1,001 questions about the ASTB (post your scores & ask your questions here!)

[katate1016]

I'm about 99% sure emergency procedures have to do with PFAR and UAV has more to do with FOFAR, based on the fact that their actual jobs deal with those and my experience on the test.

that makes sense, i’ve been trying to articulate which parts of the test correlate to these scores

 

[katate1016]

One thing to keep in mind is that the test is adaptive, if you get a question wrong, then one right, then wrong it could determine you have plateaued at a specific level, so while on practice test a person may get 70% of all the questions correct if you get a string of ones wrong that will be a concern.

Hopefully, I get some really hard questions then!

 

[Amberstrongen]

63 7/7/6 - My recruiter said "You're going to flight school baby". I'm an engineering major so math/ME was straight forward. My reading however, is complete dog crap. I think my scores reflect the importance of those two sections. Prep was 1 hour a day for a 30 days.

Math: Weighted averages, complicated average expressions, drt, two dice probability (alot of them surprisingly), simplifying algebraic expressions. The majority of the questions took 5 minutes, I made sure to take my time. Practice long multiplication/division problems and know how to do them quickly. Learning to solve systems of equations is a most. ACCURACY OVER SPEED FOLKS - the old saying still rings true.

ME: Circuts (transistor), V=IR, heat transfer, electrical fields, lever balance, ramp mechanical advantage, no gears/cams for me. My exam quickly got super difficult and a lot of the topics aren't on a lot of the gouges.

If you replaced a wheel with a smaller wheel, will your speedometer report a faster/slower speed?
V = WR = (Rotational Speed)x(Radius), the speedometer measures speed by rotation speed. replacing the wheel would actually slower because of the equation above. But the speedometer still reads the same rotational speed so it reports a faster speed.

A charged gas in a plant is flowing out a factory exhaust, what is the purpose of the charged electrical field in the smoke stack?
Only thing that made sense was that it would increase the force, resulting in the gas to accelerate.

ANIT: Remember carburetor freezes at 50 F, Tomcat converted to tanker for Iraqi freedom, me62 first jet fighter, basic plane components and how they affect movement, draft.

PBM: On the compass section, I averaged 3-4 seconds and got 3 wrong so that definitely killed my navigator score. Only use the flash cards with a picture of the UAV flying since that's what the exam looks like. Seriously don't skimp out on practicing these, I only studied for it the night before. I also recommend playing games like cod inverted. I play alot of simulators but I'm used to looking through a cockpit not staring at a dam dot. So it's more like aiming a gun than actually flying. The throttle has a HUGE deadzone and a really strong sensitivity so I constantly found myself constantly fluctuating my throttle like a mad man. I did not expect the PBM to be as long as I did and as frustrating it was, seriously try to prepare.

Reading: I kept getting simple questions, I think I did horrible? Not absolutely sure though, but definitely not satisfied with my performance thats for sure. Those that are in a similar situation as me, please prep a little for this, I know that you hate it like me but do yourself a favor lol.

To help with time write out a,b,c,d repeatedly so it can help cross out answers, I wasted a lot of time re-reading answers.

I attached my personal ANIT notes below, 100% all you need to know if you have the basic stuff down.

Good job!

 

[marianitapilicita]

Took my third and final ASTB attempt this morning, scored a 64 9/9/9. I am certain I would not have passed without this forum, so thank you to everyone who contributed! I guess it’s my turn. Here we go...



First and foremost, do not be me. I took it two times prior with only about a couple of days of studying for each. That is a mistake, trust me. Do the work and put time into it. There is no way around it, you have to put in time and effort. So here is how I passed:



After failing the first two times, I was in crisis mode. I took two and a half months between my second and third attempt, and I studied between 2-6 hours every day (save a couple days here and there). It may have been overkill, however I felt this was enough time for me. Be smart, and don’t leave any stones unturned. If you think you might need it, chances are you will need it. Also, use the forum as a gouge to help figure out what you need to know. I will link what I found helpful at the end. Also, this forum is priceless. Read through it all if you have time, at the very least read to page 200. It is the best resource there is, no contest.



