Optimisation of competitive procedures in the sphere of higher military education

introduction: the article considers the current procedure of forming a competitive list of candidates for admission to the branch of the Air Force Academy ‘VVA’ in Chelyabinsk, including the assessment of the level of general education and physical fitness of applicants. On the basis of the analysis of a large array of data (2021-2024) for the first time quantitative assessment of the degree of influence of the results of physical training on the final rating of applicants was carried out. The obtained conclusions allowed to reveal the dominant importance of the physical component in the structure of competitive selection, despite the pro- profile orientation of general education disciplines (mathematics). The work is aimed at improving the objectivity and efficiency of competitive procedures in the system of higher military education. Materials and methods. The tools used were: statistical processing of competition data, systematic and comparative analysis, and visualisation of numerical series. The study was based on a sample of candidates enrolled in 2021-2024, which ensured the representativeness and reliability of the results obtained. Results. It has been established that the level of a candidate's physical fitness has a predominant influence on his/her place in the competitive list, in some cases levelling out a high level of general educational achievement, which allows us to speak about the need to optimise competitive mechanisms in order to increase the predictive accuracy of selection to a military aviation university. Discussion. It is proposed to supplement the current algorithm for the formation of the competitive list with a new element: to take into account the average score for general education tests as a factor in the intra-group ranking of applicants, all other things being equal. This adjustment is aimed at balancing the requirements to the professionally important qualities of candidates, combining physical fitness with intellectual readiness to successfully master educational programmes of higher military education. Conclusion. Further research will be aimed at: 1) modelling the approbation of the proposed approach within the framework of the 2025 admission campaign; 2) monitoring the academic performance of 30% of applicants enrolled under the new system; 3) developing proposals to improve the regulations of the admission committee, which will allow integrating scientifically based approaches into the practice of professional selection. The methodological significance of the work lies in the fact that it reveals the potential of pedagogical measurements in designing competitive procedures in higher military education.

level of physical fitness, level of general education, competitive list, optimisation of competitive procedures, military aviation university