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ASTB - Prep/Study Guide feedback

RNeptune said:
Hello everyone! I am taking the ASTB on January 15th. I have been studying for a little over a month now using recommended study guides and Kyle's gouge. However, there is a lot of information. If anyone has any last minute advice or materials / study guides and willing to share I would be more than thankful! All of this is pretty new to me so I am nervous to say the least. I graduated with a Bachelor's degree in psychology with a 3.8 GPA so needless to say my degree was not focused on this type of knowledge. My main motivation to join the Navy is because my husband is in. I have always been interested in joining however just never took the leap to actually do it. We discussed me finally joining and it will be a great move for our future. Thanks again!
Click to expand...
How did Kyles's gouge work for you?
 
Hello All -

Recently took the OAR on 25 Feb 2021. Score: 61

I'm 25, been out of college for a couple years, CIV no prior military exp. Ended up studying for about 4 weeks. First two weeks I studied for about an hour/day and last two weeks, I studied for a few hours/day plus multiple hours on the 2 weekends prior to the test. I've attached the guides that were helpful for me.

General comments about the test:
  • The biggest thing I noticed right away that I hadn't heard or seen anywhere on here was the fact that the test doesn't tell you what question you're on. Definitely need to be aware of where you're at in the test because of this.
  • Whole test took me right at 1 hour 20 minutes. No need for snacks/water if you're just taking the OAR, just buckle up and focus.

MATH:
  • If you can do every problem in the attached Match Guide, you will ace this portion. Trust me when I say this, you know this guide like the back of your hand, you literally need nothing else for the math portion.
  • I did get the "write a # in binary base 4" question which told me I was doing well on the test. Ended up having to guess on that one. I think I answered about 20 questions before the system ended it. Has about 20 minutes left when it did this.

READING:
  • It is what it is. I spent a total of ~ 30 minutes studying for this part just to make sure I knew the format of the questions.
  • TIP: I tallied on the given paper the number of questions I completed. Again, the test didn't tell me which # question I was on so I literally made a tally mark after each one. This helped me with timing. Pretty sure everyone has to go through every question for this section.

MECH COMP:
  • https://www.proprofs.com/flashcards/story.php?title=astb-mechanical-comprehension-test
  • Know the above flash cards like the back of your hand and you'll be fine.
  • Easier than I thought. Definitely studied too hard of concepts for this one. Didn't get anything too hard (though I think this is where I lost points) but I wish I spent more time on mastering the easy stuff.
  • Have to know all the simple concepts really well. Pulleys, gears, SIMPLE formulas.
  • If you're studying all the hard concepts/formulas, do yourself a favor and stop. Just hammer the simple stuff.
  • Saw a post on here that recommended signing up for a physics course. Don't do that. You'll be fine.

- Applying Supply and SWO -

Thankful for everyone in here for all the guidance and help to do well!
 

Attachments

  • OAR Math Guide.docx
    1.4 MB · Views: 2,485
  • ASTB_Personal_Study_Guide (1).doc
    228.5 KB · Views: 1,650
virginia26morr said:
Hello All -

Recently took the OAR on 25 Feb 2021. Score: 61

I'm 25, been out of college for a couple years, CIV no prior military exp. Ended up studying for about 4 weeks. First two weeks I studied for about an hour/day and last two weeks, I studied for a few hours/day plus multiple hours on the 2 weekends prior to the test. I've attached the guides that were helpful for me.

General comments about the test:
  • The biggest thing I noticed right away that I hadn't heard or seen anywhere on here was the fact that the test doesn't tell you what question you're on. Definitely need to be aware of where you're at in the test because of this.
  • Whole test took me right at 1 hour 20 minutes. No need for snacks/water if you're just taking the OAR, just buckle up and focus.
MATH:
  • If you can do every problem in the attached Match Guide, you will ace this portion. Trust me when I say this, you know this guide like the back of your hand, you literally need nothing else for the math portion.
  • I did get the "write a # in binary base 4" question which told me I was doing well on the test. Ended up having to guess on that one. I think I answered about 20 questions before the system ended it. Has about 20 minutes left when it did this.
READING:
  • It is what it is. I spent a total of ~ 30 minutes studying for this part just to make sure I knew the format of the questions.
  • TIP: I tallied on the given paper the number of questions I completed. Again, the test didn't tell me which # question I was on so I literally made a tally mark after each one. This helped me with timing. Pretty sure everyone has to go through every question for this section.
MECH COMP:
  • https://www.proprofs.com/flashcards/story.php?title=astb-mechanical-comprehension-test
  • Know the above flash cards like the back of your hand and you'll be fine.
  • Easier than I thought. Definitely studied too hard of concepts for this one. Didn't get anything too hard (though I think this is where I lost points) but I wish I spent more time on mastering the easy stuff.
  • Have to know all the simple concepts really well. Pulleys, gears, SIMPLE formulas.
  • If you're studying all the hard concepts/formulas, do yourself a favor and stop. Just hammer the simple stuff.
  • Saw a post on here that recommended signing up for a physics course. Don't do that. You'll be fine.
- Applying Supply and SWO -

