also I forgot to say I have a 3.6 GPA.
-
Please take a moment and update your account profile. If you have an updated account profile with basic information on why you are on Air Warriors it will help other people respond to your posts. How do you update your profile you ask?
Go here:
Edit Account Details and Profile
1,001 questions about the ASTB (post your scores & ask your questions here!)
- Thread starter edato
- Start date
Hi everyone, I just took my ASTB two days ago. There is no doubt in my mind that I would not have done nearly as well without the help and expertise of everyone in this forum. My score was 60 7/5/7.
I am happy with the OAR score but considering that I am only interested in applying for SNA, not NFO, I was disappointed with my PFAR score.
I was hoping to get some insight on whether I should retest. My recruiter thinks I should just apply for the Jan boards with my current score, but I am leaning more towards retaking it and hoping to do better on the PBM after some practice with inverted y-axis in things like flight simulators.
I am a senior in college and I am double majoring in Economics and Political Science. My GPA is 3.91.
Just some questions for you all:
1) Given my scores, do you think I should retest?
2) If I retest, does anyone have any suggestions on how to improve in the PBM so I can up my PFAR score? I know its been discussed in this forum and I've read about playing video games and flight simulators to get the hang of the inverted y-axis, but I am not sure if anyone has anything to add?
3) This is something I never saw on this forum, so I wanted to bring it up. One of my scores was called the LCAC Psychometer Standard Score (LPSS). Does anyone know what this score measures/how it is considered when your application is being reviewed? I got a 39 for my LPSS.
I am happy with the OAR score but considering that I am only interested in applying for SNA, not NFO, I was disappointed with my PFAR score.
I was hoping to get some insight on whether I should retest. My recruiter thinks I should just apply for the Jan boards with my current score, but I am leaning more towards retaking it and hoping to do better on the PBM after some practice with inverted y-axis in things like flight simulators.
I am a senior in college and I am double majoring in Economics and Political Science. My GPA is 3.91.
Just some questions for you all:
1) Given my scores, do you think I should retest?
2) If I retest, does anyone have any suggestions on how to improve in the PBM so I can up my PFAR score? I know its been discussed in this forum and I've read about playing video games and flight simulators to get the hang of the inverted y-axis, but I am not sure if anyone has anything to add?
3) This is something I never saw on this forum, so I wanted to bring it up. One of my scores was called the LCAC Psychometer Standard Score (LPSS). Does anyone know what this score measures/how it is considered when your application is being reviewed? I got a 39 for my LPSS.
Nate1793
Member
Hello everyone I have posted on here before and I want to post an update. My recruiter is submitting my packet for SNA to the board today. I scored 68 8/6/7 all of which are up from my previous scores. I am graduating with accounting in December and I have a 3.63. This forum was so helpful with prep. I also want to suggest watching Kieno Thomas, Faith by Flight, and there’s a solid 915 flash card study guide that is on cram. The Barron’s book is also super helpful. Please give me any feedback or thoughts
hey I have a question, did the second time you take it, was it harder? I heard the first one is tier 1 questions, the second is tier 2 questions and the third one is really hard
how was it for you? I will be taking it again and I’m scared.
exNavyOffRec
Well-Known Member
The questions are based on if you get the previous question right or wrong, the versions are random.
Nate1793
Member
I feel like this is not correct. Mine was about the same difficulty as expected. You have to remember it is adaptive so if you’re doing poorly you’ll get easier questions. There will be some super easy ones and then harder ones to really gauge you. I think if you prepare well you’ll be fine. You might think it gets harder only because you actually are doing better. Hope that helps and good luck.
Thank you! The mechanical section really got me :/ but I’m trying to study and comprehend more
angelofattack
New Member
Hey y'all, I recently took the ASTB and scored 44 5/6/5. I know if I studied more I could get a better score, but my recruiter thinks I'll get picked up with the following credentials. I'm going for SNA only.
6 years prior service Active Duty Air Force, 2 years Air Force Reserve.
Extra duties in Air Force: Fitness Evaluator (Run PT tests), Unit Safety Rep, Lead Surveyor for Civil Engineer Squadron.
Volunteered for deployment. Achievement Medal.
