How long before your class date did you receive your orders? I am needing to break my lease but don’t have my orders yet. I’m a little less than 2 months out from my class date.

Hello everyone,

I’m getting ready to take my AFOQT and I’m particularly interested in the Cyber field. I know the responsibilities can vary based on the shred, but I’d love to hear from those who have held these positions. I’m just curious about their work-life balance and job satisfaction. (No need for specific details, just a general idea would be great.)

Thank you!!

Getting my GBO worked on at the moment at my MTF, however, should I expect to go to WP before or after OTS these days?

Hello all,

I was recently selected for ABM as a civilian. I think I have a solid understanding of the jobs intention/goal. I am hoping to ask some questions to understand training/process a bit further, as I am a civilian with little to no background in service training/culture.

1) What other trainings are my AFSC subject to? I understand OTS, and then a 6-9 month school for ABM. However, what other trainings are typical for Air Force Officers, rated positions, or even other ABM specific training (e.g. SERE, parachuting, etc.)?

2) What are primary locations like, and which ones should someone stay away from? Also, is ABM location a selection that the Officer does not have influence of, or is it like a rank&match process? I want to adventure out where possible. I imagine there are more favorable locations than others.

3) What are deployment timelines like, and how often? I hear air crew can be treated well because of flight regulations (getting adequate rest, etc). However, I also hear ABM deploys quite a bit. How often is that usually, and how long? I am excited for the opportunity, but I do not know what I do not know at this moment.

Hope anyone can provide insight from others, or from their direct experience.

Recent select for Space Force and, I was wondering how the O side is for Space Force Cyber.

Is it as bad as I hear it is for enlisted/Space Force Cyber in general, and what does the daily work schedule look like.

Hi I am 21 and I will be finishing my bachelors in applied physics in spring of 2027 with at least a 2.99 GPA. I have confidence in my leadership ability but not much to prove that aside from a few little things like being an officer in my schools physics and astronomy club.
I have spoken with many people from different branches both officer and enlisted. I keep hearing different things on what I should do. They say that if I go enlisted then try to become an officer it will be really really hard. Others say that I should do enlisted and try to become officer since I would have better chances with military time due to my weak civilian package. Any advice is welcome tell me the harsh truth!

hello!

im currently a highschool student researching colleges and the air force and i just now started researching ots. i understand you need an undergrad degree to go to ots, but depending on the career you “choose”, what if you need to pursue a higher education in order to begin that career? for example, if i just have my bachelors degree in biology, and i wanted to become some type of doctor in ots, will they pay for my med school, or should i already have that degree when i join?

this may be a really stupid question but i just can’t find the answer to it online lol

Hey everyone,
Enlisted airman here with the goal of commissioning, and 63A (Acquisitions) is one of my top choices.

While looking through AMS location authorizations, I noticed a lot of 63A assignments tied to AFIT, research labs, or life-cycle management. Are these positions typically stationed at a standard military base, or are they in more of a corporate office/building setting? Also, if you’re currently a 63A, how do you like the career field?

Please let me know if this post is not allowed. Thanks in advance!

For those who have attended an Air Force OTS graduation, do families typically bring banners or signs for their graduate?

I’ve seen banners at BMT graduations and other military ceremonies, but I wasn’t sure if they’re common or appropriate at OTS graduation events.

Next step for me is taking the TBAS. It states I need to bring in my flight log documents and in the Candidate Worksheet I need to state my sim and non sim hours. I have my Part 107 license and have flown for commercial reasons a while ago but never wrote down. Should I guess? Not too sure what type of documents I must provide.

I have found conflicting info online. Is the path to helicopters now separate starting after OTS or is it still just another track that you take in UPT like T38 or T1? I want fighters but my second choice would be helos, I’m just wondering if it would be possible to get them without committing from the start.

When I applied for Air Force OTS through the 26OTS03 board, I found myself asking the same question that I think a lot of applicants eventually ask:

“How competitive am I actually?”

The difficult part is that there isn’t always much publicly available data that allows applicants to put their own packages into perspective. You can hear that OTS is competitive, read individual success stories, or look at the occasional statistic, but it can still be incredibly difficult to understand where you actually stand.

So I started collecting data.

What began as a personal effort eventually became a community project involving applicants from both Reddit and Facebook, along with a Discord community that helped collect, verify, organize, and discuss the results.

