WHAT IS THE AVIATION SELECTION TEST BATTERY (ASTB)?
1. The ASTB is a method used by the Aviation community to aid in the selection of potential Naval Aviators and Naval Flight Officers. It is based upon the characteristics of successful officers within the Aviation community. It is also very large part of your service selection ranking against other potential aviators.
2. Q: What are these arbitrary grades?
A: Six scores are taken from your ASTB test. The first five areas are graded on a curve with one (1) being the minimum score and nine (9) being the highest. The OAR is irrelevant for NROTC Midshipmen. These are the categories and possible scores:
AQR: Academic Qualification Rating 1 - 9
PFAR: Pilot Flight Aptitude Rating 1 - 9
FOFAR: Flight Officer Flight Aptitude Rating 1 - 9
PBI: Pilot Biographical Inventory 1 – 9 (Not Used Anymore)
FOBI: Flight Officer Biographical Inventory 1 – 9 (Not Used Anymore)
OAR: Officer Aptitude Rating 20 – 80 (Not Used for NROTC/Academy)
3. Q: What do they mean?
A: The three AQR, PFAR, and FOFAR scores predict future performance. The PBI and FOBI scores predict attrition.
4. Q: How I fit in with my score?
A: The AQR, PFAR, FOFAR, PBI, and FOBI scores fall within certain stanines. Take a look at the following table to see where you stand. If you can't figure out the statistics, your score was probably not very good.
Stanine Number 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Percentage of test scores within stanine 4 7 12 17 20 17 12 7 4
5. Q: How do I go about taking this test?
A: See a local Officer recruiter or see the Aviation Advisor.
6. Q: How many times can I take the test?
A: You can take the test as many times as you would like, but the last score is the only one that counts. Thirty (30) days must elapse between the first test and the second test. Between the second and subsequent tests at least 180 days must transpire. Navy & Marine Corps Recruiters can Field Score the test and tell you your results immediately. Unfortunately, the Aviation Advisor at the NROTC has to send the test to NAMI for scoring and this process can take up to two weeks.
7. Q: How, exactly, do these scores apply to my service selection?
A: Midshipmen from all 65 NROTC units compete on a national level for the available aviation billets. An aviation service selection score is computed for all physically qualified Midshipmen who would like to go into Naval Aviation. The top candidates are then selected. The following service selection formula is used:
Cumulative GPA 27%
Adjusted Aptitude (Fall of 1/C Year only) 21%
(CNET statistically adjusts aptitude to normalize the subjective grading differences in the 65 NROTC units)
Academic Major 6%
(Based on OPMIS major: Technical (47-66) is 100% of the possible points, Science and Math (36-40, 42-46, 90) is 87.5%, and Non-technical (1-35, 41, 67-89, 91-99) is 75%)
PNS Subjective Evaluation (assigned by CO) 6%
AQR 15%
PFAR (for Pilots) or FOFAR (for NFOs) 25%
Total: 100%
8. Q: What if I have more questions?
A: Please contact your Aviation Advisor to answer more questions!!
9. Obviously, the way to get the best score is to get a 4.0 (4.0 scale) in a technical major, get a 4.0 fall evaluation, impress the PNS, and score well on the ASTB. A full 40% of your ranking is based upon this 2.5 hour test, so you can see how critical this test will be. Remember, the competition is struggling as well.
