CADETSHIPS 2012

Connie Bah

Hey guys. I'm just after reading through some of these threads from the past few years and have seen plenty discussion on the group assessment but I still don't have any real idea on what exactly to expect when it comes to this part of the testing. Can anyone who's been through the process before provide a bit of insight into how the group testing is carried out, and what is exactly is expected of us? Thanks in advance, and best of luck to everyone next week!

DipStick McSwindler

This post has been deleted.

Connie Bah

feeney92 wrote: »

What will happen is, you will be divided into groups of about 5/6. you will each be given a currently serving officer to evaluate you. you sit in a room around a table with the rest of the group. then they will give you a scenarios such as (when I did mine) you have to protect refugees from an attacking army somewhere in africa.

then they give you a map of the locations, outposts,surrounding terrain and nearest re-inforcements etc.then as a group you discus your best method of approach and how you would successfully carry out the mission.

you are timed on this and its not really about your resulting plan as such its more about how you interact with the others, your communication skills and how you treat other peoples opinions. a little tip for this is to be the person who is doing the timekeeping. also write down some notes aswell.

when this is done you nominate between you 1 person to stand up and read out the plan to the officers.again this is to test who is good at public speaking and confident.

If I have left anything out i hope somebody corrects me

Feeney92

Thanks for the reply man. Few more quick questions..

• Why would you recommend doing the timekeeping?
• Is the whole discussion being overlooked by an officer?
• Is this the only element of the group testing?
• What happens if everyone is eager to present the plan? Rock/paper/scissors?

Regarding the rest of the day;

• For the press ups and sit-ups, is there any point doing more than the required twenty, or would it leave a good impression if you did a good bit more?
• If you performed excellent in the fitness/strength/flexibility testing, can that make up for a mediocre performance in the group assessment, or is it simply marked 50/50?
• As it's an overnight stay, what can we expect the next day? Am I going to be woken at the crack off dawn by some bat**** insane drill sergeant dumping a bucket of ice-cold water over me? (I'm aware this won't happen, but you know..)
• Are we being watched closely for the duration of our stay? How we interact with the others, our eagerness to converse with other officers, etc.
• Are we given free time to wander around the barracks?
• The 2.4 km run, is that done on a treadmill or a set route?

I've a lot more questions, but none are coming to mind right now.. I appreciate you taking time out to answer me mate

Topper Harley

Connie Bah wrote: »

Thanks for the reply man. Few more quick questions..

• Why would you recommend doing the timekeeping?
• Is the whole discussion being overlooked by an officer?
• Is this the only element of the group testing?
• What happens if everyone is eager to present the plan? Rock/paper/scissors?

• Doing the timekeeping will show some initiative, responsibility and leadership.
• There is an officer assigned to each candidate (watching from across the room) and one officer overlooking the whole discussion.
• Yes, this is the only element of the group testing.
• If everyone is eager to present the plan, you will get a good opportunity to show your teamwork and communication skills in deciding who should speak.

Connie Bah wrote: »

Regarding the rest of the day;

• For the press ups and sit-ups, is there any point doing more than the required twenty, or would it leave a good impression if you did a good bit more?
• If you performed excellent in the fitness/strength/flexibility testing, can that make up for a mediocre performance in the group assessment, or is it simply marked 50/50?
• As it's an overnight stay, what can we expect the next day? Am I going to be woken at the crack off dawn by some bat**** insane drill sergeant dumping a bucket of ice-cold water over me? (I'm aware this won't happen, but you know..)
• Are we being watched closely for the duration of our stay? How we interact with the others, our eagerness to converse with other officers, etc.
• Are we given free time to wander around the barracks?
• The 2.4 km run, is that done on a treadmill or a set route?

