Looking for information on how to become an Airforce Officer? While it is not an easy task, millions of people become Airforce Officers every year. The United States Air Force is the world’s largest Air and Space Force, and has about 350,000 active-duty members who put their lives on the line every day. Here are some helpful tips on how you can be the next one of those men and women.
No matter what your reason is for wanting to become a commissioned officer, the Air Force can help you achieve your goal. If you are an adult with a desire to become an officer for whatever reason, this article will help you understand the benefits, services and programs that the Air Force offers.
How To Become Airforce Officer
There are four main ways to become an Air Force Officer. You can apply to go to Officer Training School, attend the Air Force Academy, go through Air Force ROTC in college, or enlist and work your way towards becoming an Officer. Each option has different requirements and advantages. No matter which path you choose, the Air Force has many valuable resources, both online and in person, to help you through the process.
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Enrolling in Officer Training School Post-CollegeDownload Article
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Check to make sure you meet the qualifications. To jump right into Officer Training School, you need to have earned a college or postgraduate degree. You also must be between 18 and 39 years old and be a U.S. citizen.[1]
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Submit an online application to get connected with a recruiter. Go to the U.S. Air Force website at https://www.airforce.com/ and click on “Apply Now.” This will take you to an application asking for some personal information about yourself. After submitting the form, you’ll be connected with a recruiter who will help you through the rest of the process.[2]
You’ll be asked for your name, contact information such as email and home address, and a little bit of information about your education.
You’ll be contacted by a recruiter shortly after filling out the application, either by email or phone.
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Study for and pass the Air Force Officer Qualifying Test. The Air Force Officer Qualifying Test (AFOQT) is designed to test you on your skills. This includes your knowledge of math, how to communicate efficiently, and several other topics relating to the Air Force. The test is multiple choice and you can take it up to 2 times, so be sure to study and prepare plenty of time in advance.[3]
Your recruiter will give you information on how to sign up for the AFOQT. To help prepare for the test, visit sites such as http://www.militaryaptitudetests.com/afoqt/.
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Go through a physical and mental screening. Being an Air Force Officer is both mentally and physically demanding, making it necessary for you to be checked beforehand to make sure you’re ready. To complete the screening, you’ll go to a Military Entrance Processing Station (MEPS) where they will assess you.[4]
Your recruiter should work with you to create an appointment for the screening.
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Wait to be sent to Officer Training School after passing all of the requirements. If you completed the application process and are accepted into the Air Force by the selection board, you’ll go into the Delayed Entry Program. This will be the program you’re in while you wait to be sent to Officer Training School.[5]
It’s recommended that you use this wait time to begin a physical fitness regimen to get in shape for the training program. You should include running, push-ups, sit-ups, and stretching into your routine.
People in the Delayed Entry Program are encouraged to attend meetings and classes at your local recruiting office.
You can be in the Delayed Entry Program for 365 days at most.
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Go through the 9.5 week training program. Officer Training School is broken down into 4 phases and takes 9.5 weeks to complete. The 4 phases allow you to work on teamwork, discipline, the fundamentals of leadership, and many other important skills. For a complete list of the concepts worked on in each phase, you can visit https://www.airforce.com/education/military-training/ots.[6]
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Attending the U.S. Air Force AcademyDownload Article
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Check your eligibility. To enter into the U.S. Air Force Academy, you must be between 17 and 23 years old and a U.S. citizen. You can’t be married, and you shouldn’t have any dependents.[7]
You don’t need to have gone to college to apply to the Air Force Academy, but you do need a high school diploma or GED.
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Find your Admissions Liaison Officer. Your Admissions Liaison Officer (ALO) is the person who will be helping you through the application process, answering any questions you might have. Your ALO is assigned to you depending on which high school you attend. To find your ALO, go online to the Air Force Academy website and select your high school. When you find your high school on the list, you’ll be given your ALO’s name and email address.[8]
If you don’t attend a high school, you can just search by state.
Your ALO is the person who will conduct your interview, so it’s best to start establishing a strong relationship with them.
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Start your online U.S. Air Force Academy application. Your online application is where most of the application process will take place. It will guide you through the process, giving you access to the questionnaires, prompts, general information questions, and several other parts of the application. To start your Air Force Academy application, visit https://admissions.usafa.edu/gateway/gateway.aspx.
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Apply for a nomination as soon as possible. To enter into the Air Force Academy, you must be given an official nomination by a person legally authorized to nominate you. Most candidates aim for Congressional or Vice Presidential nominations, meaning you would seek a nomination from your U.S. Senators and U.S. Representative, or the Vice President of the United States.
