1,001 questions about the ASTB (post your scores & ask your questions here!)

[ToxeyHayes]

Oh boy, I don't even know where to begin... 31 year old male who just graduated with a M.S. in Criminal Justice Studies with a 3.96 GPA. I am applying for Naval INTEL and trying to make the mid-August board. Everything is done except my OAR. Spent a little bit of time digging around here but I need some help finding some study guides. Since my previous degrees were not math heavy, I am most concerned about that. Thanks in advance!

 

[Chris94]

Just took my second ASTB the other day.

First time I took it: OAR: 48 3/3/4

Second time: OAR: 54 6/5/6

Oh and GPA: 2.5 poli sci

Just missed pilot by one point and I'll be taking it for a final time in a month.
Does anyone know what portions to study specifically to get that PFAR score up?
While there were only a few nautical questions I didn't know I'm thinking the dexterity portion and multi-tasking portion is what might've got me.
Also, are there any other ways to practice for the dexterity/multi-tasking portion besides using flight sims?
Even if your GPA is low, as long as you do well on the ASTB, get good LORs, pass MEPS, etc. you'll have a shot. At least according to my officer recruiter.

I know multiple people have gone from 4 -> 7 by practicing video games with an inverted Y axis.

I assume that was the source of the struggling and now the audio portion?

Yeah that was by far the hardest part. That would make sense though. It’s just hard to know what to focus on not knowing what parts account for each part of the Stanine scores.

 

[StevenBlue18]

I took the ASTB at the beginning of July and scored a 54, 5/4/5. Any suggestions on how to improve my scores. I know about the compass trick, wondering if anybody had any other tips.

I learned some tricks from Rudy Goff on here. For dichotic listening go to a text to voice website.
Type in the stat string for ex. “A B 1 2 C 3.”
1.record it using your phone.
2.record a different stat string on a different device I used an iPad.
3. Use headphones for each device at the same time.
4. Practice 100 times.
5.after all the practice then throw in some cod 3v10 inverted shipment.
All that will help tons with the dichotic listening.
Also, keep in mind the test has a target ear. So it will say “now the left ear” remember to include a target ear.
Best of luck!

 

[Chris94]

I learned some tricks from Rudy Goff on here. For dichotic listening go to a text to voice website.
Type in the stat string for ex. “A B 1 2 C 3.”
1.record it using your phone.
2.record a different stat string on a different device I used an iPad.
3. Use headphones for each device at the same time.
4. Practice 100 times.
5.after all the practice then throw in some cod 3v10 inverted shipment.
All that will help tons with the dichotic listening.
Also, keep in mind the test has a target ear. So it will say “now the left ear” remember to include a target ear.
Best of luck!

Cod 3v10 inverted shipment?

 

[StevenBlue18]

Cod 3v10 inverted shipment?

The newest call of duty has “shipment” as a map choice. It is the smallest map in the game. 3 people on your team vs 10 bots. Will learn to quickly switch targets so you get used to constantly changing directions. It will be beneficial on the test since when you push forward on the joystick on the test the tracker will go down.
I practiced this so much so that I now just play inverted.

 

[daltonstewart1213]

Took the ASTB for the second time yesterday and came out with 57 8/7/8. Everything on the joystick felt considerably easier this time around. Also wanted to thank everyone on this page for authoring so many helpful posts. If anyone has any questions feel free to PM me.

 

[bunny_0329]

Aviation studs,

Just took my second ASTB and scored a 65 8/8/8, jumping pretty far from the 60 6/4/4 I received on my first attempt.

Major: Mechanical Engineering
GPA: 3.7

First, I wanted to say thank you to everyone who has posted tips, gouge, reviews, solutions, anything - this website is an amazing resource for an aspiring aviator and I will be passing along the deed to underclassmen at my NROTC Unit. For my two cents on the test...

I have seen it said on here a couple of times that in order to reach and break 7's you really need to know your aircraft components, dynamics, etc. as well as the aviation and nautical information. This is absolutely true. It may be a mental thing rather than those sections actually having a huge impact on the score, but it is definitely easier proceeding with the test when you get several questions in a row for which you can easily choose the correct answer from memory. I have found the best resource for these topics to be the FAA Manual and the Aviation/Nautical info flashcards on proprofs (I will link these at the end of the post).

