DSA Cadet Selection case studies
DSA Cadet Selection · Put your knowledge to work in context.
The DSA Cadet Selection is a school-based Direct School Admission exercise used by some institutions to identify students who show aptitude for cadet, uniformed-group or leadership-oriented programmes before the usual posting cycle. It is aimed at primary or secondary students (depending on the school's DSA category) who can demonstrate a mix of academic grounding, reasoning ability, physical readiness and the maturity to work in a structured team. The DSA Cadet Selection case studies are 5 cases and about 4,014 words.
1The Four-Checkpoint Route
You are the section commander of a six-person cadet section preparing a dismounted route that must pass through four checkpoints, A to D, in sequence, to validate a navigation qualification. The legs are: A to B, 4.2 km on firm trail; B to C, 3.0 km including 250 m of ascent; C to D, 5.5 km on a vehicle track.
789 words, about 4 min2Six Hundred Metres and One Bad Ankle
You are leading an eight-person team through the final stage of a selection obstacle course. Scoring stops when the last team member crosses the finish line, the team must stay together, and the whole team fails if it is not complete by the 15-minute remaining limit.
801 words, about 4 min3Six Weeks to the Assessment
Recruit Tan is six weeks from the selection fitness assessment. Current bests: 2.4 km run in 13:20, 18 push-ups, 32 sit-ups.
806 words, about 4 min4Broken Transmission, Two Nets
You are second-in-command of a nine-person section on a night navigation exercise in wooded, rolling terrain. Radios are line-of-sight and the net is congested.
798 words, about 4 min5The Photographs of Last Year's Paper
Two nights before the academic phase test - 40 multiple-choice mathematics and physics questions, pass mark 70 per cent, one resit only - a candidate in your study group of six produces photographs of what he says is last year's paper, obtained from a senior who has since left. Four of the group have already worked through it.
820 words, about 4 min