Find the authority behind a claim
A video or training plan may quote a standard without showing where it came from. Begin at the current Army role page, not at a screenshot of somebody else's session. Record the page link and the date you checked it. Distinguish a published requirement from a coach's useful but independent suggestion.
Watch for category errors
Army Regular, Army Reserve and specialist pathways are different contexts. Requirements may vary by role, prior service and stage. If someone cites a figure, ask which route it covers. A statement may be accurate for a different course while misleading for your own.
Distinguish biography from authority
An instructor's past military service may be relevant, but it does not grant ongoing access to selection staff or confidential material. The provider should explain precisely what experience is documented and what services it is qualified and insured to deliver now. Ask for a training rationale rather than trusting a dramatic photograph.
Read omissions as carefully as promises
A preparation package that describes only maximal effort but nothing about recovery, personal variation or referral to appropriate professionals may be missing essential protections. A spreadsheet of private 'pass scores' is not a substitute for official assessment. Any selection forecast is especially vulnerable to false confidence.
Keep a small evidence notebook
For every consequential claim, retain the statement, source, date and decision it affects. If the source disappears or contradicts another official page, ask a current Army contact rather than quietly adopting whichever version seems more impressive.
A practical decision exercise
Take three claims from any course advertisement. For each, ask: official source? relevant route? still current? would it change my decision? If any answer is unknown, defer the purchase.
Use the free planning tool ↗Verify before you act
Sources and official guidance
These references support the published pathway or general safety guidance. An independent exercise is our own educational example; it does not reproduce military assessments. Check any changed requirements directly with the responsible authority.