# Prepping for BMOQ



## PegcityNavy (20 Jun 2010)

I have four months till my Sept 27th BMOQ, I have been watching each canadian forces position clip on the forces.ca site, working out 6 times a week and once a week with a trainer, and trying to read as much as i can.

What should i be concentrating on in terms of exercise. I got a new pair of boots and am going to start walking in them with some weights in a backpack.

What should i be reading, i have an officer/nco manual i have read and have been reading the forums for hours.

I am just trying to come to terms with the privilege and the responsibility that i have been fortunate enough to be allowed. 

How do i best prepare for the change from a civilian to someone responsible for the lives of 35 men and women.

I want this so badly, and i don't want to be blindsided.

I thank all your tireless work educating us newbies.


----------



## stealthylizard (20 Jun 2010)

They will teach you everything you need to know about leadership.  All I can suggest is work more on cardio.  You will be expected to be better than your subordinates (by your subordinates) when posted.  In the infantry at least, every officer I have met is a runner.  Some can't do anything but run, but they can still outrun most of the platoon.


----------



## PegcityNavy (20 Jun 2010)

I was running 5 times a week 8km a day at least, but i fractured a toe :crybaby:

Any good cardio alternatives you can recommend.

Thanks


----------



## George Wallace (20 Jun 2010)

Pegcity said:
			
		

> I have four months till my Sept 27th BMOQ, I have been watching each canadian forces position clip on the forces.ca site, working out 6 times a week and once a week with a trainer, and trying to read as much as i can.
> 
> What should i be concentrating on in terms of exercise. I got a new pair of boots and am going to start walking in them with some weights in a backpack.
> 
> ...



As you are aspiring to become an officer, a person who will have to do quite a bit of writing and QC'ing of others' reports and correspondence, I would suggest you spend some time learning and improving your writing skills.


----------



## Shamrock (20 Jun 2010)

The first six letters of your status will inform you where 6/7ths of your career will take place.  Become proficient in office work and administration; specifically, work on the entire MS Office suite.  You will also be required to speak publicly, proficiently, to diverse groups of individuals.


----------



## Cat (20 Jun 2010)

Pegcity said:
			
		

> I was running 5 times a week 8km a day at least, but i fractured a toe :crybaby:
> 
> Any good cardio alternatives you can recommend.
> 
> Thanks



biking....If you have a gym membership there is usually at least one or two types of bikes you can use, crank the resistance and have at it. Or if you have a normal bake take it out and find a couple of hills.


----------



## MasterInstructor (20 Jun 2010)

Make sure your push-ups are good to go. They are VERY fussy about push ups, back strait, thumb under your arm pit and try to touch your chin to the ground every time you go down, make sure you come all the way up and lock your elbow as well... oh and, look slightly ahead, not to the ground...


----------



## Occam (20 Jun 2010)

MasterInstructor said:
			
		

> Make sure your push-ups are good to go. They are VERY fussy about push ups, back strait, thumb under your arm pit and try to touch your chin to the ground every time you go down, make sure you come all the way up and lock your elbow as well... oh and, look slightly ahead, not to the ground...



Are these pushups the ones monitored by military staff, or ones monitored by the PSP staff?  The reason I ask is because the CF Expres Operations Manual (the bible for the Expres test) states "The body must be kept in a straight line; including the head that should not normally be cocked to look forward as such action is contraindicated".


----------



## EPF (20 Jun 2010)

From what I can gather, you'll be ahead of most of the other candidates with the preparation you have now. So with another three months of that, you'll be just fine. Make sure you give yourself some decent time to heal, because once you're in the training system, it might be just one course after the other and it can be a lot of stress on the body. 

This is all new and wonderful for you and that's great. You do have to take this seriously, but also remember to have fun doing it. Being an officer is about a lot about personality, having your subordinates to want you as a leader, and when you're on course you want your colleagues to enjoy working with you. Anyway, have a good one!


----------



## Michael OLeary (20 Jun 2010)

Shamrock said:
			
		

> The first six letters of your status will inform you where 6/7ths of your career will take place.  Become proficient in office work and administration; specifically, work on the entire MS Office suite.



I'll take this one further step.  While much of the information you will deal with can be managed with an Excel spreadsheet, you will eventually find circumstances when that program doesn't do all you want to achieve efficiently. While you have some time, learn Access, it's probably the most powerful but least understood program in the MS Office Suite, and it's not intuitive to learn.  Familiarity with a database program will make you appear a god among mortals when you land in some project that requires actually manipulating and analyzing data beyond simple collection and lookups.

And to reinforce the original point: The Young Officer and Staff Duties


----------



## stealthylizard (20 Jun 2010)

Occam, even PSP staff recommend you look a few inches forward.  It makes easier to get the body down a bit lower to ensure each push-up counts.  Nothing is worse than hearing "lower, lower", or the same number repeated because you aren't going down low enough, "9, 9, 9, 10, 11, 11, 12," etc.


----------



## SupersonicMax (20 Jun 2010)

Michael,

I would argue that Excel is a much, much more powerful tool than Access.  It's easy to use Excel as a database and extract the data you need.  If you know how to program using VBA, you are set.  I have myself done 2-3 programs using Excel/VBA and it does much more than what Access would do with a fraction of the resources Access takes.


----------



## Michael OLeary (20 Jun 2010)

That all depends on what scale you are working at and how complex the dataset may grow to be. Being familiar with and having a choice of two tools, even when their potential applications overlap in some areas, is always better than trying to make one tool do every job. 

(For those who are interested and want more information, there's plenty on the net comparing and contrasting Excel and Access.)


----------



## CallOfDuty (20 Jun 2010)

EPF said:
			
		

> From what I can gather, you'll be ahead of most of the other candidates with the preparation you have now. So with another three months of that, you'll be just fine. Make sure you give yourself some decent time to heal, because once you're in the training system, it might be just one course after the other and it can be a lot of stress on the body.
> 
> This is all new and wonderful for you and that's great. You do have to take this seriously, but also remember to have fun doing it. Being an officer is about a lot about personality, having your subordinates to want you as a leader, and when you're on course you want your colleagues to enjoy working with you. Anyway, have a good one!


  I think this is great advice  :nod:


----------



## Fishbone Jones (20 Jun 2010)

Pegcity,

I'm sure you'll find most, if not all, of your answers in the Recruiting forum. Simple searches will get you started. You'll be expected to do most of your own research while undergoing training and after. Might as well start now.

TTC,

If you wish to discuss whether Excel is better than whatever, please start a seperate discussion on it.

Milnet.ca Staff


----------