I've a lot more questions, but none are coming to mind right now.. I appreciate you taking time out to answer me mate

• You can do as many press ups and sit ups as you like but it's pass/fail so there's really no need to do any more. There are no more marks for it.
• Again, the fitness test is pass/fail. You have to pass to go on to the group assessment. In effect, the group assessment is like the next stage and your performance in it is assessed on it's own merits.
• The next morning is quite relaxed, nothing to worry about. You'll get up, have breakfast and then attend another talk by an officer before leaving.
• You're not being watched like a hawk for the whole duration. They assess you during the assessments. Don't worry, it's not like going into big brother.
• There will be some free time in the evening to mix with the current cadets.
• The 2.4 km run, is on a set route, 1.2km on a straight road, around a cone and back to the start.

Good look and try to enjoy yourself, it will be a good experience regardless of how you do.

Safety

---

Hi everyone, had the preliminary interview today for the Air Corps and thought it had gone well. The technical qs were tricky but when I answered them and particularly when I answered one and expanded on it the interviewer admitted that they had no further knowledge of the question they had ask. But one hour after the interview finished I recieved an email stating I was unsuccessful. I got the impression the jobs vacant have been selected already. As in it was who you know to get in there. I have just graduated with a level 8 degree and had thought I would have gone further in the competition. Has anyone else experienced this??

Thors Hammer

Safety wrote: »

---

Hi everyone, had the preliminary interview today for the Air Corps and thought it had gone well. The technical qs were tricky but when I answered them and particularly when I answered one and expanded on it the interviewer admitted that they had no further knowledge of the question they had ask. But one hour after the interview finished I recieved an email stating I was unsuccessful. I got the impression the jobs vacant have been selected already. As in it was who you know to get in there. I have just graduated with a level 8 degree and had thought I would have gone further in the competition. Has anyone else experienced this??

To be honest, rumours have been rife for years that becoming a military officer in this country is a 'who you know' type of job. I've applied previously to the army and felt that I should have done better, considering my qualifications. I've spoken to a number of officers and some say it is a strict/no favouritism process and some say it does no harm to have somebody you know in there. I suspect the truth is somewhere in between.

The trouble is some officers who get in may not even be aware that somebody has put in a word, and they strongly defend the process as being based on merit because they believe they got in under their own merit. But I do believe there is a proportion of every cadet class that gets in under their own merits.

Also, the Air corps is even more competitive than the army or navy as they only have a hanful of positions every year.

If it is done, it's done very discreetly and hard to root out. You would imagine the initial aptitude testing has reduced the capacity for it but who really knows!

Connie Bah

Topper Harley wrote: »

• Doing the timekeeping will show some initiative, responsibility and leadership.
• There is an officer assigned to each candidate (watching from across the room) and one officer overlooking the whole discussion.
• Yes, this is the only element of the group testing.
• If everyone is eager to present the plan, you will get a good opportunity to show your teamwork and communication skills in deciding who should speak.

• You can do as many press ups and sit ups as you like but it's pass/fail so there's really no need to do any more. There are no more marks for it.
• Again, the fitness test is pass/fail. You have to pass to go on to the group assessment. In effect, the group assessment is like the next stage and your performance in it is assessed on it's own merits.
• The next morning is quite relaxed, nothing to worry about. You'll get up, have breakfast and then attend another talk by an officer before leaving.
• You're not being watched like a hawk for the whole duration. They assess you during the assessments. Don't worry, it's not like going into big brother.
• There will be some free time in the evening to mix with the current cadets.
• The 2.4 km run, is on a set route, 1.2km on a straight road, around a cone and back to the start.

Good look and try to enjoy yourself, it will be a good experience regardless of how you do.

Cheers for the reply mate. I'm heading up tomorrow for it, so the excitement is building. Will let you know how I get on as soon as I can!

hanhig

Anybody have any advice that hasn't been mentioned yet for Stage 2 of the Naval Service competition?

BEASTERLY

Safety wrote: »

---

Hi everyone, had the preliminary interview today for the Air Corps and thought it had gone well. The technical qs were tricky but when I answered them and particularly when I answered one and expanded on it the interviewer admitted that they had no further knowledge of the question they had ask. But one hour after the interview finished I recieved an email stating I was unsuccessful. I got the impression the jobs vacant have been selected already. As in it was who you know to get in there. I have just graduated with a level 8 degree and had thought I would have gone further in the competition. Has anyone else experienced this??

