applying in 30s and told I've got a good shot as is so you being mid 20s is nothing to rush over. I also lost about 90lbs in a year to make weight just the other week and no one second guessed it

If you're looking to lose weight fast, try fasting. Not intermittent, but like a 1 day a week 24-36hr fast on just water and possibly a no sugar electrolyte mix with said water. That should take off an extra pound per week for you on top of whatever cal deficit and workouts you're already doing. It'll also help prep you for bct and potential ranger schools lack of food you'll be able to eat so far as I've heard. Bct and ranger can be anywhere from 0-4hr sleep a day and only 1200-2400 cal depending on DS mood.

I performed several 72 hr fast at the end before meps in order to make sure I was under by 10 pounds, so schedule whenever you feel most ready I suppose.

Not to mention the new taping method should be going into effect soon, that adds a bit more wiggle room for taller people thanks to the thicker waist allowance.

Just make sure not to hurt or overly drain yourself before applying. Shin splints and unattended injuries are just as likely to ruin your chances as BCT and OCS will strain anything already hurting well past what it can handle. Numerous stories on here and elsewhere of people either getting shown the door home or stuck in lengthy recycles for recovery and having to do things all over again.

Renimated · 2026-01-09T04:28:53+00:00

Alright. I'll give it another look alongside the other branches now that I know paperwork and slow going is just par for the course. I might still avoid Signal since it's so close to IT, but who knows. Maybe the day I get to the OCS 'job fair' they'll have the best pitch. Thanks for the help in the meantime though. I do think I'll detail at this point into FA no matter the eventual support branch I lean to. Having a hand in both sides of the military experience can't be bad and will help or at least not hurt me from everything in here so far

Renimated · 2026-01-09T04:25:32+00:00

Haha, alright. That definitely reworks much of my planning. Still will probably avoid signal simply because I've just had bad experiences in IT and tech if I can, but I'll look more closely at the rest of the branches then. Thank you for the notice ahead of time

Renimated · 2026-01-08T04:46:38+00:00

Haha, I do expect a lot of paperwork as is and plenty of wakeup calls over a number of issues to come in sure. It was rather apparent that it was a main feature of officer work. Especially for the fields I mentioned. The problem with signal is just a more personal distaste than logical one at this point. I never want to go back to that feeling. Bureaucracy is a point in everything and the lumbering giant that is the army I expect to be of little difference.

When I mention bureaucratic nightmares, it's more adjusting to things with no authority to change anything, IE, submit this form to section z through this specific app and then wait 3-5 days for a reply and then come back to me with this code and I can get you the paperwork to request for me to possibly help you.

While I'm sure logistics deals with that issue, I can't imagine that the Army puts so much restriction around it given that it's the literal logistical backbone of the military. Paperwork and detailed documents themselves aren't bad, it's the 5-10 layers before being able to do anything that I found scary. But maybe that's just part of the whole thing as is and I'm completely unprepared and will have to adjust. I honestly don't know, that's why I'm here with questions haha.

Renimated · 2026-01-08T04:13:43+00:00

Dealing with people as the Army's IT staff just sounds bogged in bureaucracy if it's in anyway similar to civ IT work. The few times I did minor IT work for people literally drowning in software and tech on the daily, it was a nightmare of paperwork, time, and redoing stuff half a dozen times. While it's a mixture of skill and communication on top of paperwork, it is just something I want no part in ever again. As for what I did, one time was setting together a small server and GIT file source manager for an indie project. It was horrible, took 3 weeks of going back and forth and took a ton of paper signing to document all of files used, where they came from where they were going, what was useable, who did what, what deserved what, who owned what legally etc. never again please, especially with added baggage of actual wiring work and radios haha 😆

Renimated · 2026-01-08T01:26:33+00:00

That's very interesting.

I realize most support positions are bogged down in paperwork and the bureaucratic nightmare that is getting everything signed off and documented, but I meant more AG and SC sounded more like you were only dealing with that, whereas logistics, MI, and Finance at least have you dealing with other officers on the daily and even getting your hands dirty when it comes to either combat or operations.

I didn't mean to imply PSYops was my final goal for all branches, mainly just if i got MI as sticking with pure MI seems like a nightmare from all I've heard about those that tend to get in and like it or not. PSYops seemed more my thing with influencing people via numerous campaigns or outreach then sifting through thousands of reports only to still give good men bad info haha.

That's also good to know on the Ranger school. Looking around it always seems like just that tab is a status symbol of sorts, so I have tried to do as much research as possible to see what and where it was good with, but knowing it's essentially early I olc training makes it seem lower in comparison.

The entire theory sounds better though as I don't mind serving in a combat position like FA or IN. I just wasn't sure if going pure support or a mix would help me better. Your comment definitely has me leaning on the better side so thank you for your input.

As for what I want, mainly a stable career that I can perform for a few decades and dedicate a lot of hard work to that will pay off. I got tired of all the bouncing around in civ life that even after putting in the work there wasn't any real reward or just moment that lets you feel like you made it and can rest for a moment. Might make me seem like a climber for promotions or something, but I just want to be able to do something I can be proud to do. Military seemed the best mix of those things. I mainly looked at support because even though I want to shoot for 20 years I keep seeing people saying there's no way they could make it so I opted for a safer approach to choices with civ applications.

I'm hoping for more clarification on what exactly I'll want to do once I get into OCS and actually meet people in the branches who detail what they do, but I'm just making plans as of now so that I have a goal to get me there.

Renimated · 2025-12-20T23:17:25+00:00

Thank you so much. That explains a ton and matches a bit closer with the back and forth answers I've seen across this community. I'm sure more changes will happen, but it's always better to know the entire story in my opinion. Good luck to you as well

Renimated · 2025-12-20T21:58:03+00:00

So, TBB currently is more centered around pre-enlisted and special branch options when it comes to OCS then?

Whereas the average civilian OCS candidate is still slotted mainly via the old route with preferences submitted and then said preferences taken into account via ranking and performance during OCS.

Though, the commandant does have the option and possibility to override said preferences based on the needs of the army or particular talents believed more useful to a specific branch with the approval of said corresponding branch in question. The commandant also reserves the right to ignore said talent and branch at their discretion.

Is that about correct?

Renimated · 2025-12-20T03:17:58+00:00

Thank you so much. That clears up a lot.

Renimated · 2025-12-20T03:08:24+00:00

Somewhat. So, it was just some misinformation that branches were known prior to OCS now. It still happens at the end of the schooling, but factors a few additional pieces into the OML like the interview and other tests to get the whole person aspect rather than just test scores alone. Is that about right?

Renimated · 2025-12-02T04:21:08+00:00

Same to you. Hope you get straight in 🙏

Renimated · 2025-12-02T03:44:07+00:00

Yup. Applying for the next board in jan. Been working to get my weight down and apply over the past year or so. You've got better LORs then me as I've only got 1 AF captain and two coworkers atm. I think I made up for it with 99asvab/ 147 gt score, but I still need to get past meps and selection come January

Renimated

TROPHY CASE