Hello everyone,
This is my first time posting on the site. I took the test back in November and got a 53 6/5/6 I believe? I didn't actually write them down, but I know I got a 5 from the joy stick and throttle portion.
I know I need to study more. I only used one book and a practice test provided from this site, but I felt confident going in. What a shock the actual test was. At one point I was asked about control rods in a nuclear reactor. Definitely more than I expected.
I've just ordered a few books for the OAR and ASTB, both from Accepted, Inc. but the one portion I struggled the most with throttle and joystick part with listening.
The first listening portion went horribly. I set myself up for failure by "thinking" I knew the instructions and expecting feedback at the end of the practice. I had no clue what button to click for what number, and ultimately ended up sitting helpless and letting it run through. (By the end of the test I had figured it out)
The throttle portion though was what killed me. I've played a lot of flight sims before so it was surprising to struggle so much. This biggest issue I had was with the throttle. Every throttle I've used has had resistance in it, meaning you could leave it at a certain throttle level (50% power, 20% power, etc) but the one in the testing center didn't do this. It just flopped around to either full on or full stop. No in-between. When the screen prompted me to place the throttle in the middle position, I had to balance the thing before starting. Is this normal? Am I crazy?
It felt impossible to match that thing. Like a lawn mower throttle, it was either on or off. Even if it was right, it completely threw me off my game for that section.
So, the question I have is:
Is the throttle supposed to have resistance, or should it be full-on or full-off?
On another note, the one thing that did help me for the listening portion (after I corrected my complete failure in direction following) was to take some of the scrap paper and write down "odd" and "even" on them and fold them over the top of the screen. Combine this with tilting the head for which ear you need to listen for, and that portion should become a little less of a challenge.