Identification and Accessioning of Individuals for the Officer Candidate School (OCS)

Abstract : The "AccessOCS" project was a qualitative study designed to (a) identify and describe Officer Candidate School (OCS) applicants in terms of motivations, backgrounds, and incentives; (b) identify how the OCS selection and application process works, and (c) develop recommendations for improving the OCS accessioning process. The research approach was to conduct focus groups and one-on-one interviews with a number of personnel, e.g., sponsors, applicants, government officials, to learn about the OCS accessioning process from several vantage points. These individuals included: OCS candidates; OCS instructors, cadre, and Company Commanders; Basic Officer Leadership Course B (BOLC B) lieutenants; Captain's Career Course (CCC) officers; recruiters; and policy-level government officials. Content analysis of the interviews and focus groups revealed the following key findings: findings substantiated the fact that OCS candidates express a desire to serve and a commitment to the Army; OCS application procedures can be difficult for applicants to understand and utilize; a standardized, stored database management system for tracking officer candidates and their performance is lacking; officer candidates could be better prepared for OCS; and the review board process is decentralized. Issues surrounding the branch assignment are discussed. Several recommendations for improvement are presented.