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I failed the ASTB, what now?

JHemenway

Jsheme
Actually it was a 32 but still pretty crap
Use the Baron’s ASTB study guide booklet. The book has various practice questions for the ASTB, AFOQT, and SIFT. All of them are helpful. Practice taking the questions in the book as well as searching pages online. for practice questions regarding the ASTB. Here’s the link to what I used.https://www.proprofs.com/flashcards/story.php?title=ast
 

JHemenway

Jsheme
Use the Baron’s ASTB study guide booklet. The book has various practice questions for the ASTB, AFOQT, and SIFT. All of them are helpful. Practice taking the questions in the book as well as searching pages online. for practice questions regarding the ASTB. Here’s the link to what I used.https://www.proprofs.com/flashcards/story.php?title=ast
I recently got selected for OCS as an NFO as of 6/15/20 and took the ASTB on 1/10/20.
 

Nfech

New Member
You are young. Consider retaking the ASTB/OAR again, consider officer careers in other services, or consider enlisting and working toward a commission in a few years.

If you are religious, by the way, the Navy and other branches have a strong chaplain officer corps.

I will absolutely reconsider it sometime in the future. I start the MBA program at my alma mater online next week so my priority is there for now. I know the AFOQT is harder but I will look at Air Force as well as Army if I feel called to try again.
 

Nfech

New Member
I recently got selected for OCS as an NFO as of 6/15/20 and took the ASTB on 1/10/20.
So what really tripped me up was the FOFAR because I tried using the compass trick but in some areas of the map it seemed like it was opposite day and I wasnt sure how to answer those correctly
 

JHemenway

Jsheme
So what really tripped me up was the FOFAR because I tried using the compass trick but in some areas of the map it seemed like it was opposite day and I wasnt sure how to answer those correctly
YouTube tutorials. I got every single one correct using the trick with the compass.
 

exNavyOffRec

Well-Known Member
I will absolutely reconsider it sometime in the future. I start the MBA program at my alma mater online next week so my priority is there for now. I know the AFOQT is harder but I will look at Air Force as well as Army if I feel called to try again.
Every candidate I had that had taken the AFOQT either before or during me working with them did much better on the AFOQT than the ASTB, they found the ASTB much harder.
 

flgator92

Well-Known Member
None
Did they say why it was easier?
It may be easier (only took the ASTB), but do you honestly think it'll be so much easier you'll hop from the minimum- far from passing ASTB score- to competitive for an Air Force pilot or CSO slot on their own standardized aptitude battery? There are a lot other jobs in the military, aside from aviation. Talk to an Army recruiter, consider Navy SWO or intel (but you'd have to take the ASTB again and get > 50 on the OAR), etc. Point is: if you're interested in the military, in general, and earning a commission through some program, why not broaden your options?
 

Nfech

New Member
It may be easier (only took the ASTB), but do you honestly think it'll be so much easier you'll hop from the minimum- far from passing ASTB score- to competitive for an Air Force pilot or CSO slot on their own standardized aptitude battery? There are a lot other jobs in the military, aside from aviation. Talk to an Army recruiter, consider Navy SWO or intel (but you'd have to take the ASTB again and get > 50 on the OAR), etc. Point is: if you're interested in the military, in general, and earning a commission through some program, why not broaden your options?
I don't think the test itself will be easier, but I think just having it on paper rather than on the computer would make it easier for me. It would help me gauge how much time I have to do each problem a little more. I'm not necessarily talking about pilot when I say I'm thinking about taking the AFOQT. I'm more or less looking at other jobs in the Air Force/Army, if pilot isn't the way to go for me.
 

exNavyOffRec

Well-Known Member
I don't think the test itself will be easier, but I think just having it on paper rather than on the computer would make it easier for me. It would help me gauge how much time I have to do each problem a little more. I'm not necessarily talking about pilot when I say I'm thinking about taking the AFOQT. I'm more or less looking at other jobs in the Air Force/Army, if pilot isn't the way to go for me.

The ASTB on the computer is adaptive, that way it can adjust questions based on your answers to determine where you are at, if you make an error on a question it won't necessarily hurt you if you answer the others fine, If you take it on paper that question you get wrong will hurt you.
 

Nfech

New Member
The ASTB on the computer is adaptive, that way it can adjust questions based on your answers to determine where you are at, if you make an error on a question it won't necessarily hurt you if you answer the others fine, If you take it on paper that question you get wrong will hurt you.
Well I guess I might not do better on the AFOQT then. Thanks for the information. Although now that I think of it I was taking a lot of time on the word problems when I probably could have guessed and got the other problems right and actually make it through the math section. Anyways I'm not going to think about it too much, the military might just not be the path for me.
 
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Nfech

New Member
It may be easier (only took the ASTB), but do you honestly think it'll be so much easier you'll hop from the minimum- far from passing ASTB score- to competitive for an Air Force pilot or CSO slot on their own standardized aptitude battery? There are a lot other jobs in the military, aside from aviation. Talk to an Army recruiter, consider Navy SWO or intel (but you'd have to take the ASTB again and get > 50 on the OAR), etc. Point is: if you're interested in the military, in general, and earning a commission through some program, why not broaden your options?
What are the other ways to get a commission? I''m just curious.
 

exNavyOffRec

Well-Known Member
Well I guess I might not do better on the AFOQT then. Thanks for the information. Although now that I think of it I was taking a lot of time on the word problems when I probably could have guessed and got the other problems right and actually make it through the math section. Anyways I'm not going to think about it too much, the military might just not be the path for me.
just keep studying
 

flgator92

Well-Known Member
None
What are the other ways to get a commission? I''m just curious.
just keep studying
What exNavyOffRec said. And, I mean, passing a military qualifying exam shouldn't be that difficult. Tough love: stop looking for excuses, sack up, and study hard. That's all you can do. If this is what you want, you'll study hard enough to make the qualifying scores. The long paperwork process, letters of rec, personal statement, AFOQT/ASTB: these are all part of a weed out process before you even make it to your commissioning source to see who really wants to do this military thing and who'd rather go and do something else.
 
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