Math: work diligently and not too quickly. Be mindful of time, but you do not have to rush like on an SAT. It's an adaptive test, so if you take your time and continue to answer correctly, you will likely be finished this section with more than enough time to spare. As for the types of questions, I received far fewer proportion/DRT word problems than expected. I had to simplify a lot of variable expressions, multiply quantities (FOIL), and factor to solve for x. A few tricky "arrange fractions from least to greatest value," overall not too tough.

Reading: don't overthink it! It is mundane and confusing at times, but most of these questions will just be identifying what the passage EXPLICITLY says rather than what might be implied. Don't try to bring any outside information into this.

Mechanical: as expected. Plenty of gears, pulleys, and levers. A good number of questions on buoyancy, air density (3 hot air balloon questions), and work/mechanical advantage. I wouldn't necessarily say this section is easy, but my Mechanical Engineering background helped a bunch.

Aviation & Nautical: as I said, use the FAA handbook and whatever gouge you can get your hands on. If you are in NROTC or in the Navy, a lot of this is just a matter of refreshing yourself on things you already learned, with the occasional tricky history question about famous pilots, jet engine technology, or platforms themselves (which platform was re-designated to perform *insert role* during *insert conflict* is a common question, and I got one on my test).

UAV: if you're a bonehead like me, learn the UAV section using the paper compass trick. You do not necessarily have to use it during the test, but study the flash cards (link below), repeat the deck over and over, and you'll eventually depend on the compass less and less. This really drills the concept into your head. I got one wrong and probably averaged 1.7 seconds or so.

For the trait/facet survey, just answer honestly. I have no clue how this is scored or how it is relevant but there's no real way to game it. If anything, take your leftover time (you're given 30 minutes for 99 questions) and relax/stretch before the next section. As for the tracking and dichotic listening, everyone is different in their best approach. I personally like to lean into the target ear for the listening and just try my best at tracking. Never have been a video game guy, and felt I was doing horribly in this part but I still got the triple 8's so don't be discouraged if you suck at this part. Write down the emergency procedures and that's pretty much it.

I'm linking my google drive folder that contains everything I used to study. The "ASTB Information" document contains links to all the flashcard decks and a youtube video for the UAV trick. The folder "Jacobs Review" has great resources previously posted by another user. There are also two PDFs, one is the full FAA handbook and the other is only the table of contents with important sections highlighted. I highly recommend going through these highlighted chapters!!

Thanks again everybody, good luck and feel free to reply if you have any questions for me. Fly Navy

google drive: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1s0TFbrfix-01JR_nBtxMF2pfE7mo3Apm?usp=sharing

 

[bunny_0329]

Oh boy, I don't even know where to begin... 31 year old male who just graduated with a M.S. in Criminal Justice Studies with a 3.96 GPA. I am applying for Naval INTEL and trying to make the mid-August board. Everything is done except my OAR. Spent a little bit of time digging around here but I need some help finding some study guides. Since my previous degrees were not math heavy, I am most concerned about that. Thanks in advance!

Aviation studs,

Just took my second ASTB and scored a 65 8/8/8, jumping pretty far from the 60 6/4/4 I received on my first attempt.

Major: Mechanical Engineering
GPA: 3.7

First, I wanted to say thank you to everyone who has posted tips, gouge, reviews, solutions, anything - this website is an amazing resource for an aspiring aviator and I will be passing along the deed to underclassmen at my NROTC Unit. For my two cents on the test...

I have seen it said on here a couple of times that in order to reach and break 7's you really need to know your aircraft components, dynamics, etc. as well as the aviation and nautical information. This is absolutely true. It may be a mental thing rather than those sections actually having a huge impact on the score, but it is definitely easier proceeding with the test when you get several questions in a row for which you can easily choose the correct answer from memory. I have found the best resource for these topics to be the FAA Manual and the Aviation/Nautical info flashcards on proprofs (I will link these at the end of the post).

Math: work diligently and not too quickly. Be mindful of time, but you do not have to rush like on an SAT. It's an adaptive test, so if you take your time and continue to answer correctly, you will likely be finished this section with more than enough time to spare. As for the types of questions, I received far fewer proportion/DRT word problems than expected. I had to simplify a lot of variable expressions, multiply quantities (FOIL), and factor to solve for x. A few tricky "arrange fractions from least to greatest value," overall not too tough.

