Squadron Officer School

[SAREXinNY]

I recently began SOS and I had some questions.  Unfortunately all of the 'old' discussions on this topic were 2+ years old and didn't address the questions I have.  If anyone has taken SOS recently and has some insight I'd appreciate it!

1. How much did you study for the tests?  I know difficulty is relative, but how difficult were the tests?  What format were the tests (multiple choice, essay, etc)?  I've been studying a lot, I just want to make sure I'm prepared.

2. If (god forbid) I fail a test, do they provide feedback or correct answers?  Is it pass/fail, or is there a number or letter grade assigned?

3. Roughly how long did the tests take you?  I need to request time off from my employer and I'm not sure if I should ask for 2 hours, 4 hours, the whole day...

I've read all of the course materials and syllabus but none of these questions were addressed.  Any insight into these questions, or any other helpful information, would be very much appreciated.  Thanks!

[THRAWN]

I did SOS in 2000, and ACSC in 2011. My info may be a bit dated, but from what I gather, AU has made my most current experience the standard.

1. Multiple choice, but very carefully worded MC. For both courses, I was doing about 2 hours a day of reading, coursework and study.
2. You do receive immediate feedback.
3. If I remember right, the max test time was 2 hours. You'll do it in less.

When studying, pay close attention to the learning objectives. They tend to show up almost verbatim in the tests. Other than that, it sounds like you're on track. Did they send you a suggested study schedule? Should be someplace in your course admin info. Use that as your basis. Study the same time every day. I'd do it after everyone went to bed. I'd read for about 2 hours, dream about Jomini and then think about the questions and learning objectives during the day. It's not for everybody.

Good luck and enjoy it. It's a good course and you should get a lot out of it!

[SAREXinNY]

Thank you for the help, Thrawn.

They provided me a suggested schedule for the entire program...such as the first course should take 4 months, the second course 3 months, the third course 4 months, and then the final four week course at the end.  They didn't provide any type of "study schedule" as you called it.

It looks very intense, with a lot of material, but I thought 4 months of studying for just one course seemed like a LOT of studying....so I was a little concerned about being prepared for the tests.

[kwe1009]

I just finished SOS last August and Thrawn's advice is still accurate.  I honestly didn't study very much at all.  I do have the advantage of almost 30 in the Air Force so most of the material was familiar to me.  I completed the course in 3 months.  All of the modules are at your own pace except for the final one.  You do have 2 chances to take each module test.  I concentrated on the review quizzes and didn't have any issues passing the module exams on the first try except for the third one.  That one I barely passed. 

You will receive your test results immediately so no waiting to see if you passed or not.  It may take a day or two before you are given access to the next module.  You will receive an email once you are given access. 

Good luck!

[jhighman]

I  recently completed the SOS distance learning program in November 2015. There must have been something wrong with the 22C exam. Like you I also barely passed even though I scored a 96 on 22A and 98 on 22B

Studying the review questions worked great for A and B but not so much on C. They even tell you in the syllabus that the questions aren't there for a study guide.

It took me a year from start to finish. I slotted four months per module but ended up not needing it and just spent three months per for B and C. Your mileage may vary but that seemed just about right so I wasn't overloaded and I could take time off between mods.

Good luck! Hang in there,

[SAREXinNY]

Thank you all for the help.  I'm a little nervous, I've been averaging 75%-80% on the two review tests I've taken so far. My primary mission is to learn...my secondary mission is to not fail out of the program! Hopefully I will accomplish both over the next year or so.

[Spam]

No specific advice, but: hammer on it, and good luck!

I took and completed SOS decades ago when I could devote significant time to it nonresident.  I do hope they've sorted the portal out, and the online system. When I attempted ACSC around 2000, they sent me physical books and actual floppy disks, but the system was having fits with people who were not USAF (even if you had a dot mil email, as I did). That and my significant TDY rate at the tim contributed to my bit for the CAP fail to pass rate. (Always felt like I let the side down a bit).

For what its worth, my rule for test time is the same as with preflight mission planning: spend all the time you can on the ground/not being stressed in mission planning (aka STUDYING and practice testing), which then allows you to efficiently and swiftly complete the flight/test.

Keep hammering!
Spam

[kwe1009]

Thank you all for the help.  I'm a little nervous, I've been averaging 75%-80% on the two review tests I've taken so far. My primary mission is to learn...my secondary mission is to not fail out of the program! Hopefully I will accomplish both over the next year or so.

I think if you can raise that average to 80%-85% then you should do find on the actual test.  Remember that you have 2 tries at the real test so don't overstress it.  That is the attitude that I took and I initially failed the 3rd module.  I was upset on because I would not be able to join the cohort that I had planned and it would push completion out at least another month.  I went ahead and scheduled my retest for the following week while I was at the test center.  A couple of days late I received an email say that some of the questions had been thrown out and that I had passed!  I was able to join the cohort that I wanted and finish as I originally planned.