I just took the test for a second time and got a 68 9/8/9, up from my first score of 53 6/7/6. I studied almost exactly the same way as this guy, with the added thoughts below.
I am a Senior Computer Science major with no flight experience outside of 1-2 hours in professional flight sims. I was somewhat familiar with aviation knowledge from video games like Microsoft flight sims, DCS, Xplane, etc. I did not study before my first test, and studied for roughly 60 hours over the course of 6 weeks before my second test. I used Jantzen's ASTB trainer, Barron's study book, and the ASTB app with the ensign shoulder board logo.
Math: I saw algebra, matrix multiplication, derivatives, logarithms, complex fractions, and exponent rules on the math section. I heard there would be a ton of questions on percentages and unit conversion based on the number of practice questions in Barron's, but I didn't get any. I found khan academy was better than barron's book and the app, partially because some of the math on the test wasn't in the app or Barron's, so being able to take it a second time and knowing there were other topics I needed to study harder was helpful. I recommend brushing up on calculus especially.
Reading: SAT English prep videos on Kahn Academy were the best way to study for this section. Barron's and the app are okay, I thought SAT reading questions provide the most detailed reasoning for answers.
Mechanical Comprehension: This is where Barron's and the app were worth it. I found them extremely helpful on this section. I also watched some Youtube videos on resistors in sequence and series, and looked up a video on pulleys as well. I got a question on binary numbers as well (something like what is the result of 4 + 6 in binary). Being in computer science I wasn't caught by surprise but I mention it because I haven't seen binary on any study sheets before. It wasn't that hard if you know the basics though.
Aviation and Nautical: Again, the app and Barron's were pretty comprehensive on this subject. Any flashcards or other study sheets you can find on here are helpful as well. This section is tough because it is 100% memorization. I got pretty lucky that of the 15-20 questions I got, I knew all but maybe 1 with 100% certainty, but it's luck of the draw on whether the harder, more obscure questions were on stuff you studied or not. Just find as many resources as you can, but Barron's and the app will get you 80-90% there IMO.
PBM: This is where I spent the most time studying. Jantzen's trainer was a game changer for the throttle/joystick/audio portion. I used a cheap joystick and throttle, but I started out with just a keyboard and mouse. Joystick is better, but if you can't get one, practicing with a mouse is still worth your time because at the very least, you'll get used to the vertical axis being inverted. Headphones are extremely important as well. I focused the most on the audio portion, second most on the joystick target and watched the throttle with my peripheral vision and would directly glance at it once every 10 or so seconds. On the trainer, go to settings and try to raise the difficulty 2-3 bars as you get better. I would average mid 60's for throttle and joystick score and miss 1-2 listenings per round with the difficulty slightly above default. I found setting the timer to max time was beneficial because my focus slipped on the actual test the first time around. I found that scoring in the 60's on a 30 second practice test was way easier than for the max time the trainer allows (5 minutes).
I saw Jantzen's trainer was updated since I last used it and I don't know what the update contains, but when I last used it you would press the trigger for even numbers and the throttle for odd numbers, but it was opposite on the test. That almost threw me off on test day, so keep in mind there may be differences.
I did the paper compass method for the UAV section instead of flashcards because I felt it was just as fast. I averaged less than 2 seconds and didn't miss any. I tried memorization, but I personally preferred the compass. The ASTB app's practice test for this was excellent practice.
Overall I studied 1-1.5 hours a day and spent half my time on PBM and half my time on everything else. Being in STEM was an advantage for the math and mechanical comprehension sections and allowed me to spend more time elsewhere. Hope this helps someone, and good luck to whoever reads this.
