Chapter 3

Understanding the Tests at a Glance

In This Chapter

Approaching subject matter on the tests

Digging into the details of branch-specific flight aptitude tests

The various military flight aptitude tests are designed to measure your ability to successfully understand and complete a military flight training program. Because of the specific needs and priorities of the various military services, the test formats and priorities differ slightly among the branches. In this chapter, we take a look at the various types of questions you can expect to encounter on each of the different flight aptitude tests. We cover language skills and vocabulary, mathematic problems, reading comprehension, science problem solving, and of course aviation-specific test questions. We also provide you with a brief description and breakdown of the various branch-specific flight aptitude tests.

Making Sense of the Major Question Types

All the different types of test questions are really interrelated, so understanding each category can help you master the others. In this section, we cover all the types of questions you can expect on each branch’s test.

Verbal, word knowledge, and reading

The verbal, word knowledge, and reading comprehension sections on the flight aptitude tests evaluate your overall mastery of vocabulary and of the basics of the English language, plus your ability to read, analyze, and draw rational conclusions from given materials. The question types vary from test to test, but you can expect word definitions, analogies, and short essays to appear on whichever test you take.

Math and arithmetic reasoning

The mathematical portions of the flight aptitude tests evaluate your ability to analyze and solve problems involving quadratic formulas, geometry, trigonometry, ratios, and algebra. In addition, these questions require you to apply conversion formulas to known values to solve for any unknown values, as well as to calculate area and volume.

Some of the problems can seem daunting, but with practice, mastering the required skills to solve the problems is possible. You can’t use a calculator on the actual tests. You may find that some of the practice problems in this book are difficult and are designed to strengthen your understanding of a mathematical or scientific concept; if you need a calculator to solve the practice problem, go ahead and use one. After you understand the problem, immediately go back and try to solve the same problem without a calculator.

General science

Each flight aptitude test expects you to have a basic grasp of biology, chemistry, and physics (covered under the mechanical function section). In addition, you encounter questions on earth sciences, geography, and a variety of other scientific subjects.

Mechanical function and comprehension

This section evaluates your ability to apply basic physics formulas and principles to a variety of problems involving mechanical, waveform, and electrical functions. In addition to forces and mechanical advantage devices, you find questions about the concepts of electrical power, wavelength, and acceleration/velocity.

Aviation and nautical information

What would a flight aptitude test be without a check of your aviation knowledge? This test section covers basic aerodynamics (with a fixed- or rotary-wing focus, depending on the branch) and aviation fundamentals, including any atmospheric properties or conditions that directly affect an aircraft and military aviation in high-speed/high-altitude profiles. These questions test both your knowledge of the basic scientific principles of flight as well as the fundamentals of flying from an aviator’s perspective. In addition, the Aviation Selection Test Battery (ASTB) used by the Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard, contains a section on nautical information and seamanship.

To gain a better understanding of basic fixed-wing aerodynamics, we highly recommend Aerodynamics for Naval Aviators by Hugh H. Hurt (Skyhorse Publishing), which is available at most pilot supply companies and Amazon.com. For basic rotary-wing aerodynamics, we recommend Army Field Manual FM 3-04.203, Fundamentals of Flight, which you can also order from most pilot supply companies.

Instrument comprehension

This portion of the test assesses your ability to infer the aircraft’s orientation superimposed on the horizon. This section provides you with graphical representations of two basic aeronautical instruments (a compass and an artificial horizon) that are designed to give you a perceptual view of an aircraft and asks you to identify the correct silhouette of the airframe.

Mental skills

This section of the test includes block counting, rotated blocks, hidden figures, and spatial apperception. All are designed to evaluate your ability to conceptualize complex mental problems and to problem-solve in a 3-D perspective.

Singling Out the Different Service Tests

As we note earlier in the chapter, various branches of the military administer various flight aptitude tests. The Air Force and Army each have their own unique tests, while the Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard all share the same test (and sometimes testing centers). You’ll be happy to know that there’s no fee to take any of the tests.