First of all I am sure the vacancies are not already filled, as that would be highly illegal! I'm sure they are conducting hundreds of interviews, would they really waste their time? From my (unsuccessful) experience of the process, the interview is purely competency based. Meaning your level 8 degree means zero if you cant show in the interview how it has helped you obtain those qualities. It sounds like you did well in the technical side of things. Maybe you didn't perform as well in the other 3 competencies? And as said before, the competition for the Air Corps competition of fierce.

My advice would be to accept failure, I know it's hard. Stop blaming others for your lack of success and look critically upon your own performance, see what you can improve on and apply again next year. All the best.

blackjack21

hi all, about stage 2 of the navy cadetship, put in for operational and engineering, but recently received notice that i am eligible for the operational cadetship but not for the engineering, does anyone know how the requirements are different?

superbaby88

Done stage 2 of the army cadetship competition yesterday. 60 fellas and girls made the morning after and the standard was very high. It's going to be tough but I wish you all the best. Hoping to get the magic e-mail saying I have the interview.

Thors Hammer

superbaby88 wrote: »

Done stage 2 of the army cadetship competition yesterday. 60 fellas and girls made the morning after and the standard was very high. It's going to be tough but I wish you all the best. Hoping to get the magic e-mail saying I have the interview.

How was the group exercise buddy? did many fail the fitness?

superbaby88

There was 75 in the group but about 8 didn't turn up I think. Then around 7 failed the fitness part inside the gym. Nobody failed the run which was strange compared to last year. The group assessment was good now. My group had a very good dynamic and we shared responsibility for different tasks, time-keeping, note keeping etc. It's very hard to gauge how you did in the group assessment task but I would err on the side that I did well enough perhaps to get the interview. Here's hoping!!! Was anybody else on this thread up there this week?

quirkster

I'm on tomorrow. Nerves are starting to kick in

superbaby88

Best of luck quirkster, give it socks and make sure you give your best, take fish oils in the morning time so as to keep your concentration through the day as you may not have group assessment until about 9 O' Clock by which time you may be mentally fatigued. Ultimately, give it your best and give good valid points during group assessment and point out information others don't.

Thors Hammer

superbaby88, was it the Liberia challenge group test you did or a different scenario?

goldie fish

blackjack21 wrote: »

hi all, about stage 2 of the navy cadetship, put in for operational and engineering, but recently received notice that i am eligible for the operational cadetship but not for the engineering, does anyone know how the requirements are different?

Eyesight?
Have you completed the Leaving cert? If yes, then your subject choice coud be a factor.
Don't worry about it though, you did well to get this far.

superbaby88

Thors Hammer wrote: »

superbaby88, was it the Liberia challenge group test you did or a different scenario?

Man, this group assessment was set up in some fictional town called Buwaili and ****., You be the mother****a in charge of a UN base camp wher there be rebellious ass bitches coming from the north, I ain't going to relay too much after that because people got to decide for their ownselves how to counter it. Still few folk got to face that here **** y'all. Ya feel me?
(After watching 5 episodes of the Wire back to back, so excuse the street talk)
Peace out homes!!!
Avon.

blackjack21

goldie fish wrote: »

Eyesight?
Have you completed the Leaving cert? If yes, then your subject choice coud be a factor.
Don't worry about it though, you did well to get this far.

Nah eyesights grand, have the leaving cert+ engineering degree, still have to attend stage 2 at the end of the month, but was told i now only qualify for the operational cadetship and not the engineering cadetship, i'l give them a ring an ask sur, cheers

BigDuffman

Finished stage 2 this morning. Not about people not showing. Only 2 failed fitness (P/Ups) that I saw. Everyone made the run AFAIK. Seemed to be a relatively fit group this year compared to some of the fatties that went last year. There were 69 that completed stage 2 this morning. Apparently over 2500 initially applied. 105 will be called for interview. Call backs for start of next weeks.