Reading: don't overthink it! It is mundane and confusing at times, but most of these questions will just be identifying what the passage EXPLICITLY says rather than what might be implied. Don't try to bring any outside information into this.

Mechanical: as expected. Plenty of gears, pulleys, and levers. A good number of questions on buoyancy, air density (3 hot air balloon questions), and work/mechanical advantage. I wouldn't necessarily say this section is easy, but my Mechanical Engineering background helped a bunch.

Aviation & Nautical: as I said, use the FAA handbook and whatever gouge you can get your hands on. If you are in NROTC or in the Navy, a lot of this is just a matter of refreshing yourself on things you already learned, with the occasional tricky history question about famous pilots, jet engine technology, or platforms themselves (which platform was re-designated to perform *insert role* during *insert conflict* is a common question, and I got one on my test).

UAV: if you're a bonehead like me, learn the UAV section using the paper compass trick. You do not necessarily have to use it during the test, but study the flash cards (link below), repeat the deck over and over, and you'll eventually depend on the compass less and less. This really drills the concept into your head. I got one wrong and probably averaged 1.7 seconds or so.

For the trait/facet survey, just answer honestly. I have no clue how this is scored or how it is relevant but there's no real way to game it. If anything, take your leftover time (you're given 30 minutes for 99 questions) and relax/stretch before the next section. As for the tracking and dichotic listening, everyone is different in their best approach. I personally like to lean into the target ear for the listening and just try my best at tracking. Never have been a video game guy, and felt I was doing horribly in this part but I still got the triple 8's so don't be discouraged if you suck at this part. Write down the emergency procedures and that's pretty much it.

I'm linking my google drive folder that contains everything I used to study. The "ASTB Information" document contains links to all the flashcard decks and a youtube video for the UAV trick. The folder "Jacobs Review" has great resources previously posted by another user. There are also two PDFs, one is the full FAA handbook and the other is only the table of contents with important sections highlighted. I highly recommend going through these highlighted chapters!!

Thanks again everybody, good luck and feel free to reply if you have any questions for me. Fly Navy

google drive: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1s0TFbrfix-01JR_nBtxMF2pfE7mo3Apm?usp=sharing

 

[Rich Kuya]

Hey guys/gals,

Just got back from taking my ASTB: 52 5/6/6. Coming from a Music Education degree, I felt like I did OK. Math and Mechanical stuff is what definitely got me. I am hoping my GPA will even out the odds with my ASTB score (finishing up with my student teaching this upcoming fall semester with graduation in December.) Because I got LASIK about a ~month ago, I am in the waiting game now for the next ~5 months. My OR was very pleased with those scores and he is sure that I could make an SNA slot. I asked him if he thought I should retake, and he said no need.

OR also informed me (for those looking for more info) that the Navy is in a big need of some good aviator applicants and nuke applicants right now. He told me that almost all other designators are pretty much filled for this year except for those two mentioned above. As long as the airlines are hiring, he said specifically, SNA/SNFO applicants will always be indemand.

To be honest though, I was kind of discouraged knowing how all of you studs on AW get these awesome scores. However, I DEFINITELY could have prepared WAY more.

Paying it forward/ My experiences:

MST (Math Skills Test)

• Lots of simplifying problems (x^2+5/x+5) (solve for x)
• Few DRT Problems (Bob crossed a border and travels 36 mph for 10 minutes. Realizes he has to turn back, drives at 60mph, How long did it take for him to reach back across the border?)
• Couple of probability problems (Roll a die and pick a card; What are the chances of you rolling a 6 sided die and getting a 2 or more and also drawing a heart from a deck of cards at the same time?)
• KNOW YOUR EXPONENT RULES (negative exponents, exponents with roots, etc.)

RCT (Reading Comprehension Test)

• God, where do I begin? Sometimes I felt like there were two answers to some of the questions. TRUST your instincts. Seriously. Felt like an SAT or ACT reading comprehension exam. Expect dry reading material. Do NOT use any prior knowledge in this part of the test. Everything you need to know is located in the paragraph.

MCT (Mechanical Comprehension Test)

• Memorize formulas. On my test, questions would just straight up ask me what the formula for power or work was. Things like that. Oddly enough, I did not get any electrical questions. I possibly was not good enough to get to that point. Go back through these forums and see what others had said. Lots of the things others posted (including a couple of flashcards specifically for the MCT floating around) are EXTREMELY true to this test.