Each of these tests is slightly different; some tests focus more in one area than others do. (Check out the earlier section “Making Sense of the Major Question Types” for a look at the kinds of knowledge tested.) We strongly suggest that you familiarize yourself with all the tests and take each one, starting with the branch you’re least interested in joining. We discuss this approach in more detail in Chapter 4.

The following sections break down the various branch flight aptitude tests.

The Air Force Officer Qualifying Test (AFOQT)

Today’s Air Force has a single test — the Officer Qualifying Test — that covers all officer candidates, regardless of whether they plan to be aviators. The Air Force believes that this one test is the single best predictor of overall success within the various fields of this service branch.

The AFOQT takes about three and a half hours to complete, which accounts for pre-test instruction and a break. Calculators aren’t permitted. Here’s a breakdown of the testing time:

Subtest	# of items	Time
1. Verbal Analogies (VA)	25	8 minutes
2. Arithmetic Reasoning (AR)	25	29 minutes
3. Word Knowledge (WK)	25	5 minutes
4. Math Knowledge (MK)	25	22 minutes
10-minute break
5. Instrument Comprehension (IC)	20	6 minutes
6. Block Counting (BC)	20	3 minutes
7. Table Reading (TR)	40	7 minutes
8. Aviation Information (AI)	20	8 minutes
9. General Science (GS)	20	10 minutes
10. Rotated Blocks (RB)	15	13 minutes
11. Hidden Figures (HF)	15	8 minutes
12. Self-Description Inventory (SDI)	220	40 minutes

The following categories show how the Air Force combines your scores into five specific composite scores. (Note: Various sections are weighted differently according to a secret formula, so you can’t find your composite score by just adding up the number of correct answers for each section.)

Pilot (AR + MK + IC + TR + AI): This score predicts your success in the aviation field by measuring how your knowledge and abilities stack up to those the Air Force feels you need for successful pilot training. The components of this score measure mathematical ability, aeronautical knowledge, spatial relation of the aircraft to its systems and instruments, and perceptual speed. Pilot candidates must score at least 25 for this composite; if you’re a navigator candidate, you need to score at least 10.

Navigator-technical (VA + AR + MK + BC + TR + GS): This grouping measures the abilities that Air Force navigator training requires. This score doesn’t focus on aeronautical knowledge and spatial orientation. Pilot candidates need a minimum score of 10 for this composite; navigator candidates need a minimum score of 25.

Academic aptitude (VA + AR + WK + MK): This score looks at verbal and quantitative knowledge — important aspects of your military officer career. Good news: You don’t need a particular minimum score for this composite.

Verbal (VA + WK): This composite measures verbal knowledge and abilities. The combined subtest determines your ability to reason, understand synonyms, and recognize relationships between words. All candidates must have a minimum score of 15.

Quantitative (AR + MK): This grouping measures your math-related abilities and knowledge. All candidates must achieve a minimum score of 10.

You receive a score for each of these five areas, but you don’t get a total combined score. For pilot and navigator candidates, just reaching the minimum composite scores isn’t enough; they also need a combined pilot and navigator-technical score of at least 50. However, you can perform marginally on one section (as long as you don’t go below the minimum) and make up the points in another, higher-scoring section. All commissioning sources determine how high these scores must be for the test-taker to be selected.

Selection Instrument for Flight Training (SIFT)

This new test, developed by the U.S. Army and implemented in 2013, was designed to predict whether you can successfully complete the Army’s Initial Entry Rotary Wing Aviator course and become an Army Aviator. The SIFT test doesn’t allow you to use a calculator. The test includes seven sections with varying numbers of questions — the first section has 100 questions, but others have fewer and two don’t have a fixed number. (This setup is possible because the test is computer based.) These seven sections take a total of two to three hours to complete. The seven sections — with the individual breakdown of their allotted times — are listed here:

Subtest	# of items	Time
1. Simple Drawings (SD)	100	2 minutes
2. Hidden Figures (HF)	50	5 minutes
3. Army Aviation Information Test (AAIT)	40	30 minutes
4. Spatial Apperception Test (SAT)	25	10 minutes
5. Reading Comprehension Test (RCT)	20	30 minutes
6. Math Skills Test (MST)	varies	40 minutes
7. Mechanical Comprehension Test (MCT)	varies	15 minutes

Here are a few important points to keep in mind about the subtests:

The first section, Simple Drawings, is designed to be virtually impossible to complete in the allotted time, so don’t get discouraged if you can’t complete all the questions. The simple drawings are very basic, and developing speed is the important thing here. This speed is facilitated by the computer-based nature of the test; when you select an answer, you’re automatically and quickly advanced to the next question.