Connie Bah

superbaby88 wrote: »

There was 75 in the group but about 8 didn't turn up I think. Then around 7 failed the fitness part inside the gym. Nobody failed the run which was strange compared to last year. The group assessment was good now. My group had a very good dynamic and we shared responsibility for different tasks, time-keeping, note keeping etc. It's very hard to gauge how you did in the group assessment task but I would err on the side that I did well enough perhaps to get the interview. Here's hoping!!! Was anybody else on this thread up there this week?

Was up there yesterday, just got home now. The fitness test was fine, the push ups/sit ups are very easy if you've done any bit of preparation for them at all, although in saying that, two did fail immediately from the first group.

Our group assessment went well. Everyone seemed to be on the same note, and nobody was too headstrong or too timid in their contributions. Interviews start next Monday so we were told we'd hear how we got on by tomorrow lunchtime.

BigDuffman

Anyone heard anything yet?

Connie Bah

BigDuffman wrote: »

Anyone heard anything yet?

Nope. Been sitting here twiddling my thumbs all morning!

BigDuffman

Havn't heard of anyone getting info yet. So hopefully its monday!

Davehopper

Safety wrote: »

---

Hi everyone, had the preliminary interview today for the Air Corps and thought it had gone well. The technical qs were tricky but when I answered them and particularly when I answered one and expanded on it the interviewer admitted that they had no further knowledge of the question they had ask. But one hour after the interview finished I recieved an email stating I was unsuccessful. I got the impression the jobs vacant have been selected already. As in it was who you know to get in there. I have just graduated with a level 8 degree and had thought I would have gone further in the competition. Has anyone else experienced this??

i aggree, its a ****in jke! ive aplide 5 yeers in row nd hvnt got in yet. ive aced d intervew every time. ive produce a record ov my flight hrs frm flight sim, which i mst say are impressive. ive told thm what i thnk the aer corp dose wrong nd was able 2 mke sugestions on how to improve the organisation.

lookin bak id say nt very many ppl came close 2 my standaard. i even have online awards for difficult flights completed in bad weather and all from both fsx and flight sim 2004. even still i woz unsuccseful every time. msut b a fukn FIX! :mad::mad::mad::mad:

goldie fish

Davehopper wrote: »

i aggree, its a ****in jke! ive aplide 5 yeers in row nd hvnt got in yet. ive aced d intervew every time. ive produce a record ov my flight hrs frm flight sim, which i mst say are impressive. ive told thm what i thnk the aer corp dose wrong nd was able 2 mke sugestions on how to improve the organisation.

lookin bak id say nt very many ppl came close 2 my standaard. i even have online awards for difficult flights completed in bad weather and all from both fsx and flight sim 2004. even still i woz unsuccseful every time. msut b a fukn FIX! :mad::mad::mad::mad:

Did you get dropped on your head recently? "coz" your spelling has gotten much worse since your first post.

TROLL

Davehopper

goldie fish wrote: »

Did you get dropped on your head recently? "coz" your spelling has gotten much worse since your first post.

TROLL

sorry i was in a hurry. i have since been advised to not use text speak again, so i wont.

superbaby88

Anybody get info on interviews yet, this **** is killing me. Put me out my misery already!!!

Davehopper

Well I got my rejection email from the aer corps ,

travelledpengy

CIGANO wrote: »

Your cv isn't great and its not your fault (I am the same age as you so I know that its very hard to have as much things on it that someone in their late 20's would have). But you should know that you are competing with Rdf nco's, uni grads (engineering especially would be looked for so if you are doing that in uni now,great job) and even inter county players which the army love getting a hold off. My advice to you is try and get into the rdf this will help you a lot also even if you dont get through you will atleast know what will be expected of you in future competitions (some officers have tried 4+ time before they got accepted). Also if you are willing to take a step down so to speak and go in through general enlistment then your age would in some cases be seen as an advantage as opposed to cadets where your lack of life experience would be seen as a disadvantage.

RETARD