ANIT (Aviation & Nautical Information Test)

• Seriously felt like I got "gypped" on this portion of the test. I was expecting a ton of questions about components of an airplane/naval vessels and principles of flight. I remember just getting a bunch of questions about naval aviation history. Questions about some WW2 planes (dive bombers, torpedo bombers, etc.) Also, my computer just straight up turned off during this portion of the test. I do not know if that affected my scores though..
• Things I remember specifically: Know what VASI is, what VFR stands for and how it affects your flight altitude? What flaps do, Bernoulli principle on wing, first jet plane to break sound barrier (X-1.) Things just felt pretty random and kind of all over the place for me.

Naval Aviation Trait Facet Inventory (NATFI)

• lol
• Seriously though, just pick the statement that fits you best. Do not overthink.

Performance Based Measures Battery (PBM)

• TAKE YOUR TIME AND READ THE INSTRUCTIONS CAREFULLY BEFORE PROCEEDING
• For the UAV portion, I used the compass rose trick that has been posted here a dozen or so times. Left hand was turning the compass, right hand clicked on the parking lot. I missed 3 but averaged around 2-3 seconds each time (blanked for a moment one time I think, but yeah.) Pretty straightforward. It goes by QUICK
• Listening in left and right ear: Pretty straightforward as well. Leaning my head to the side I was listening for kind of helped. Do not freak out. TAKE YOUR TIME AND READ THE INSTRUCTIONS CAREFULLY
• Throttle/Stick portion: They test you individually, and then you combine these two portions later for the exam. Controls were okay. If you play FPS games, I recommend you just switch your vertical axis on your game of choice and practice that. If you do not play FPS and want to ace this part, I recommend you start playing FPS games (or some type of flight simulator) and switch the vertical axis so that pulling back on the stick causes you to go up and pushing forward on the stick causes you to look down. I can see how this portion of the exam may seem foreign to those who do not fly or do not play video games or flight simulators.
• Listening and Throttle/Stick Combined: Do not freak out too much. It is meant to be difficult. Just have fun! TAKE YOUR TIME AND READ THE INSTRUCTIONS CAREFULLY
• Emergency procedures: READ THE DIRECTIONS. WRITE DOWN THE SCENARIOS. This was easier than having to do the listening and throttle/stick thing (at least for me.) Each scenario only happened once for me. I made sure to correct everything as soon as possible while keeping track of my movements. Use your peripherals.

OVERALL, I thought this test was just a little harder than what I had prepared for. Do not be discouraged. You can do well on this test! If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to PM me. I am attaching the material I used to study. Everything I used to study for this exam I essentially stole/borrowed/took/downloaded from this forum. Also: USE THE NOTE CARDS THAT EVERYONE POSTS.


Best of luck everybody!

 

[bjjhelm]

Took the ASTB yesterday for the first time, and I'm pretty pleased! 62 6/6/6.

Y'all weren't kidding when you said you could come out of the simulations feeling crappy and still be aight. I can see how practicing video games with an inverted y axis would be a big help. The thing that threw me was staring at that black background while your cross hairs moved. It felt way less natural than any flight simulator would since your view isn't really shifting with your movements.

Spoke with my recruiter who said, because of the high demand for pilots, they're not waiting for boards and applications that qualify are automatically pro-reced. Might help speed the process up for those who are ready to GO

 

[peppergunner]

Spoke with my recruiter who said, because of the high demand for pilots, they're not waiting for boards and applications that qualify are automatically pro-reced. Might help speed the process up for those who are ready to GO

Two things - Navy needs Pilots, but flight school is backed up right now with lots of students. Shouldn't be a deterrent for you but wanted to mention it.

Second, your recruiter is referring to "AQ - Auto Qualify Boards" that take applicants with certain ASTB scores and rush them through. AQ for Pilot is 7/7/7 and is going to 8/8/8 in August, so double check that.


Killer scores though.

 

[bjjhelm]

Two things - Navy needs Pilots, but flight school is backed up right now with lots of students. Shouldn't be a deterrent for you but wanted to mention it.

Second, your recruiter is referring to "AQ - Auto Qualify Boards" that take applicants with certain ASTB scores and rush them through. AQ for Pilot is 7/7/7 and is going to 8/8/8 in August, so double check that.


Killer scores though.