The second subtest, Hidden Figures, challenges you by giving you drawings in which you must find hidden figures. Finding these figures can be an acquired skill, so use the practice test in Chapter 18 to build your skills.

The third section, Army Aviation Information Test, covers your knowledge of Army-specific aspects of aviation, such as helicopter knowledge. Read and have an understanding of basic helicopter principles as outlined in the Army Field Manual (FM) 3-04.203 (Fundamentals of Flight). If you have a chance, we highly recommend that you speak to someone who can at least show you how helicopter controls work while on the ground (either at your local airport or at a National Guard unit). If you explain that you’re taking the test for Army flight school, most helicopter aviators will be happy to assist you.

The fourth subtest, Spatial Apperception Test, evaluates your conceptual ability to think about and project aircraft movements in a three-dimensional space. Some answers may look slightly off based on your assumption of what the aircraft profile should be, so select your best guess or the answer that best matches what’s in your head.

The fifth section tests your reading comprehension. Divide the time allotted for this test by the number of sections and then try to allocate that amount of time to each section. Tip: Briefly read the questions in each section first and then read the passage; that way, you know what information to focus on as you read.

The sixth section, Math Skills Test, evaluates your ability to solve basic math and algebra-type problems without a calculator. Some questions may seem hard, but if you relax, remember some basic conversions and formulas, and apply proper problem-solving techniques, you can solve these problems. The number of questions varies in this and the next section, so go as quickly as you can while taking care not to make careless errors.

The seventh section, Mechanical Comprehension Test, deals with mechanical functions. These questions let you apply your basic physics and mechanical understanding, your conceptual knowledge, and your ability to solve problems by applying scientific formulas. As with the previous subtest, the actual number of questions varies with each test. Be aware of your time allowed for completion and go as quickly as you can without making careless errors.

After you pass the SIFT, you can’t take it again to improve your score, so do your best the first time around. If you don’t pass it on your first attempt, you can retake the exam once, no earlier than the 181st day following the first attempt. For example, if you fail your first attempt on January 1, you can’t retake the test until July 1. If you fail a second time, that’s it; you can’t retake the test again.

Aviation Selection Test Battery (ASTB)

The current ASTB (formally known as the Navy/Marine Corps/Coast Guard Aviation Selection Test Battery) comes in three versions. Each test contains different questions but has the same six-subtest format and takes approximately two and a half hours (including administrative time) to complete. Calculators aren’t permitted. The six subtests are as follows:

Subtest	# of items	Time
1. Math Skills Test (MST)	30	25 minutes
2. Reading Skills Test (RST)	27	25 minutes
3. Mechanical Comprehension Test (MCT)	30	15 minutes
4. Spatial Apperception Test (SAT)	25	10 minutes
5. Aviation and Nautical Information Test (ANIT)	30	15 minutes
6. Aviation Supplemental Test (AST)	34	25 minutes

The Aviation Selection Test Battery is generally administered in a standard paper format; however, a limited number of testing locations offer a web-based test called APEX (short for Automated Pilot Examination). Depending on where you take the ASTB, you may or may not take the APEX version of the test.

You can take the ASTB only three times (once on each version). In order to retake the test, you must wait until the 31st day following your first try; you can take your third and final attempt following the 91st day after the initial test. For example, if you take your first test on June 1, you can try again on July 2. To make a third attempt, you have to wait until August 31. Any test taken outside these restrictions (say you take test three on the 90th day after the first test, or you retake a version you’ve already taken) is considered an illegal test; an illegal test counts against your three-test lifetime limit but doesn’t count as a scorable test.