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

[exNavyOffRec]

Asking again because I can't get an answer from anyone lol - does anyone know if the Marine Corps still offers the one-point waiver on your third attempt? I mentioned it to my OSO after scoring 55 6/5/6 on my last attempt and he told me he would check but that he had never heard of such a waiver. The last person on this forum to mention getting one was years ago which makes me skeptical if it still exists.

I have never heard of such a thing, and I think the post you are thinking of was from a guy who heard of a guy or something like that.

Edit: I found the info, MARADMIM 064/11 it says after third attempt they can grant a 1 point waiver, but that must be the only waiver a person needs and I could not find anything where a person talked about actually getting the waiver. They person in question on this site ended up retaking and not needing a waiver.

 

[BusterScruggs]

I have never heard of such a thing, and I think the post you are thinking of was from a guy who heard of a guy or something like that.

Edit: I found the info, MARADMIM 064/11 it says after third attempt they can grant a 1 point waiver, but that must be the only waiver a person needs and I could not find anything where a person talked about actually getting the waiver. They person in question on this site ended up retaking and not needing a waiver.

Interesting, thank you so much for your help. I have no waivers at all and a high GPA & PFT, so if they are still granting those waivers I would imagine I could get one, and if not, infantry officer it is haha. Whenever my OSO gets back to me I'll post a definitive answer in case someone else ends up in the same boat as me. Thanks again.

 

[FloridaDad]

Hey guys, I'm absolutely loving all the resources for studying I'm finding on here and I greatly appreciate you all sharing your experiences and advice! I wanted to run a couple of resources by the community that I hadn't seen mentioned anywhere on here yet. A pilot friend of mine gave me access to his King Schools Online Pilot Courses to help me learn all I can about instruments and FAA regulations and such. I think it will be very helpful, but want to make sure I'm investing my study time in the right places! I also found an iOS app called ASTB Prep (developer Alex Hastings) that seems to have a solid simulator for the UAV portion of the PBM. Has anyone used that app and found it to be helpful? I'd also love to hear any advice that anyone has for me in general! I'm 6 years out of college and will be taking the ASTB in December. My college GPA is right at the minimum for aviation so I'm going to need to score as highly as possible on this test, 8's minimum if not 9's. Thankfully I'm historically a solid test taker and I'm 6 years removed from those last rough couple of years of college that really hurt my grades. I know this is going to be tough but I'm ready to study my butt off for the next 2 months and make this happen!

 

[exNavyOffRec]

Interesting, thank you so much for your help. I have no waivers at all and a high GPA & PFT, so if they are still granting those waivers I would imagine I could get one, and if not, infantry officer it is haha. Whenever my OSO gets back to me I'll post a definitive answer in case someone else ends up in the same boat as me. Thanks again.

I would say at least you can give him the MARADMIN so he can ask if a waiver would be considered. There are many things that are possible on paper but when it comes down to it they won't entertain those options.

 

[_mDon08]

Hey guys, I'm absolutely loving all the resources for studying I'm finding on here and I greatly appreciate you all sharing your experiences and advice! I wanted to run a couple of resources by the community that I hadn't seen mentioned anywhere on here yet. A pilot friend of mine gave me access to his King Schools Online Pilot Courses to help me learn all I can about instruments and FAA regulations and such. I think it will be very helpful, but want to make sure I'm investing my study time in the right places! I also found an iOS app called ASTB Prep (developer Alex Hastings) that seems to have a solid simulator for the UAV portion of the PBM. Has anyone used that app and found it to be helpful? I'd also love to hear any advice that anyone has for me in general! I'm 6 years out of college and will be taking the ASTB in December. My college GPA is right at the minimum for aviation so I'm going to need to score as highly as possible on this test, 8's minimum if not 9's. Thankfully I'm historically a solid test taker and I'm 6 years removed from those last rough couple of years of college that really hurt my grades. I know this is going to be tough but I'm ready to study my butt off for the next 2 months and make this happen!

Majority of my studying is using that app. It has a variety of tools from flash cards to practice tests but the questions are repetitive and the app has a tendency to glitch out during the practice exam(s). The UAV portion on it though is a solid tool that I think is its best quality. The rest of my studying is from Organic Chemistry Tutor on YouTube if thats any help. I take questions from the ASTB app that I need help with then search them directly and try my best to see if Organic Chemistry has a lecture video for it.

 

[carviator]

For the dichotic listening, lean into the target ear. I also wrote an E on my right and an O on my left to help solidify that right is for even numbers and left is for odd. Also, accuracy over speed, but don’t be slow (not sure if that helps). For the stick and throttle, focus on the stick first, then the throttle. The hierarchy of what I focused on is this:

1. Listening
2. Stick
3. throttle

Write the emergency situations down, but try your best to memorize them. The little gauges have an H and L on them, so you will not get confused which direction is high or low.

