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ChillBeast69
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1,001 questions about the ASTB (post your scores & ask your questions here!)
- Thread starter edato
- Start date
Pretty impressive that you scored that well with only 2 days of study. Your scores are pretty good.This is my first post here, and I’m looking for advice and opinions about my current situation. I’m in the early stages of applying to OCS and want to see if my current path will set me up for a pilot slot. I recently took the ASTB for the first time and only prepared for two days beforehand. My recruiter said my scores are competitive, but I believe I could do better with more preparation. I know pilot slots are highly competitive, and I want to ensure I have the best chance of securing one. I still have more than a year before I graduate, so I’m not in a rush. I’d appreciate any opinions on whether my current stats are competitive and if there’s anything else I should be doing before graduation.
Thanks!
Current stats:
- ASTB: 63/8/6/7
- Mechanical engineering Student at Georgia Institute of Technology graduating May 2026 (GPA: 3.86)
- Currently work in propulsion research lab on campus
- Current leadership role in student college ministry
- Previous leadership role in Club Aerial Robotics Competition Team
- Previous engine development role within Rocketry Team
- Previous mechanical engineering co-op
Currently pilot slots aren't quite open yet, however, from what I understand they will be soon. Your PFAR is your middle score, the 6. That's what they mostly care about, compared to your AQR and FOFAR, from what I understand at least.
Now there is a chance/option to get immediately selected, so you would skip the board, if you want to go the pilot route for example. You need 7's or higher across the board. In your case, you have 7 or higher on everything but your PFAR.
So unless you retook again, if you wanted to, you would have to wait until pilot slots open up again, to send your application to the board.
You also need a 3.0 GPA or higher for the immediate selection option but you're fine with that based on your current GPA. I hope this helps
Last edited:
cbrookins58
New Member
Thank you! I’m not very familiar with the immediate selection process. I understand that it’s a newer method that allows you to skip the board, but that’s all I know. Does immediate selection guarantee a pilot position if I retake and score a 7 or higher on all components, or does it simply expedite the process while offering the same chances as going through the board?Pretty impressive that you scored that well with only 2 days of study. Your scores are pretty good.
Currently pilot slots aren't quite open yet, however, from what I understand they will be soon. Your PFAR is your middle score, the 6. That's what they mostly care about, compared to your AQR and FOFAR, from what I understand at least.
Now there is a chance/option to get immediately selected, so you would skip the board, if you want to go the pilot route for example. You need 7's or higher across the board. In your case, you have 7 or higher on everything but your PFAR.
So unless you retook again, if you wanted to, you would have to wait until pilot slots open up again, to send your application to the board.
You also need a 3.0 GPA or higher for the immediate selection option but you're fine with that based on your current GPA. I hope this helps
Also, I still have over a year until I graduate. Am I starting too early? I will graduate either in May or August 2026, but ideally, I would prefer to attend OCS in January 2027 because I’m getting married in November 2026.
Finally took the ASTB this morning and got a 60 8/9/8. Been studying my tail off for the past 2 months and it's amazing to see the fruits of my labor. Big thanks to everyone in this forum and those that I PM'd with questions. I'll try to give a short write up while it's still fresh in my mind.
Math: No logs, no work-time, no DRT, no matrices, but I did have probability, percents, geometry, exponents, trinomials, and some other stuff I can't remember. Everything I hammered was not on here unfortunately which was my concern. Weakest section by far, got kicked out about 15-16 questions in. Goal was just to survive and do my best. Also had some circle problems with radius and distance that was difficult and I'm sure I got wrong.
Reading: The official ASTB Practice Questions posted by NAMI is pretty accurate. Read out loud to yourself. Needed to use the bathroom extremely bad during this section so it most definitely affected my score. Like everyone else I didn't study for this since reading is a strong suit for me. ASTB Prep App isn't the best to practice for this since they're so easy, but good practice nonetheless. Just stay locked in.
Mech: Kind of tricky, no calculations. Bernoulli's principle, Roller coasters, 1 pulley question, mechanical advantage, AC circuit, Compression vs. Tension, etc. Finished early
ANIT: Have my PPL so I barely studied for this. Really easy if you're going through flight training, feels just like a written. Got a few boat stuff, finished in 3 minutes.