B.S. Aviation Management GPA 3.3
A.A. Russian Language from Defense Language Institute and A.S. Aviation Science
250+ hours flight time (PPL, IR, CPL, Multi Engine)
2 LOR Air Force career Superintendent and Flight Instructor
I would like to get second opinions and any advice if I need improvements, thanks in advance.
6 years prior service Active Duty Air Force, 2 years Air Force Reserve.
Extra duties in Air Force: Fitness Evaluator (Run PT tests), Unit Safety Rep, Lead Surveyor for Civil Engineer Squadron.
Volunteered for deployment. Achievement Medal.
B.S. Aviation Management GPA 3.3
A.A. Russian Language from Defense Language Institute and A.S. Aviation Science
250+ hours flight time (PPL, IR, CPL, Multi Engine)
2 LOR Air Force career Superintendent and Flight Instructor
I would like to get second opinions and any advice if I need improvements, thanks in advance.
The metric they primarily use for selection is the ASTB. I wouldnt bet on a selection with your scores, but I have seen it happen. Be prepared for a retake if you're not selected.
yea your allowed to
Maze_soba
Well-Known Member
Hey y’all, I just took the ASTB’s today and wanted to give my 2 cents to pay it forward. This forum helped a ton, and I want to keep that positive feedback loop going. Warning: this is a pretty long post, but I wanted to put down all of my thoughts while they were fresh.
General thoughts - My big takeaway from this test is that it’s about nerves more than anything. The level of questions asked were not nearly as hard as expected, and that actually tripped me up (which I’ll get to later). If you want to succeed and get good scores, visualize it in your mind. Visualize what it feels like, what you’ll be doing, what your face will look like, visualize it all. This might seem like BS, but trust me, it goes a LONG way to getting what you want, and staying motivated. I’m a former national team level pro athlete, and know that this will get you results, whether directly or indirectly. Same applied to this test.
MST - The math section carried my OAR hard. I got every question right, and this helped compensate for other crappy scores. The questions presented were about 30% probabilities, 20% exponents, 10% quadratic equations, 20% geometry, and 20% other stuff. I got one matrix multiplication problem, but it was easy because the other answers were so wrong you didn’t even have to solve the problem. Just know the basic concepts, and you’ll be fine. I literally watched a 4 min YouTube video the day before, so it’s good to touch it, even briefly. Strangely, didn’t get any DRT, work, or mixture problems.
RCT - Very dry reading. Many of them I have no idea if I answered correctly. Not much to prepare for here - you’re either good at this, or you’re not.
MCT - This really got me. I over-prepped for this one by memorizing formulas, MA problems, gears, pulleys, the whole bit. None of it was relevant, and instead I got asked questions like “if person A drops a bullet and another fires it horizontally, which will hit the ground first”. I completely blanked on these types of questions because it was so unexpected, and did horribly - probably brining down my OAR. Focus on the basics when studying. Then move on to more complex stuff.
ANIT - I got asked obscure questions like “what altitude would a plane heading 090 travel, if under VFR conditions”. The ASTB app on the App Store covers ANIT pretty well, and has some good flash cards to go with it. Probably got a few questions wrong here, but overall wasn’t too difficult.
NATFI - Not much to say here, other than make sure to keep it brisk. I don’t know if my connection was slow, but each question took like 15 seconds to load after answering the previous one. There are 99 Q’s to be answered in 35 mins… so don’t overthink it.
UAV portion - Some people like the compass trick, and others don’t. IMHO you should only use this if you’re really bad at directional orientation. It takes way too much time to rotate and answer each one (at least for me), and speed matters in this test. DO make sure you practice with the flash cards a ton, however.
PBM - This was actually pretty fun. There’s an awesome sim floating around the forums with Top Gun music, and it definitely helped. Don’t panic if you get something wrong, just keep going with a cool head. On the emergencies part, make sure you turn the dials based on the on-screen graphics. I incorrectly assumed the direction of the dials, and got one of the procedures wrong - which probably knocked my PFAR. And, WRITE THE PROCEDURES DOWN.