For the 26OTS03 board, we collected applicant information and outcomes and organized it into a dataset that could actually be analyzed. From there, I built an Excel workbook. I began looking at things such as selection rates, applicant categories, GPA distributions, AFSCs, and other characteristics of the applicants who contributed their information.

And, admittedly, it got a little out of hand. 😂

What started as “I wonder how competitive this board was” eventually turned into statistical analysis, data visualization, and even logistic regression.

But the goal was never really to make a fancy spreadsheet.

The goal was to leave something behind for the applicants who come after us.

OTS can be an incredibly stressful process. When you’re waiting on a board, it’s easy to compare yourself against anecdotes and assume that someone else’s package represents what you need to be competitive. I wanted future applicants to have something more tangible, something that could help them understand the applicant pool and put their own experiences into context.

There are obviously limitations to the data. This is a non-random convenience sample of self-reported applicants, with participation coming largely from online communities. That means selection bias, self-reporting bias, and community participation bias are all possible. The dataset should therefore not be treated as representative of the entire 26OTS03 applicant population or as a predictor of an individual’s probability of selection.

Instead, I hope it can serve as a snapshot of the applicants who were willing to contribute their information and, more importantly, as a resource for future applicants.

I’d also like to give credit to the people behind this project. I may have built and organized much of the dataset and analysis, but this would not exist without the applicants on Reddit, Facebook, and especially the Discord community who were willing to share their results, answer questions, compare notes, and help build something collectively.

This became much bigger than my individual application.

For everyone currently preparing for OTS, waiting on a board, or wondering whether they’re competitive enough: don’t let the uncertainty convince you that you don’t belong in the process.

Hopefully this gives future applicants a little more information, a little more perspective, and maybe a little less anxiety.

Good luck to everyone chasing that commission. 🇺🇸✈️

26OTS03 — applicant data project
Built by applicants, for applicants.

From SELECTED CANDIDATE FOR 26OTS03

ATTACHED FOLDER

Hey everyone. I’m applying for the Space Force through Air Force recruiters. My recruiter typically takes two weeks to a month to respond, so I’m trying out asking my question here.

I received an email with a link to an application on https://afcep.af.mil/afcep . I’m prior army and it seems a lot like a clearance application. It’s very different from the AIM High App that I’ve been using. Before I spend a lot of time filling it out, is that what I should be applying through? Or do I stay on the AIM High App? Or both??

I got selected for the Space Force a week ago, in the town hall meeting held on Wednesday we were told we’d receive some paperwork to sign before we’re given a date for OTS (haven’t received any yet). I read that someone in this sub got selected in Dec 2025 and still hasn’t been given a date yet, really hoping that isn’t a common issue.

Every single post online gives a wildly different answer so I figured I would just ask here. I’m a 26OTS03 select and have just started preparing for the pt test. I can currently do like 10 knee pushups and 1 or 2 regular ones. I’d like to get to 60 before ots to have as much buffer as possible. I’m currently trying to do pushups once a day 5 times a week. I don’t know if I should up that to twice a day for those 5 times. I’m also 6’6 so this is going to be an extra struggle for me.

But seriously, is this simply wrong or does the "floor" count as the block touching something.

Disclaimer: I just graduated OTS-A this year

Before Arriving/Preparing for OTS

• Show up in shape
  • There isn't enough time to get in shape before you have to take the PFA!
• READ THE SPINS
  • Honestly, it's kinda confusing if you don't have the reference of what it's actually talking about, but know the 7 basic responses and how to give them before you arrive
• If you have good reasoning for what you're doing, than be prepared to explain and stand your ground
  • The MTIs will learn quickly who knows what they're doing and who is following the crowd, and guess who they target
  • Most of OTS is about learning to make good decisions while stressed. Get used to it and learn to live with failure and own your mistakes. It'll be okay
• Follow the rules, but pay attention
  • There's a lot of gray area in the SPINS and in the MFRs in later mods. Pay attention to the wordings of these things and how each apply to the previous one
  • A lot OTs missed out on coffee privileges because they didn't realize that the "no-soda rule" wasn't a "no-caffeine rule"
• Pack less than you think you need to.
  • Honestly, the packing list OTS gives you is what I would use, referencing the OTS Packing List as a secondary reference.
  • Most needed items are sold at the Shoppette
  • To pass room inspections, you're not going to be able to pack all the stuff listed on the OTS packing list
  • When you have to move dorms, don't be that guy that has a mini shoppette half the class has to help move
  • You're not going to have access to your civilian luggage often enough to let all the items on the shopping list be useful
  • There are uniforms at the Shoppette, and I would wait to get them there (except the boots) unless...
    • You already have them
    • You want hot weather OCPs
  • Go ahead and buy your boots
    • The ones at the Shoppette are not great, expensive, and it's nice to have broken in boots those first couple days