MATH:

I was familiar with most of the math, but decided to relearn all the subjects anyway. I saw logs, geometry, simplifying polynomials, probability and some other stuff. I felt I did the best here, and I don’t think I got anything wrong. I mainly used Kyle’s guide to prep, but I also used Barron’s, the ASTB App, ACT prep, and Sam’s drive. One of the things I found most helpful was the 114 question long math study guide in Kyle’s guide. I did that when I first started studying to help identify my weak points, and again two days before I took the test. If you can do that guide without any help, you will be prepared for the math section. I found Barrons was a bit too easy, but practicing fundamentals is never a bad idea. BTW, make sure your fundamentals are solid (multiplying, dividing, roots, ect), it will save you time and effort. Make sure that the fundamentals are like second nature. Just practice as much as possible basically. I practiced 1-2 hours every day, and I felt this was sufficient.


READING:

The reading portion is very dry and boring. I did not prep anything specific here, but I do read a good bit so I’m sure that helps. Try not to space out and bring a pair of earplugs. My recruiting office gets loud and distracting, which is detrimental when it comes to this section. It is a lot of Navy and military type paragraphs, nothing regarding specific vocabulary words. It has a paragraph and then 4 options of statements that may or may not be accurate. Don’t assume anything, even if it makes sense. If it is not explicitly stated in the text, it is probably not correct. Don’t sweat it too much, just try your best.


MECHANICAL:

Basically just a physics 1 review. I maybe did 30 minutes of prep for this section, but I am a Mechanical Engineering student so this stuff is not too difficult for me. I would definitely study this if you are not familiar with physics concepts. There are some great guides out there that will get you well prepared for this section. Its not really hard, but make sure to know the basic physics formulas (force, acceleration, momentum, work, power, ect). Also, study up on circuits and have a basic understanding of electrical concepts (v=ir, p=iv, ect). Know your gears and pulleys. Pulleys for sure, they were on every test I took. Also, mechanical advantages. Again, there are great study guides out there that will get you prepped.


ANIT:

I studied for this as much as I studied for the math section, if not more. The FAA handmanual is a fantastic resource. In Kyle’s guide, there is a PDF version as well as a doc with highlighted chapters. I read all of the highlighted chapters, and a few more as well. Make sure to read up on carburetors. I also read Barron’s, it's a pretty good source to get a nice base. I memorized all of the cram flashcards, the proprofs flashcards, and made my own set with squadron designations, boat naming, history, and a few other miscellaneous things. Also, the ASTB app is a fantastic resource. It will get you pretty decently prepared. I did flashcards whenever I had freetime. I also deleted all social media so that I would not get tempted to not do flashcards.


On my test, I was asked a lot of things that were not in my studying materials, however. They asked about gas under nighttime VFR, carburetor icing, some boat related stuff that was pretty easy, what will happen if a plane is overloaded, and some other stuff that stumped me. I got very few questions that were actually related to aeronautics, like maybe 3. Sometimes, you just get screwed. Try to learn as much as you can, and then make educated guesses when you get stumped on the test. You can do well on this, just try to learn as much as possible and pray that you don’t get asked obscure questions. I feel like I did not exactly crush this section, but I also don’t feel like I failed it. If you do bad here, I think you can save your score with the PBM.


NAFTI:

Don’t lie on this. Be truthful and honest and let the test do its job. If anything, keep in mind that they don’t like people who break the law. That’s about it. It’s a nice break in my opinion. I took a long time to do this portion, but this is where you can give your mind a break, honestly.


UAV:

Use the compass trick and run through as many flashcards as you can. Nervous got to me and I got stumped a couple of times where it took me 4+ seconds to answer, I even got one wrong. Most of my answers were within 1-2 seconds though. Just practice, and you can kill this section.


PBM:

So, I think this may be one of the highest weighted sections on the exam. I felt like I killed this part. The biggest piece of advice I can give is to buy a set of hotas. I bought the same ones my office used off of amazon, which is the logitech x52. There is a simulator that a couple of guys made here that you can use to prepare for this section, and it is almost exactly the same (if not a little bit harder). The simulator even has a dichotic listening training. I used JoyToKey to map my mouse and keyboard to the stick and throttle, and it worked very well. I would very strongly recommend this. They are a little expensive, but it was worth it to me. Save up if you have to, but get the stick and throttle and practice for this section. I practiced every night, and I did very well here.