Other thoughts - Get to the site early. It’s likely in an unfamiliar place, and the last thing you want is to be late. Bring a sweatshirt just in case. Hydrate beforehand. Get plenty of exercise 2 days before to work off nerves.
Again, thanks to everybody who’s posted in this forum before me, and hopefully this helps! Next steps for me will be MEPS clearance, and the prepping the rest of my package. Hoping for SNA slot.
General thoughts - My big takeaway from this test is that it’s about nerves more than anything. The level of questions asked were not nearly as hard as expected, and that actually tripped me up (which I’ll get to later). If you want to succeed and get good scores, visualize it in your mind. Visualize what it feels like, what you’ll be doing, what your face will look like, visualize it all. This might seem like BS, but trust me, it goes a LONG way to getting what you want, and staying motivated. I’m a former national team level pro athlete, and know that this will get you results, whether directly or indirectly. Same applied to this test.
MST - The math section carried my OAR hard. I got every question right, and this helped compensate for other crappy scores. The questions presented were about 30% probabilities, 20% exponents, 10% quadratic equations, 20% geometry, and 20% other stuff. I got one matrix multiplication problem, but it was easy because the other answers were so wrong you didn’t even have to solve the problem. Just know the basic concepts, and you’ll be fine. I literally watched a 4 min YouTube video the day before, so it’s good to touch it, even briefly. Strangely, didn’t get any DRT, work, or mixture problems.
RCT - Very dry reading. Many of them I have no idea if I answered correctly. Not much to prepare for here - you’re either good at this, or you’re not.
MCT - This really got me. I over-prepped for this one by memorizing formulas, MA problems, gears, pulleys, the whole bit. None of it was relevant, and instead I got asked questions like “if person A drops a bullet and another fires it horizontally, which will hit the ground first”. I completely blanked on these types of questions because it was so unexpected, and did horribly - probably brining down my OAR. Focus on the basics when studying. Then move on to more complex stuff.
ANIT - I got asked obscure questions like “what altitude would a plane heading 090 travel, if under VFR conditions”. The ASTB app on the App Store covers ANIT pretty well, and has some good flash cards to go with it. Probably got a few questions wrong here, but overall wasn’t too difficult.
NATFI - Not much to say here, other than make sure to keep it brisk. I don’t know if my connection was slow, but each question took like 15 seconds to load after answering the previous one. There are 99 Q’s to be answered in 35 mins… so don’t overthink it.
UAV portion - Some people like the compass trick, and others don’t. IMHO you should only use this if you’re really bad at directional orientation. It takes way too much time to rotate and answer each one (at least for me), and speed matters in this test. DO make sure you practice with the flash cards a ton, however.
PBM - This was actually pretty fun. There’s an awesome sim floating around the forums with Top Gun music, and it definitely helped. Don’t panic if you get something wrong, just keep going with a cool head. On the emergencies part, make sure you turn the dials based on the on-screen graphics. I incorrectly assumed the direction of the dials, and got one of the procedures wrong - which probably knocked my PFAR. And, WRITE THE PROCEDURES DOWN.
Other thoughts - Get to the site early. It’s likely in an unfamiliar place, and the last thing you want is to be late. Bring a sweatshirt just in case. Hydrate beforehand. Get plenty of exercise 2 days before to work off nerves.
Again, thanks to everybody who’s posted in this forum before me, and hopefully this helps! Next steps for me will be MEPS clearance, and the prepping the rest of my package. Hoping for SNA slot.
Maze_soba
Well-Known Member
You're welcome! I basically used 3 tools:
ASTB Study App: This is great because it has a lot of high and low-level information that actually came up on the test. You can also do some good test simulations, and even practice the UAV portion. Absolutely recommend this if nothing else.
This book: It's got great info, and while the ANIT portion emphasized helicopters more than fixed wing aircraft, it's a great resource.
Petersons book: You can find pdf's of this book floating around, so you don't have to buy it. It was pretty good in general, though there were quite a few errors in the practice tests - which can actually help you really understand all of the concepts.
All in all, take a wide and sweeping approach to the studying. If you encounter an unfamiliar term or phrase, don't be afraid to go down a Wikipedia rabbit hole and studying the hell out of all of the tangential info. It'll more than likely help, not to mention being fun!