Took the ASTB around 2 hrs ago and received a
63 with an 8/6/8. This was my first attempt, and I'll probably stick with it as I plan on goin' NFO (cuz of mi eyes).
MATH: I didn't really study for this part as I'm pretty good at math to begin with. What I did study was some basic log -> exponent conversion and the arc length formula. Only question that confused me was one dealing with an arc, but you needed to know the section of a circle's area (like a pizza slice area. I probably overthought, ended up just takin' an educated guess. There was also a probability question that asked something along the lines of "If there were 8 teams, how many combinations can there be for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place?" Was very unsure on that one. Wasn't too bad of a section though.
READING: It was really just a bunch of paragraphs centered around the Navy, and you had to pick the truest statement. I hardly studied for this, but I could see how answers were made to trip you up. I didn't finish this section which seemed weird to me as it seemed I had answered so many questions when the time expired. If you are gonna study for this, I'd recommend Barron's and focus on the passages rather than the word-meaning question.
MECHANICAL: Although I have an engineering degree, this was my 2nd most studied section. Some of the things I had were:
- Pulleys
- Levers
- 2 questions on "If both are dropped at the same time..." or "what is there acceleration at the same height..."
- No mechanical advantage which was disappointing
Kyle's guide was my main source for this. I also utilized two ASTB apps on IOS. This section wasn't nearly as bad as I expected it to be.
ANIT: This was my most studied. As most have said, the cram cards will get ya 70% of the way. I had nothing on helicopters and no history (go figure). My best recommendation would be to study those cards (and maybe some other sources) and focus on the parts of the ship and airplane. I had one question on airspace, and it just asked what are the most common airspaces in the U.S. with only one answer being obviously the correct one.
PBM: If you're looking to do well on this, I would definitely get the HOTAS eqpmt. I did not, and I 100% think if I had practiced on it that my PFAR would've at least hit the 7 mark. I'm not sure if my joystick and throttle were 'jank', but the joystick was stiff and the throttle felt like if you gave an inch, it'd take a mile. Again, I can't stress enough to get the equipment and practice if you want a high score in this section. (It's also important to note that they also had newer eqpmt but it wasn't up and running so I used the HOTAS, so I'd ask what kind of stuff you'll be using).
All in all, I studied for about a week and a half, took a few days break, and then studied three-ish days before the test. Probably not the best way, but I was relatively comfortable with my abilities. I'm grateful for this forum, especially all the posts that outline how their ASTB tests went to get a gauge on what I need to focus.
