What is it like for a formerly enlisted marine to go to officer
candidate school? Is it harder or the same as boot camp or just different?

Dan Alger, works at U.S. Marine Corps (1997-present)
Answered Thu · Upvoted by Shaun Richardson, 0231 at U.S. Marine Corps
(2018-present) and Will Bentley, Retired USMC after 28 years: service as
officer and enlisted, active and reserve
It's harder, easier, and different.

Physically it will be harder. They expect you to be a solid first class
pft for OCS whereas Bootcamp you just have to meet those IST minimums.

Knowledge will be ridiculously easier. You already have all that Marine
Corps knowledge burned into your soul so all those tests will just be a
review. The new guys will be up all night studying and you will just
have to skim it once or twice before hitting the rack. Don't worry,
almost all that knowledge comes roaring back into your brain.

Day to day will be different in some respects. In OCS they aren't just
looking to train Marines but to train Marine leaders. You will be
constantly put into leadership positions and evaluated. Especially to
see how you handle stress and failure. The Marine Corps needs you to be
the one who keeps everything together when the bullets are flying and
the plan has gone to shit. The instructors know that immediately after
graduation you will outrank them and their lives and others may be in
your hands down the road. So they are evaluating leadership with that in
mind. But any good solid prior Marine should have no problem rising to
the challenge. Just think of all the leaders you have had in the past.
Emulate the good and avoid the bad and you will do fine.

Good luck and see you in the fleet.

Jim Thurber, former police officer
Answered 11m ago
Depends. We had a former Marine enlisted in our AOCS class (26–80) but
the previous class had a former Navy Chief Petty Officer. When the first
Room, Locker and Personnel inspection came around one of the rooms was
AJ Squared Away. Why? Because one of the residents was a CPO.

The instant the Drill Instructor learned the candidate officer was a
former CPO he basically turned the class training (military training)
over to him. “Easiest class I ever had,” said Gunny Buck.

Related Questions
How much more difficult is a marine officer candidate school than boot
camp? What do I need to know and how should I prepare (in all aspects)?

Is it true that a Marine Corps recruit can get out of boot camp easily
by saying "I quit"?
What is USMC School of Infantry like? How different it is from a boot camp?
Is Marine SOI easier or harder than the Marine Corps boot camp?
Has anyone ever graduated from the US Marine Corps boot camp and then
repeated it later in their career?
Does USMC Boot Camp make you tough?
How difficult is the Marine boot camp compared to the Army boot camp?
Does it mean anything if I get discharged from marine boot camp but pass
army boot camp?
Is Marine boot camp purposely harder than U.S. Army boot camp?
What is US Marine Corps boot camp like for a woman?
Why do some people decide to drop out of the U.S. Marine Corps Officer
Candidate School (OCS)?
What is harder, the State Trooper academy or the Marine Corps boot camp?
What is the difference between Boot Camp for enlisted persons and basic
training for officers?
Do Merchant Marines go through the same training as regular Marines?
Was the USMC boot camp harder than you expected?
Related Questions
How much more difficult is a marine officer