OOC and Downpes Guide

See more FAQs. What PES grades mean. Trying to go up instead? See the up-PES guide.

If you're here to keng, this is not the place for you. Genuinely.

But if you rolled an ankle during SOC, your knee is swelling after route march, or you just can't keep going and don't know who to tell, this page is for you. Here's what actually happens, in order, and who handles each step.

First: report it

The biggest mistake is hiding it. Pushing through a real injury will turn weeks of recovery into months, and likely follow you after ORD.

• Tell your buddy or section commander and follow your unit's report-sick process
• Seek help immediately for a serious or worsening injury. Do not wait for the next morning if it may be an emergency
• Describe your symptoms and what happened accurately. Let the MO assess the condition
• Follow the documented medical instructions and exemptions you are given

Statuses

Depending on the assessment, you may receive different forms of medical leave or exemption:

• MC (medical leave): a period when you are medically unfit for duty
• Hospitalisation leave: leave issued in connection with hospital treatment or recovery
• Medical exemption: you remain in service but are not medically eligible for specified activities. Examples can include running, marching, jumping, upper-limb activities, IPPT, or other training
• Light duty: duties adjusted around your medical restrictions while you recover

Your official medical record and instructions are the reference. If an exemption or status is missing or unclear, contact your medical centre rather than relying on word of mouth.

If a duty appears to conflict with a documented medical exemption, show the official record to your commander and ask the medical centre to clarify it. SOL means Stoppage of Leave, which is a disciplinary punishment, not a medical status.

OOC: out of course

OOC means you are formally removed from a training course such as BMT, SCS, OCS, or vocational training. Medical reasons are common, but training and administrative reasons can also lead to OOC. The route after that varies by course and unit.

What actually happens:

• You stop the course activities you are no longer eligible to complete
• You may be placed on holding or administrative duties while decisions are made
• A medical review may be needed if your medical fitness or exemptions have changed
• You may recourse, continue in a different training path, or receive a new posting

Your school or unit manpower branch is the right source for the next administrative step. Someone else's OOC outcome does not predict yours.

OOT: out of training

OOT generally means you are out of training but have not necessarily completed the formal OOC process. Usage can differ between schools and services, so ask what the term means for your course.

• You may remain attached to your school or unit on duties compatible with your medical instructions
• A later review can determine whether you return to training, recourse, OOC, or move elsewhere

Downpes and the medical board

Downpes is a change to your medical fitness classification. It follows a medical assessment and the authorised review process. A commander cannot promise or grant it.

The flow:

1. See the MO for a medical review and explain your symptoms, history, and current treatment
2. Provide relevant medical documents. The MO will decide whether more information or a specialist review is needed
3. Wait for the authorised medical review. The process and timetable depend on the case, and there is no reliable universal waiting time
4. Check the official result through the system or medical centre your unit directs you to use

The same machine runs in reverse if you want to up-PES later. That's covered step by step in the up-PES guide.

Re-BMT and where you end up

If your medical fitness changes during BMT, possible outcomes include returning to training, recourse, a modified training path, or a different posting:

• Modified BMT has traditionally been conducted at BMTC School V for relevant medical classifications
• Intake and recourse timing varies. Ask your manpower branch for the expected timeline
• Your medical fitness, completed training, and manpower needs all affect the outcome

Any later posting depends on your medical fitness, training status, service, and manpower needs. The vocations page explains common roles, but it cannot predict your posting. Ask your unit's manpower branch about your case.

The part nobody warns you about

OOC and downpes mess with your head more than the injury does. You watch your platoon do things without you. You're stuck in an office. Some people will call you a keng warrior behind your back, sometimes to your face, even when your injury is completely legitimate.

A few things worth knowing:

• Administrative waiting can be frustrating. Ask your unit for an update if the stated review period has passed
• MINDEF says service personnel's medical information is confidential and is not shared with civilian employers or insurers
• If the mental weight gets heavy, tell the MO. The SAF's Psychological Care Centre (PCC), SAF Counselling Centre, and public healthcare services are among the support routes that may be appropriate
• For urgent safety concerns, tell someone immediately and use the official support contacts below

Who to talk to, at each stage

General rule: medical questions go to the medical centre, posting questions go to the manpower branch, and administrative questions go through your chain of command. For a delayed medical review, ask the medical centre how to check its status.

Official information and support

• CMPB medical review
• CMPB medical exemptions under the refreshed Medical Classification System
• MINDEF on medical-information confidentiality
• MINDEF on SAF mental-health support
• MINDEF contact page and 24-hour SAF Counselling Centre hotline

The discussions below are personal experiences. They can show how different cases have unfolded, but they are not policy and cannot predict an individual outcome:

• Sustained shoulder injury in SCS infantry pro term (r/NationalServiceSG)
• C9 OOC, when will I re-BMT and how is it like? (r/NationalServiceSG)
• OOC'ed with permanent excuse dust (r/NationalServiceSG)
• OOC from vocational training, new posting as ASA (r/NationalServiceSG)
• OOC'ed from School 5 vocational training, what happens next (r/NationalServiceSG)
• Where will I be posted after I OOC from OCS? (r/NationalServiceSG)
• OOC from SCS foundation term, excuse flegs and IMH question (r/NationalServiceSG)
• OOC/OOT flow for PTP batch (r/NationalServiceSG)
• Is being OOC really so ass? (r/NationalServiceSG)
• Rank progression for OOC from Tekong (r/NationalServiceSG)