NATFI: Felt like the worst person on the planet answering some of these. Extremely tedious with 99 questions. Use this as a little mental break. Bonus points for making me self-reflect about myself.
PBM: This section you should ace, no questions about it. Unlike the OAR, you can replicate this section nearly identical to the real thing in the comfort of your home. UAVs should be 100%. Got all of mine right. Terrain was a little easier than the app, but still pretty tricky. Pictures are also in like 480p. DLT was a little harder than the Jantzen, got 1 wrong because I clicked too fast. Thought I was still practicing emergency until I did the very last combination. Tracking was definitely easier than Jantzen's. Last night I was getting 42/42 with a reaction time of 0.9. 19/20 on terrain, and 100-100 on tracking with DLT and Emergencies.
Study recommendations are the same as those who have scored higher than me. Use all 3 drives linked in here. If you don't know where to start for math (me), go through this forum and find what topics people got, and search the lessons on Khan Academy. Organic Chemistry tutor was good for some, but Khan Academy will generate practice problems for you, so use both. Did the Khan Academy method only this week unfortunately, probably could've done better at math if I did that earlier. Used ChatGPT as well.
I was hoping I'd be able to say this, but if I can score well then literally anyone can do it. All it takes is all you've got and how much you're willing to work for it. Finishing my second year in college now, I spent the entire time studying relentlessly for my PPL the first 3 semesters and immediately shifted into preparing for the ASTB this semester all on top of school. Find the little gaps to study. Again big shoutout to everyone here. Got a bunch of other little tips that are too extensive to list here, any other questions PM and I'll try to get back to you.
Math: No logs, no work-time, no DRT, no matrices, but I did have probability, percents, geometry, exponents, trinomials, and some other stuff I can't remember. Everything I hammered was not on here unfortunately which was my concern. Weakest section by far, got kicked out about 15-16 questions in. Goal was just to survive and do my best. Also had some circle problems with radius and distance that was difficult and I'm sure I got wrong.
Reading: The official ASTB Practice Questions posted by NAMI is pretty accurate. Read out loud to yourself. Needed to use the bathroom extremely bad during this section so it most definitely affected my score. Like everyone else I didn't study for this since reading is a strong suit for me. ASTB Prep App isn't the best to practice for this since they're so easy, but good practice nonetheless. Just stay locked in.
Mech: Kind of tricky, no calculations. Bernoulli's principle, Roller coasters, 1 pulley question, mechanical advantage, AC circuit, Compression vs. Tension, etc. Finished early
ANIT: Have my PPL so I barely studied for this. Really easy if you're going through flight training, feels just like a written. Got a few boat stuff, finished in 3 minutes.
NATFI: Felt like the worst person on the planet answering some of these. Extremely tedious with 99 questions. Use this as a little mental break. Bonus points for making me self-reflect about myself.
PBM: This section you should ace, no questions about it. Unlike the OAR, you can replicate this section nearly identical to the real thing in the comfort of your home. UAVs should be 100%. Got all of mine right. Terrain was a little easier than the app, but still pretty tricky. Pictures are also in like 480p. DLT was a little harder than the Jantzen, got 1 wrong because I clicked too fast. Thought I was still practicing emergency until I did the very last combination. Tracking was definitely easier than Jantzen's. Last night I was getting 42/42 with a reaction time of 0.9. 19/20 on terrain, and 100-100 on tracking with DLT and Emergencies.
Study recommendations are the same as those who have scored higher than me. Use all 3 drives linked in here. If you don't know where to start for math (me), go through this forum and find what topics people got, and search the lessons on Khan Academy. Organic Chemistry tutor was good for some, but Khan Academy will generate practice problems for you, so use both. Did the Khan Academy method only this week unfortunately, probably could've done better at math if I did that earlier. Used ChatGPT as well.
I was hoping I'd be able to say this, but if I can score well then literally anyone can do it. All it takes is all you've got and how much you're willing to work for it. Finishing my second year in college now, I spent the entire time studying relentlessly for my PPL the first 3 semesters and immediately shifted into preparing for the ASTB this semester all on top of school. Find the little gaps to study. Again big shoutout to everyone here. Got a bunch of other little tips that are too extensive to list here, any other questions PM and I'll try to get back to you.
