What are some tips for taking the ASTB?

Question

I'm sure there are a lot of restrictions on what people are allowed to say about the test, but does anyone have any helpful study tips? I'm hoping to take the test in a month or less. Thanks.

Answer 1

make sure if there are standard books for sale on the test,  i think i have seen them in borders, with the other * test prep* books, i might be wrong but worth a shot,  you probably know the material and just nervous  

when i took my GRE  i was a basket,   but remember the basics,   good night sleep , eat breakfast and dont study the night before,   it wont help ,  dont get to that moment of diminishing returns,  its just not worth it,  dont over think anything,   go with your gut,

good luck  ;)  

Answer 2

Are we talking about the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery test (ASVAB)?  

If so, get with a recruiter, let them pretest you.  Find out your weak and strong area.  Study using those books you've heard about.  Take the pretest again.  Also see www.4tests.com to take the asvab pretests.

GL

Edit:  I didn't think you were talking about that.  Cool.

Similar question with answer from another site I frequent@http://www.airwarriors.com/forum/showthr...

"Well... the gouge should help you with your aviation and nautical terms pretty well. For the Math/Verbal Test, it's pretty much just like the SAT. You can go out and buy 'Military Flight Aptitude Tests' from ARCO, or the similar title 'Officer Candidate Tests' (same more or less sans the SA, and maybe one other section).

Or, you could just get an SAT study guide, if the english is what you're worried about. Don't sweat the spatial apperception too much, at least in the realm of studying the ARCO stuff. The test is different; similar, but different. I would more recommend whipping out a flight simulator of some sort, finding a coastline, and just orienting yourself in random ways, looking out from the cockpit, then looking at the plane from the spot view. Much more effective IMO.

As I said, the gouge should help you out pretty well with the aviation/nautical terms and the history. Thing is, the A/N section is a test to see how interested you are in the aviation/nautical environment, since anyone who has studied the communities on their own time (due to hobby or interest) should know a fair amount of it already by heart. The history stuff is one thing, but understanding what a dihedral is, or angle of attack, sure you can know the definition of them for a test, but it's important to know the significance of said terms as well."

ASTB Question @ http://www.airwarriors.com/forum/showthr...

"Be extra careful on the BIO, there's a lot of talk about being aggressive and what not but the bottom line when you take a close look at the questions is that only a handful of what is a large # of questions deals with your personality while the majority of them inquire about your background (the stuff they look for in Officers) such as science/tech courses taken, clubs, work time in school, athletics/awards, school politics and other "well-rounding" types of activities, in short, stuff you really can't (and shouldn't) BS on. And some stuff they probably shouldn't be asking: like where you grew up, how many parents, brother, sisters and stuff like that."

STB FAQs

What is it?

The U.S. Navy and Marine Corps Aviation Selection Test Battery (commonly referred to as the ASTB) was developed to predict the success of students in aviation officer training programs. The Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard use various tests from the complete test battery as a primary selection instrument for their aviation programs.

Where does the test come from?

The Naval Operational Medicine Institute (NOMI) controls the administration, verification, and management of test scores, and all materials related to the test battery.

What does the ASTB measure?

The ASTB is primarily an aptitude test it assesses math skills and aptitude, the ability to extract meaning from written material, familiarity with mechanical concepts and simple machines, and the ability to perform mental rotations to determine the orientation of aircraft in 3-dimensional space.

The ASTB also measures your knowledge of aviation and nautical terminology, familiarity with aircraft components and function, knowledge of basic aerodynamic principles, and grasp of some flight rules and regulations. You can improve your performance on this part of the battery by studying.

Examinees with aviation and (to a lesser extent) shipboard experience will typically do well.

Both these concepts have proven to be excellent predictors of both training performance and success in training.

If you walk in with some level of basic knowledge in these areas you'll be more likely to succeed as an aviator.

ASTB Test Number of items Time limit (minutes)

Math Skills Test (MST) 30 25

Reading Skills Test (RST) 27 25

Mechanical Comprehension Test (MCT) 30 15

Spatial Apperception Test (SAT) 25 10

Aviation and Nautical Information Test (ANIT) 30 15

Aviation Supplemental Test (AST) 34 24

What types of items does each of the ASTB tests contain?

