exNavyOffRec
Well-Known Member
nope
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Newest ASTB version overview
- Thread starter cameron172
- Start date
nope
Asked and answered...
Have you looked at any other threads in the ASTB sub-section? You'll find a special thread with all the answers you seek. Hint: it says READ ME in the title....it doesn't get any easier.
This thread is as old as dirt....look elsewhere.
Cap'America13
OCS: Indoctrination Candidate Phase
I've heard a lot about this new ASTB before I got to A-pool. I'm assuming that since we've been discussing it since early 2010 and they're still using A-poolers as guinea pigs that it'll be rolled out soon. I haven't found a detailed overview of the new test, so with all my spare time I thought I'd write one up after I tested it out last week.
Math
The questions are the same as the old ASTB Math section. However, there’s no set number of questions. The program will keep asking questions until it has a good grasp on your performance or time runs out, which I believe is 40 minutes.
Reading
The questions are also the same as the old ASTB except for the varying number of questions and extended time limit.
Mechanical
Also the same kinds of questions, but has the varying number of questions and extended time limit. You get a 15 minute break after this.
Aviation and Nautical Information
Again, the same kinds of questions but with the varying number of questions and extended time limit.
Spatial Apperception
From here on is where they changed it up most. You’re given an illustration showing how a UAV is situated over a target area. On the right you’re shown a building with four parking lots oriented in a North, South, East, and West layout as it would be seen through the UAV cameras. You’re asked to identify a specific parking lot. For example, you’re shown the UAV approaching from the Northwest and asked to identify the east parking lot. Either a green or red circle appears around the lot you selected and shows a reaction time, which is also calculated in the scores.
I remember being very pressed for time on the old spatial apperception section, but this one also varies in number of questions and has an extended time.
Personality Test
This was my most frustrating section. You’re given 99 questions with two statements each. You choose which one best describes you, but it’s very common that neither statement describes you at all or both statements describe you very well.
Another New Section
They called this section some long scientific term.
1) In the headphones, it will say a string of numbers and letters in the right side and a different string of numbers and letters in the left side at the same time. At the beginning, it will say “right” or “left”. If it says “right”, you have to tune out the voice in the left side and push a button on the throttle when you hear an odd number in the right side and squeeze the trigger on the joystick if you hear an even number in the right side. Letters don’t count. It will switch to “left” and you have to tune out the right voice.
2) Next, you’ll use the throttle to track a target moving sporadically on a single vertical axis. The further above 50% you move the throttle, the faster the pipper moves up and the same with below 50% moving down. When you’re near the target, the pipper turns green. You are supposedly graded on how long/often the pipper is green.
3) Next, you use the joystick to track a target moving sporadically to the left, right, up and down. Again, the pipper turns green when you are near enough to the target. The controls are inverted, where pushing forward on the joystick causes the pipper to rise.
4) Next, you’ll combine the two. There will be two separate targets, one moving on the vertical axis and the other moving up, down, left, and right. You have to track both targets with the pipper with the throttle and joystick at the same time.
5) Next, you’ll combine #4 above (tracking) with #1 above (listening). You’re tracking both targets with the throttle and joystick and now listening for the numbers they call out, while clicking the throttle button for odd numbers and joystick trigger for even.
6) Next, they add EPs. They have two knobs on the throttle, one for your “fuel” and one for your “engine” (I think). For a fire, you have to turn both down and hit the throttle button. For an engine failure, you have to turn both up and hit the throttle button. There’s one more scenario I can’t remember. But they include that among tracking your targets and listening for the numbers.
Then you go home and finish a lengthy biographical survey asking about your education and experience with athletics, math, science, etc. It took me around 1 hour 45 minutes to finish everything. The OAR score is still only made of the first three sections, but the scored for the FOFAR, PFAR, and AQR are now made up of all sections combined.
I plan on taking the ASTB within the next month and am trying to grasp the spacial apperception portion that you described. You say "you’re shown the UAV approaching from the Northwest and asked to identify the east parking lot"; does that mean that the top or bottom part of the cross hair on the building/parking lot picture is NW? The way i understand it is if you are 'approaching' from the northwest, then the bottom of the cross hair would be NW and the east parking lot would be located in the top left. If anyone can help it would be greatly appreciated.
Your understanding would be correct.
montauknightsky
Member
While I understand where you're coming from, it would seem the OP's directions conflict with the diagram. The diagram shows a yellow cone facing towards the NW, coming from the SE; not coming from the NW. Please correct me if I'm wrong.
zarevich
Well-Known Member
I am with you, I too think it is coming from SE because on the left picture it shows an arrow up with North. That means east would be the building on the right top.
Nope, he's coming from the NW. The cone is supposed to be the plane flying towards the center of the compass, not an arrow originating from it.
montauknightsky
Member
Thank you for the clarification; I really appreciate it. Have any of you used study guides for the test? I personally have been using the For Dummies guide, and I'm wondering if the questions on the test will be easier. There are some questions in the math section that would be nigh impossible to do without a calculator.