GoBoilers25
Well-Known Member
You would only be eligible for immediate select if you have already graduated unfortunately. I met all the immediate select criteria but had to go to the board because I applied before my senior year.Thank you! I’m not very familiar with the immediate selection process. I understand that it’s a newer method that allows you to skip the board, but that’s all I know. Does immediate selection guarantee a pilot position if I retake and score a 7 or higher on all components, or does it simply expedite the process while offering the same chances as going through the board?
Also, I still have over a year until I graduate. Am I starting too early? I will graduate either in May or August 2026, but ideally, I would prefer to attend OCS in January 2027 because I’m getting married in November 2026.
I would either look into applying for BDCP SNA or keeping your scores and applying for regular SNA when pilot slots open back up. You can apply for BDCP up to two years out from graduation and regular SNA one year out. Your ASTB scores and GPA are competitive and should give you a pretty good shot at being accepted, especially if acceptance rates remain high like they were. However, if you do decide to retake, you could probably score higher given you did that well with only two days of studying. I would be weigh your options carefully though because your ASTB scores are already very good, and even though you'll probably do better on the 2nd try, it's not guaranteed. A 6 on the PFAR isn't bad, but it's weighted most heavily when evaluating potential SNA's.
Took first ASTB and got 59 8,9,8 and 80 LPSS (no clue what LPSS score range is). I graduated with a mechanical engineering degree so math and physics are my strong points... but my reading ability is 100% the reason the DOE is getting abolished. Bought the Barron's Military Flight Aptitude Tests book in November and got through it in about a weeks time and was not confident I fully understood what was expected of me on the exam (author made it abundantly clear to look for study sources outside of book). Found this website in early January which led me to the two google drives, the TwoScoops ASTB Prep app (worth the money), and the Jantzen sim. Did not spend ridiculous hours a day studying and did not have structured plan, just kind of delved in on a certain area for a couple days and moved on to something else.
Math: Finished this section well before time expired. Didn't spend much time in the drives with math, just spammed tests on the ASTP prep app. I feel the app covered most of what I saw on the exam. Saw a few geometry based problems. For those just know that square means all sides are the same size, and pythagreon theorem. Be comfortable with simplifying square roots. No logs, or DRT. The app did not cover matrix multiplication which I did have one question on. Just know how to solve a problem like the one covered at 3:14 in this video. Had one question about arc length which this video covered. Noticed some exponent questions that I didn't see on the app. A good reference would be on Kyle's drive under the math section in the Radical/Roots.pdf questions 28. One question was some variation of that and another was about four or five of those in an equation I had to solve for (that question was towards the end so definitely classified as high digfficulty).
Reading: Holy shit. Confidence out the window. The practice questions they show before hand basically introduced the possibility that there will be questions that there's no correct answer to. And that's basically what I experienced. I simply just did detective work and ranked the answers from "This is flat out wrong", to "This could possibly be considered somewhat right" and chose one. Never noticed a variation in difficulty. Don't know what to reccomend to do for this. I agree with what others have said.
Mechanical: The app was more formula based, only had one or two problems that required calculations and they were both related to balancing a beam; one asked for the weight required, one asked for where on the beam the weight should be placed. Had a couple theoretical ones related to AC, and DC electricity which I would not have known outside of my degree. Definitely know mechanical advantage with gears and pulleys.
ANIT: Did not feel good about this. Again, I just spammed tests on prep app, and also the Cram flashcards which people swear by. No background in flying, and quite a bit of information not included in the ASTB Prep app. Definitely should've used more resources to study for this section. Did get questions on plane parts and their functions, axises, port and starboard, a couple of ship terminology ones that threw me off (and weren't on cram or app). Spent a lot of time getting down airspaces and the specific altititudes, all the important aviators and specific dates and none of it came up. Think narrowing down answers saved me here.
