The SSK (Second Step Kit) is the on-line application for West Point. It will be available on your candidate portal once your RC has made an initial evaluation. He will not make this initial evaluation until he has at a minimum - your SAT/ACT scores.
In the SSK box is a listing of all the 'stuff' you have to do to complete your file. Each item has an icon next to it. When it is first opened, each icon will be red. They will turn to green once that item is complete.
The components of the SSK are:
1) Candidate Personal Data Record (CPDR)
- this in where you enter your personal info
2) Request for Academic Information
- you enter the contact info for your High School's transcript official
3) Candidate Activities Record (CAR)
- this is where you get to enter all of your accomplishments!
- athletics and extracurriculars
- you will also enter the contact info for the person (principal, counselor, school administrator) who will verify that what you entered is accurate.
4) Candidate Statements
- these are your 3 essays
5) Candidate Fitness Assessment (CFA)
- you will enter the contact info of the authorized person that will be administrating your CFA.
6) School Official Evaluations (SOE)
- you will enter the contact info of 3 of your teachers. They MUST be a teacher that you had for English, Math and Physics/Chemistry from grades 9-12 -- OR from college professors if you are in college.
Your SSK is finished when all the icons are green. IOW - you have submitted all of the forms and WP has received all forms back from school officials.
Your file is now complete. All you need is DoDMERB clearance and a nomination.
Can all of this be done by the end of September? Absolutely! But as you can see, it is not all up to you. You are relying on someone sending in your transcripts, someone preparing to administer your CFA and submitting it, you are relying on the school official to verify you CAR and you are relying on the 3 teachers to fill out the SOEs and submit them.
Politely ask each of these officials if they could complete their forms this summer and tell them why. Most teachers/school officials want to help their students.
DoDMERB: Once your RC makes the initial evaluation and deems that you are a competitive candidate, he will authorize DoDMERB to schedule you for the medical exam. DoDMERB (through their contractor Concorde) will contact you with instructions on how to schedule this exam. This usually occurs in July. Once you receive the scheduling instructions - there is a time limit on you making the appointments.
If you have a concern about this - ask your FFR, or RC, or call DoDMERB ( 1-800-841-2706 from 7AM-4 PM, Mountain Time, Mon - Fri) or email DoDMERB at
helpdesk@dodmerb.tma.osd.mil
