Hello and welcome to How to Pass the Admiralty Interview Board.
My name is Richard McMunn.
During this presentation, I'm going to give you some
important hints and tips that will help you to prepare effectively for the
Royal Navy Officer and Royal Marines Officer AIB.
So I suggest you grab a pen and a piece of paper and just take a note
of some of the important hints and tips that I'm going to give you
today.
Now I want to stress from the offset that the way that you're going to be
assessed during the Admiralty Interview Board is that in relation to the
qualities of a Royal Navy Officer and a Royal Marines Officer and there are
basically looking to see that you have the potential to become an officer.
So the reason why the qualities are important to know is basically, because
if you understand the qualities then they will be key to your success.
You have to demonstrate that you have the potential
to become a Royal Navy Officer and a Royal Marines Officer.
You do that by demonstrating the qualities and attributes of the role because
that is how they're going to assess you.
Now let's take a quick look at the role of an officer within the Royal Navy
and the Royal Marines.
So basically outstanding leadership and teamwork skills are absolutely essential.
So you have to be able to lead men and women but you also need to have good team
working skills and I want to stress that during the Admiralty Interview
Board, you need to demonstrate a sense of urgency at all times.
When leading a task and also when acting as a team member.
So don't just go to the AIB and think, "I need to
demonstrate leadership skills."
Yes, they are very important, but it's also just important that you can demonstrate that
you can work hard as part of a team.
So I would say work hard, demonstrate urgency and also show a high
level of enthusiasm and motivation for being there because, yes, you're
going to be under pressure during the Admiralty Interview Board, but you
need to demonstrate those qualities and really show the assessors that you
want this really badly.
You must be able to think and react quickly and be ready to accept
responsibility, make decisions and manage other people.
So let's say you're at the Admiralty Interview Board.
You're going to be under pressure during a lot of the tasks and the exercises that
you'll be required to undertake so you have to think and react quickly and
that is hard to do whilst under pressure.
And it mentions there about being ready to accept responsibility,
take leadership.
If one of the assessors asks you to do something or they
ask for a volunteer, be the first to put your hand up.
Get involved, get stuck in and make decisions and manage other
people.
You should be able to communicate with people of all abilities, explain
your ideas, give spoken and written instructions and motivate other people.
So when you're taking charge of a leadership task, motivate your team, get
behind them, support them.
You must take a keen interest in the people you
lead given your responsibility to inspire, guide and discipline them.
And you must be physically fit and prepared to
work in combat.
So when you go to the Admiralty Interview Board, make sure
you're prepared, not just in your mental ability, on your ability to do
planning exercises and speed, distance and time, but you must also be physically
fit.
Let's have a look now at the officer attributes.
The key personal attributes that a good, competent Royal Navy
and Royal Marines Officer is expected to have and that the assessors at
the AIB will be looking for include an ability to inspire and motivate
other people.
You have to be self-disciplined and confident and have the
ability to work well in a team.
So I've already mentioned the importance of teamwork about getting stuck in
and getting involved and self-discipline, be where you have to be at the
required time and you shouldn't have to be told.
When they say to you, "Be here at a certain time," make sure you're
there with plenty of time to spare.
Good communication skills at all levels are essential and the ability to
take responsibility and make decisions sometimes under pressure.
So it's not just about your vocal communication skills
but also your written communication skills and also your listening
communication skills, how you listen to the brief and listen to other people
within your team.
And having the ability to operate advanced technical
equipment and a good level of physical fitness are very important.
You obviously need good organisational skills as a leader and a manager and being
prepared to go into combat.
So they are the opposite attributes.
Now let's take a quick look at some information about the Admiralty
Interview Board.
All potential officers attend a two-day AIB and it's based
at [inaudible 00:04:48] in Hampshire and it's basically so the Royal Navy
can see, can check to find out if you have got what it takes and this is
called "potential".
So you don't have to go there and be the finished article but you do have to demonstrate potential
and over the two days they're going to test your mentally and physically.
The tests are designed to assess whether you have the personal qualities
required to become a satisfactory officer after training.
Now there's nothing wrong with going on the Internet and going on chat
forums, to find out the kind of thing that you're going to undergo during
the AIB.
That is fine and I will encourage you to do that.
However, I would recommend that you concentrate more on demonstrating
the qualities and attributes required to become an officer whilst
you're at the AIB because you're going to be assessed against these
key areas, effective intelligence.
That's being able to apply a level of intelligence at a
certain time in a certain situation.
So whether you are involved in a planning exercise or a practical leadership
task, you have to apply a certain element of intelligence for that particular
scenario and you're going to have to adapt to each situation.
