So I just got my ASTB scores back this morning and am relatively happy with them. Wish I did a little better on the OAR, but I'll live with my score for now.
First off, here is my score:
OAR: 61
AQR: 8
PFAR: 9
FOFAR: 8
Study Materials
- Barron's Military Flight Aptitude Tests 2013 (This was the most helpful to me by far.)
- ASTB-E Secrets (Covers a lot of the basics, though doesn't explain them in depth. Has a good practice test in it though.)
- Gouges here, notably Atrickpays gouge.
A lot of people here do breakdowns, so I'll do a quick one on the differences between the test I studied for and the test I took.
MST - Math Skills Test
Hot damn. Some of the questions that I received in this section were way tougher that what I studied for. I got a mix of word problems and probability questions, and some advanced polynomial expressions littered with exponents. The word problems were pretty similar to what I studied for, but I was not expecting some of the harder math problems. I just did my best and used common sense to simplify when asked. My advice, know everything about exponents (when to add, multiply, divide, what fractional exponents do, etc).
Like many others have said, take your time on this part. I finished with plenty of time to spare, and I didn't get close to 30 questions.
RCT - Reading Comprehension Test
I had a little trouble here as well. I was expecting long passages that I would have to pull information from, but instead it was short passages that you had to determine the meaning of. All of the answers were 'mostly right' with one that fit best. I really took my time here, and I re-read each question at least twice. I finished with only a few minutes to spare. I can't really advise on how to prepare for this other that to pay attention to the passage, and double check your answer.
MCT - Mechanical Comprehension Test
By far the easiest part of the OAR for me. This section is essentially exactly what I studied for in the Barrons book and gouges. Learn all of the simple machines, how to calculate MA and the basic laws of physics. I really didn't have any curveball questions on this one.
ANIT - Aviation and Nautical Information Test
This section should be a review of knowledge for you. Read up on American naval history, and naval aviation history. Get a good understanding of how airplanes and ships function and navigate. Understand runway markings, lights, common terminology, etc. This section will be a breeze if you prepare for it properly.
NATFI - Naval Aviation Trait Facet Inventory
Answer whichever fits you best. Sometimes you choose between two good choices, and sometimes two bad choices.
PBM - Performance Based Measures Battery
Oh boy, this was the fun section.
UAV ORIENTATION
This part is confusing at first, but you get unlimited practice runs, so use them. Get familiar with how to solve these as fast as possible. I tried to use the compass trick, but you can definitely be faster if you don't have to turn that paper every question. Go through the practice runs, and when you can answer them all without missing one, and quickly, go onto the real deal.
DICHOTIC LISTENING
This was the easiest part of the PBM for me. When you hear a specific command in your target ear, press a button. Simple stuff.
THROTTLE & STICK
This part is where it starts to get tricky. For me, the throttle (Thrustmaster HOTAS) was tough to use. It was sensitive, so I had a hard time moving it the same speed as my target. When the joystick came into play I initially forgot that it would be inverted (don't ask me how) but once I got used to that, I was able to keep it near the target.
COMBINATION - THROTTLE, STICK, & DICHOTIC LISTENING
This part is hard. It was designed to be hard. I think the most important part is that you keep your cool, and try your best. I focused on the joystick, and kept the throttle in the corner of my eye, and just did my best. Remain calm in this section, and don't let your errors become cumulative. I felt like I rarely hit the target, but my score says I did okay.
EMERGENCY SITUATION
This section is a nice breather after that last one. You still have to use both the joystick and the throttle, but no one is shouting in your ear this time until you encounter and emergency. When you do, just follow the solution instructions given to you on the previous page, and you will be fine. It only takes a second to implement them, so do it fast, and try to continue tracking the targets while you do it.
And that was my experience with the ASTB. It was hard, but I felt confident going in, and I remained calm for the duration of the test, and I think that helps too. If anyone has specific questions, feel free to ask.
