Soldier Selection takes place at one of four Army Development and Selection Centres (ADSC) found throughout the UK.

Generally speaking, candidates from the South of England and East Anglia will go to Pirbright, Surrey; from Wales, the midlands and some southern counties it will be Lichfield, Staffordshire. Candidates from Scotland and northern England will go to Penicuik near Edinburgh and those who live in Northern Ireland will go to Belfast.

The purpose of each ADSC is to develop and select potential recruits for a career in the British Army and the time spent there is designed to assess a candidate's capabilities and aptitude.  ADSC also provides an insight into the Army and the necessary information on what to expect should the candidate be successful. The selection takes place over 2 days and covers various challenging individual and team events including:

• A thorough medical.
• Various physical activities including upper body, stamina and aerobic tests as well as team events.
• An Ice Breaker - where candidates stand up in front of their group and talk about themselves for about 2 minutes.
• A written Technical Selection Test for those going for technical trades.
• A memory and observation lesson and test about a piece of service equipment and its use in practice.
• Team tasks - a series of outdoor scenarios set for each group to be completed within an allotted time; these test the ability of individuals to work within a team.
• An interview with an Army Development and Selection Officer (ADSO). There are also various lectures and presentations throughout the 2 days and most candidates will get a chance to talk to soldiers that are currently in training.

Candidates eligible for consideration for a technical trade will be required to take the Technical Selection Test (TST) at the Army Development and Selection Centre in order to confirm their suitability for technical training. Sample questions are available to download on the right.

For more information about what to expect at ADSC and an example of the two-day programme, click on the links on the right.