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

[elariosa95]

Did you have a score that you were aiming for on the Jantzen sim?

The general answer is that lower scores = better.

The size of your monitor will affect your score, so there isn’t a specific number you should shoot for. I used to track my scores in a spreadsheet, and if I saw them trending down, then I knew I was getting better.

 

[skb832]

Hey guys, took the ASTB for my third and final attempt on Friday and scored a 62 8/8/7.

Firstly, I'd like to thank everyone on AirWarriors. This forum has been hugely instrumental to me in the ASTB prep process, and I honestly don't think I could have gotten the scores I did without you all.

Here's a breakdown of how the test went for me/how I studied for each section:
MST:
- exponents, exponents, exponents...
- lots of probability (know your standard deck of cards)
- some rational equations
- geometry
- some complex systems of equations
- factoring
- radical equations
I used a plethora of resources to study for this section, but the most valuable in my opinion is Kyle's Drive. It has a TON of useful information on it, not only for math but also for the other portions.
Some other resources I found useful were IXL, Organic Chemistry Tutor, GRE test prep book (if you're currently in college, your college library probably has a TON of GRE test prep resources to check out), Newstone Prep, the ASTB app, and Barrons. I found the problems in Barron's practice tests a little bit easy in relation what I've seen on the test, but it's a great starting point.
*I really wished I practiced simplifying big fractions and multiplying/dividing out large numbers very quickly more though, because I think it took me a while to do this on the test*

RCT:
Super boring, super dry... I kept spacing out while reading the passages, and had to keep re-reading and re-reading the passage. Process of elimination is the best way to go here. I didn't really study for this section, but LSAT reading comp problems are pretty similar to what you get on the ASTB, so studying some practice problems might help.

Reading Comprehension Sample Questions | The Law School Admission Council

www.lsac.org

MCT:
I felt like I did really well here, don't think I got any questions wrong. Some questions I got were:
- superconductivity question
- pulley questions
- kicking a football in the center of gravity, what happens?
- spiders sitting on a spinning record, which has the fastest linear speed?
- yo-yo problem
surprisingly, the FAA Pilot's Handbook is also a great resource for MCT. I found that while reading the pilot's handbook after studying MCT concepts, I could better understand the MCT material by applying it to aerodynamics/aircraft structural concepts covered in the handbook. There's also the added fact that a lot of the MCT questions are geared towards aviation-based concepts. For example, is linear speed faster on the outside of a spinning disc or on the inside? Hint: think of a propeller.

NATFI:
Just be honest. It's a refreshing break from the rest of the test, so just take your time and really think about which statement suits you best.

ANIT:
I also felt like I did really well on this section. I'm a private pilot so I knew a lot of the written-geared questions, but nevertheless I still prepared A LOT for this section.
Some questions were:
- beam of a ship
- night flying fuel minimums
- which one is NOT a type of flap?
- when do vortices form?
of course I got one or two questions I couldn't have possibly known the answer to, but seems like that's a pretty frequent trend (from what I've read in other posts).
A great way to study for this part is to read the FAA Pilot's Handbook. On Kyle's drive, you can find specific highlighted chapters you should read. Additionally, the 415 cram flashcards were pretty useful as well.

ASTB Aviation/Nautical Information Test (ANIT) [comprehensive] Flashcards - Cram.com

Study Flashcards On ASTB Aviation/Nautical Information Test (ANIT) [comprehensive] at Cram.com. Quickly memorize the terms, phrases and much more. Cram.com makes it easy to get the grade you want!

www.cram.com

UAV:
I averaged about 2-3 seconds on each target (took a little bit longer on one), didn't miss any.

I practiced really hard for this section, because in previous test attempts this portion kind of kicked my ass. I highly recommend studying the flashcards, and USING THE COMPASS TRICK! on my first attempt, I was really stupid and thought I could be quicker if I didn't use the compass trick but this plan backfired horribly because I missed a TON of targets plus took way too much time to answer.

