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

[michaelba_123]

Just took my first ASTB.
OAR: 64 (don't think this is relevant if I'm in NROTC?)
ASTB: 8/7/8
Major: B.S. Economics
GPA: 3.35

Not planning to retake, so I'm curious about how competitive I am for SNA.

 

[piper56M]

Just took my first ASTB.
OAR: 64 (don't think this is relevant if I'm in NROTC?)
ASTB: 8/7/8
Major: B.S. Economics
GPA: 3.35

Not planning to retake, so I'm curious about how competitive I am for SNA.

Those scores are def competitive for SNA. I would compare scores with other NROTC SNA applicants though, since most people in this thread are going the OCS route.

 

[Triumph_MAC]

1) Did you buy the Logitech X52? That's the one that I used when I re-took it and bought it as soon as I got home. In Joy2Key, I mapped the downshift on the throttle to the "S" key and the upshift to the "W" key. It's a little weird to get used to, but it works.

2) I had the same issue. I think it's because most (if not all) HOTAS don't have drivers for MacOS. You literally can't even run MSFS2020 on a Mac unless you install Windows. This video has a tutorial on how to do that. Given the crazy amount of graphics power the new M1 chips have, it's really sad that we can't run it on MacOS but that's an issue for another day. Of course, I could be wrong, so please feel free to correct me if I am!

I got it figured out this past weekend. I ended up uninstalling the programs and reinstalling it all. That worked well.
How are your scores on the tracking piece? My throttle scores are averaging in the high 60’s low 70’s but my tracking is averaging 120’s. I was going to adjust the stick but want to keep it as close to the testing center as possible, as I’m sure they haven’t adjusted theirs.

 

[elariosa95]

I got it figured out this past weekend. I ended up uninstalling the programs and reinstalling it all. That worked well.
How are your scores on the tracking piece? My throttle scores are averaging in the high 60’s low 70’s but my tracking is averaging 120’s. I was going to adjust the stick but want to keep it as close to the testing center as possible, as I’m sure they haven’t adjusted theirs.

Someone else and I found that your monitor resolution affects your score, so my scores will probably be different from yours. On my old stick using the keyboard as the throttle and on the hardest difficulty, I was averaging less than 100 on throttle and around 120 or 130ish on tracking.

I'm gonna start tracking my scores again with the X52 and I'll post again when I get some good data

 

[BB Poison]

Took the ASTB for the 2nd time today and scored a 65 7/7/7. Here's some of the concepts I encountered and some advice:

Math
- Quadratic equations (ax^2 + bx + c = 0)
- Simple probability (If you roll a fair dice and pull a card from a deck, what are the odds of rolling a 6 or higher and pulling a card with a heart suit)
- Functions (Solve for x in f(x) = 3(1/4)^x if f(x) = 2
- Radicals (Simplify sqrt(3) + sqrt(27))
- Arc length (If a slice of pizza has an area of 6pi in^2 and the angle on the end of the slice is 60 degrees, what is the arc length of the outer side of the slice)
As well as some other stuff I can't remember, but Kyle's guide will pretty much get you there

Reading
- Pretty much just reading a paragraph and choosing an answer that best describes the contents of the paragraph. I believe the Barron book has a section on this, might suggest looking up reading comprehension problems from the SAT.

Mechanical Comprehension
- Bernoulli's principle
- Circuits (is the current flowing out of a point greater/lesser than the current flowing in)
- Work (Defining work, does pushing a block up a steeper ramp require more/less work than a less steep ramp)
- G-force (defining, if a plane is flying in a loop where does the pilot experience the most Gs)
- Pulleys (comparing pulleys to see which requires the most force to lift a weight)
- Flow rate

ANIT
- Good mix of aviation and nautical information, aviation questions were oriented towards flight components i.e. what controls movement about the longitudinal axis, what instrument is used to measure banking, with no questions on airports. With a degree in aerospace engineering this required zero studying but YMMV. Nautical was oriented around ship components like what is a keel, etc.

NATFI
- This just sucks. 99 questions where you pick from two unflattering options, mine had the added bonus of taking 10 seconds to load the next question every single time. Nothing to study here.

