Scores: 56 6/7/7
Study Material:
Barron's Military Flight Aptitude Tests prep book
ASTB 2020-2021 Test Prep Book
Kahn Academy
Organic Chemistry Tutor
Kyles's ASTB Guide
Holly's ASTB Guide
FAA Handbook
Math:
Lots of word problems involving DRT, probability, average, how much time it'll take for 2 people to complete a task, and simplifying radicals.
My biggest recommendation for this section is to get the basics down pat. To be honest there were a good number of problems that didn't look exactly like the problems that I practiced. Do as many practice problems as you can and get very comfortable with them so that you know you'll get those ones right on the test. That way you can quickly answer those ones and spend more time working through harder ones.
Reading:
As everyone else has mentioned previously, this section is full of some dry material. Do your best to stay engaged and focused. Also, be sure to keep and eye on the timer. I actually timed out before I answered all the questions (maybe had only 1 or 2 more to go, though)
Mechanical:
Pulley systems, throw a ball and dropping a ball at the same time- which one hit's ground first (answer: they both hit ground at same time because horizontal motion doesn't affect rate of fall), mass of an object on the moon versus the Earth, how much force would be needed to lift an object in a pulley system, what happens to velocity in narrow section of venture tube, which point of a trajectory would have the greatest velocity, and one question.
I maybe had 1 question that involved actually calculating something...the rest was concepts. So be sure to study concepts.
ANIT:
I used the cram flashcard set, read the test prep books, and studied the FAA manual (see study guides in this thread for the highlighted sections).
Some examples of questions were what plane escorted bombers in WWII, who do the commanders of the carrier air wing report to, how aircraft carriers were modified to accommodate heavy aircraft such as the F-14, and a question "You're DME from the VORTAC, what's your issue?" The answer choices were in nautical miles not statute miles, in statute miles not nautical miles, in kilometers, and something about slope distance. I guessed and chose slope distance. I'm sure someone here that's smarter than I am can give the correct answer.
NATFI:
Just like everyone else says...these questions are strange. Pick the answer that best suites you and I'd suggest not overthinking it.
UAV Test:
I used the online UAV practice flashcards from pro profs....However, when it came to the real exam, the perspective of the parking lots differed from the simulator and it confused me at times. There were a few that I answered incorrectly and a few that took longer than 3 seconds to answer. For instance, they may have you heading 110 degrees (which is South East), but because the heading isn't directly between East and South (135 degrees), when you re-orientate your compass (using the UAV trick that everyone references) it sometimes is confusing what parking lot is correct.
Practice the UAV trick and do your best.
Dichotic Listening Test:
I used the "lean into the target-ear" method and I feel like it helped. I also took a piece of my scratch paper, drew a line down the middle, and labeled each side as "ODD" or "EVEN" with an arrow point to the respective sides.
Tracking & Emergency Scenarios Test:
As many people (especially those without much simulator experience say) this section can make you feel super incompetent.
The vertical and joystick tracking went relatively smoothly. The target jumps across the screen at varying speeds so it can be difficult to keep up with it. Additionally, the target is on a 2D plane and I moved the joystick in the wrong direction for UP/DOWN a few times even though I was prepared for the inverted axis.
Things started getting a little crazy when the dichotic listening was added back in. I focused on the dichotic listening as that was the new part. Honestly, I was probably "on-target" less than 20% of the time.
I wrote down the emergency scenarios, the knob positions, and what fingers corresponded to what knobs. When an emergency happened, I was able to quickly respond to it. Again, the tracking was the hard part here. I would focus on the joystick target and the vertical target would be way off and vice versa. After the three emergency scenarios, there's a short period of just tracking.
One other thing I'd like to mention is that I got myself a tutor from Varsity Tutors to prep for this. I served 6 years active duty as a Navy Officer (non-pilot) and am still in the Reserves. I had a decent amount of experience in anything involving nautical information but what really helped me was connecting with a 20+ year retired Navy Nuclear Officer (and if anyone is familiar with the Navy Nuke program, you'll know it's full of the smartest dudes and girls that the branch has) who tutors guys and girls in ASTB test prep (among other subjects). He found tons of extra study material for me to work through and helped me improve my understanding of concepts, speed of answering questions, etc.
In my opinion, it's good to be humble and ask for help in preparing for this test.
If anyone is interested in connecting with him, please direct message me and I'll make the introduction.
For all of you that are not prior service and have been selected out of your boards, enjoy the Navy experience. It will be the best decision you've ever made and will positively change your life forever!