Answer ASTB UAV Direction Test Flashcards Flashcards by ProProfs

Study Answer ASTB UAV Direction Test Flashcards Flashcards at ProProfs - Start studying and answer the ASTB UAV direction test with these flashcards quizzes. Anyone who is interested in these ASTB UAV direction topic can attempt the test through these flashcards quizzes

www.proprofsflashcards.com

Dichotic Listening:
I practiced by randomly generating strings of numbers and letters and putting it into a TTS engine which generated MP3 files. I sent one file to my phone, and kept another on my laptop and I would play one file in one ear and another file in the other ear while pressing the corresponding buttons for even/odd on my joystick and throttle. Also, whenever I was studying for school or just lounging around I would play one podcast in one ear, and another podcast or music in the other to help me get used to picking out information from a selected ear.

I feel like I did really well on this part, don't think I missed any cues. I wrote E on my right hand and O on my left hand to further help me remember which hand was for which numbers.

Vertical Tracking/Airplane Tracking:
A big difference between this attempt and the previous attempts on the test was that this time, I was actually really excited for this section. On the other two attempts, I dreaded the PBM portions because I convinced myself I would do badly on them. Have CONFIDENCE! Also, have fun. I actually caught myself smiling while tracking, and I basically just treated it like a video game.
I HIGHLY recommend buying a joystick/throttle set and practicing in the ASTB trainer. Besides using the ASTB trainer, I also played War Thunder where I would just take a plane for a test flight and fly around. I think this really helped

Combined Dichotic Listening/Vertical Tracking/Airplane Tracking:
Chaos, but totally doable. I think it was actually easier to listen to the dichotic listening tracks during this part just because of how tuned in I was.

Emergency Procedures:
Some may say to "just drop the controls and do the emergency procedure when the emergencies pop up", but I don't recommend this. For starters, the instructions on the test explicitly say to NOT stop "flying" the plane when the emergencies come up. Secondly, in real life you wouldn't just drop the controls while flying in the event of an emergency.

To anyone currently studying for their first, second, or third attempt - best of luck, and don't give up! remember that the test really isn't that bad when you put in the time and effort to thoroughly prepare, and remember to show up to the exam site confident and knowing you'll absolutely ace the test.

Fly Navy!

On the emergency procedures, what was your tactic? I feel like dropping the controls for a second is the only way to do it.

 

[BB Poison]

Did you have a score that you were aiming for on the Jantzen sim?

The general answer is that lower scores = better.

The size of your monitor will affect your score, so there isn’t a specific number you should shoot for. I used to track my scores in a spreadsheet, and if I saw them trending down, then I knew I was getting better.

Pretty much just aimed for a lower score. I would recommend starting with like medium difficulty and setting a goal avg target distance then when you can consistently hit that goal, up the difficulty. Use a spreadsheet to track your avg distance and attempt # so you can see your progress.

To answer your question about emergency procedures, you should be able to keep tracking the target while performing the emergency procedure. Not sure what HOTAS your test center will use but mine used the Logitech X52 which has rotary knobs on the stick and throttle that were used to adjust fuel and power. If I remember correctly the emergencies either required full fuel/power or no fuel/power so remember the direction you need to rotate the knob for each and you should be able to do it while tracking.

 

[piper56M]

On the emergency procedures, what was your tactic? I feel like dropping the controls for a second is the only way to do it.

like everyone else is saying, you shouldn't have to drop the controls to complete the emergency procedures. When I took the test, I a.) made sure I wrote down the procedures really neatly and in an organized fashion so if I needed to reference them I could very quickly, b.) practiced the emergency procedures a little bit and got used to which way to turn the knobs/reaching for the knobs while "flying", c.) made sure to keep the gauge in the corner of the screen within my peripheral vision to check for any indications of an emergency.

I also highly agree with people who are saying to keep an excel spreadsheet tracking your progress with the sim. I did this for my latest attempt, and I think it helped immensely in gauging my progress.

 

[elariosa95]

On the emergency procedures, what was your tactic? I feel like dropping the controls for a second is the only way to do it.

Here's a little pro tip I got from page 475:

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.

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.

Basically, you don't lose points for not keeping the gauges in neutral (unless I completely missed that in the instructions) and the order of the procedures also never changes. This means that you can have your knobs pre-set for the emergency so you'll only have to press the clutch when that light comes up.

The caveat to this is that you'll still have to know how to change the knobs prior to each procedure while flying. That being said, I'd like to think that you should be able to take advantage of this to get a higher score.

