Good evening everyone,
I have my OASC in a couple of months. I have began preparing myself with everything which are all quite straight forward to prepare for.
However, was just wondering how I can practice the hangar exercises? What are they looking for on the exercises? I’ve heard that teams don’t often complete them successfully.
Cheers
Valiant.
Very tricky to practise on your own!
As to what they’re looking for, largely the same as at any other point on OASC - determination, confidence, problem solving, decisiveness and working well with others.
Don’t worry about completing them. I’ve been through OASC a couple of times (6th form scholarship, UAS familiarisation visit, actual selection) and in all my attempts - and those of all my friends and other officers I’ve known - I’ve only heard of 1 exercise to be completed. They’re probably all doable, but in most cases you don’t have the time.
You’ll get your brief, you’ll get a chance to look over the equipment you’ve been given and test it out, then you’ll call your syndicate over and get cracking.
Follow the same principles that we teach in leadership lessons and you won’t go far wrong. They’re looking for a clear brief, good interaction and communication, all the good stuff.
Cheers guys, @GrandMaster_Flush @MattB.
Initially the planning exes scared me because I’m hopeless at maths, but now I’ve cracked them, I find myself concerned about these! 
The things to practice are SMEAC & PICSIE - the exercises in the hanger are just the tools through which these are evaluated.
Enjoy yourself, I found the hanger to be very good fun!
I’ve never heard of PICSIE?
Thank you, a few have said not to overthink the exercises and just enjoy them.
No worries 
PICSIE =
Plan
Initiate
Control
Support
Inform
Evaluate
SMEAC effectively covers the Plan element, the rest is how you then control and lead the team once you start the task.
This provides a bit more info:
One bit of advice for you, you may find in some cases that there will be two tasks running concurrently. Don’t be afraid to delegate running of a task to your chosen 2IC (just remember to check in with them regularly!)
Thank you! Much appreciated. 
I’m pretty sure that SMEAC isn’t tested at OASC, as you wouldn’t be expected to have learned a specific format.
By all means use it if it’s something which which you’re comfortable, but don’t worry about it if you’re not - what’s important in a brief is to get across your plan and fire up the team.
PICSIE is a very generic tool which can be used in almost any leadership situation, so worth practising if you get a chance.
Thank you @MattB.
I’m guessing it’s a case of try and try again with the hangar exercises, even if what you’re trying is wrong?
Trying is in - trying new ideas?
Is it reasonable to ask your team for ideas or should I just go into trying my own?
If you get the bronze leadership lessons from SharePoint you can read all about functional and task based leadership / picsie and all that good stuff. Enough of the basics to give you a step up for the hangar.
If you’re out of ideas, then sure, ask the team. But you’ve got to be careful not to lose ownership of the lead. You’re in charge, even if they’re not using your plan.
Absolutely - however bear in mind that the format is that you look at the task by yourself first - make sure you come up with at least some sort of plan at this point. From that point, you can take one of the following courses of action:
If you’re unsure about your plan, still explain and sell it confidently, but ask if anyone has any suggestions for improvements. If someone suggests something better, take ownership of it and re-brief.
If you’re actually confident in your plan, then crack on and brief it (once again explain it and sell the plan), but be open to people suggesting things as it goes along (and ask for suggestions if things aren’t going to plan) - once again, take ownership and re-brief.
Cheers @MattB. That’s cleared it up! I guess the important thing is to remember I’m in charge of the exercise, regardless of if I’m using someone’s idea.
Bingo
From having done OASC several times (well before Frank Spencer!), & then attending the Personnel Selection Officers’ Cse, there are some good points made already.
There were different difficulty levels across the different exercises, quite a few were able to be completed, although it was said the “Leaderless Exercise” was impossible to complete in the time.
Be yourself, when it is your “lead,” try to pull out a workable plan; one technique that can help if you have a brain fade is to get just one team member (hopefully one that you have seen to be confident / competent!) to one side to ask for suggestions / thoughts. When acting as a team member, give rational suggestions if the leader is moving into a lost situation, but don’t take over the lead.
Cheers @MikeJenvey. Will it not be seen as weird only asking one member of the team for suggestions?
It’s your call - if you ask all the team, you might get a whole range of suggestions, some might be viable, some might be useless. You then have to filter them & act accordingly; the clock is ticking.
One person, with a couple of suggestions, can be quicker, & then it doesn’t seem as if you are clueless! 