PBM: READ THE DIRECTIONS! Was confident going in. The dichotic listening on the app was accurate. Didn't use the one on jantzen sim so can't speak to that. UAV simulator on the app is goated. Was averaging maybe 1-2 wrong at 1.4 seconds with 42 questions. Dropped the ball on exam. The mouse pad along with the different target slowed me down. Think I got 2-3 wrong there. Terrain identification on app was WAY harder then the exam. I was getting 3-4 wrong on app on a good day. Still think I got 1-2 wrong on exam. Bought the X52 hotas and connected it to the Jantzen sim (set the deadzones to +/-3000). Not sure the test is more than one or two levels past 50% speed. That definitely prepared me well on that front. Didn't go to crazy on using it. Maybe spent a total of 4 hours over 2 months time using it at 100% speed and just barely getting below 200 for the stick. Other than the solo throttle, and solo stick I thought I was doing terrible with tracking. When they mixed in listening with both I would actually stop tracking to remove the headphone from the non-target ear. Worked out I guess. As others have said, the emergencies are shown during the directions in the exact order as they appear on the test. I think I started to second guess myself when the directions came on the screen because half of it would be nonsense, and the other half would be detrimental to not take note of.
I guess the moral of the story is don't stress out. Also don't rush into taking this exam. Go through thus forum until you're comfortable with what you're reading.
Math: Finished this section well before time expired. Didn't spend much time in the drives with math, just spammed tests on the ASTP prep app. I feel the app covered most of what I saw on the exam. Saw a few geometry based problems. For those just know that square means all sides are the same size, and pythagreon theorem. Be comfortable with simplifying square roots. No logs, or DRT. The app did not cover matrix multiplication which I did have one question on. Just know how to solve a problem like the one covered at 3:14 in this video. Had one question about arc length which this video covered. Noticed some exponent questions that I didn't see on the app. A good reference would be on Kyle's drive under the math section in the Radical/Roots.pdf questions 28. One question was some variation of that and another was about four or five of those in an equation I had to solve for (that question was towards the end so definitely classified as high digfficulty).
Reading: Holy shit. Confidence out the window. The practice questions they show before hand basically introduced the possibility that there will be questions that there's no correct answer to. And that's basically what I experienced. I simply just did detective work and ranked the answers from "This is flat out wrong", to "This could possibly be considered somewhat right" and chose one. Never noticed a variation in difficulty. Don't know what to reccomend to do for this. I agree with what others have said.
Mechanical: The app was more formula based, only had one or two problems that required calculations and they were both related to balancing a beam; one asked for the weight required, one asked for where on the beam the weight should be placed. Had a couple theoretical ones related to AC, and DC electricity which I would not have known outside of my degree. Definitely know mechanical advantage with gears and pulleys.
ANIT: Did not feel good about this. Again, I just spammed tests on prep app, and also the Cram flashcards which people swear by. No background in flying, and quite a bit of information not included in the ASTB Prep app. Definitely should've used more resources to study for this section. Did get questions on plane parts and their functions, axises, port and starboard, a couple of ship terminology ones that threw me off (and weren't on cram or app). Spent a lot of time getting down airspaces and the specific altititudes, all the important aviators and specific dates and none of it came up. Think narrowing down answers saved me here.
PBM: READ THE DIRECTIONS! Was confident going in. The dichotic listening on the app was accurate. Didn't use the one on jantzen sim so can't speak to that. UAV simulator on the app is goated. Was averaging maybe 1-2 wrong at 1.4 seconds with 42 questions. Dropped the ball on exam. The mouse pad along with the different target slowed me down. Think I got 2-3 wrong there. Terrain identification on app was WAY harder then the exam. I was getting 3-4 wrong on app on a good day. Still think I got 1-2 wrong on exam. Bought the X52 hotas and connected it to the Jantzen sim (set the deadzones to +/-3000). Not sure the test is more than one or two levels past 50% speed. That definitely prepared me well on that front. Didn't go to crazy on using it. Maybe spent a total of 4 hours over 2 months time using it at 100% speed and just barely getting below 200 for the stick. Other than the solo throttle, and solo stick I thought I was doing terrible with tracking. When they mixed in listening with both I would actually stop tracking to remove the headphone from the non-target ear. Worked out I guess. As others have said, the emergencies are shown during the directions in the exact order as they appear on the test. I think I started to second guess myself when the directions came on the screen because half of it would be nonsense, and the other half would be detrimental to not take note of.