Also, poking a pencil through the center of your compass rose and rotating it with that is an elite tip for the UAV portion. Much easier than using your hand to do rotate it.

 

[skb832]

Here's a little pro tip I got from page 475:




Basically, you don't lose points for not keeping the gauges in neutral (unless I completely missed that in the instructions) and the order of the procedures also never changes. This means that you can have your knobs pre-set for the emergency so you'll only have to press the clutch when that light comes up.

The caveat to this is that you'll still have to know how to change the knobs prior to each procedure while flying. That being said, I'd like to think that you should be able to take advantage of this to get a higher score.

Also, poking a pencil through the center of your compass rose and rotating it with that is an elite tip for the UAV portion. Much easier than using your hand to do rotate it.

I can't remember exactly how the emergency procedures worked the first time i did the test. Can you explain how that section works and this "caveat" in more detail?

 

[elariosa95]

I can't remember exactly how the emergency procedures worked the first time i did the test. Can you explain how that section works and this "caveat" in more detail?

Before that part of the test starts, you're given the directions to deal with three (3) emergencies you'll encounter. You'll want to write these down so you can refer to them during the test. The directions will tell you which knobs to turn on your stick and throttle and which way to turn them. All three procedures end with you pressing the clutch button.

While flying, you'll have to deal with each of the three emergencies as they occur. To do this, you'll refer back to the directions and make the appropriate adjustments to the knobs to fix the problem. The faster you deal with the emergencies, the higher you score. You don't get points for fixing the wrong emergency and it also won't tell you if you did it wrong, so make sure you follow the directions correctly.

Pre-setting the knobs makes it so that you only have to press the clutch button when the emergency light comes up since the procedures are presented in the order they're given in the instructions (if I remember correctly). The "caveat" is that you'll still have to make sure your knobs are set to the right position for the right procedure while still tracking the two targets on the screen.

 

[skb832]

Before that part of the test starts, you're given the directions to deal with three (3) emergencies you'll encounter. You'll want to write these down so you can refer to them during the test. The directions will tell you which knobs to turn on your stick and throttle and which way to turn them. All three procedures end with you pressing the clutch button.

While flying, you'll have to deal with each of the three emergencies as they occur. To do this, you'll refer back to the directions and make the appropriate adjustments to the knobs to fix the problem. The faster you deal with the emergencies, the higher you score. You don't get points for fixing the wrong emergency and it also won't tell you if you did it wrong, so make sure you follow the directions correctly.

Pre-setting the knobs makes it so that you only have to press the clutch button when the emergency light comes up since the procedures are presented in the order they're given in the instructions (if I remember correctly). The "caveat" is that you'll still have to make sure your knobs are set to the right position for the right procedure while still tracking the two targets on the screen.

So this only works if the procedures show up in the order that they’re given in the instructions, right? Are you sure the first one shown in the instructions is the one that will show up first in the test?

 

[elariosa95]

Are they really? Mine seemed random.

So this only works if the procedures show up in the order that they’re given in the instructions, right? Are you sure the first one shown in the instructions is the one that will show up first in the test?

After taking it three times, I'm about 99.999% sure the procedures are given in the order they're shown in the instructions.

If they're not, then you can at least pre-set the knobs for the last procedure since each one is given once and you'll know which one hasn't been done yet at that point.

Someone sent me this drawing of the PBM setup with the emergency buttons and I'm positive that I had the same order: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ACJt4IdCkPjU2lkCQMdb8AJX_MzsS_nN/view

Edit: if your emergency order was not the same as the one in the picture, please feel free to correct me

 

[skb832]

Awesome, thank a lot!

Are the only knobs that you're having to mess with on the throttle? Or do you have to change something on the joystick as well?

