Should I retake the ASTB

[Navy Ship]

Hi there. I recently took the ASTB Form 5 and scored a 8/7/9 65. However my GPA is very low. It is about a 2.6 - 2.8. My major is Computer Science. I still have several hours of classes to complete so hence the range of GPA.

I will be applying for SNA soon. My recruiter does not want me to retake the ASTB. But with a PFAR of 7, should I retake it before they change over to the new ASTB? If I score lower on my second attempt, my scores will replace my current scores.

Thanks for your help.

 

[Renegade One]

Hi there. ...My recruiter does not want me to retake the ASTB...If I score lower on my second attempt, my scores will replace my current scores.

Thanks for your help.

Probably not much help, but it sounds like a coin-toss on your part. Could come up chicken…could come up feathers.

What's your Recruiters rationale…has s/he shared that with you?

 

[MGoBrew11]

You'd be nuts to retake.

 

[Navy Ship]

Probably not much help, but it sounds like a coin-toss on your part. Could come up chicken…could come up feathers.

What's your Recruiters rationale…has s/he shared that with you?

My recruiter says that the Navy needs pilots and the ASTB will offset my GPA. However, I have these lists that I got from the OCS area of the forums. Credit goes to users LFCFAN and MEW.

Applicants to March 2013 board:
Name GPA
MK91 3.05 8 7 8 71
Afas1 2.99 8 7 8 71
Lincoln 3.38 9 8 9 66
Sneaky 3.09 8 8 7 66
Strandluper 3.4 8 8 8 65
Casey123 3.4 7 7 7 63
Brou 3.42 61
J.McGinnis 3.37 7 7 7 60
Alaurin 3.28 7 6 6 60
DSCHorr 3.2 6 5 6 60
BleedGreen 3.45 7 8 7 59
Chi.guy 3.6 56
Hay 3.09 5 5 5 55
Sumit 3.88 54
Jhuff 3.3 6 7 7 53
Graham 3.3 6 6 7 53
Roflsaurus 3.8 6 7 8 51
Patton307 6 7 7 51
zmayo 3.56 6 7 7 50
YoungAviator 3.4 6 7 6 50
Manbearpig 3.03 5 6 6 50
USAF_WX2USA 3.11 49
Navy Airdale 3 5 7 4 49
VFR 3.78 5 6 5 47
Naval60 3.7 47
McHale 3 5 6 4 43
Tenzo 3.4 41

 

[Navy Ship]

None of these applicants have a GPA as low as mine. So I'm unsure what to do.

 

[Spekkio]

There's little you can do except get straight As in your last semester, apply, and cross your fingers. You spent 3 years earning a 2.6-2.8 GPA, so that is going to affect your opportunities in life.

 

[Renegade One]

None of these applicants have a GPA as low as mine. So I'm unsure what to do.

Sorry…I've got nuthin' else for you. Make a plan…execute…live with the outcome. Sounds like a short-course version of a life in Naval Aviation.

 

[LFCFan]

I wouldn't recommend a retake unless you somehow got those scores with virtually no studying. Are there any extenuating circumstances to explain your GPA? Did a few bad classes or a bad freshman year do it? I don't know how the board thinks, but those things might make a difference.

There have been a very high number of aviation NPQs at OCS in the last few months - moreso than normal. This might work in your favor.

 

[Navy Ship]

There's little you can do except get straight As in your last semester, apply, and cross your fingers. You spent 3 years earning a 2.6-2.8 GPA, so that is going to affect your opportunities in life.

You're right. I'm not quite in my last semester though. I still have 3 more to go (45 hours remaining, including current courses). The very last semester I will only be taking 6 credit hours. Would it be frowned upon if I "padded" my GPA by taking a bunch of easy classes and doing well in them? If I do this, my GPA can come close or even cross the 3.0 mark.

 

[Navy Ship]

I wouldn't recommend a retake unless you somehow got those scores with virtually no studying. Are there any extenuating circumstances to explain your GPA? Did a few bad classes or a bad freshman year do it? I don't know how the board thinks, but those things might make a difference.

There have been a very high number of aviation NPQs at OCS in the last few months - moreso than normal. This might work in your favor.

It was indeed a few bad classes during freshman year. I have some time to pick it up though

I forgot to mention that on the ASTB it was mostly the Spatial Apperception section that took my score down. I felt that I did good on the others. But, the spatial on the real ASTB was much harder than any of the practice tests I have done. Is it common for the same Aviation / Nautical Information questions to show up on multiple forms of the ASTB?

 

[BusyBee604]

None of these applicants have a GPA as low as mine. So I'm unsure what to do.

You have great ASTB scores in the bank now, and it's a real longshot that you could equal/improve with a retest. You should go full ahead in the remaining "few" hours, to improve your GPA to the high end 2.8(+) you cite in the OP. They may well consider favorably, the difficulty of your major/Univ. rep, plus their unusually high rate of selection recently. Consider all the advice here, but it's gonna be your call (and a close one at that)!
BzB

 

[BusyBee604]

Would it be frowned upon if I "padded" my GPA by taking a bunch of easy classes and doing well in them? If I do this, my GPA can come close or even cross the 3.0 mark.

Were it I, that's what I would do. If you could crank it up to 3.0+, you shoud be in great shape.

*You can usually get better quality advice when your profile is informative, i.e., Univ., Navy goals, etc.
BzB

 

[Spartan43]

Your ASTB scores look pretty solid. With 3 semesters of school remaining, I would focus on those studies and trying to improve your GPA to the best of your ability.

 

[Navy Ship]

Were it I, that's what I would do. If you could crank it up to 3.0+, you shoud be in great shape.

*You can usually get better quality advice when your profile is informative, i.e., Univ., Navy goals, etc.
BzB

Would it look bad to the board though if they see that I took 12 hours of basket weaving and made A's that last semester? I feel that it would stand out and make it obvious that I was trying to boost my GPA.

 

[yakboyslim]

I imagine they look at the school, the major, the GPA and if calc/physics/etc courses were taken. I don't think they are going to look at the transcript that deeply. Just my guess. Also, I wouldnt think it could look bad.

My last semester was only 15 hours of bogus required classes I just hadnt done yet. Obviously did not affect my application (already in BDCP) just saying that those things happen even if people arent trying to swing their GPA.