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

[exner21]

So I re-took the ASTB today. I got a 43 OAR and a 5/9/6. Not sure if this is good or bad. Really wish I got my OAR higher though. Like at least a 55 would have made me happy. I'm prior service as well, 5 years in the Marines and a 3.0 GPA. dont know if this is going to be good enough. Any opinions?

 

[exner21]

I'm set to take my third and final attempt at the ASTB next week. I'm applying for the Marines, and current minimums are 4/6/6. So far Ive scored 5/5/6 and 6/5/6. Does anyone have any knowlege on how to study specifically to improve my PFAR?
Any help is greatly appreciated

Ya the PFAR I got a 9 on. What you wanna do when the instructions come up is invision your self moving the sticks and pressing buttons alot befor you start. Practice alot befor you start the test. Especially with the adjustments. And say things in your mind as u practice. Then when the test happens you'll do alot better.

 

[Mr. Penisburg]

So I re-took the ASTB today. I got a 43 OAR and a 5/9/6. Not sure if this is good or bad. Really wish I got my OAR higher though. Like at least a 55 would have made me happy. I'm prior service as well, 5 years in the Marines and a 3.0 GPA. dont know if this is going to be good enough. Any opinions?

You're golden. All you need is a 4/6/6 40. My OSO sounds like all that matters is pass/fail, your score isnt really considered. He also has sounded like being prior service makes your chances a Hell of a lot higher.

 

[exner21]

You're golden. All you need is a 4/6/6 40. My OSO sounds like all that matters is pass/fail, your score isnt really considered. He also has sounded like being prior service makes your chances a Hell of a lot higher.

Thanks you. Makes me feel a lot better.

 

[Jabari McClendon]

Hey everyone I have a quick question about my scores... I took it and scored a 51 4/5/5. The thing that gets me was my administer. They said I wasn't allowed to move anything or 'tamper' with the equipment, which I respected and didn't move a thing. However I'm left handed and figured out after the test was done that I took it in a 'right handed' position as oppose to having the joystick in my left hand. Basically my question is should I retake it again and try to better those flight scores or just bite the bullet and apply and hope for the best. My GPA is 3.0 with a Sports Science & Physiology major...(Basically a lot of physics as it related to sports) any info could help! Thanks in advance!

 

[exner21]

Hey everyone I have a quick question about my scores... I took it and scored a 51 4/5/5. The thing that gets me was my administer. They said I wasn't allowed to move anything or 'tamper' with the equipment, which I respected and didn't move a thing. However I'm left handed and figured out after the test was done that I took it in a 'right handed' position as oppose to having the joystick in my left hand. Basically my question is should I retake it again and try to better those flight scores or just bite the bullet and apply and hope for the best. My GPA is 3.0 with a Sports Science & Physiology major...(Basically a lot of physics as it related to sports) any info could help! Thanks in advance!

That sucks man. I was allowed to move the sticks in any position that felt comfortable to me. What I would say is to absolutely take it again anyway. All your scores will go up. And it will make you more competitive. For me I have harder time on the OAR score than anything. When you take the test next time, practice with the joy stick and throttle a lot before continuing. Say things in your head what they are. And practice envisioning the test. You'll perform a lot better. Overall just study hard and take it again.

 

[cubuffalo]

Had an interesting experience today taking the ASTB, but ended up with a good result so I'm pretty happy.

OAR: 67
AQR: 8
PFAR: 8
FOFAR: 8

Anyway, went in, and throughout the math, reading, writing, FAR, and aviation/nautical sections the program was very slow. Whenever I submitted a response to a question it would take 3-15 seconds to move to the next question. But no time went off the timer, so it was no significant issue. However, when I got to the PBM section, I got to a screen with a little radar and the words "downloading PBM instructions, this may take a few minutes", and it would not move past the screen. We tried rebooting the program several times, and still got nowhere. Since there was someone else waiting behind me to take the OAR behind me, my processor told me to go get myself a lunch, so the next guy could take his OAR, and that she would try to fix the problem. So I went and ate lunch, came back and filled out the BIRV, and waited for a while for the dude to finish the OAR. My process0r had made some sort of change, so I went back in and tried again, and it finally booted up after another long wait. Was a weird experience, would like to hear if anyone else has had that happen to them.

As for each section, the best I can remember is this:
Math: Lots of algebra, a matrix multiplication, some logarithms, fractional exponents, etc. Some problems I found it easier to plug in the various answers rather than solving. This was the only section in which I ran out of time.
Reading: I kept wishing for this one to be over, most of the time it would seem like all 5 of the answers could be correct
Mechanical: I feel like I could have studied differently for this one, lots of ideal gas law, no classes of levers or gear problems.
Psychological Problems: Like everyone in this thread has said, a bunch of choices between terrible options. "I have severe problems with authority" or "I doubt myself constantly"
Aviation/Nautical info: Decks of a ship, all of the aerodynamics surfaces of a plane and how they work
PBM: Use the compass trick, and be sure to write down the emergency procedures. Apart from that, this section was actually really fun, I enjoyed myself.

I used Barrons "Military Flight Aptitude Tests" and "Mechanical Aptitude and Spatial Relations Tests", as well as the GRE GMAT review, as well as some of the study guides and spatial orientation flash cards to study.

