In 1966 when I entered the Army, I took a test called the Officer
Candidate Test (OCT). I am curious as to what that test measured.

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Request for Question Clarification by denco-ga on 16 Apr 2003 23:43 PDT

Howdy foghorn!

I am posting this as a Question Clarificaton Request in the case
that having contemporary information does not reflect the 1966 OCT
that you took.  If this answers your question, or if you need any
clarification, feel free to ask.

According to the "Officer Candidate Tests (Arco Military Test Tutor)"
by Scott A. Ostrow, the current OCT covers a variety of areas.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0768908477/qid=1050559760/

- Synonyms
- Verbal Analogies
- Reading Comprehension
- Paragraph Comprehension
- Sentence Comprehension
- Arithmetic Reasoning
- Math Knowledge
- Data Interpretation
- General Science
- Electronics Information
- Background for National and World Events
- Mechanical Comprehension

People who reviewed the above book also took the OCT and describe it
as being much like the ACT college entrance exam.
http://www.act.org/aap/

"The tests cover four skill areas: English, mathematics, reading, and
science reasoning."

The OCT obviously goes beyond ACT concepts though, as the testing for
"Background for National and World Events" and "Data Interpretation"
would be aimed at finding people with the aptitude to be intelligence
officers, etc.

I agree totally with pinkfreud that the OCT is more or less an aptitude
test that the military uses to test what skill sets applicants have, and
then uses profiles to place candidates in an appropriate area of officer's
training, assuming they pass.


Search strategy

"officer candidate test"
://www.google.com/search?q=%22officer+candidate+test%22

Looking Forward, denco-ga

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Clarification of Question by foghorn-ga on 18 Apr 2003 09:30 PDT

denco-ga,
Thanks for your help. I too was unable to find any information on that
test. I took the test when I entered the Army in 1966. All enlisted
persons whose score on the AFQT (armed forces qualifications test) was
110 or higher (mine was 123)took the OCT. I don't remember much about
the test except that I scored 125-the mimimum as I recalled was 115. I
was selected to attend Signal (electronics)OCS but declined because I
knew nothing about electronics and attended Infantry OCS instead.
During the 1966-1968 period, it was very difficult to get an OCS
assignment to anything other than the combat arms (infantry, armor or
artillery). I was always curious as to why I was originally selected
for Signal . I was not a college graduate and had had no training in
or knew anything about electronics. During my initial aptitude testing
(prior to taking the OCT) I scored 138 on the Electronics Aptitude
test. I wasn't sure whether the OCT or the Electronics Aptitude test
was responsible for my initial branch selection. After my first
firefight in Vietnam, I realized that I should have accepted the offer
to attend Signal OCS regardless of my aprehensions (smile).

Thanks for your comments. I realize that most of the information on
Army testing found on the internet now relates to the ASVAB and not
the AFQT which I took. Your comments have given me a better
understanding of the nature of that test.

Thanks,

foghorn

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Request for Question Clarification by denco-ga on 18 Apr 2003 13:33 PDT

Howdy foghorn!

From what I read doing this research, you probably "prequalified"
yourself for the Signal Corp by your score on the Electronics test,
and since your score on the AFQT kicked you to the OCT, you must
have done well enough on the OCT for them to want you in SigOps.

I have read that in WWII all you needed to know was the difference
between diagonal cutters and a pair of pliers and they made you a
radio operator.

Did you want me to repost my Question Clarificaton Request as an
Answer, or did you want the question expire when the time comes?

Looking Forward, denco-ga

I was, for ten years, an aptitude testing technician for a government
agency. I administered, scored, and interpreted the General Aptitude
Test Battery (GATB.) I have also been a test proctor for Mensa.

From what I have read, I believe the Officer Candidate Test is
essentially an aptitude test similar to the GATB, whose results are
reported in the form of a "general learning ability score" (the
equivalent of an IQ score), a verbal score, a quantitative (math)
score, and scores for spatial aptitude in two and three dimensions. If
the candidate meets minimum standards, his or her OCT profile is
compared against statistically valid norms for different types of
military positions in order to find an assignment that is suited to
the candidate's abilities.

I have been unable to find any extensive discussion of the Officer
Candidate test online. Perhaps another Researcher will be able to
help.