What resources did you use when studying? Was the Mometrix book the only thing you used to study? If so, you need to really branch out and use a lot more study resources.
Two of the biggest things I recommend focusing on are math and the ANIT/PBM portion. I think math has the biggest impact on all of your scores and the ANIT/PBM will have a big impact on your pilot score. You can practice for the PBM by buying an X52 Hotas and using Janzten and Mike's ASTB simulator. Use Alex Hasting's ASTB Prep app to practice for the UAV section and the brand-new map identification section. Use videos, readings, and flashcards for the ANIT section.
What you should do is create a study schedule. Every day for at least 1 - 2 hours you should be studying for several months. I know it really sucks to hit the books when you don't want to but you gotta really push yourself if being a Marine pilot is what you want.
I'll copy and paste below what I shared with others before:
The documents found in this Reddit post:
Buying the X52 HOTAS and using that to practice on the ASTB sim is a good idea. I bought mine from the Mercari app for like $70. No need to spend $200 on a brand-new X52. Once you have your HOTAS, use AntiMicroX to map the controls so it works on the sim.
Gomez Drive: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1IxIizps2bu2ljw1bYjFPajWv8RYvLWyv?usp=sharing
Udemy Course: https://www.udemy.com/course/algebracourse7245/ (Don't spend the $95 price, usually Udemy offers constant discounts for like $10)
Updated Mike and Jantzen Sim: https://jomo1-1.github.io/ASTB-remade/ (This is a version of Petersonjr's sim but I made minor changes to correct the direction of the knobs for the EP section)
Cram Flash Cards: https://www.cram.com/flashcards/astb-aviation-nautical-information-test-anit-comprehensive-4718163
ASTB Prep App: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/astb-prep/id1549216388 (Primarily for UAV section and the NEW map identification section)
MIT Ground School: (You probably only need to watch the first 5 videos in the playlist. Everything else is overkill)
I highly recommend using other materials too like the PHAK, Barron's Flight Aptitude book, etc. What I found helpful is to buy a whiteboard or go somewhere that has a whiteboard to use and pretend you are a teacher teaching a class about what you are studying. Stand up, walk around, talk out loud, and write on the whiteboard the things you are studying. Helps to make things stick.
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Tips for the test:
- During the UAV section, the voice used is distracting and if you wait for the voice to tell you which direction to target, you will have lost about 2 seconds. Instead, take off the headphones or ignore the voice and focus on the text displayed on the screen. The ASTB Prep App by Alex Hastings recently had an update that incorporates the voice. It would probably be a good idea to practice with the voice so you can learn to adjust to it if you decide to leave the headphones on during the test.
- On the ASTB Prep App, I can get every UAV question right with a reaction time of about 1.2 seconds. This was not the case on the real test. My nervousness played a huge role and I had an average reaction time of about 1.8 to 2 seconds. Assume you will do worse on the real test. It is helpful to create a paper compass, stick a pencil through the middle, and spin the compass around using the pencil. It is much faster than turning the compass with your hands as it allows one hand to remain on the computer's mouse and one hand can spin the compass. It is also more reliable than doing it mentally. But if you are confident with doing the UAV questions mentally, then do it. Mentally is the fastest method. Again, do not wait for the voice to tell you which direction to target, you should have already chosen an answer by the time you hear the voice start talking.
- During the dichotic listening portion, I found it very helpful to repeat every letter and number you hear out loud. For example, if the test says to target the left ear, repeat every number and letter you hear in the target ear out loud.
- It is also helpful to tilt your head in the direction of the target ear. So if the test says to target the right ear, tilt your head to the right. During my first attempt at the ASTB, I did not use the head tilt tip and in the middle of the listening portion, I completely forgot which ear I was supposed to be targeting. Tilting my head to the target ear helped me to remember which ear I was focusing on.
- Don't feel discouraged if you don't do well on your first attempt. I scored 5/6/5 on my first try but it really helped me to know what to expect the next time I took the test. After my first attempt, I knew I sucked balls at math and screwed up the UAV portion and the audio portion. I focused on what I felt really weak on and BAM! 8/9/9 score on my second try.
- On the OAR section (Math, reading, mechanical), if the questions are getting hard as hell then you're doing good. This is especially true for math.
- Math likely has the biggest impact on all of your scores. Make sure you are confident with math before taking the test. I have always sucked at math (I almost failed a remedial elementary math class in college) but I still managed to score an 8 for the AQR.
- If you're like me and have a hard time studying at home because you'd rather be playing video games or watching stupid Instagram reels/TikTok videos, go to a library or somewhere similar and study there. I firmly believe that studying at my University's library was much more effective than studying at home because of the lack of distractions and the "academic atmosphere".
- In Gomez Drive, go into Math and into the "Worksheet with Answers" folder. Complete AT LEAST 1 of the worksheets a day. When you finish all of them which is honestly pretty doable in like a week, start over and go through them all again. Use ChatGPT to spit out similar math problems if you need more practice. Don't rely on ChatGPT to give you the right answer because sometimes it'll get them wrong, instead use symbolab.com to confirm your answers.
- Get real comfortable with factoring. See this problem: {x^2-x-6}/{x^3+3x^2+2x} ... This math problem is VERY similar to a math problem on the real test. Check out this ChatGPT chat I had which is an example of how I used ChatGPT to study https://chat.openai.com/share/676183eb-479c-4883-938a-3418d8357163
