[darrell-marlow]

Hey man. I’m pushing 29 now and having to

face some similar decisions as yourself soon. And to be honest I’ve been blessed with good scores 99/99/99/92/88/89 and 99 PCSM.

BUT I have not landed an interview either…

I began applying to OTS Rated Boards through a recruiter, and learned some interesting statistics. In 2022, they selected ~330 people for Rated positions (Pilot, CSO, ABM, etc). The average selectee had a PCSM of 53 and AFOQT Pilot scores of 60’s.

This means that your scores sit pretty well above average and you might stand a good chance of selection if you were willing to apply to OTS for a Rated position. But, obviously this is a 10-year Active Duty service commitment so it’s definitely worth your time to think on it. You can choose to just apply for a Pilot position, see if they bring you in to interview with the Board, and maybe have a pretty good shot, if they don’t select you, no harm no foul. At least you tried.

The reality is that the USAF looks at your application very “objectively” (are you qualified?). While Guard and Reserve units definitely care if you are qualified, they get the special privilege of looking at all applicants more “subjectively” (are you qualified, and who would we want to be on our team and hang out with most?). It makes sense, we would hire people the same way if we were charged with the task.

It never hurts to just contact a recruiter and ask some questions. I’d refer you to check out “Elias Barry” on YouTube. He landed a Pilot slot through OTS with 0 flying hours????????‍♂️ and gives a detailed explanation of how to apply to OTS.

Obviously landing any Pilot position in the AD USAF or Guard/Reserve is a very rare opportunity for anyone, so if you are wanting to give this dream the greatest chance of coming true, OTS might be the best way to make it happen! I hope this is helpful, and you may have already known some of these things, but wanted to give you my thoughts????????.

[darrell-marlow]

Man! I really appreciate that thorough response. My wife and I reading through it and discussing together now.

Probably will end up setting up a call with you through BogiDope some time to hear more of your experience hopefully!

Thanks!

[darrell-marlow]

Thank you for taking time to respond! Yes, I have read up on some very similar things about UPT that you just mentioned.