What's The Best Way of Preparing?

[PatrioticGirl]

Okay, I have 3 books, two by ARCO and one by Learning Express and I got all of them from Amazon.Com - of course! My recruiter told me to get the Flight Aptitude Tests by ARCO and study from that. However, the more and more I read from those who've taken the ASTB on this site and another the more and more I get the feeling that these books aren't any good to study from? Am I right?

Basically, I've made up my mind that I'd only study from the guide I got off this site since test takers say it's like taking the practice guide all over again when they take the actual ASTB. Is that a right assumption for me to make?

 

[ben]

The practice test is the best preparation you'll find, but if you have plenty of time it wouldn't hurt to look at the other stuff too.

 

[PatrioticGirl]

I'm scheduled to take it on April 28th. I looked at the stuff in the books and to be quite honest, the books look like they suck.

 

[NeoCortex]

I used the books (ARCO) and the site. The books are good for the SA. I would study everything you can. IT can't hurt and it def can help.

 

[zuggerat]

truthfully, the study guide on the site is great, for the math its right on, the mechanical is a lil more difficult than the guide makes it out to be, so i would say study the ARCO for that, i thought the spatial appreception was ridiculously easy so if you're going for SNA and you know airplanes pretty well you should have absolutely no trouble.

 

[PatrioticGirl]

No, I'm not going for SNA. But, I was just curious how on Earth to study the Spacial appreciation, and the parts of a plane and ship because to be honest all that's difficult to me.

 

[NeoCortex]

on site study guide will help on those. If your not going Aviation, I'm not ever sure they really look at those.

 

[PatrioticGirl]

No, I was going Supply Corps and thinking of making Crypto choice #2 and Intel choice #3. I've got 20/20 in the right eye, but not in the left so I don't think my eyesight is good for flight.

 

[ben]

I think vision requirements are 20/40 correctible to 20/20, so don't count yourself out just for not being 20/20. Unless of course you're simply not interested in aviation.



zuggerat - you thought the spatial apperception was ridiculously easy? I found the practice in the ARCO book to be easy enough to do in my sleep. The real test gave me some trouble though... probably mostly nerves, but I thought it was significantly more complex than the practice. For you it was a snap?

 

[cherokeexj94]

My buddy at the Academy told me that if the Navy thought you were a good enough candidate they would pay for corrective surgery...not sure if that is a program reserved for midshipmen but its definitely worth looking into.

 

[GVSURob]

PatrioticGirl,

I got the ARCO book too, that shows you the VERY basics of MC and other "things you'll be tested on" like NeoCortex said SA is very helpful (considering SA is SA it doesn't get any harder or easier) in the ARCO books too. The one big helper I've found is a book called "Gleim's Pilot Handbook" which can be found at the link at the bottom of this post. This book basically explains everything about how an airplane does what it does when it does it, the basic parts of a plane, all the different forces acting on the plane and how it all applies to flight, etc. Basically after reading (and studying!) this book, any question they throw at you on the ASTB is relative to the info in the book, and you can figure them out through logical thinking. Combine that with the study guides found on this site and I think you'll be all set.

Hope it helps,

Robert Mathey
Grand Rapids, MI

Link to amazon for the book: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/t...f=sr_1_1/102-2975876-8797705?v=glance&s=books
If that doesn't work just try a search using Gleim and Pilot handbook

 

[zuggerat]

Well usually u can eliminate a lot of choices simply because of whether the plane is flying inland or out to sea. Once you've eliminated which arent flying in the right direction then u evaluate which direction it's banking, and finally you evaluate the degree of bank. It's a little methode ive devised to get through the S.A., makes it so much easier. If you practice with that method you'll fly through it, no pun intended.

 

[ben]

Well usually u can eliminate a lot of choices simply because of whether the plane is flying inland or out to sea. Once you've eliminated which arent flying in the right direction then u evaluate which direction it's banking, and finally you evaluate the degree of bank. It's a little methode ive devised to get through the S.A., makes it so much easier. If you practice with that method you'll fly through it, no pun intended.

A nice methodical approach... I should have done something like that myself. Not that it matters anymore though, they took me even with a crappy SA score. Something that would have helped me a lot would be writing on the test. If I could have actually crossed out the ones I knew were wrong then it would have been easier to focus on the less obvious choices.

 

[zuggerat]

ben what were ur stats, im just curious

 

[NeoCortex]

time was a factor for the SA section, so you can't take that much time per question.

GVSURob, you must be a pilot