I guess the moral of the story is don't stress out. Also don't rush into taking this exam. Go through thus forum until you're comfortable with what you're reading.
cbrookins58
New Member
Okay, thank you. Unfortunately I am not eligible for BDCP since Georgia Tech has an NROTC program. Also I am seeing a lot about "when pilot slots open back up". What exactly does that mean? If I retake the ASTB and qualify for immediate select will pilot slots not being open still apply to me?You would only be eligible for immediate select if you have already graduated unfortunately. I met all the immediate select criteria but had to go to the board because I applied before my senior year.
I would either look into applying for BDCP SNA or keeping your scores and applying for regular SNA when pilot slots open back up. You can apply for BDCP up to two years out from graduation and regular SNA one year out. Your ASTB scores and GPA are competitive and should give you a pretty good shot at being accepted, especially if acceptance rates remain high like they were. However, if you do decide to retake, you could probably score higher given you did that well with only two days of studying. I would be weigh your options carefully though because your ASTB scores are already very good, and even though you'll probably do better on the 2nd try, it's not guaranteed. A 6 on the PFAR isn't bad, but it's weighted most heavily when evaluating potential SNA's.
GoBoilers25
Well-Known Member
They actually recently killed the NROTC exemption I believe, I was able to apply back in August and Purdue has an NROTC program. I'm not totally up to date on the pilot slots but I believe they closed the pilot boards temporarily for non ISEL and BDCP applicants for some reason. I would ask your recruiter about that and about them getting rid of the NROTC part to be sure. If you retook it and got immediate select scores, and were applying after you graduated then yes you would bypass the board process.Okay, thank you. Unfortunately I am not eligible for BDCP since Georgia Tech has an NROTC program. Also I am seeing a lot about "when pilot slots open back up". What exactly does that mean? If I retake the ASTB and qualify for immediate select will pilot slots not being open still apply to me?
carsonmeyer
New Member
I got a 697, so not too bad. The math and physics was mostly exponents, multiplication of fractions, sqr roots, and geometry. But given that I studied a bunch for the math and did not improve that score at all I'd say that it is best to prep for the things that you know will be on the exam like the PFAR/ FOFAR stuff.how did the test go what do you remember from the OAR section?
spalclark3
New Member
What about NFO boards?They actually recently killed the NROTC exemption I believe, I was able to apply back in August and Purdue has an NROTC program. I'm not totally up to date on the pilot slots but I believe they closed the pilot boards temporarily for non ISEL and BDCP applicants for some reason. I would ask your recruiter about that and about them getting rid of the NROTC part to be sure. If you retook it and got immediate select scores, and were applying after you graduated then yes you would bypass the board process.
GoBoilers25
Well-Known Member
SNA's and SNFO's are chosen on the same board.What about NFO boards?
spalclark3
New Member
Question about Immediate Selection. Not 100% sure how it works. I know you need to get 7/7/7 for SNA and 6/6/6 for SNFO to qualify for that. If you don't get immediate selection what happens?
GoBoilers25
Well-Known Member
You just apply to a normal board when slots are available.
Remember, you also need a GPA of 3.0 or higher, as well as no moral or age waivers. I've seen some people in this thread say that you're fine for ISEL if you have medical waivers, I haven't seen anyone post hard proof of that, but I guess I can serve as a good guinea pig for the question because I currently have an ISEL package submitted with a medical waiver.Question about Immediate Selection. Not 100% sure how it works. I know you need to get 7/7/7 for SNA and 6/6/6 for SNFO to qualify for that. If you don't get immediate selection what happens?
exNavyOffRec
Well-Known Member
The board only looks at your professional background, due to privacy laws the board cannot see or be told of any medical issues. The program authorizations do not deal with anything medical, that is why the only waivers that are disqualifying for I-SEL/ISPP/BDCP are non-medical.Remember, you also need a GPA of 3.0 or higher, as well as no moral or age waivers. I've seen some people in this thread say that you're fine for ISEL if you have medical waivers, I haven't seen anyone post hard proof of that, but I guess I can serve as a good guinea pig for the question because I currently have an ISEL package submitted with a medical waiver.