 

[Hubber24]

I have been lurking on this site for about a month and gathering all the information that I can from all the gouges. I finally have my test scheduled for Feb. 8 at 1300. I'm pretty nervous, even though I know what to expect. The next week and a half is crunch time for me to learn (and retain) as much as I can. The OAR is what is making me most nervous since this is all stuff that I used to be bad at in school. Thanks to this site, I now understand basic mechanics (it's a miracle)! What are some suggestions that people have for the week before the test? Did you study up until the night before your test? I know it varies person to person, but any tips to help the day go as smoothly as possible would be great. I am going in an hour before the test to talk to my recruiter. Hopefully, all goes well and it doesn't throw me off before the test. I am hoping that getting there early and settling in will calm my nerves.

I'm kind of rambling on, but I really wanted to say thanks to everyone who has posted on here, and I will update with my experience after the 8th. Cheers.

 

[TigerKiller]

Hey everyone I have a quick question about my scores... I took it and scored a 51 4/5/5. The thing that gets me was my administer. They said I wasn't allowed to move anything or 'tamper' with the equipment, which I respected and didn't move a thing. However I'm left handed and figured out after the test was done that I took it in a 'right handed' position as oppose to having the joystick in my left hand. Basically my question is should I retake it again and try to better those flight scores or just bite the bullet and apply and hope for the best. My GPA is 3.0 with a Sports Science & Physiology major...(Basically a lot of physics as it related to sports) any info could help! Thanks in advance!

I am also left-handed and took the PBM portion right-handed and intentionally so. My recruiter allowed me to move the equipment but I realized that it would be twice as difficult in a left-handed orientation because in addition to the joystick inversion, you would have to track your left hand movements to the right side of the screen and vice versa.

 

[Ellie]

For the Dichotic listening section, when the computer states "left" and then reads numbers and letters, do you only press on the left when an odd number is heard, or is it left and right still? This is the part that was confusing to me. The instructions were to press the trigger button when an even number is heard and the clutch when an odd number is heard, but they the computer would state "left" or "right" before each sequence.

 

[TigerKiller]

For the Dichotic listening section, when the computer states "left" and then reads numbers and letters, do you only press on the left when an odd number is heard, or is it left and right still? This is the part that was confusing to me. The instructions were to press the trigger button when an even number is heard and the clutch when an odd number is heard, but they the computer would state "left" or "right" before each sequence.

You are supposed to focus on the designated ear (left ear vs. right ear). Therefore, if the instructions indicate "left", you listen to your left ear (despite numbers and letters being said in both ears) and press trigger when an even number is said in your left ear and clutch when odd number is said in your left ear.

 

[LcTex]

I have been lurking on this site for about a month and gathering all the information that I can from all the gouges. I finally have my test scheduled for Feb. 8 at 1300. I'm pretty nervous, even though I know what to expect. The next week and a half is crunch time for me to learn (and retain) as much as I can. The OAR is what is making me most nervous since this is all stuff that I used to be bad at in school. Thanks to this site, I now understand basic mechanics (it's a miracle)! What are some suggestions that people have for the week before the test? Did you study up until the night before your test? I know it varies person to person, but any tips to help the day go as smoothly as possible would be great. I am going in an hour before the test to talk to my recruiter. Hopefully, all goes well and it doesn't throw me off before the test. I am hoping that getting there early and settling in will calm my nerves.

I'm kind of rambling on, but I really wanted to say thanks to everyone who has posted on here, and I will update with my experience after the 8th. Cheers.

I'm assuming math is your area of focus when studying? The only real practice you can do is repetition. You've still got a good bit of time to run through a practice test a couple times a week and work immeasurable loads of specified problems between now and then. That's the route I would take. Also, time yourself so you get used to the pace. Check and recheck your work after you do some practice problems.

I would only use the night before your test as a light refresh. Don't study yourself stupid. Prepare as well as you can beforehand and you'll do fine. Perfect practice makes perfect! Also, don't slump on your prep for the reading am comprehension portion. Good luck!

 

[boobooaboo]

I have been lurking on this site for about a month and gathering all the information that I can from all the gouges. I finally have my test scheduled for Feb. 8 at 1300. I'm pretty nervous, even though I know what to expect. The next week and a half is crunch time for me to learn (and retain) as much as I can. The OAR is what is making me most nervous since this is all stuff that I used to be bad at in school. Thanks to this site, I now understand basic mechanics (it's a miracle)! What are some suggestions that people have for the week before the test? Did you study up until the night before your test? I know it varies person to person, but any tips to help the day go as smoothly as possible would be great. I am going in an hour before the test to talk to my recruiter. Hopefully, all goes well and it doesn't throw me off before the test. I am hoping that getting there early and settling in will calm my nerves.

I'm kind of rambling on, but I really wanted to say thanks to everyone who has posted on here, and I will update with my experience after the 8th. Cheers.

Can you share any links to the mechanical bits you studied from AW? Want to make sure I'm thorough. I'm taking on Thursday the 2nd.

 

[TheFlyingViking]

Here's the site I used:

There are other sets of flash cards on there as well:

http://www.proprofs.com/flashcards/story.php?title=astb-mechanical-comprehension-test

http://www.proprofs.com/flashcards/story.php?title=astb-mechanical-comprehension_1

 

[Mxdamien]

Good Evening ladies and gentleman,
For the joystick portion of the test, I keep hearing everyone say the controls are weird. How So? Is it the same controls as a plane (pull back on the stick to go up, push forward on the stick to go down, left is left, right it right) or is it something different? I was also wondering if anyone had a line on some additional math and mechanical practice questions besides the study guides, some of the gouges, and flashcards listed already? Thanks
v/r