looking to join the paras does anyone have any advice in terms of questions in the ac interview and fitness tips

Good Afternoon and thanks for your question.

Whilst i'm not a parachute regiment soldier, i'm sure i can be helpful in some way.

It's right for you to be focusing on the knowledge required at assessment centre (AC) as well as the fitness levels required, as these are two of the biggest reasons why people may struggle with AC.

In terms of information you will need to gain, there really isn't a limit. You should definitely make sure you have the basics covered such as how long your training is going to take, where it will take place, and the subjects you will cover. Showing this to your assessor will show that you are aware of what you will be joining the army to do and that it is what you want to do.

As well as this, any information on your chosen regiment (In your case this is of course the parachute regiment) such as pieces of regimental history or traditions, battle honours they may have, and any other bits of information to show the assessor that you have taken time to do your research and learn.

Finally, with regards to research and job knowledge, you will of course need to know and understand the British Army's values and standards. These come under the acronyms "CDRILS" and "LAbToP".

Courage
Discipline
Respect for others
Integrity
Loyalty
Selfless Committment

Lawful
Appropriate Behaviour
Total Proffessionalism

If you are able to not only recite these but also potentially give examples of how they benefit us as soldiers and what they mean, then i'm sure your assessor will be very impressed indeed.

One other thing to bear in mind with this is that you will not be able to have this information as notes in front of you during the discussion. So make sure to take the time leading up to your AC date to get it all in to your head ready to present it confidently and comprehensively.

Fitness, is as you mentioned one area where you will definitely need to work on for joining the Para's. The best thing to do is to follow the Army fitness guide from the app and other sources too. But of course, be wary of injuries too.

Try to mix up your routine, it's great to push for your 2km run to keep bringing the time down, but sometimes you should change it up too. Try something like some fartlek training. A good way to do this is whilst on a run, find an object in the distance such as a lamp post or tree, and tell yourself to sprint to that object and then continue running at your regular pace. Repeat this where you can, and hopefully you'll see some different results which could also be beneficial for the quick changing and varied paces through the bleep test.

The biggest thing overall i would say is make sure to time yourself over certain distances. It can help you keep track of what you're doing and also be an extra motivational tool by seeing how much you've improved and continuing to do so.

As long as you give your absolute best in all aspects of the assessments then i'm sure you will do great, and that way at least you will know that you've given the best account of yourself that you possibly could and wont go away wishing you had put more effort in certain areas.

If you're concerned, call your local ACC and they will be able to help you further, and i'm sure they will offer you some further coaching when you get closer to your AC date anyway.

I hope this helps, and i wish you the absolute best of luck for your future.