What I've learned so far about the OTS process.
I will be sharing my journey to OTS through a series of posts in with the hope that I can make things a little easier for anyone just starting out or already working through the process.
For some background, I started the OTS process in back in February 2025 and I graduated from college in December 2025. I’m going for the CSO slot and at this point I’m just waiting until July for the board's decision.
I plan on sharing the order of steps, how I prepared for and took the AFOQT and TBAS, what the results mean since that information is public, and how I prepared for the commander interview as well as other details. Everything I share is based on my own experience, so it may not look the same for everyone. Please feel free to ask questions.
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1. The process takes longer than you think.
Even if you’re proactive, things move slowly. There are a lot of points where you’re just waiting, and it’s normal.
For context, I started this process with under a year left in college. I thought I could line things up for the September 2025 board and go to OTS shortly after graduating. That didn’t happen. I’ve since moved to a different state and picked up a job while I wait.
If I could do it again, I would put myself in the mindset that this is a long process and that I need to plan my life accordingly. Don’t put everything on hold waiting for OTS. Set yourself up with a job, a place to live, and something stable while you work through it.
2. Getting in touch with any Air Force personnel or department is not easy.
It’s not always a quick “reach out and get a response” situation. You almost always need to follow up and sometimes, you need to be really annoying about it depending on the recruiters in your area.
I mean calling again. Emailing again. Pushing until you get an answer. Otherwise, you could lose weeks or even months for no reason.
A lot of these offices are understaffed and dealing with a huge number of applicants, so you need to make it hard for them to forget about you. There is a difference between being disrespectful and being persistent. Learn that difference early, because being persistent can be the only reason anything moves.
3. Say goodbye to planning ahead (kind of).
I learned pretty quickly that this process does not allow you to plan ahead. You can only control so much and a lot of the timeline is completely out of your hands.
You still need to have a long-term goal, but this process really forces you to focus on the next step in front of you. Keep the big picture in mind, but don't get too attached to a specific timeline because it will most likely change.