How to present your plan in 90 seconds at OASC, AOSB, and AIB
Most candidates at OASC, AOSB, and AIB spend the planning exercise building a decent plan, then lose ground explaining it. The presentation is short, and the people listening are judging how clearly you think as much as what you've decided.
In short
Lead with the aim, not the detail
Use the same structure every time
Finish inside your time, then stop
Why the presentation carries so much weight
An assessor can't see your notes or follow the reasoning in your head. The presentation is the clearest evidence they get of how you organise information under pressure.
A sound plan delivered in a jumbled order sounds weaker than it is. An average plan delivered in a clean, logical order sounds considered. That's why MAP treats the presentation as a skill to practise on its own, not an afterthought once the plan is done.
It also sets the tone for questioning. A candidate who presents calmly and in order gives the assessor confidence that the thinking underneath is sound.
A structure that fits in 90 seconds
Using one fixed order means you never have to decide how to present on the day. You just fill in the slots.
The aim, in one sentence
Your priorities, and the reason for the order
The plan itself, in time order
Timings, including the margin left over
Your contingency if something goes wrong
As a rough guide, that's 10 seconds on the aim, 15 on priorities, 40 on the plan, 15 on timings and 10 on the contingency. It doesn't need to be exact, but it stops the plan section swallowing everything else.
A clear average plan beats a brilliant plan explained badly.
Common ways candidates run over
Reading the scenario back to the assessor
Explaining the options they rejected
Giving every minor detail equal weight
Hedging with phrases like "I think maybe we could"
Each one costs time and makes the plan sound less certain. If a detail matters, the assessor will ask about it in questioning, which is where you can show the depth behind your plan.
How to practise it
Take any planning scenario, give yourself a set time to plan, then present out loud against a stopwatch. Record it on your phone and listen back once. Most people are surprised by how much filler they use.
Repeat with the same structure until the order is automatic and you finish with time to spare.
Moving into questioning
Questioning usually starts the moment you finish. If you've kept the presentation tight, the first questions tend to be about the detail you deliberately left out, which is a good position to be in. You already know the answer.
Keep answers short and link them back to the aim. If a question exposes a genuine flaw, acknowledge it and adjust. Defending a weak point for the sake of it does more damage than the flaw itself.
The MAP Planning Exercise Preparation Guide sets out this structure in full, with worked examples.
The same principle at OASC, AOSB, and AIB
The scenarios differ across the three boards, from OASC's planning tasks to AOSB's command-focused exercises and AIB's maritime settings, but the presentation is judged in the same way: a clear aim, sensible priorities, a plan in a logical order, and a calm finish.
MAP runs timed planning exercises with live presentation and questioning, in 1:1 and group sessions.
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