Thankful for everyone in here for all the guidance and help to do well!
Click to expand...
Good feedback for those following the path to a commission. Thanks for paying it forward and good luck.
 
virginia26morr said:
Hello All -

Recently took the OAR on 25 Feb 2021. Score: 61

I'm 25, been out of college for a couple years, CIV no prior military exp. Ended up studying for about 4 weeks. First two weeks I studied for about an hour/day and last two weeks, I studied for a few hours/day plus multiple hours on the 2 weekends prior to the test. I've attached the guides that were helpful for me.

General comments about the test:
  • The biggest thing I noticed right away that I hadn't heard or seen anywhere on here was the fact that the test doesn't tell you what question you're on. Definitely need to be aware of where you're at in the test because of this.
  • Whole test took me right at 1 hour 20 minutes. No need for snacks/water if you're just taking the OAR, just buckle up and focus.
MATH:
  • If you can do every problem in the attached Match Guide, you will ace this portion. Trust me when I say this, you know this guide like the back of your hand, you literally need nothing else for the math portion.
  • I did get the "write a # in binary base 4" question which told me I was doing well on the test. Ended up having to guess on that one. I think I answered about 20 questions before the system ended it. Has about 20 minutes left when it did this.
READING:
  • It is what it is. I spent a total of ~ 30 minutes studying for this part just to make sure I knew the format of the questions.
  • TIP: I tallied on the given paper the number of questions I completed. Again, the test didn't tell me which # question I was on so I literally made a tally mark after each one. This helped me with timing. Pretty sure everyone has to go through every question for this section.
MECH COMP:
  • https://www.proprofs.com/flashcards/story.php?title=astb-mechanical-comprehension-test
  • Know the above flash cards like the back of your hand and you'll be fine.
  • Easier than I thought. Definitely studied too hard of concepts for this one. Didn't get anything too hard (though I think this is where I lost points) but I wish I spent more time on mastering the easy stuff.
  • Have to know all the simple concepts really well. Pulleys, gears, SIMPLE formulas.
  • If you're studying all the hard concepts/formulas, do yourself a favor and stop. Just hammer the simple stuff.
  • Saw a post on here that recommended signing up for a physics course. Don't do that. You'll be fine.
- Applying Supply and SWO -

Thankful for everyone in here for all the guidance and help to do well!
Click to expand...
Hey thank you so much for this!!! This definitely helps a lot! Out of curiosity, what's your degree in? Do you come from a physics or math background? I'm coming from a health science background, so its been a LONG time since I've studied any of this ha
 
C.S.N. said:
Hey thank you so much for this!!! This definitely helps a lot! Out of curiosity, what's your degree in? Do you come from a physics or math background? I'm coming from a health science background, so its been a LONG time since I've studied any of this ha
Click to expand...
Thanks for the words of incouragement. And congrats. I'm looking forward to sharing the next success story when I retake my test in June.
 
Does anyone know if the recent test is adaptive? I took the ASVAB back in 2018 and it was adaptive and I got a 98 on it. I'm studying pretty hard for the ASTB now and some of these study guides seem way more complicated than what the study books I own are saying (like mometrix). basically, I'm wondering if I'm going to get my butt handed to me on a paper exam from the start or if I will be able to work my way up to getting my butt whooped lol.
 
Wright_Riley said:
Does anyone know if the recent test is adaptive? I took the ASVAB back in 2018 and it was adaptive and I got a 98 on it. I'm studying pretty hard for the ASTB now and some of these study guides seem way more complicated than what the study books I own are saying (like mometrix). basically, I'm wondering if I'm going to get my butt handed to me on a paper exam from the start or if I will be able to work my way up to getting my butt whooped lol.
Click to expand...
yes it is adaptive, has been for about 10 years.
 
C.S.N. said:
Hey thank you so much for this!!! This definitely helps a lot! Out of curiosity, what's your degree in? Do you come from a physics or math background? I'm coming from a health science background, so its been a LONG time since I've studied any of this ha
Click to expand...
I majored in Marketing and minored in Comm. Most of this was jogging memory from H.S. for me
 
Hey guys,

I just took the ASTB and went 53 5/3/5 on my very first attempt going in totally blind. Glad to see the reviews on here also say don’t buy the “cliffs notes” on Amazon - funny how that book claims it’s the ‘most comprehensive guide on the market’!!

can’t wait to retake the thing honestly - however I’m somewhat anxious regarding the PFAR. I found the same joystick combo on Amazon, is there resources out there I can use to become more acclimated with tracking that little yellow aircraft? I’m pretty confident in my ability to study up on all my other areas, but not this one.

