Leveredup17
Marine OCS Candidate
As the title says, I just passed the ASTB with the minimums for a USMC OCS Air contract on my first go on 4/27/23; as there were plenty of helpful resources out there I would like to give back by answering whatever I can. Some main points that stuck out for me were as follows.
- I feel as though I got free points by making sure I studied all of the Air / Naval knowledge - I used several different online flashcard decks and drilled them every day for a few days leading up to the exam, in my opinion given the variability in the test takers perceived difficulty of the OAR section, this is a great confidence boost to know you for sure have some easy points coming down the line
- I know I did not do as well as I could have in the math section, as many had alluded, the questions were harder than most test prep resources, and I wish I had listened to others who mentioned doing SAT-type algebra. Your mileage may vary but what I believe would have helped me the most was being quick with rules around exponents, and fractions, and being able to simplify expressions rapidly
- I feel slightly lucky as I tend to think the probability is relatively easier and I feel like I got a lot of those questions, most were straightforward, just make sure you read what exactly they are asking for (and vs. or) and study any charts they give you for a few quick seconds before diving into trying to answer
- All of the practice questions for mechanics were exactly the type you would see on the test; again felt like a place for "easier" points if one put in the time effort and energy into learning these. I used the Mometrix prep book which I felt was OK; again I felt like I got the most benefit from online flashcard decks
- For PBM, dig into all the resources on youtube / AW, use the compass rose technique for the UAV portion, and always focus on getting the left/right cue's right; I also mostly focused more attention when on the later parts of the PBM on tracking throttle as it seemed to be significantly easier, especially given that the low sensitivity + high range of motion on the joystick made the gunsight part harder