For example:
"A cylinder has a diameter of 100cm and a height of 2.5m. What is the volume of the cylinder, in gallons? (1gallon = 3,781.4cm^3)"
The solution is given as this:
"First, you must figure out the radius. Divide the diameter by 2 to get the radius of 50 cm. Next, convert the height of 2.5 meters fo 250cm so that everything uses the same scale. Use the formula for volume of a cylinder: V=h(pi)r^2. V=25cm x (pi) x (50cm^2) = 250cm x (pi) x 2500cm^2 = (pi) x 625,000cm^3 = 1,963,495cm^3. Now take 1,963,495cm^3 and divide it by 3,781cm^3 per gallon to get 519 gallons, choice (D)."
How in the hell would you do that, in any reasonable amount of time without sacrificing an accurate answer, without a calculator? Are you given formulas or do you have to memorize them? What about unit conversions (e.g., 2.54cm=1in, or 1.61km=1mi)?
I am genuinely worried about this math garbage >.>
For example:
"A cylinder has a diameter of 100cm and a height of 2.5m. What is the volume of the cylinder, in gallons? (1gallon = 3,781.4cm^3)"
The solution is given as this:
"First, you must figure out the radius. Divide the diameter by 2 to get the radius of 50 cm. Next, convert the height of 2.5 meters fo 250cm so that everything uses the same scale. Use the formula for volume of a cylinder: V=h(pi)r^2. V=25cm x (pi) x (50cm^2) = 250cm x (pi) x 2500cm^2 = (pi) x 625,000cm^3 = 1,963,495cm^3. Now take 1,963,495cm^3 and divide it by 3,781cm^3 per gallon to get 519 gallons, choice (D)."
How in the hell would you do that, in any reasonable amount of time without sacrificing an accurate answer, without a calculator? Are you given formulas or do you have to memorize them? What about unit conversions (e.g., 2.54cm=1in, or 1.61km=1mi)?
I am genuinely worried about this math garbage >.>
Rounding should usually get you close enough, depending on the other choices. If you round to 2,000,000 and 3,800 and use long division, you'd get 526 and some change. If the other choices are way off, there you go.
montauknightsky
Member
Without a doubt, that is an excellent strategy. However, the answers to choose from were:
A) 532
B) 219
C) 375
D) 519
The correct answer is D, but with your rounding the answer you provided is closer to A! I really hope there's nothing like this on the exam.
navy2014
Member
That's the thing--the question difficulty is less about the question and more about the choices they give you. My experience was that they never gave you a trick answer--one that you could accidentally come up with if you messed up-- (except on questions that are asking you to solve an equation with PEMDAS / using the right order of operations) but occasionally the choices would be so close together that you needed to do the calculations the right way. I was in exactly the same place as you math-wise before I took it--I can get most questions right with enough time, but I probably don't arrive at the answer by the fool-proof way a math person would, because the math takes longer if you're not fast at it.
The bad news for you--the questions you're looking at are not going to be easier than the ones on the ASTB, because now that the test is progressive, the questions get really hard on purpose if you can do the medium-difficulty ones.
The good news--they give you all the formulas now, and it's also no longer a time crunch. You have 40 minutes to do an undetermined amount of math problems. It couldn't have been more than 20.
The bad news for you--the questions you're looking at are not going to be easier than the ones on the ASTB, because now that the test is progressive, the questions get really hard on purpose if you can do the medium-difficulty ones.
The good news--they give you all the formulas now, and it's also no longer a time crunch. You have 40 minutes to do an undetermined amount of math problems. It couldn't have been more than 20.
True, but you can rule out A; since you rounded both numbers up (2 mil and 3,800), the actual answer must be a bit less than the estimate of 526. But that is still a humongous pain in the ass. Most tests I've seen that call for rounding have only one obvious answer.
montauknightsky
Member
The ASTB-E was way more difficult than I was expecting. None of the problems that I found on the old study guides were questions that I had on the exam. All the math was very different, all the reading was heavy DoD terminology, and there were no questions on mechanical stuff. It was all about aviation and nautical knowledge.
The joystick and throttle part of the exam was incredibly challenging; by far the hardest part of the test. Having only played around a few times in flight simulator games as a child, and never having any flight lessons of any sort, I was dumbfounded to have received a 6/7/7. I was expecting to have absolutely bombed it. Thanks for all your help though guys, I love this site!
The joystick and throttle part of the exam was incredibly challenging; by far the hardest part of the test. Having only played around a few times in flight simulator games as a child, and never having any flight lessons of any sort, I was dumbfounded to have received a 6/7/7. I was expecting to have absolutely bombed it. Thanks for all your help though guys, I love this site!