You're going to have to take leadership at certain times.
They will assess you on your leadership skills.
So when it comes on to the practical leadership task, for example, you need to
take charge, take control of the situation and lead the men and women on your
team.
Don't leave it for someone else to do.
Make sure you are the person who does it.
The powers of communication, do you have the ability to
motivate your team and to speak to them in a forceful manner?
Not a bullying manner, but a forceful manner.
Project your voice over to your team, and lead them.
What are your values like?
Do you have the values in you of the Royal Navy
and the Royal Marines?
I mentioned in the beginning of the presentation about your levels of motivation.
Are you keen and enthusiastic?
How badly do you want this?
Because that will shine through at the Admiralty Interview Board.
Now the Board consists of a number of elements.
You'll have to undertake written tests.
A 20-minute verbal reasoning test, a 30-minute non-verbal
reasoning test, a 25-minute numerical test which covers numerical fluency,
reason and statistics, a 15-minute speed and accuracy test measuring your
concentration and mental agility, a 15-minute spatial orientation test
involving directions, relative positions and movement.
You'll also have to undergo a general service knowledge test, and I
recommend that you spend plenty of time on the Royal Navy and the Royal
Marines websites finding out about where they're serving at the moment, the
different commando units and also keep up to date with current affairs.
I recommend that you subscribe to The Week magazine
because that will give you a good [appraisal] of what's going on
around the world in a short sort of magazine format.
Or, make sure that you get hold of some high-quality newspapers and read them everyday.
Improve your knowledge of the kind of things that are going on in the world.
You'll also have to undertake an essay.
You'll be given 45 minutes to write about a subject chosen from a list of four
topics.
Again, if you are up to date on current affairs, then you shouldn't
have too much problem with the essay but make sure you prepare in the build
up to the AIB by practicing writing essays, making sure you have an introduction
to your essay, a middle and an end and an conclusion.
Don't sit on the fence with the essay.
Have an opinion on the subject matter.
And a fitness assessment, on the afternoon on the first day, you'll
complete a multi-stage fitness test more commonly known as the bleed test.
In the second day, a practical leadership task where you'll work in teams
in the gym and they'll observe how you solve practical problems, how you
put a plan into action and respond to emerging difficulties.
And the planning exercise, which can be very difficult,
you'll be given a written brief containing details of a fictitious scenario.
You're given 15 minutes to study it and then they introduce a problem
into the scenario setting.
Again, you have 15 minutes to discuss with your team and your group and
reach an agreed plan.
They then present it up to the Board and each person
in the group will be questioned in turn, to examine their grasp of the
situation.
So I strongly recommend that you try a number of planning exercises before
you go to AIB, but more importantly, be competent in the use of speed,
distance and time calculations and I don't just mean speed, distance and
time in relations to writing down calculations but be able to do them in
your head.
That is the key to being that good at speed, distance and time.
Thirty-minute competency based interview.
You should think about the times you've been a leader.
Give examples of when you've led people, when you've
organised something and being in a team and shown courage.
So sample questions could be, "Can you give an example
of when you've been a leader?"
"Give an example of when you've organised something in your life."
"What is you greatest achievement?"
"Give an example of how you've work effectively as part of a team and when you've demonstrated
courage."
Obviously there'll be other interview questions that you'll be
required to undertake, but they're good example of them.
Then they'll tell you the results individually in the afternoon.
If you're unsuccessful, you'll have to leave but if
you've passed, you'll need to complete a medical examination.
Now, how you can do it yourself at the Admiralty Interview Board and remember they're
looking for potential.
You're being assessed continuously as soon as you turn up.
No hands in your pockets.
No smoking.
Make sure that you look smart and always be on your
best behaviour.
Set yourself high standards throughout selection; and
remember you're applying to become an officer and a leader.
Think about the core values of the Royal Navy and the Royal
Marines.
Don't get in with the wrong crowd.
If there's people there at the AIB who you think are trouble,
who are not really serious, stay well clear.
Always be punctual.
Be on time.
Be smart.
Create the right impression and be respectful to the Board in their assessing
officers.
Finally, make sure that you are conversant in relation to speed,
distance and time.
Very important.
I put there on the screen the different formulas and
calculations, but accuracy and agility in speed, distance and time is
absolutely essential in the planning exercises.
Speed equal distance over time.
Distance equals speed multiplied by time.
Time equals distance divided by speed.
Thank you for watching.
To learn more about how to pass the Royal Navy
Officer or Royal Marines Officer selection process, please go to
how2become.com.
Thank you very much for watching and I wish you all the
very best in your pursuit to joining the Royal Navy as an officer.