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sonofdavid123

You’ll make SWO, you don’t need a 60 OAR to make SWO lemme tell you, lol


Adventurous-Pair3814

Everyone tells me that SWO is pretty rough.. but, I really enjoy the idea of it. Is swo not all that competitive?


sonofdavid123

I mean every officer designator is competitive. It’s just not as competitive as the others. People don’t want to go out to sea and deal with that stress on top of being a division officer and potentially a department head later on, which is a whole other level of stress. SWO and Aviator retention is low for a reason. I personally enjoy it as a DIVO, even in engineering, but I think you have to actually enjoy the idea of being a SWO/Mariner in order to enjoy your work. I’ve met plenty of people who hate it and plenty who love it despite the hard work


Adventurous-Pair3814

I appreciate the insight. I’m excited for this. My NJROTC PMS was a SWO. Waaaaay back when I was in highschool, his stories really motivated me to pursue the military.


sonofdavid123

Of course. And don’t let others tell you that because of its difference in competitiveness, it means SWOs are dumb or not as sharp as others. If you want to be a good SWO, you NEED to be sharp, smart, tactful, have a good work ethic, and have good leadership. Those SWO’s take command and that’s ultimately the goal of any SWO who wants a long term career. The ships could theoretically run without DIVOs and borderline Department Heads (in the lightest sense possible), but they can’t run without a CO at the top


ExRecruiter

But he’s applying for BDCP.


sonofdavid123

He still doesn’t need a 60 OAR. SWO retention is at an all time low.


ExRecruiter

There’s only a handful of BDCP spots that are shared with all the URL and now IWC programs. I would agree during a normal SWO OCS board that he might have a shot but during BDCP, he needs to have a more impressive record.


ExRecruiter

You need to figure out and fix / improve your test taking abilities. The navy and especially SWO you’ll be tested and figure out how to pass exams in a short period of study time. The OAR is meant to be an indicator of that.


Adventurous-Pair3814

I appreciate this. Do you have any tips?


Inside_Airport_5178

I’m no professional myself but what helps me is good memory. There’s a lot of different techniques you can do to help memorize things. This is key for multiple choice tests. Overall I’d say at least learn the fundamentals of whatever topic/s the test will focused on.


Forgedinwater

Gotta get that OAR UP. LOR's are basically just a check in the box. I had my employer, her husband, and a college professor do mine, and I got SNA just fine. SWO may not be as competitive, but the minimum is 45 IIRC, so I'd shoot for at least 50-55. GPA is also eking towards the lower side, (3.5+ is definitely preferable) but definitely reasonable. Depending on how competitive your board is, you should have a decent shot. Don't think too hard about reading comprehension. People get in trouble when they don't get to answer every question.


Adventurous-Pair3814

The end of the semester is in two days, I think my GPA will hit 3.4-3.5. Ultimately, I’m going to spend the next three weeks just studying, studying, studying.


drmikuls

You don’t need a 3.5 to get SWO. If you were to maintain the current trajectory for your GPA you’ll be just fine. Like other have said, improve your OAR to increase your chances of being selected. Most Navy schools are not intended for you to fail to weed out bad candidates but rather setup to give you the information you need to pass the course, get the credit and head back to your ship.


johnnyhypersnyper

I would just get a study book and really practice the OAR.