Hi all! I suppose it is finally my time to write on here.
After using this forum for as many tips, hints, tricks, and information I took my third attempt at the ASTB today.
First attempt: 35 1/2/1 - Sometime around 2016
Second attempt: 50 4/5/4 - 13 Aug 2019
Third attempt: 54 7/8/6 - 12 Sept 2019
Going into my last test I was pretty nervous, but as soon as I sat down the nervousness went away. I have to thank everyone on here that has posted their guides, tips, tricks, hints, etc. I did what everyone else stated to do, go back about 30-40 pages and just READ, save the information on your computer, write it down, whatever helps you find it easier. After going through all of the gouges, I searched online "ASTB Flashcards" and a ton of information came up. So thank you everyone who has contributed! I'll be applying for SNA in the upcoming board!
Math: It started fairly simple with probability and ratio problems, did some algebra (nothing too crazy, negative exponent divided by other numbers with exponents) and ended up with matrix problems. The test kicked me out early after a few matrix problems. I am no where near a math whiz, and used YouTube to tutor myself, I watched Khan Academy and The Organic Chemistry Tutor mainly. The books did not explain the math well enough for me.
Reading: Like everyone else stated, bland and boring. I read car manuals, old navy documents (NAVADMIN helped out a lot) and used some of the practice problems I found on this website and books.
Mechanical: Super easy, this is where my studies were focused. I had a questions about at which point is velocity the highest in a tube, a few electricity questions, one was about a piece of metal wrapped around a nail and how much voltage it could run if it was not around the nail, and then some lever stuff. YouTube again has great information and the information on the website is plentiful.
Naval Aviation Trait Facet Inventory: It sucked, there is no way to study for it, but the way I answered was, "would I rather" in a sense would I rather blow a stop sign, or would I rather break something and not tell anyone. I attempted to choose the answer that was more like me, but also one that showed leadership and taking responsibility.
ANIT: Studied pretty hard for this one as well. Definitely brush up on ALL major aviation history, not just Navy. Some questions were "which aircraft first broke the sound barrier" Which aircraft was fitted for refueling during Operation Iraqi Freedom. There is tons of information out there.
PBM: This is where I started getting nervous again, but after the compass section I decided to treat it more as a video game, instead of test, and I actually started smiling and having fun. I did the compass trick found on YouTube, definitely helped. I recommend downloading Digital Combat Simulator (DCS) from Steam, and get a cheap throttle and joystick (Navy uses the Saitek X52), and just familiarize yourself with multitasking. The vertical tracking and stick tracking are simple enough, the dichotic listening is where things get harder. When it first started I learned into the target ear, and closed my eyes. Once the dichotic listening and target tracking started I still leaned over to the target ear, and my MAIN focus was listening. The last section with the emergencies was cake as well, just write down the procedures on the paper, and learn which way the engine power and fuel moves the needle.
If anyone has any questions, feel free to ask, I'll try to answer anything to the best of my ability!