ASTB Mechanical Study Materials

[MIDNCOX]

Howdy all,

I'm a senior in NROTC, and I've got my first ASTB coming up. I have a question regarding recommended mechanical gouge for the ASTB. I have the columbia.edu website, the Marine gouge, the ARCO text, etc.; but I still need some help with studying for the mechanical section. I've taken the engineering Physics courses required by NROTC, but unfortunately I've forgotten quite a lot of that material all ready (I happen to be a Business Major ).

Anyhow, the Marine gouge -- though good -- has me a bit confused with respect to the commentary concerning pulley systems, mechanical advantage, and tension (there also is a contradiction in the discussion of inclined slopes, but I believe I've figured that out).

So, my question boils down to this. Do you have any recommended study (physics) books that cover this information well (again, the mechanical sections)? I'm going to go buy a couple additional books this week, but I wanted to know if any additional suggestions might be found here. Thanks all for the help!

MIDNCOX

 

[mmx1]

Anything covering up to the high school level is fine. SAT II Physics review books, for example. I've had good experiences with Schaum's outlines.
All you want are the concepts. The required computations are not difficult.

 

[MIDNCOX]

mmx1,

Thanks for the quick reply. I'll probably pick up one of the SAT II books at the bookstore. About the Schaum's Outline, where might I be able to find this? Is this a test-prep book, or an online source?

Also, for you or anyone else who might know, I've got a question concerning mechanical advantage and tension. Say we are picking up a 400 lb. block. We have a mechanical advantage of 4 due to four ropes being in our system (found as described in Marine gouge). Therefore, the force required to life the block is only 100 lbs. Now, does the tension in each rope equal the 100 lbs. of force required to lift the object; or does each rope bear 25 lbs. (one-quarter) of the force required to lift? I REALLY appreciate any help offered!

MIDNCOX

 

[mmx1]

Schaum's Outlines is just a series of review books for various topics. Haven't seen their physics ones but the math ones are very good.

Tension is the same throughout a rope or cable. That's why the pulley works. When you draw the diagram, you find that the vertical force on the block from the system is 4 times the tension. Tension is supplied by you; so you are pulling with force equal to the tension, hence, 1/4 of the weight.

 

[MIDNCOX]

mmx1,

Ahhh, the memories are coming flooding back to me! Blasted short term memory. Thanks for the advice and responses! I appreciate your help. Oh, by the way, are you the one who created that site? Really great help.

MIDNCOX

 

[skim]

Buy the arco book. It is very similar to the test.

 

[Conaway]

Buy the arco book. It is very similar to the test.

The Arco book has almost zero study material. It only has example questions which will help you figure out what you need to work on to prepare for the test. However, it is good to use for that reason and to use for the practice tests. Also, be aware not all sections are like the test, some aren't even close.

This is a review for the Arco book that was on amazon.com:

I just took the Navy/Marines ASTB as part of my application for commission in the US Navy, and I used the Arco book as my primary study text. Here's a section-by-section rundown of how I thought the Arco book prepared me. (Please note that these comments apply only to the ASTB practice section in the Arco book.)
(1) Math/Verbal: the Arco's math/verbal practice section is pretty different from the real thing. Arco's math questions are based entirely on arithmetic whereas the ASTB focuses more on actual algebra and geometry questions. Likewise, Arco's verbal questions are not like the real thing. The ASTB has only paragraph comprehension and none of the other stuff that Arco has you practice. Don't expect Arco to prepare you for this section or you'll be pretty disappointed.
(2) Mechanical: Arco's mechanical practice section is identical to the ASVAB's mechanical, and I found it to be somewhat more difficult than the ASTB's mechanical. If you practice the mechanical questions in the Arco book along with a good ASVAB preparation book, then you should have little problem with the mechanical section of the ASTB.
(3) Spatial Apperception: the Arco book is quite oversimplified here. The actual ASTB is more difficult than what Arco leads on. The Arco book should be looked at as nothing more than a nice introduction to these sorts of questions. Actual ASTB questions are more sophisticated and you might be caught off guard.
(4) Biographical: Arco's practice questions are right on.
(5) Aviation/Nautical: Arco's practice is a good introduction, especially for people like myself who had NO KNOWLEDGE in this area prior to studying for the test. But be sure you go to the local library and review introductory books on basic piloting, navigation, and seamanship. Arco alone just won't cut it here.
(6) Aviation Interest: Arco has nothing for this section, but that's not a big deal as this part of the test is designed to see if you truly are motivated in becoming a pilot. No real right or wrong answers here.
So how did I do? My scores were the highest the regional recruiters had ever seen. I needed an overall rating of 35 to pass the test and a score of at least 50 to be considered "competitive." My rating was a 74!
In summary, the Arco book is a good introduction (and nothing more than an intro) for some sections of the ASTB and not so good for others. Be sure you study accordingly.

Don't worry about biographical inventory is no longer on the test. They removed it because it was obviously pointless. All it was, was a set of questions that determined how interested you were in becoming a pilot. Obviously those who take the test want to fly.

MIDNCOX,
Use the gouges, plus a good ASVAB book. I am using the Barron's ASVAB, it has ALOT of study material in it, covering many bases. Barron's ASVAB has alot of mechincal stuff in it I found helpful when I had to take the ASVAB earlier this year; thorough explainations. Also, you can easily search google for types of physics questions that you need help with, ie. projectile motion, simple machines, gears, equillibrium, etc, etc. I used to be a pre-engineering major and now I am Business Management major also, so I think the Barron's book will help you, it did for me pretty well.

 

[skim]

Problem-wise, the math problems and mechanical problems are similar to the ASTB, but the format of the test IS different, and my original comment meant that the mechanical problems are similar, not the test itself. Although there isn't much study guide material for the mechanical section, I used the Marine Gouge (with the f-18 on the cover) to grasp the concepts. Originally I studied first with the Cliffs book and saw that it is no where near the actual ASTB test and or the problems. After I took the test, I found the Arco and wish I had it instead. Checkout this site,
http://www.petersons.com/airforce/books.asp?sponsor=8
This should have everything you need, and if not then im out of ideas.

 

[Conaway]

another use bit of info:

http://www.columbia.edu/~mmx1/astb/ASTBmechanical.pdf

site:

http://www.columbia.edu/~mmx1/astb/

 

[mmx1]

Yes, it is quite sad that the Arco book is the best available; I initially studied out of the Cliffs and found it quite poor (and yes, I did create the review site).

I've never taken the AVSAB, so I've only recommended books I'm familiar with (e.g. SAT I/II /GRE), but I imagine the question types and level would be similar.