The ASTB covers five types of items:

    * Mathematics: The math skills assessed by the ASTB subtests include arithmetic and algebra, with some geometry. The assessments include both equations and word problems. Some items require solving for variables, others are time and distance problems, and some require the estimation of simple probabilities. Skills assessed include basic arithmetic operations, solving for variables, fractions, roots, exponents, and the calculation of angles, area, and perimeter of geometric shapes.

    * Reading Comprehension: Reading comprehension items require ASTB examinees to extract meaning from text passages. Each item requires the examinee to determine which of the response options can be inferred from the passage itself. This is pretty straightforward, although it is very important that examinees remember that incorrect response options may still appear to be 'true' - only one answer to each item can be derived solely from the information in the passage.

    * Mechanical Comprehension: Items contained within the mechanical comprehension portion of the ASTB include topics that would typically be found in an introductory high school physics course and the application of these topics within a variety of situations. The questions in this portion of the test gauge examinees' knowledge of principles related to gases and liquids, and their understanding of the ways in which these properties affect pressure, volume, and velocity. The subtest also includes questions that relate to the components and performance of engines, principles of electricity, gears, weight distribution, and the operation of simple machines, such as pulleys and fulcrums.

    * Aviation & Nautical Information: ASTB subtests also assess an examinee's familiarity with aviation history, nautical terminology and procedures, and aviation-related concepts such as aircraft components, aerodynamic principles, and flight rules and regulations. Of all the ASTB subtests, ANI scores are the most easily improved by study because it is largely a test of knowledge, rather than aptitude. Examinees can prepare for this subtest by reviewing general reference materials, such as encyclopedias, FAA and civilian aviation books, and handbooks and manuals that provide an overview of basic piloting, navigation, and seamanship. In addition to these sources, some examinees have used commercially available study guides. Even though NOMI does not endorse a particular study guide, books that are designed to prepare individuals for military aptitude flight tests and officer candidate tests often provide a good introduction to aviation and nautical-related subjects.

    * Spatial Apperception: These items evaluate an examinee's ability to match external and internal views of an aircraft based on visual cues regarding its direction and orientation relative to the ground. Each item consists of a view from inside the cockpit, which the examinee must match to one of five external views. These items capture the ability to visualize the orientation of objects in three-dimensional space.

    * Aviation Supplemental Material: The final subtest of the ASTB will typically contain a variety of items that are similar in format and content to the items in the preceding subtests.

What scores will I receive after taking the ASTB?

Your test results will be categorized as follows:

    * Academic Qualifications Rating (AQR): used to predict academic performance in aviation preflight instruction (API) and primary phase ground school.

    * Pilot Flight Aptitude Rating (PFAR): used to predict primary flight performance for Student Naval Aviators (SNAs).

    * Flight Officer Flight Aptitude Rating (FOFAR): used to predict primary flight performance for Student Naval Flight Officers (SNFOs).

    * Officer Aptitude Rating (OAR): used by the Navy to predict academic performance in Officer Candidate School.

Which tests make the greatest contribution to each score I received?

The formulas used to compute ASTB score components are proprietary information and will not be released by NOMI.

The following general guidance may assist you in preparing for an ASTB test or retest.

    * Academic Qualifications Rating (AQR): This score is affected by performance on all subtests, but the strongest influence is made by the Math Skills Test.

    * Pilot Flight Aptitude Rating (PFAR): This score is affected by performance on all subtests, but the greatest contribution is made by the Aviation & Nautical Info and Spatial Apperception Tests.

    * Flight Officer Flight Aptitude Rating (FOFAR): This score is affected by performance on all subtests, but the strongest influence is made by the Math Skills Test.

    * Officer Aptitude Rating (OAR): This score is affected by performance on the first three subtests, Math Skills, Reading Comprehension, and Mechanical Comprehension.

I heard there were some questions with no right answers on the ASTB. Is this just a rumor?

There were a few flawed items in one of the subtests released with the new ASTB forms in 2004. NOMI caught these before any of the tests had been given, but several of the test booklets had already been mailed out to recruiters. Therefore, the flawed items were eliminated from the scoring key until updated forms were sent out.