For the dichotic listening, lean into the target ear. I also wrote an E on my right and an O on my left to help solidify that right is for even numbers and left is for odd. Also, accuracy over speed, but don’t be slow (not sure if that helps). For the stick and throttle, focus on the stick first, then the throttle. The hierarchy of what I focused on is this:

1. Listening
2. Stick
3. throttle

Write the emergency situations down, but try your best to memorize them. The little gauges have an H and L on them, so you will not get confused which direction is high or low.




I think that’s everything. I am so happy to be done with this test, it’s been such a relief to get it knocked out for good. Anway, study hard and you can do well.


Thank you again to everyone who has posted in this forum, and good luck! Hopefully I will see some of you in flight school!




RESOURCES:

Kyles Guide:

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1AvPi5oH_h_13TGajDvflDWkftwXO8LS6?usp=sharing


Sam’s Guide:

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1CQS9Sa-9L3gAG0c0nQD_qz5Ic3m9W8NX?usp=sharing


Barron’s:

https://www.amazon.com/Barrons-Mili...ocphy=9010651&hvtargid=pla-491758052125&psc=1


Post 6759: https://www.airwarriors.com/communi...ur-questions-here.28348/page-446#post-1043326


Simulator:

https://jantzenx.github.io/ASTB/


HOTAS:

https://www.amazon.com/Logitech-Sai...ocphy=9010651&hvtargid=pla-381707157077&psc=1


JoyToKey:

https://joytokey.net/en/download


ProProfs:

https://www.proprofsflashcards.com/story.php?title=astb-aviation-nautical-inforfmation-test


Cram:

https://www.cram.com/flashcards/astb-aviation-nautical-information-test-anit-comprehensive-4718163


My Quizlet:

https://quizlet.com/_a10u8s?x=1jqt&i=3qalgz


Roots and perfect numbers Quizlet:

https://quizlet.com/_a0rv6o?x=1jqt&i=3qalgz


I think that’s it. Please message me if you have any questions!

Thank you. I’m re taking my exam on the 18 Jan. I got 43 4/4/4. I did not do well on the dichotic portion as I click every time Thinking I should click when both the throttle and the joystick where on target. I feel like such a dummy.

 

[carviator]

Thank you. I’m re taking my exam on the 18 Jan. I got 43 4/4/4. I did not do well on the dichotic portion as I click every time Thinking I should click when both the throttle and the joystick where on target. I feel like such a dummy.

What have you been doing to improve your dichotic score? Definitely try out the Jantzen sim but realize, it is not how the actual ASTB is.

 

[marianitapilicita]

Just make sure I don’t over click Lol. I also just bought the Hoyas from Amazon and will be practicing. Would the simulator work on an imac or it has to be a laptop. I’m pretty nervous mostly on the reading portion English is my second language. I hold a bachelors in chemical engineering. I’m hoping that my score improves so I have a chance.

 

[ccrutchfield]

Just wanted to chime in because I see a lot of peeps talking about the PFAR portion and purchasing a HOTAS to practice and using the DCS game to practice. I did not use a HOTAS, Flight sims or any of the fancy stuff to really practice (I was a broke college student working 14+ hr days) and I scored fairly well with an 8. I did use the online website that helps you practice but I just used a mouse and keyboard and only used it every once in a while. Reflecting on this portion of the test and what it is examining, I felt like these were the three categories I was challenged the most on:

1. The ability to adapt and understand that sometimes down means up
2. Hand-eye coordination coupled with reaction time
3. Multi-tasking

To practice for this, truthfully, I took a break from studying math, reading, aviation, etc, and played the game Rocket League with my friends. Weird, yes, but was this silly little free-to-play game a huge help with my coordination skills...yes. I got a cheap ps4 controller since I would play it on a computer (but you can play this game on many popular gaming systems) and would go to town playing games with my friends. For those that don't know, the game is basically car soccer but the cars have rockets on the back so you can fly. There are crazy youtube videos of people doing crazy stuff...but I wouldn't recommend going too deep into that rabbit hole. Unless you are seeking a career change to pro-gaming instead? lol