PMB
- UAV section was first and the compass trick made a world of difference, felt like I was on fire in this section. The format for me was exactly like the UAV cards where you have a map with an arrow pointing towards the target. Managed to get all of them correct in less than 2.5 seconds, disappointed my score didn't reflect how I felt.
- Jantzen sim helps for the HOTAS section, if you have a high refresh rate monitor I would recommend dropping your refresh rate to 59hz because going from 1440p 144hz to a crappy old monitor really threw me off. I would also recommend getting the Logitech X52 HOTAS that @elariosa95 mentioned or something similar, that was the exact setup my NRD used for testing. I borrowed my friend's badass Thrustmaster HOTAS Warthog set to practice for this portion and going from hefty metal sticks to light plastic threw me for a loop. As far as my scores go, I felt like I tracked fairly well and got all of the emergency protocols correct, but missed a couple of the dichotic listening prompts.

A little disappointed I didn't score any 8s or higher but I think it's a solid improvement. Hoping that I don't have to take it ever again, I had my test scheduled for 1000 and didn't wasn't able to start until 1130 due to technical difficulties which I feel impacted my performance.

 

[parkerr91]

Hey Everyone,

A few questions regarding the Board spreadsheets.
1.) What specifically does "flight experience" entail? Any amount of hours logged, or minimum of PPL?
2.) Does "prior" refer to prior submissions to board, or prior criminal activity? I believe criminal activity would be covered in the waivers column, but just want to be sure.

Thanks!

 

[carviator]

Hey Everyone,

A few questions regarding the Board spreadsheets.
1.) What specifically does "flight experience" entail? Any amount of hours logged, or minimum of PPL?
2.) Does "prior" refer to prior submissions to board, or prior criminal activity? I believe criminal activity would be covered in the waivers column, but just want to be sure.

Thanks!

Flight experience is typically at least ppl. Anyone can take a discovery flight and technically that's flight experience. It doesn't really matter tbh, just go with your opinion.

Prior means prior service in the military.

 

[schen0222]

Just had a quick question regarding the emergency procedures portion of the exam. After you are done following the instructions for an emergency, do the gauges automatically reset to neutral when you press the clutch, or do you have to reset them manually back to neutral when you are done?

 

[elariosa95]

Just had a quick question regarding the emergency procedures portion of the exam. After you are done following the instructions for an emergency, do the gauges automatically reset to neutral when you press the clutch, or do you have to reset them manually back to neutral when you are done?

I'm pretty sure they stay in whatever position you had them in for the procedure. I didn't set mine back to neutral after each one, so I think that's the case.

 

[carviator]

Be extremely careful on which way the gauges turn on the emergency section. It is not intuitive and caught me off guard. I screwed myself out of a 9 pfar. You have to reset them.

 

[Tumbleweed33]

Just had a quick question regarding the emergency procedures portion of the exam. After you are done following the instructions for an emergency, do the gauges automatically reset to neutral when you press the clutch, or do you have to reset them manually back to neutral when you are done?

The gauges stay where you put them. I had mine preset for when the warning lights came on then I was ready to go. Because the emergency showed up in order 123. At least it did both times when I took the ASTB.

 

[elariosa95]

The gauges stay where you put them. I had mine preset for when the warning lights came on then I was ready to go. Because the emergency showed up in order 123. At least it did both times when I took the ASTB.

This is pretty helpful pro tip!

I guess this goes back to earlier, but do you get docked points if they’re not in neutral? If not, then I’m 100% doing what you did next time

 

[Tumbleweed33]

This is pretty helpful pro tip!

I guess this goes back to earlier, but do you get docked points if they’re not in neutral? If not, then I’m 100% doing what you did next time

Exactly. Unless it's on the instructions you should be fine. Otherwise, there is no way of knowing.
I do know for a fact that the screen did not flash red at all when I did it this way and my score was higher.

My other tip that doesn't seem to be talked about as much is making a compass for the UAV portion. Make a paper compass THEN poke your pen through the middle of it. Now keep your pen/compass in your left hand to spin while you use your right hand to click with the mouse.

 

[BB Poison]

Exactly. Unless it's on the instructions you should be fine. Otherwise, there is no way of knowing.
I do know for a fact that the screen did not flash red at all when I did it this way and my score was higher.

My other tip that doesn't seem to be talked about as much is making a compass for the UAV portion. Make a paper compass THEN poke your pen through the middle of it. Now keep your pen/compass in your left hand to spin while you use your right hand to click with the mouse.

Interesting, I just used my left hand to rotate the compass on the table. I’d be worried about the paper flying off the pen lol.

 

[Tumbleweed33]

Interesting, I just used my left hand to rotate the compass on the table. I’d be worried about the paper flying off the pen lol.

It stayed on and worked just fine for me. I was able to answer all the UAV questions at around 1s doing it this way.