Hi, does anyone know if this statement about what ear has even and odds is correct? On the jantzenx simulator it is opposite of what is said here. Right ears are odds, left ear is evens. I just want to make sure before I train myself wrong.

Also, what are the emergency situations referring to? I can't find any info on that about the ASTB? Thank you.

 

[cgoss99]

Scored a 51 7/8/7 the other day. 51 isn’t the greatest but I’m happy with the 7/8/7.
GPA is a 3.6 and will be graduating in spring with a Bachelors of Science in Aviation.
Have a couple hundred flight hours under my belt with an instrument rating too.
Trying to go SNA, hoping for the best!

 

[cgoss99]

Hi, does anyone know if this statement about what ear has even and odds is correct? On the jantzenx simulator it is opposite of what is said here. Right ears are odds, left ear is evens. I just want to make sure before I train myself wrong.

Also, what are the emergency situations referring to? I can't find any info on that about the ASTB? Thank you.

The even and odd isn’t based off which ear. You will hear even and odd numbers in both ears, along with letters too. You will be told to listen to one ear in specific and focus on that one. When you hear even number, right hand button push. Odd number, left hand button push. Hope that helps

 

[carviator]

The even and odd isn’t based off which ear. You will hear even and odd numbers in both ears, along with letters too. You will be told to listen to one ear in specific and focus on that one. When you hear even number, right hand button push. Odd number, left hand button push. Hope that helps

Thank you so much. What are the emergency situations all about that the other post mentioned?

 

[cgoss99]

Thank you so much. What are the emergency situations all about that the other post mentioned?

Nothing too crazy here, you’ll be given a few scenarios before this portion begins and how to react appropriately for each scenario. Scenarios are basically just emergency situations you may find yourself in while piloting an aircraft, such as a fire. You’ll do the tracking with the stick and throttle and have to react accordingly to random scenarios thrown at you. You’ve got as much time as you need to remember the emergency procedures before starting this portion so take your time and don’t feel you have to rush into this part!

 

[JackieFish]

Hey y’all. First off, absolutely love the resources that are suggested here. It helped me go from a 45 to a 57 on the OAR. I also took the full ASTB on my most recent test and managed to get a 7/7/8. GPA is lackluster (2.88 averaged undergrad and graduate—I screwed around too much in undergrad but crushed it in grad school), and I’m getting letters from my thesis advisor, a parish councilman that was my parents’ next door neighbor for years, and my former chief of staff from when I worked in a senate office. Any advice for a first time applicant? I’m aiming for SNA, NFO, and SWO.

 

[_mDon08]

Hey y’all. First off, absolutely love the resources that are suggested here. It helped me go from a 45 to a 57 on the OAR. I also took the full ASTB on my most recent test and managed to get a 7/7/8. GPA is lackluster (2.88 averaged undergrad and graduate—I screwed around too much in undergrad but crushed it in grad school), and I’m getting letters from my thesis advisor, a parish councilman that was my parents’ next door neighbor for years, and my former chief of staff from when I worked in a senate office. Any advice for a first time applicant? I’m aiming for SNA, NFO, and SWO.

What were your most useful resources on here? That’s a big improvement. Congrats!

 

[FloridaDad]

Majority of my studying is using that app. It has a variety of tools from flash cards to practice tests but the questions are repetitive and the app has a tendency to glitch out during the practice exam(s). The UAV portion on it though is a solid tool that I think is its best quality. The rest of my studying is from Organic Chemistry Tutor on YouTube if thats any help. I take questions from the ASTB app that I need help with then search them directly and try my best to see if Organic Chemistry has a lecture video for it.

Really appreciate the tip! I'm going to buy that app and start using it as part of my study regimen!

 

[JackieFish]

What were your most useful resources on here? That’s a big improvement. Congrats!

Thanks! I’d say the book recommendations. I used the Newstone OAR prep book to brush up my math skills and it paid off handsomely. I was actually shocked at the score improvement for the OAR.

 

[JazzCup]

Howdy, y'all. Long-time lurker, first-time poster here.

I took the full ASTB-E today, and I received a 57 7/7/7. These scores are slightly below what I was hoping for (60+ OAR and 8 PFAR), but my recruiter and a couple friends currently in the pipeline seem to think they're decent enough—potentially even for "auto-qual". Can anyone weigh in on whether or not these are competitive? I'm worried I may need to take it again, but I'm not sure. I'm shooting for SNA only without any prior flight training and would greatly appreciate some advice.

Thank you!