Quick ASTB question

[AirBuckeyes]

Hello-

I am new to this so don't destroy my dreams. But I recently found out my scores for the ASTB and they are the following AQR6/PFAR5/FOFAR6/OAR56. I am currently a civilian looking to become a pilot in the Navy. I had a 2.8 in public relations from Ohio State University, my friend coincidentally enough was a aeronautical engineer from the University of Michigan and got all 7s on his ASTB and said my scores should be fine. I just wanted to confirm his information or should I retake the test? The only problem I felt when I took the test was with the military questions, which I believe would help if you were on a ship because even my girlfriend who is an ensign did not know the answers.

 

[nugget61]

Do you want to apply PAO as well? What did your OR tell you?

 

[AirBuckeyes]

I am going put PAO as my third option but I only want to join the Navy to become a pilot.

 

[AirBuckeyes]

Have not spoken to my recruiter yet as I received my scores late afternoon on Friday.

 

[ASHWND]

Why are you going to put down PAO as a third option if you only want to join as a pilot? And what are you putting as a second option, NFO? NFO is not a pilot, but still an exciting aviation career. Talk to a recruiter and review the past selection board results (January 09 Boards, February...) Remember ASTB is only 1 part of your package, those aren't bad scores, not great either. You want to get your GPA above 3.0, from what I have noticed that is a key number.

Also, the PAO boards only meet once a year, so you might have to wait potentially 12 months before you resubmit if you are not accepted for pilot the first go around, because you will need to hear back from PAO. (Someone correct me if I am wrong, this is just what I imagine would happen)

 

[AirBuckeyes]

I was told by the the recruiter to put have three options, so obviously it would go pilot, nfo, pao. I was also wondering what are other keys to the package because I feel very comfortable in getting Outstanding scores for my PRT and I feel that I have solid military references, is there anything else I am missing?

 

[ASHWND]

You don't have to put three, there are just three slots available. If you ONLY want Pilot, then ONLY put pilot.

Hopefully some of the pilots will chime in here soon to help you out, but kick ass on the PRT, get some interviews and keep studying for the ASTB, so if your first go around is a decline, you can bump up those scores to 7/7/7/60s, and be able to resubmit before the 6 month waiting period.

The best advice I can give you is to be patient, it is a slow process and you will hear "hurry up and wait" a lot.

 

[AirBuckeyes]

My biggest fear for waiting however is that I may miss the age cutoff I am 25 and will be 26 soon, if I am not mistaken 27 is the cutoff. So I am pretty sure I will be able to only send my package once for a pilot slot.

 

[nugget61]

If you only want to fly then only apply pilot.
I'd talk to the recruiter monday and get your paperwork squared away and sent in ASAP seeing as how you're worried about time (you have to finish OCS before you're 27 to fly IIRC) so you don't have a lot of time to screw around.

What you should do - don't take the astb again right away. Apply NOW with what you have (if you work hard, you might be able to make the April boards - have to have all of your stuff submitted by the 1st). If you're picked up, great. If not, you normally have to wait a cool off time before you reapply, however if you improve your ASTB scores you can reapply immediately. So you could be in both the April and May boards.

 

[champ53]

I have a similar gpa and my astb scores were 50-6-6-6. my recruiter told me that I am not competitive for an SNA. I am going to take the astb again and hopefully get the 60-7-7-7 then see where I stand then and go from there

 

[Makk85]

Airbuckeyes, your ASTB is above what is required for pilot, so you're good there. Like others have said if you don't get in first try, retake the ASTB and resubmit. There are several people on this site who have resubmitted several times, and a lot of them get picked up, just not always the first time around. Don't ever let anyone tell you to give up.

The Navy is looking for well rounded individuals. Here are some other factors that play a role in your selection:

-GPA, 3.0+ is considered competitive, but I saw a guy get in with a 2.7 just a month ago.
-Sports, if you've played varsity sports in HS or college, great. Better yet if you've been a captain it shows leadership as well as athletic ability.
-PRT, sounds like you're good here.
-Volunteer work = good
-Flight time = good
-LOR's, get them from people who know you well, bosses, coaches, professors. An endorsement from your congressman is not as good as someone who actually knows you.
-Criminal history, DUIs and MIPs are not going to make it any easier.

Check out the search bar at the top of the page in the future. You can look up pretty much anything you need to know. This site is the most helpful resource known to man (or at least to me) for applying to the Navy.

Good luck!

 

[torpedo0126]

Your GPA is not impressive, especially in public relations. Your friend was an aeronautical engineer, which I believe, plays a very big role in the selection. In NROTC, engineers and certain science majors get a GPA buffer because of the challenging nature of their major. If OCS selection is anything close to NROTC selection, majors are now rated in tiers, with aeronautical engineering being a 1st tier major, and public relations being in the 3rd and lowest tier.

You scored in the top 31% for pilot and NFO based on FY04 ASTB results. Your OAR is above average but well within the standard deviation for OAR scores (again based on FY04 results). Makk85 is right in that you meet the requirements for a pilot.

I my personal opinion, you definitely should involve yourself in some things to polish your resume.

 

[ea6bflyr]

AirBuckeyes,
Makk85 is mostly correct. STUDY for the ASTB, then re-take it. Your scores should go up. Your GPA is not extremely competitive, BUT the Navy looks at the WHOLE package. With that said, get involved, and get some solid LORs. Flying is not a pre-requisite.

-ea6bflyr