I also was confused or not if it was crediting me marks for turning the knobs at the right time too. My screen kept flashing red despite what I swear was the right combo. Glad I can take it again though.
 
virginia26morr said:
Hello All -

Recently took the OAR on 25 Feb 2021. Score: 61

I'm 25, been out of college for a couple years, CIV no prior military exp. Ended up studying for about 4 weeks. First two weeks I studied for about an hour/day and last two weeks, I studied for a few hours/day plus multiple hours on the 2 weekends prior to the test. I've attached the guides that were helpful for me.

General comments about the test:
  • The biggest thing I noticed right away that I hadn't heard or seen anywhere on here was the fact that the test doesn't tell you what question you're on. Definitely need to be aware of where you're at in the test because of this.
  • Whole test took me right at 1 hour 20 minutes. No need for snacks/water if you're just taking the OAR, just buckle up and focus.
MATH:
  • If you can do every problem in the attached Match Guide, you will ace this portion. Trust me when I say this, you know this guide like the back of your hand, you literally need nothing else for the math portion.
  • I did get the "write a # in binary base 4" question which told me I was doing well on the test. Ended up having to guess on that one. I think I answered about 20 questions before the system ended it. Has about 20 minutes left when it did this.
READING:
  • It is what it is. I spent a total of ~ 30 minutes studying for this part just to make sure I knew the format of the questions.
  • TIP: I tallied on the given paper the number of questions I completed. Again, the test didn't tell me which # question I was on so I literally made a tally mark after each one. This helped me with timing. Pretty sure everyone has to go through every question for this section.
MECH COMP:
  • https://www.proprofs.com/flashcards/story.php?title=astb-mechanical-comprehension-test
  • Know the above flash cards like the back of your hand and you'll be fine.
  • Easier than I thought. Definitely studied too hard of concepts for this one. Didn't get anything too hard (though I think this is where I lost points) but I wish I spent more time on mastering the easy stuff.
  • Have to know all the simple concepts really well. Pulleys, gears, SIMPLE formulas.
  • If you're studying all the hard concepts/formulas, do yourself a favor and stop. Just hammer the simple stuff.
  • Saw a post on here that recommended signing up for a physics course. Don't do that. You'll be fine.
- Applying Supply and SWO -

Thankful for everyone in here for all the guidance and help to do well!
Click to expand...
You are the GOAT for this man, thank you for sharing your advice and resources. I'm a political science/philosophy major so the math/mech materials will save my life!
 
Hello all,

Kinda new here, but I took the OAR today for the first time (scored a 47. I am 26 and haven't taken math in YEARS) and I simply used the study materials from virginia26morr, and it helped really well when it came to math. I did good enough on the math that I didn't have to answer all 30 questions. HOWEVER, I really bombed the mechanics portion and I knew the study guide inside and out. There was alot of questions around calculating force and volume as well as air pressure around planes. I wish I could help more but that is all I can think of now. Also, the OR stated that the exam typically cycles different questions every 6 months.

The test itself.
Math: 30 questions (alloted 40 mins)
Reading: 20 questions (alloted 20 mins)
Mechanics: 30 questions (alloted 15 minutes)
Once you answer a question, you CANNOT return to the previous question, so keep that in mind.
 
Were any of the questions fill in the blank, or where they all mulitple choice? I am taking the test on the 12th of January and have been studying every day for months! Trying to put in my SWO application in a few months. Currently been on active duty for nearly 9 years. Any advice in regards to taking the OAR will be helpful!
 
Im preparing to take the ASTB but am having trouble finding reliable study material. Does anyone know if the mometrix book is worth it or of any other solid study material? Need the most help with math and physics.
 
Smarj7 said:
Im preparing to take the ASTB but am having trouble finding reliable study material. Does anyone know if the mometrix book is worth it or of any other solid study material? Need the most help with math and physics.
Click to expand...
There are 33 pages of recommendations…have you read the entire thread?
 
I haven’t been on this forum in years. I took the ASTB probably 8 or 9 years ago, and didn’t do too well. I killed the aviation knowledge, but the math is what killed me. I feel like with the math section, you either know it or you don’t. There’s so much different math material, I found it nearly impossible to study for and a lot of it I forgot from high school and college. I also took the Army SIFT and passed it pretty easily. I think the only thing that would suck about Naval Aviation is dreaming your whole life to fly fighters, then you get stuck flying rotary, and you realize you could have just joined the Army to do that lol.
 
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