Good to know, I’ll be sure to ask him about it. And thanks!

 

[peppergunner]

Good to know, I’ll be sure to ask him about it. And thanks!

I need to correct myself as I just saw the FY19 board schedule. There's something called a Immediate Select Proboard that wasn't on the list last year. This may be different than AQ and may be what your OR was referring to.

 

[wakefijw]

I just took mine today and scored a 55 on the OAR. I know it is easy to say that reading this thread helps, but it really did! There were some probability questions, distance questions and there was one about the chances of guessing an ATM PIN. I didn't see any logarithms or multiplying matrices, maybe I didn't do well enough to get to that. The reading is as everyone said, dry and boring. Certainly helps if you are prior enlisted because a lot of them are about chain of commands. You don't need prior knowledge (and should not rely on it either) but understanding the terminology helps. The physics section was probably my worst since I haven't taken a physics class since 2001. There were questions such as how many joules are used to hold 2 10 pound bricks for two minutes and another one about withdrawing a rod from a nuclear reactor. I took the old version of the test back in 2011 and scored a 49 so I'm happy with this score, at least for now.

 

[MountainFlyer]

Just took the ASTB for the first time about a week ago: 55 7/8/7. Studied pretty hard for about a month and a half I owe it to the AW community for all the material and gouge! I did most of my studying through the materials you kind people all provided, and a little bit from the Trivium ASTB book. Just graduated college Aviation/Aerospace Science major 3.77 GPA. Also commercial pilot with about 260 hours, but honestly it definitely did not help much.

MST (Math Skills Test)

• WAY easier than most of the study material I was looking at, which was nice because this is the hardest subject for me.
• Mostly simple algebra concepts such as solving for variables
• MAKE SURE TO KNOW HOW FRACTIONS WORK
• Couple of probability problems which I found somewhat difficult. Simple in concept but I haven't taken stats for years and I think I freaked myself out a little.
• Also, if you're breezing through it, I would take a second to write a few of the formulas they provide down. They might come in handy during the MST section

RCT (Reading Comprehension Test)

• Not bad overall, like most of the gouge it seems like the most difficult part is keeping yourself awake. It's hard to offer advice for this one, but think critically and eliminate answer options that involve absolutes or are obviously wrong. This will normally whittle it down to two or three.

MCT (Mechanical Comprehension Test)

• Pretty much what you'd expect. There were a few questions that wanted an actual number value, but if I remember correctly, most of them were conceptual. Still, learn formulas because they are the basis of the concept.
• https://quizlet.com/12233624/physics-basic-formulas-flash-cards/
• Know units of measurement (for temperature, distance, power) and how they convert to one another

ANIT (Aviation & Nautical Information Test)

• Way different than I expected and honestly kind of bummed about it. No systems or aviation physics or anything. All nautical and Navy history.
• See the attached Airman Training Course. It reads like a textbook, but the stuff in there is actually really interesting!
• Know some basic physics of aviation... e.g. the relationship of pressure and altitude. Is the speed of sound faster at sea level or 60,000 feet?

Naval Aviation Trait Facet Inventory (NATFI)

• I was laughing out loud because it's just so painful.
• Don't overthink it and remember that this is a personality test, but make it about the personality you have at work/school, not the personality you have when you're partying with your friends!

Performance Based Measures Battery (PBM)

• For some reason, I got waaayyy psyched out on the UAV portion and got caught with my pants around my ankles. Average about 5-7 seconds per response and got about 5 wrong. Use the flashcards that are posted everywhere and don't freak out.
• After the UAV portion, make sure to read the directions very thoroughly, and keep your hand off the stick. Pulling the trigger will skip you through the directions and you can't go back.
• Having some flying hours, I didn't need to worry about the inverted y-axis on the stick. However, this was not much help overall.
• Don't let your left and right hand start following each other during the vertical and airplane tracking combination test.
• Use a scan to flick your eyes between the two constantly.
• There was a little friction lock on the bottom of my throttle that I loosened to make the stick a little easier to move.... about halfway through my multi-tracking test (DLT, ATT, VTT) the damn thing fell off! I think it hurt me kinda bad because I had to screw it back on. Just check your equipment and don't mess with it!
• Don't panic during the test. You're doing better than you think you are.
• For emergencies, write them down. I also oriented the paper to rest under the throttle so that I could label what was what.