and must be attended prior to being able to proceed to the main board. It is an opportunity for candidates to learn some of the techniques that will be tested at the main board, and for the AOSB assessors to offer advice and guidance to those attending about how prepared they are to attempt the much more challenging main board. It is designed to give potential officers an idea of what is required and expected at the main board. Candidates will participate in a number of assessments, including physical and intellectual ones. The results will be used by AOSB assessors when feeding back to candidates. After attending AOSB briefing, candidates will be assigned a category based on the evidence available to the assessors. This will be: Allowed to proceed to the main board as soon as desired. Required to delay for between 3 and 24 months (often awarded to younger candidates with potential ability but insufficient maturity, or for remedial purposes such as to improve upon physical fitness) The candidate is thought unlikely to pass the Main Board based on the evidence presented at briefing. However, they are not prevented from attempting the Main Board if, after further consideration, they believe they can achieve the required standard. The candidate is not considered suitable for commissioned service based on the evidence available. This may be as a result of a number of issues, including their personality or their ability to apply their intellect. Candidates who receive a Category 4 at the briefing may appeal against this result if they believe that their performance was not representative. If successful (strong cases must be made) the candidate may be allowed to attend a Main Board. AOSB main board This is a four-day selection event that consists of a number of different but inter-linked intellectual, physical, mental and aptitude tests. It is designed to put candidates for both the Regular Army and Army Reserve under pressure whilst fostering their team spirit and competitiveness. The Boards normally run from Tuesday until Friday but a small number each year take place from Thursday until Sunday. On arrival, candidates are allocated a number (used instead of their name) and placed into groups. As candidates are assessed against a standard and not against each other's performance, strong groups may see a large proportion of their members meet the standard. On the last night of the course a formal