That's a tricky question. Here's an excerpt from how it's done. MEMBER means member of congress.
..... Nominees may be submitted in three categories: without ranking, with a
principal candidate and nine ranked alternates, or with a principal candidate and nine
unranked alternates. When the Member specifies a principal candidate, that
individual will be appointed to a DOD academy as long as he or she meets all other
admission criteria. If the principal candidate is disqualified, the service academies
will appoint the first fully qualified, ranked alternate, if specified by the Member. In
circumstances where Members do not specify a principal candidate or ranked
alternates, one individual from among the Member’s nominees who is found to be
fully qualified will be appointed by the academies to serve as cadets.......
So basically; if the MOC Rep appoints a PRINCIPLE nominee; that person gets the academy slot assuming they meet all criteria and the MOC Rep doesn't already have too many at the academy. If you aren't the primary, you go into the pool. If the MOC rep DOESN'T assign a PRINCIPLE; then the academy MUST choose 1 on the list. They will choose the one they have scored the highest and is the most qualified. hope that helps.... mike....