Today I took the ASTB for the first time and scored: 8/9/9 63. I would like to thank everyone on this site for all the links and information available. Here are my thoughts about the test:
Math Skills: I found this section to be easier than all the review material I looked at. The math on the test does not require any high level concepts. Be prepared to multiply and divide both fractions and decimals without a calculator. This takes some time to adjust to especially if you have any calculus classes because it’s easy to forget simple math procedures. I also had several problems that require solving for two variables in a system of two equations. I looked over the math review in the Barron’s book before I took any of the practice tests. The math review is pretty accurate in terms of the types of problems. If you aren’t great in math it will explain the process of solve each type of problem. The marine gouge is also very valuable. I actually had a few problems that were the exact same question but with different number.
Reading Skills: Going into the test this was the section I was worried about. I sucked on the verbal sections back when I took the SAT. Pretty much if you can read and place no bias opinions on the material you are in good shape. Some of the questions had three or four correct answers, so be careful to only use what was given in the paragraph. The paragraphs were a lot shorter than I expected. Many questions were based on a statement of a sentence or two. To study for this section I recommend the Arco military flight book. The reading section in the book is harder than the real test in my opinion. The Barron’s book is not accurate for this section because the questions asked are completely different compared to the actual exam.
Mechanical Comprehension: I have a strong physics back ground so this section was extremely easy for me. The marine gouge, Arco book, and the Barron’s book are very good sources to view the topics covered on the exam. I had only one or two questions that actually required any calculations, the rest of the questions were all theories. Some main concepts include: pulleys, engine principles, mechanical advantage, forces on objects, and fluids. I recommend using Arco and the marine gouge to study for this section. The Barron’s book is also helpful in explaining when to use certain theories and principles. Another good study source is atrickpay’s personal study guide. His study guide covers and simplifies most of the principles on the exam.
Spatial Apperception: Not a hard section at all but I believe it’s the hardest section to prepare for. All the study guides I used were nothing like the actual questions. However, the study material is help in determining the different situations (ex: out to sea, climbing and banking to the left). If you use the Arco book do not rely on the clouds to determine the answer. The actual test does not have clouds to help determine if the plane is climbing, level flight, or diving. I suggest looking at the answers if a certain question looks confusing and it’s hard to determine the situation. In most cases the answer choices can be narrowed down to only one or two possible answers. I would not recommend the Barron’s section as a study source. Many of the questions in this section contain errors that cause frustration.
Aviation Knowledge: I had to study the hardest for this section. I have zero flight experience and a very limited knowledge of flying procedures. However, majoring in aerospace engineering I was over prepared in terms of the theories and aerodynamics of flight. I suggest starting with the principles of aerodynamics (Bernoulli’s principle and its relation to aviation, how flight controls work, vortexes, and the affects of pressure, density, and temperature on the performance of an airplane), I had several questions on these topics. Be aware of the different flight controls, flight instruments, types of altitude, types of speed, and the general idea of what goes on at an airport. I had a few questions regarding the types of aircraft used in certain situations, weather, historical events and classification of ships. It takes a long time to truly study for this section because it is a large amount of information. I strongly suggest the FAA’s Handbook and atrickpay’s study guide. These two sources cover all the information needed to have a strong background going into the test.
The last section was entirely aviation based questions. I only had one question that did not cover an aviation topic.
Links of things I used:
http://www.math.com/homeworkhelp/Algebra.html
http://www.grafitto.com/~mark/astb/
http://navy-officer.com/astb.html
http://marinegouge.com/mediawiki-1.13.3/?title=Aviation_Selection_Test_Battery
http://www.faa.gov/library/manuals/aviation/pilot_handbook/
http://www.vanavyofficerprograms.com/general.html
http://www.forddoctorsdts.com/quizzes/MechanicalAptitude/
I started to study for the test two months ago. Once the test date was officially set I studied about an hour or two each night for four weeks. Last week I started taking the practice test in the Barron’s Military Flight book, Arco Flight book, and Arco’s Officer Candidate book. Look around this website for pieces of information here and there. I can’t even list the number of questions answered just by the information on this site. The practice tests are very important because it prepares you for the time factor on the test. If you are completing the practice test with a few minutes remaining you are in good shape. I finished each section on the real exam with five or more minutes remaining while on the practice test I normal only had less than a minute remaining. It requires a lot of time but it can be accomplished if you are determined to do well. I managed to find time to study (10 to 15 hours a week) even though I work 40 hours a week and I am taking 20 semester hour (which really sucks, never will make this mistake again). Trust me it feels really good going into the exam feeling prepared and used to the questions being asked. The point I am trying to make is determination can result in a high score on the ASTB, which can make a strong impact on your application. Determination can also play an important role getting accepted into a program (hopefully this will come next for me). A good example is when I first call the recruiter officer. He told me I was not very competitive for BDCP even though I had a 3.7 GPA. His major reasoning is I only have grades from a community college. I had a hard time even getting a date to take the test. Today when he saw the score it all changed and the whole process has really changed in my favor. The point is determination can only help the situation so study hard. This is all I have for right now sorry about the length of the post. Everything I have stated has been covered many times through out this site. Feel free to ask any questions or make comments and I will answer to the best of my abilities.
links: 2, 3, 4, and 7 are broken.. link 6 send me to a different site.. i guess some of these links are old. anyways i have the "Master the officer candidate test 8th edition "ARCO" author Peterson's, and Military flight aptitude tests 7th addition "ARCO" author Peterson's. anyways am looking for Mechanical problems similar to the ASTB exam, and the reading portion of the test: for example given a paragraph and followed by 4 choices to choose from: in the book am currently using, i read the paragraphs and below they ask/make a statement "The passage best supports the statement that" or "This passage means most nearly that"... followed with 4 choices, A, B, C, D. in the actual ASTB test i heard that no such topic sentence is given only the paragraph and then the 4 choices, in this case what should i assume? should i ask myself those statement then proceed to the 4, choices. I would like see a example of a reading test question on the ASTB or some similar example. thank you!
