Cadetship competition 'Group assessment'

[Gribben]

I was wondering if anyone had any insight into or advice on the group assessment stage of the Army Cadetship competition?

There's obviously a lot of material on the fitness test, but there seems to be very little information on the group assessment. Would anyone know what it would entail? I have mine this week and I'm curious about what could come up.

[trellheim]

Do you know what - I don't know, but fair play for asking.

[paul g]

They put you in a group and set you a task to complete you are judged on

A) how well you work with others

B) your leadership and decision making skills

They are looking for confident young people who can communicate well and work with and direct others in extremely stressful situations

[ArdMhacha]

I did it about 10 years ago. The group I was with were given the scenario of a patrol in Liberia who had strayed into a rebel area and had to make it to an extraction point. We were given each individuals strengths and weaknesses and all sorts of other info. We basically had to formulate a cohesive plan and work together.
Well one lad wanted to call in an AC130 gunship and it all went t1ts up from there. Quite funny now when I think back to it.
Stick to the brief and try to work as a group are the points I'm trying to get across I suppose.

[Gribben]

They put you in a group and set you a task to complete you are judged on

A) how well you work with others

B) your leadership and decision making skills

They are looking for confident young people who can communicate well and work with and direct others in extremely stressful situations

Cheers. I'm excited to see how it goes.

[Gribben]

I did it about 10 years ago. The group I was with were given the scenario of a patrol in Liberia who had strayed into a rebel area and had to make it to an extraction point. We were given each individuals strengths and weaknesses and all sorts of other info. We basically had to formulate a cohesive plan and work together.
Well one lad wanted to call in an AC130 gunship and it all went t1ts up from there. Quite funny now when I think back to it.
Stick to the brief and try to work as a group are the points I'm trying to get across I suppose.

Thanks! It's good to see I'm not the only person from Armagh to have ever applied haha. I've done similar group activities before so it'll be interesting to find out what kind of candidates I get to work with in my group.

[na grohmiti]

Strange thing with these exercises, it isn't always the loudest, who gets the best result.
TEAM.

[Fantasia]

I would recommend that you apply through the DF Info Office for an opportunity to meet an officer from your nearest DF location. Info@military.ie is their email address.

They will walk you through the process and give you other advice and assistance.

It will also stand to you in your interviews when you are able to say that you made special efforts to find out more info.

Good luck.

[Auldsod]

i completed similar 5-10 years ago. 'Other' militaries close to ourselves use similar assessments and planning exercises as part of their officer selection.

You could take a look at those as there is plenty detail online. Those used (at least when I completed) by the DF tend to use less mathematical time/distance calculations to put the potential cadet under pressure. More focus on general planning ability and how you work within a group.

[northie]

The assessing staff are looking for team players and how you interact with the group. They want to see your ability to plan and organise and delegate if needs be.

Throwing in some jargon about having left and right arcs and interlocking fields of fire will not serve to impress, because that isn't the aim of the exercise.

[Gribben]

Just wanted to say thanks for the advice guys! Meant a lot!

I'm onto the final hurdle now.

[Gribben]

Would anyone happen to know what the drop out rate is for a Cadet class? Do many candidates on the reserve panel make it to the Curragh?

I couldn't imagine it being too high given the role they applied for and the time it takes to get into the Cadet school.

[Auldsod]

While I can't comment on the exact rates - Cadets do drop out at varying points in class. Some rights at the very start and some surprisingly close to commissioning.

I wouldn't agree that it takes that much time to get to the Cadet School given that the process is relatively straight forward and quick assuming you are already fit (in my experience of it anyway). It's irrelevant anyway as some are simply unsuitable for military service despite the time taken to join.

Candidates from the reserve panel do make it to the Curragh.