Anyways, why this is important? Well, it helped me build on those three things mentioned above. To fly these cars to hit the ball into the goal you have to understand that left means right and so on. (Cars reference anyone?) In this test, while it may not be as inverted in every axis as I'm saying with this video game, however, it still gives your brain experience in adapting from what is normal to suddenly abnormal controls/movements given to you by the test. From never using a HOTAS in a videogame or really ever before, I quickly picked up how to follow the little target on the screen and adapt for its ever-changing position. This leads me into the next category which is hand-eye coordination/reaction time. If you want to win these games in car soccer and boast to/with your friends, you'll have to get pretty fast and your body will have to be more in sync (mainly your hands-eyes). Lastly, the multi-tasking...this skill I was able to build when playing with my friends, and by myself with random people because we would always be looking around the "soccer field" for our opponents, teammates, and positions to hit the ball. When you get into the emergency procedures section, you'll be looking all over the screen where every target is changing its position, and your engine is on fire, etc. The ability to stay focused on the big picture and all the minor influencing factors and not tunnel visioning is a very useful skill and one you can build.

Just wanted to chime with this relatively inexpensive and fun tool which acted as both a study break and practice for me. It could also work for you! At the end of the day though, you'll have to figure out what works best for you, and maybe that is a HOTAS setup with a simulator game or something else. Remember that all of these are skills that you can build up, yes chadicus thadicus may have godlike reflexes that they were born with but that doesn't mean you can't get them either. Hard-work pays huge dividends.

 

[Tumbleweed33]

What have you been doing to improve your dichotic score? Definitely try out the Jantzen sim but realize, it is not how the actual ASTB is.

Someone made an adjustment to the Jantzen sim on Github. The adjustment makes the dichotic listening more in line with the actual test adding numbers and letters. It will get you about 80% of the way there but it is still not exactly like the test.
You can download the game then run it on your computer as a local server to achieve this. I somehow stumbled my way into making it work.

 

[Jt11red]

Wanted to post my results and give a few tips, as many others have. This site helped a lot for me. Took the ASTB twice, the first was going in right after talking to a recruiter and the second was one month later.

1st attempt:
50 // 4/4/4

2nd attempt:
54 // 6/5/6

While it was not a fantastic score, I was happy with it. Applied for NFO and got picked up in November and am planned to ship out Aug 14th, 2022.

Tips I feel helped me from things I read and from taking it twice:

-Memorization for ANIT is not difficult but I would recommend starting with this portion so you can go back to refamiliarize yourself with the definitions, terms, etc... when you need a break from studying the other sections.

-Math/Mechanical portions I feel are like normal coursework in school. Study the formulas and procedures in test preps and DO PRACTICE TESTS. Gaining confidence with what you know will help greatly when you are in the room taking the real thing. Practice what you may be weakest at.

-Reading Comprehension has a huge emphasis on THE BEST ANSWER. Sometimes all of them seem like viable choices and you must use what is stated in the texts without what is implied. You can assume an answer on what is not stated and get the answer wrong. It is designed to test your attention to detail.

-NAFTI is really studied for, but I can try to help by saying be honest, yet try favor answers that lean toward teamwork and leadership. Don't BS your answers towards them though, as it also checks for inconsistency.

-PBM has two parts.
The drone portion has you orient buildings or parking lots with a compass and direction to a drones direction or path. Some people draw out a compass with the scratch paper and orient it with the drones direction to get your answer (whatever direction is pointing in front of you). this was a little cumbersome to do when it takes time to do this each time. There is an app for iOS i will plug after this section that helped greatly to make it second nature.
The second portion is the throttle, stick, hearing and procedure portion. you do one, then add to the other and so on, until all four are compiled into one and you feel like it's utter chaos and you are preforming as bad as grandpa trying to play Xbox for the first time. It is okay and you are not supposed to keep the reticles on both portions perfectly. I focused mainly on keeping the throttle on target more so than the stick. I let the stick be tracked by my peripherals but I did 2 points better when maintaining consistency with just one as opposed to trying to both at once and not managing it.

// //

-What helped me a lot was an iOS app simply called "ASTB PREP" that has what looks like an Ensign insignia. This covered each portion of the ASTB, has practice tests, chapters and the best part was the drone simulator. Use it repeatedly. The app cost $9 and was worth more than the other study books I got combined, for less money. Plus it takes up less room.

