West Point IOCT

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westpointdreamer2004

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Feb 8, 2021
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I have heard so many good and bad things about this specific test at West Point...

I'm curious to hear what current cadets at West Point have to say about this test? Just for fun haha

Also, how many times do you have to complete the test and how is it graded?
 
It is one of the best ways designed I ever have seen to measure someone’s functional fitness. It also is 2-3 minutes of pure torture if you are running it at 110% that I’m very glad I never have to do again
 
I have not played any major sport, just ran xc at school. I am scared at looking at IOCT. Is there help available to train for it? If I get appointment, I just want pass somehow.
 
The mandatory gymnastics class, military movement, will teach you techniques for each of the obstacles. Don’t sweat it. It just takes practice when you get there
 
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To put it simply, it's tough. Casey said it best--it measures functional and overall fitness in a manner that many people have not experienced before. In my case, it was one of the greatest challenges I have encountered at usma. In previous years, PE117 (Military Movement) had been a plebe PE course, however, they switched the program so that plebes now take boxing and PE215, a nutrition/fitness planning-based course. Most yuks now take survival swimming and military movement. I am not sure whether they will continue this plan or revert to the old method in the future.

Nonetheless, when you are taking military movement or "mil move", you will run the IOCT every lesson. Some instructors are nice and will excuse people who TAB the test from taking it every lesson unless they want to improve their grade. Typically people who cannot pass the IOCT in mil move end up failing the course. I believe mil move is the most failed course at usma, but fact check me on this.

When you finish mil move, you take the IOCT in your cow year for a large percentage of your physical GPA. If you tab that test, you won't have to take it again in your WP career. If you pass, you will take it again in your firstie year. If you fail, you continue to take the IOCT for every record exam until you pass and you will be marked as deficient in the physical pillar. In years past, the test was administered yuk year, cow year, and firstie year (you do not have to take the IOCT firstie year if you TAB on your cow year IOCT). Currently, yuks do not take the IOCT for a grade.

Probably the biggest point to make here is that you cannot graduate from usma unless you pass the IOCT. Typical problem areas for cadets are the shelf, rope, or horizontal ladder (aka monkey bars). I will attach a grading scale of the IOCT to this post for reference. Hope this helps.

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minos said:
To put it simply, it's tough. Casey said it best--it measures functional and overall fitness in a manner that many people have not experienced before. In my case, it was one of the greatest challenges I have encountered at usma. In previous years, PE117 (Military Movement) had been a plebe PE course, however, they switched the program so that plebes now take boxing and PE215, a nutrition/fitness planning-based course. Most yuks now take survival swimming and military movement. I am not sure whether they will continue this plan or revert to the old method in the future.

Nonetheless, when you are taking military movement or "mil move", you will run the IOCT every lesson. Some instructors are nice and will excuse people who TAB the test from taking it every lesson unless they want to improve their grade. Typically people who cannot pass the IOCT in mil move end up failing the course. I believe mil move is the most failed course at usma, but fact check me on this.

When you finish mil move, you take the IOCT in your cow year for a large percentage of your physical GPA. If you tab that test, you won't have to take it again in your WP career. If you pass, you will take it again in your firstie year. If you fail, you continue to take the IOCT for every record exam until you pass and you will be marked as deficient in the physical pillar. In years past, the test was administered yuk year, cow year, and firstie year (you do not have to take the IOCT firstie year if you TAB on your cow year IOCT). Currently, yuks do not take the IOCT for a grade.

Probably the biggest point to make here is that you cannot graduate from usma unless you pass the IOCT. Typical problem areas for cadets are the shelf, rope, or horizontal ladder (aka monkey bars). I will attach a grading scale of the IOCT to this post for reference. Hope this helps.

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If I understand correctly, not doing well in this test would affect your grade and then your ranking. How does this affects the branching of someone wants to go Engineering? Apart from WP grade, how will it matter in the services long term? If someone is able to pass ACFT yearly while AD, would this affect your promotion, performance while AD.?
 
usmagirl118 said:
If I understand correctly, not doing well in this test would affect your grade and then your ranking. How does this affects the branching of someone wants to go Engineering? Apart from WP grade, how will it matter in the services long term? If someone is able to pass ACFT yearly while AD, would this affect your promotion, performance while AD.?
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To the last two questions, no. Once you graduate no one, for the most part, will care what you did at West Point to include the IOCT. I remember someone telling my DW that one of her LTs was a First Captain at West Point. DW had no idea what the person was talking about, didn't care. Same with the IOCT. It is a good evaluation of fitness, and doing well will earn you some bragging rights at West Point, but once you pass and graduate, no one will care.
Now having said that, physical fitness is important to doing well in the military, especially as an officer where you are expected to lead by example. Leading can be physically as well as mentally demanding. Even something such as aviation... sitting in a cockpit for 9 hours, 120 degrees, no A/C, wearing "chicken plate" with the threat of being shot down is physically exhausting. Then when you return to base, as a commissioned officer you are expected to debrief, take care of your pilots and crew chiefs, help plan tomorrow's mission, maybe some paperwork... day after day. And pilots had it easy. I felt for those on the ground.
Don't worry, however. West Point and the other SAs don't throw you in the proverbial pool and expect you to swim. It is a "crawl, walk, run" philosophy. As others wrote above, you are given the tools to pass. The test is stressful and hard. But it's meant to be or it wouldn't really be a test.
 
