Completed my first exam attempt, here are the results:
Officer Aptitude Rating (OAR): 55
Academic Qualifications Rating (AQR): 7
Pilot Flight Aptitude Rating (PFAR): 7
Flight Officer Flight Aptitude Rating (FOFAR): 7
Exam was actually more stressful than needed, the software repeatedly crashed and an administrator had to come in every time to reset the computer. Curious if others have experienced that problem, I have heard the exam usually takes 2-3 hours; took me a little over 4 hours due to the interruptions. I do not intend to test again, heading for SNA - have yet to go to MEPS.
Things that worked for me:
ASTB Prep App (by Alex Hastings) - Yes, I know it is $30, but absolutely purchase this. I found the Math section exam material on this app to be more accurate to what I saw in the Barrons book (5th Edition). Use the UAV & terrain identification section practice every single day - these two are ESSENTIAL. If you have the time, go through the whole syllabus. A lot of great study material there.
Barrons - great supplemental material, and includes a couple practice exams. If money is tight, get creative and utilize as many free resources as you can. If not, worth the money. ($26 -
https://a.co/d/auSWqru)
Jantzen's Sim - use the remade (
https://jomo1-1.github.io/ASTB-remade/) old: (
https://jantzenx.github.io/ASTB/). Practice, practice, practice. The real thing was uncomfortable, get used to the feeling. I did not purchase an X52, I instead bought a used Logitech X3D joystick for $22 and mapped it as a mouse with JoyToKey software (
https://joytokey.net/en/). TBH, I do not think it is essential, using a mouse should suffice. Main focus should be on the dichotic listening as you practice both the throttle and stick (or keyboard + mouse).
Use the CRAM flashcards. Every, single, day. You should see all 415 cards multiple times - I would try to get at least 100 cards reviewed per sitting.
Reddit post has a lot of great content to study as well as practice exams:
Kieno Thomas - a wide variety of great ASTB study material. I would specifically listen to his ASTB oral reviews while in the car. (
https://www.youtube.com/@kienothomas)
The exam:
-Show up early. You will have butterflies in your stomach, showing up with plenty of time is something you can absolutely control.
-Bring a snack and a water (I brought a V8 energy too) for the break after the OAR. During the break, do not just sit around and wait. Absolutely do not skip the break. Get up, use the restroom if you need to. Stretch, do some pushups. Getting my mind away from the test momentarily did wonders to help me reset and prepare to resume.
-Pace yourself. If you find yourself on a question to which you cannot answer, use every strategy available to deduct other answers as improbable and make an educated guess. The exam is timed, and they do not indicate how many questions you have left. I started tallying the questions I have completed, but pretty quickly stopped as I wanted to focus more on the questions themselves.
-Exams can end early. I do think the math section ended early for me.
-Be familiar with your basic formulas. Yes, they are readily available on the Math. But I did not see them on the Mech section.
I do not intend to disclose specifics of any question I saw, as there is a confidentiality agreement to the exam material. But if there is anything else with preparation that I can help anyone with, I would be happy to help.
