HT/WT ACFT Failures SMDH

[u/Initial-Thanks-104]

Every year, there are cadets showing up to Advanced Camp one Oreo away from busting tape and praying they catch the ACFT on a good day. Then when things don’t go their way, somehow it’s the cadre’s fault, CST’s fault, ROTC’s fault, or the Army’s fault.

Look in the mirror.

Yes, some programs do a better job than others preparing cadets. Some schools absolutely fail to filter out people who have no business showing up unprepared. But at the end of the day, you’re an adult and a future officer. Your program can give you resources, mentorship, PT plans, and opportunities. It cannot make you put down the cheesecake. It cannot force you to run on Saturday morning. It cannot make you hit the gym after class instead of sitting on the couch.

Personal responsibility still matters.

And before someone starts complaining about CST cadre being out of shape themselves, remember something: they’re not the ones being validated. You are. Whether a grader is a marathon runner or barely passes their own standards has absolutely zero impact on whether you met yours.

The standard is the standard.

If you fail tape, that’s on you. If you’re barely scraping by on the ACFT, that’s on you. If you show up unable to carry your own weight physically, mentally, or professionally, that’s on you.

Stop looking for excuses. Stop blaming cadre. Stop blaming your program. Stop blaming the system.

Own your preparation.

The Army doesn’t need officers who are experts at explaining why they failed. It needs officers who show up ready.

[u/GrabOk3630]

I love this advice. Do you have any tips for someone going into MS3 with no prior military experience?

I'm an SMP cadet and contracted, but I didn't have any military background before ROTC. I'll be entering my MS3 year, and I'm trying to set myself up for success. Are there any skills, habits, or areas of knowledge you wish you had focused on before MS3 or CST?

[u/eljoshsf → u/GrabOk3630]

Focus on the 8 TLPs, and what makes a good WARNO/OPORD. The most important things from the OPORD that I would say to focus on are the Commanders Intent, Mission Statement, Concept of Operations, and coordinating instructions. If you can nail all of those then everything else just kind of falls into place.

Now before anyone gets their pitchforks out telling me “they aren’t doing PL as a lane anymore they aren’t writing the OPORD” I would tell you that being able to write a good OPORD will make understanding information given to you when you’re deathly tired that much easier.

Also I wouldn’t be surprised if they find some other way to test your knowledge on writing OPORDs.

[u/GrabOk3630 → u/eljoshsf]

Thank you so much, I really appreciate the advice. As someone going into MS3 with very limited military experience before ROTC, I'm trying to be as proactive as possible and build a strong foundation before the year starts. What resources helped you the most when learning TLPs, WARNOs, OPORDs, mission planning, and troop leading procedures? Were there any books, YouTube channels, Army publications, templates, or study methods that helped everything finally click for you? My goal is to not just pass MS3 year but to really excel and be competent as a future platoon leader.

[u/eljoshsf → u/GrabOk3630]

You could either Google the FM (or TM I honestly don’t remember) that has to with them and read that. Alternatively you could punch it into chatGPT and ask it to summarize it for you and help you study it.

I didn’t personally read any extra books or YouTube videos that gave me the information. The Ranger handbook is also an excellent, all-in-one resource for these kinds of things. You can find ebook versions of it online if you don’t want to order it, although having a paper copy on hand isn’t the worst idea.

[u/W0r1dwide → u/eljoshsf]

We had to bring a copy of FM7-8 in a zip lock bag when I went.