 

[jhardy98]

I took the OAR/ASTB this morning. From about 10:15AM-1:00PM. Only took me around 2.5 or so hours to complete. It was honestly not bad at all I was totally freaking out before taking it but it was actually much more simple than I had imagined. I took it in some storage closet at the officer recruiting office lol. The toughest part was 100% the sim portion. The black background totally threw me off as I’m used to seeing a moving landscape when moving the stick, so having a solid black background paired with the inverted stick was mind boggling lol…

I have a fresh mind of how it was if anyone has questions. My recruiter told me that the next boards is September and that if I were to get selected I would not be going to OCS until atleast October of 2023, as she has a SNA selectee and they are pushed back into the October 2023 OCS class. She did mention if I were to choose NFO I could leave as soon as a few months for OCS. But I’m not totally sure if any of that is true… With that being said, I would definitely like to retest since I scored 50; 6,5,6 on my first attempt. I didn’t study too drastically. The recruiter told me because I have a BS in Finance with a 3.7GPA, an MBA with a 3.6GPA, letter of recommendation from Michigan State Senator and Brigadier General, volunteer hours and some other stuff, that I have a good chance to be selected, however I personally don’t think so knowing that so many individuals are scoring much higher. She did mention that “you would be surprised at how many get selected with lower scores” and that “you just have to get a passing score to qualify in order to be considered since they consider the entire package of your application.” Although again I know my score is pretty low and personally don’t think I will get selected in the September boards for SNA.

Another note. She told me that you no longer need references/letter of recommendation as of a month ago, but I had asked her to find out if I can use them anyway since I have very strong LORs and I wanna use everything I can to help my application.

Definitely study exponents. Literally last night I googled “SAT exponent problems” and found a website with pages and pages of different math problems that use exponents and they show the work to get the answer for every type of exponent problem. It was very useful and I 100% recommended following what I did here, you will thank me!

I’ll post more to it and if anyone has questions ask away!

 

[exNavyOffRec]

I took the OAR/ASTB this morning. From about 10:15AM-1:00PM. Only took me around 2.5 or so hours to complete. It was honestly not bad at all I was totally freaking out before taking it but it was actually much more simple than I had imagined. I took it in some storage closet at the officer recruiting office lol. The toughest part was 100% the sim portion. The black background totally threw me off as I’m used to seeing a moving landscape when moving the stick, so having a solid black background paired with the inverted stick was mind boggling lol…

I have a fresh mind of how it was if anyone has questions. My recruiter told me that the next boards is September and that if I were to get selected I would not be going to OCS until atleast October of 2023, as she has a SNA selectee and they are pushed back into the October 2023 OCS class. She did mention if I were to choose NFO I could leave as soon as a few months for OCS. But I’m not totally sure if any of that is true… With that being said, I would definitely like to retest since I scored 50; 6,5,6 on my first attempt. I didn’t study too drastically. The recruiter told me because I have a BS in Finance with a 3.7GPA, an MBA with a 3.6GPA, letter of recommendation from Michigan State Senator and Brigadier General, volunteer hours and some other stuff, that I have a good chance to be selected, however I personally don’t think so knowing that so many individuals are scoring much higher. She did mention that “you would be surprised at how many get selected with lower scores” and that “you just have to get a passing score to qualify in order to be considered since they consider the entire package of your application.” Although again I know my score is pretty low and personally don’t think I will get selected in the September boards for SNA.

Another note. She told me that you no longer need references/letter of recommendation as of a month ago, but I had asked her to find out if I can use them anyway since I have very strong LORs and I wanna use everything I can to help my application.

Definitely study exponents. Literally last night I googled “SAT exponent problems” and found a website with pages and pages of different math problems that use exponents and they show the work to get the answer for every type of exponent problem. It was very useful and I 100% recommended following what I did here, you will thank me!

I’ll post more to it and if anyone has questions ask away!

LOR's haven't actually been needed for many years and the most important thing the board will see is the that 5 PFAR, if you want to be a SNA study and retest, if you want to be a SNFO roll the dice and go with the FOFAR of 6. I have seen many turned down with PFAR of 5's and 6's that had more impressive applications than you, and applicants with PFAR of 8's and 9's that had a far less impressive application than you.

 

[csanfilippo9]

After you take the ASTB for the second time, how long do you have to wait until you take it the third time?

31 days

 

[layan]

When given the emergency procedures before you start that part of the test, do you have unlimited time to write it down or is there a time limit?

 

[elariosa95]

When given the emergency procedures before you start that part of the test, do you have unlimited time to write it down or is there a time limit?

No time limit for the instructions