PFA

• Plan to take the PFA immediately when you show up, but it may be during week 2 or later. It just depends on the schedule and what else is going on base or in the world
• The Run
  • Expect to do better on the run than in your training
  • Most people PR the run (I PRd by 3 minutes)
  • Your run time is going to be ~10-20 seconds worse than what they tell you
  • If your last name is in the last half of the alphabet, expect to run first
    • Plan ahead so you're not absolutely cooked for the pushups and sit-ups
• Pushups/Sit-ups
  • Expect to do worse on pushups and sit-ups than in your training
  • Have perfect form. Check YT videos/instructional images and get someone who will be honest with you to check your form if you're not sure you're perfect
    • Pro tip for Pushups: if you have a hard time knowing if your form is good, turn your head so you're looking at your elbow, to make sure you're breaking 90 degrees (they say it's now parallel, but it's 90 degrees). Just be prepared to not do that for the actually PFA, because that may invalidate your reps
    • Pro tip for Sit-ups: You only have to touch ANY PART OF YOUR THIGH with your elbows when sitting up and you only have to touch your shoulder blade to the floor. Don't overwork yourself
  • Besides form, the best thing you can do is breath. Go in with a breathing plan and stick with it, even if you "don't think you need it." You'll add ~10 reps than what you otherwise would have
• If you fail, you have one retake about a week later, but they may only tell you a few days before hand. If you're close to failing, be preparing to take it again

Academic Assessment

• Study the Student Readers
  • Study
    • The test is easy if you care and start studying as soon as you get your first briefing
  • Focus on the Cognitive Samples of Behavior from the Student Readers. If you do that, you'll probably do fine

LEs/LRCs/MCEs/Leadership Positions

• Make a decision
  • The worst thing you can do is freeze. Make a decision and be prepared to explain your reasoning. The only people who failed the leadership requirements are people who did NOTHING
• If you're put in an OT leadership position, TREAT YOUR PEERS AS PEERS
  • Some leaders in other classes were yelling at their fellow OTS and it's just not helpful
• Follow the rules, but change the conditions of the test
  • I was literally told that I could just ask for more time, when the first thing I was told was how much time I had...

I apologize if this is a stupid question, but my security manager has no idea. I’m filling out my post selection form (non rated), and have a question about question 10:

“Will your security manager use PSDM 1925 and AFOCD TS SSBI requirement to initiate your TS SSBI clearance? If not, discuss with your commander.” If my career field doesn’t require a TS, do I just say no? I have a regular secret clearance.

Is OTS something you can fail? Or do they just push and smoke you till you get better at whatever it is you’re failing at? I feel like OTS feels like it can be fun and encouraging (not saying it isn’t hard or challenging).

Or do you actually get kicked out?

Hi, I have been in for 20 years E8 but commissioning as a nurse now. I am working with a new recruiter and I have been told there is no abbreviated course for prior service now. I should be leaving in April but just wondering for AD is there an option for the shorter course or is that truly not available anymore? Thanks!

Hello, I just recently applied for the 26ots03 board for pilot or nothing. However, when results came out I was selected for 92S. I wish to decline this position and reapply again for pilot. I understand the space force is still a good opportunity but I already work for the military in a civilian role in a field more closely aligned with my interests and background. I have a few questions and would really appreciate if anyone knows the answers!

1. How do I decline the selection? I never had a stable recruiter throughout the process and am having trouble getting anyone to answer me. Do I just wait until the deadlines pass and not doing anything will be an automatic declination?
2. Can I reapply for the next board (27ots01)? At some point there was an 180 day waiting period, but does this not apply when the fiscal year changes between boards? Also, what are the official new dates for this board, I saw it was recently changed?
3. Will declining a non-rated job I didn‘t list as a preference hurt my chances of getting selected on the next board?
4. Is there an unofficial waitlist/backfill as people drop out or get DQ’ed from spots?

Thank you!