Just to reiterate. I'm a muggle and did not attend West Point, thus I did not take the IOCT . My observations of the IOCT are just that, observations.
 
@usmagirl118, @westpointdreamer2004, and others: This thread reminded me of a comment I made here a long time ago that I think is relevant to repeat.

Let me tell you something that may ease your mind a bit. I believe all appointees have moments of self-doubt about the unknowns of academy life. What you’re going through is perfectly normal. I know our son had his moments, and he’s a pretty confident character. He worried about not being good enough physically – and he’s a rower. But guess what? He found WP to be the most supportive community he’s ever been in. He says there is a pervasive spirit of “competitive cooperation.” Everyone there wants to be the best, every cadet puts it all out there either in the classroom or in the gym or on the field, but no one will leave a brother behind. That is the essence of the term “All for the Corps.” You are competing all the time, but everyone has different strengths, and all of those strengths are valued. Where you are strong, you will help others. Where you are weak, you will be helped.

Here’s an example. Our son called us one day soon after the academic year started to tell us a great story. He said that every day he’d go over to the gym to do the indoor obstacle course, but he just couldn’t do the rope climb very well. Yet every time he tried it, another cadet who saw him struggle would leave his routine and come over to help our son. Every single time. And not the same cadet. Those same cadets will have no mercy under competitive circumstances, but they will do everything they can to make sure you are a worthy competitor. You will not be left behind. You will not suck (at everything). You will not fail if the Corps can help it.

West Point has invited you in. You are worthy. You are able. Let the doubt go and try to relax. You have a big adventure in front of you and an entire corps of cadets who will help you through it. You have the grit, you can do this.
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Hindsight: Eventually, he mastered the rope climb and tabbed the IOCT. Plebe year, he never would have believed it.
 
minos said:
To put it simply, it's tough. Casey said it best--it measures functional and overall fitness in a manner that many people have not experienced before. In my case, it was one of the greatest challenges I have encountered at usma. In previous years, PE117 (Military Movement) had been a plebe PE course, however, they switched the program so that plebes now take boxing and PE215, a nutrition/fitness planning-based course. Most yuks now take survival swimming and military movement. I am not sure whether they will continue this plan or revert to the old method in the future.

Nonetheless, when you are taking military movement or "mil move", you will run the IOCT every lesson. Some instructors are nice and will excuse people who TAB the test from taking it every lesson unless they want to improve their grade. Typically people who cannot pass the IOCT in mil move end up failing the course. I believe mil move is the most failed course at usma, but fact check me on this.

When you finish mil move, you take the IOCT in your cow year for a large percentage of your physical GPA. If you tab that test, you won't have to take it again in your WP career. If you pass, you will take it again in your firstie year. If you fail, you continue to take the IOCT for every record exam until you pass and you will be marked as deficient in the physical pillar. In years past, the test was administered yuk year, cow year, and firstie year (you do not have to take the IOCT firstie year if you TAB on your cow year IOCT). Currently, yuks do not take the IOCT for a grade.

Probably the biggest point to make here is that you cannot graduate from usma unless you pass the IOCT. Typical problem areas for cadets are the shelf, rope, or horizontal ladder (aka monkey bars). I will attach a grading scale of the IOCT to this post for reference. Hope this helps.

View attachment 8533
Click to expand...
My sons nemesis was that darn tire.
 
I will add on to @VelveteenR 's story. My son had to retake the APFT after being away on a medical leave of absence. In retrospect, he wasn't really prepared for the running portion of the test but in his youthful optimism, he thought that he was ready. The TAC who was about to administer the test realized this and at the last minute grabbed a cadet who happened by. He inquired about his running speed and I guess the answer was good because he was suddenly tasked on the spot to run with my son (so he was a pacer for my son). With the assistance of a pacer, my son passed and was then admitted back into WP He admitted later that he would not have passed the running portion of the test without that help.

And my son returned that favor many times while at WP. He was a running pacer for others and he helped a few pass the swim test portion of the German Military proficiency badge.
 
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