How to Prepare for Planning Exercises at OASC, AOSB, and AIB

Planning exercises are a core component of officer assessment boards across all three UK armed forces. Whether you're attending the RAF's Officer and Aircrew Selection Centre (OASC), the Army Officer Selection Board (AOSB), or the Admiralty Interview Board (AIB), you'll face a planning exercise that tests your ability to analyse scenarios, make decisions under pressure, and present solutions clearly.

Most candidates fail planning exercises not because they lack intelligence, but because they misunderstand what's being tested.

What Planning Exercises Actually Test

Candidates often assume planning exercises test problem-solving ability or subject matter knowledge. They don't.

Planning exercises test your ability to:

• Identify critical issues quickly under time pressure

• Make decisions with incomplete information

• Prioritize when everything seems urgent

• Present your plan clearly and confidently

Strong candidates demonstrate all four. Weak candidates excel at analysis but fail on decision-making or presentation.

The Biggest Mistake Candidates Make

In coaching sessions, I see the same pattern repeatedly: candidates spend most of their time building an elaborate plan, then rush through the presentation.

Your presentation matters as much as your plan. A good plan delivered poorly loses marks. An adequate plan delivered confidently scores higher.

The time allocation matters. Most candidates get this wrong.

Why "Perfection" Fails Planning Exercises

Planning exercises are designed with constraints, trade-offs, and incomplete information. There is no perfect solution.

Candidates who spend too long trying to find the optimal answer run out of time to present effectively. They second-guess themselves, which shows in their delivery.

Strong candidates make a decision and commit to it. They acknowledge limitations but present with conviction.

Decisiveness under pressure matters more than finding the theoretically perfect solution.

Writing Aims That Actually Work

Weak aims are vague:

• "Ensure safety"

• "Complete the task efficiently"

• "Maintain morale"

Strong aims are specific and measurable:

• "Evacuate all personnel within 2 hours"

• "Restore communications to HQ by 1400hrs"

• "Secure the perimeter before nightfall"

  
  

The difference? Strong aims answer: What needs doing? By when? How will you know it's done?

Each aim should be measurable and achievable within the scenario constraints.

Common Planning Exercise Mistakes

Mistake 1: Trying to Solve Everything

The scenario will present multiple problems. You don't have time to address them all thoroughly.

Focus on critical priorities and solve them well. Acknowledge other issues briefly, but don't dilute your plan trying to be comprehensive.

Clarity beats comprehensiveness.

Mistake 2: Poor Time Management

Most candidates allocate their time badly. They over-invest in analysis and under-invest in presentation preparation.

Your presentation is a significant part of the assessment. Rehearsing it isn't optional—it's essential.

Mistake 3: Pursuing Perfection Over Decisiveness

Strong candidates commit to a workable solution and present it confidently. Weak candidates keep second-guessing, which shows uncertainty in their delivery.

There's no perfect answer. Make a decision and own it.

Mistake 4: Unclear Structure

If your whiteboard or presentation looks chaotic, your thinking looks chaotic.

Strong candidates use clear structure in both their written plan and verbal presentation. This isn't about artistic ability—it's about organizing information logically under pressure.

The Presentation: Where Candidates Lose Marks

Your presentation is where preparation shows.

Strong Presentations Start With Clarity

Open by demonstrating you understand the core problem. Don't waste time restating the entire scenario, assessors already know it.

Get straight to your approach and priorities.

Strong Presentations Follow Structure

Walk through your plan in logical sequence. Don't jump around or backtrack.

Linear structure demonstrates clear thinking under pressure.

Strong Presentations Sound Confident

Even if your plan isn't perfect, present it like you believe in it.

Hedging language ("I think maybe we could potentially...") signals uncertainty. Confident language ("The priority is... This enables...") signals decision-making ability.

Practice eliminates hesitation.

How to Practice Planning Exercises Effectively

Solo Practice: Building Familiarity

Find realistic scenarios and practice under timed conditions. Present your plan out loud, even when alone.

Recording yourself reveals weaknesses you can't see while performing. Are you clear? Confident? Staying within time limits?

Feedback: Building Improvement

Solo practice builds familiarity. Feedback builds improvement.

Working with someone who understands what strong performance looks like helps you identify specific gaps:

• Are you focusing on relevant details or getting lost in noise?

• Are you prioritizing correctly?

• Does your presentation sound confident or uncertain?

  
  

Repetition With Variation

Don't practice the same scenario repeatedly. This teaches you the scenario, not the skill.

Practice different scenarios regularly. This builds pattern recognition for prioritization and decision-making under time pressure.

Prioritisation: The Skill That Separates Strong Candidates

When everything seems urgent, ask: "What happens if I DON'T do this first?"

• Life/safety risk = highest priority

• Mission failure = high priority

• Delays/inefficiency = lower priority

Sort by consequences, not by how urgent something appears.

The scenario is designed to create pressure with multiple urgent-seeming tasks. Strong candidates identify what actually matters most.

How Long Should You Prepare?

Planning exercises require practice, not cramming.

Ideal preparation: 3-4 months before your assessment board.

This gives you time to:

• Learn the format properly

• Practice multiple scenarios

• Identify and fix weak areas (usually prioritisation or presentation)

• Build confidence through repetition

Can you prepare in 6 weeks? Yes, but you're limiting your performance potential. Early preparation gives you time to develop the skill properly, not just familiarise yourself with the format.

What Strong Candidates Do Differently

Strong candidates:

• Prioritise ruthlessly (focus on what matters most, not everything)

• Make decisions with incomplete information (commit and move forward)

• Allocate time properly (balance analysis with presentation prep)

• Present with confidence (even when acknowledging limitations)

• Practice the format repeatedly (build pattern recognition)

  
  

Weak candidates overthink the analysis, under-prepare the presentation, and hope their intelligence carries them through.

It doesn't.

Practice the format. Build the skill. Give yourself the preparation time you deserve.

Get Expert Coaching for Planning Exercises

MAP works one-to-one and in group scenarios, with candidates preparing for OASC, AOSB, and AIB. We run realistic planning exercise scenarios and give you specific feedback on analysis, prioritisation, and presentation.

Book a coaching session or download the Planning Exercise Guide to see how we can help you prepare.