The nomination process can take a long time, so it’s best to start as soon as you start the application. The nomination is due January 31st.
For more information on how to apply for a nomination, visit https://www.academyadmissions.com/admissions/the-application-process/nominations/.
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Submit a Pre-Candidate Questionnaire by December 31st. The questionnaire will have questions regarding your class rank, high school GPA, and test scores. These questions, as well as some questions about your activities and personal situation, will be used to decide if you’re a candidate for admission. The Pre-Candidate Questionnaire can be started March 1st of your junior year of high school, and you should submit it by December 31st.[9]
You’ll be asked for your full name, birth date, social security number, and contact information, as well as the name of your high school and the class size.
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Request transcripts and teacher evaluations if you’re moved to Candidate status. Once you’re notified that you’re now in the Candidate phase, you’ll need to request your transcripts and teacher evaluations. You’ll be given a request form to give to your high school counselor so that the Air Force Academy can have access to your high school transcripts. You’ll also need three teacher evaluations.[10]
For high schoolers, your three evaluations must be from your Math teacher, English teacher, and 1 other teacher — the best option would be a Science teacher. The evaluation from your English teacher needs to be from your 11th or 12th grade teacher.
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Take the Candidate Fitness Assessment. The Candidate Fitness Assessment (CFA) is a Pass/Fail test that you must pass to be considered for admission. Train for the 6 parts of the assessment: Basketball Throw, Pull-Ups/Flexed Arm Hang, Shuttle Run, Crunches, Push-Ups, and 1-Mile Run. You’ll need to find someone to administer the test for you.[11]
Your high school gym teacher or sports coach would be a good examiner. You can also visit the website for help finding a qualified examiner, as well as for tips on how to train for the test.
If you fail the CFA, you’ll be notified and may have the opportunity to retake it to get better scores.
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Fill out your extracurricular activities record. The Air Force Academy will want to find out which extracurriculars you’re involved in, including athletic activities as well as non-athletic activities. The activities you list don’t have to be activities you participate in only at school, but they can only be things that took place from 10th-12th grade.[12]
Choosing activities where you showed leadership will be especially beneficial to your application.
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Provide a writing sample. As with most other steps, your writing sample is part of your online application. You’ll be given three questions, and you must answer two of them. Try to use these questions to really show who you are as a person, and spend some time thinking about how you’d like to answer them. Make sure you proofread your answers before submitting them.[13]
The questions will have a word minimum of 250 or 400, with a maximum of 3,000 characters.
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Take part in a personal interview with your ALO. You’ll need to contact your Admissions Liaison Officer to set up your interview. You should think of this interview as a job interview, putting your best foot forward and letting the selection panel get to know you.[14]
Prepare for your interview beforehand by thinking out answers to probable questions.
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Submit the Personal Data Record and Drug/Alcohol Abuse Statement. You’ll be required to disclose your personal record, such as any citations or arrests you’ve had. The Drug and Alcohol Abuse Certificate can’t be accessed until your ALO opens it for you. After you’ve talked to your ALO, complete this part of the application by reading everything carefully and filling in all of the required boxes.[15]
The instructions for opening the Drug and Alcohol Abuse Statement section can be given by your ALO either in person or over the phone.
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Complete a medical evaluation. To make sure you’re healthy enough to join the Air Force, you’ll need to schedule a medical examination with the Department of Defense Medical Examination Review Board. It can take up to four months to complete this process, so be patient.
You need to have completed the Fitness Assessment, Personal Data Record, Activities Record, Teacher Evaluations, and Writing Sample before your name will be forwarded to the Department of Defense Medical Examination Review Board.[16]
Method
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Joining Air Force ROTC in CollegeDownload Article
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Connect with an Air Force ROTC admissions representative. Your admissions representative will help you navigate the process of finding a college with a great ROTC program and applying. Your admissions representative is assigned by state. To find out who your representative is, visit the “Contact Us” page on the Air Force ROTC website (https://www.afrotc.com/) and then click “Locate a Rep.”[17]
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Find a college that offers an ROTC program. Some colleges or universities are host universities, meaning they offer ROTC programs on their campus, while others are crosstown universities and require their students to take the ROTC classes at a host university. To find out which universities offer Air Force ROTC programs and which might be the best for you, you can use the College Locator on the Air Force ROTC website.[18]
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Apply for a scholarship by submitting an online application and forms. An application can be found online on the U.S. Air Force ROTC website and it must be turned in between June 1st and December 1st. After you’ve submitted the application, you’ll be able to download several forms that need to be filled out and uploaded by January 12th.[19]
Required forms include the form to acquire your transcript, a physical fitness test, and your test scores.