-Study and take practice tests in different areas/locations so you don't associate one location with all of your knowledge. This sounds odd but it really helped me.

-When taking the actual test, be prepared to be next to someone else taking it as well (most likely), and even with the headphones on, I was able to hear the recruiter chatting outside which was a bit distracting when trying to focus on certain parts.

-For the love of God, please be on time... for you, the recruiters and the other person taking the test. The girl I was scheduled to take the test with was over an hour late, only took the OAR and my time was damn near close to the next set of test takers scheduled to go next. Don't be that person.


Anyways, I hope this can help someone out there, as all the gouge on here helped me a lot and I appreciated hearing any info or tips from as many sources as possible. Even is some were similar, it was still nice to hears each individual experience and tips.

 

[Mphall]

Hello everyone,

Took the ASTB back in 2019, haven't submitted to a board yet since it was when I was still a sophomore in college. Was wondering how my scores look and if I should just submit next board to see what they come back with or retake first.

I did absolutely terrible on the OAR score, 36, which is just above the minimum of 35 which doesn't help me in the slightest.

As for my other scores:
AQR: 5
PFAR: 8
FOFAR: 6

Will have my commercial pilot's license by graduation with no prior service. Aiming for a SNA slot more than an FO. Thanks

 

[flatspinturkeyb]

Hello everyone,

Took the ASTB back in 2019, haven't submitted to a board yet since it was when I was still a sophomore in college. Was wondering how my scores look and if I should just submit next board to see what they come back with or retake first.

I did absolutely terrible on the OAR score, 36, which is just above the minimum of 35 which doesn't help me in the slightest.

As for my other scores:
AQR: 5
PFAR: 8
FOFAR: 6

Will have my commercial pilot's license by graduation with no prior service. Aiming for a SNA slot more than an FO. Thanks

I bet if you retook after graduation you could get a much better OAR and AQR!

 

[Jt11red]

Hello everyone,

Took the ASTB back in 2019, haven't submitted to a board yet since it was when I was still a sophomore in college. Was wondering how my scores look and if I should just submit next board to see what they come back with or retake first.

I did absolutely terrible on the OAR score, 36, which is just above the minimum of 35 which doesn't help me in the slightest.

As for my other scores:
AQR: 5
PFAR: 8
FOFAR: 6

Will have my commercial pilot's license by graduation with no prior service. Aiming for a SNA slot more than an FO. Thanks

While they don't necessarily "look" at your OAR score, it will still be visible. Your PFAR score is well in the accepted range, lol. AQR is the minimum so you're technically good there. The test has been modified and supposedly is now a bit more difficult. The worst you could do is see what a recruiter thinks about it and send in for a package with what you have. If it gets rejected, try to retake the ASTB like you were thinking about doing anyways. They will take your most recent score, not your highest scores so if you feel it may be a gamble on getting an 8 again, first try with what you have.

 

[exNavyOffRec]

Hello everyone,

Took the ASTB back in 2019, haven't submitted to a board yet since it was when I was still a sophomore in college. Was wondering how my scores look and if I should just submit next board to see what they come back with or retake first.

I did absolutely terrible on the OAR score, 36, which is just above the minimum of 35 which doesn't help me in the slightest.

As for my other scores:
AQR: 5
PFAR: 8
FOFAR: 6

Will have my commercial pilot's license by graduation with no prior service. Aiming for a SNA slot more than an FO. Thanks

submit when able and see what happens, don't risk that 8 unless you get a no the first time around.

 

[FloridaDad]

I'm about 99% sure emergency procedures have to do with PFAR and UAV has more to do with FOFAR, based on the fact that their actual jobs deal with those and my experience on the test.

I was told that the UAV section had a ton to do with your PFAR score which makes sense because that was my weakest part of my test and my lowest score was my PFAR. If you're wrong you're making me really nervous hahaha

 

[flatspinturkeyb]

I was told that the UAV section had a ton to do with your PFAR score which makes sense because that was my weakest part of my test and my lowest score was my PFAR. If you're wrong you're making me really nervous hahaha

Hey just a suggestion, take it or leave it, your username should be FloriDad