Chapter 4
Tackling Test Prep and Test-Taking Strategies
In This Chapter
Preparing in the weeks leading up to the test
Getting ready on the day of the test
Conquering multiple-choice tests
In this chapter, we discuss different techniques and strategies you can use to get ready for whichever flight aptitude test(s) you plan to take. The suggestions in this chapter help you slowly but surely work your way up to test day, set yourself up for success on that day, and put your best foot forward on the test itself.
Studying Prior to Test Day
Preparation for and commitment to the task ahead can mean all the difference in your future occupation. When the task is testing into your dream service branch, that means taking a good, objective look at what you know, what you need to brush up on, and how hard you need to work to reach your goal. We can’t stress enough that in order to be successful (at the aptitude test and anything else), you must know where you are; know where you want to be; have a plan to get there; and stick to the plan. This section gives you some study tips and guidelines to ensure your overall success.
Commit to a study schedule
Getting ready for the military flight aptitude test is a process that requires dedication and determination. You must remain committed to improving the required skills. A proper study schedule is going to eat up a lot, if not most, of your free time; you have to be prepared to resist temptations and distractions as much as possible.
Depending on how far out you are from the planned day of testing, you should commit to test preparation of at least two to three hours per day. If at all possible, start your schedule at least three to six months before your first exam (the more time the better) and plan to schedule at least a month between each branch service test you intend to take. Continue evaluating your progress and adjust your study time as necessary if you aren’t improving as quickly as you want/need to.
Focus on your weakest skills
When studying for your flight aptitude test, you must first identify your strengths and weaknesses. Be honest with yourself: What do you need to work on the most to increase your test score? After you identify the weak areas, tailor a long-term study plan or goal that hits those weak areas hard.
You may be tempted to focus mainly on the areas that you enjoy most (which are likely the areas you’re best at). But devoting all your time to those fun areas probably isn’t going to improve their scores much, and it certainly doesn’t do your weak scores any good. Resist this temptation and concentrate on the areas you’re weakest in.
Apply the 2/3-to-1/3 rule: Spend two-thirds of your time on weak areas and one-third of your time shoring up strong areas. If you have poor vocabulary skills, read and use flashcards for two-thirds of your work sessions. Struggle with math? Carve out most of your study time for math review.
Practice taking tests
Practice tests are a great way to both improve your knowledge and practice the test-taking strategies we cover later in the chapter. We recommend that you take selected portions of the practice tests in Part IV (everything but the self-description-type sections that have no correct answers) in an informal setting at the beginning of your test preparation to determine your exact strong and weak areas. Approximately two-thirds of the way through your study program, begin taking the practice exams (one per sitting) in a formalized setting. Start with the branch you least want to join and work up to your highest-priority test; doing so helps you work out the kinks in your test-taking experience so that you’re as sharp as possible for the most important exam. Pretend you’re taking the real test; try to find an unfamiliar setting without the possibility of distractions and use the same mental approach as you would for the real deal.
The tests differ slightly from one another and put different emphasis on different subjects, but they all test concepts you need to be familiar with and are all a great way to practice for the real test.
Score your practice test and then informally review the questions you answered incorrectly, spending time boning up on those topics. A few days later, retake the questions you answered incorrectly to cement this information into your long-term memory. Now you can do additional review and set a time to take the next practice test.
Another great strategy to improve your actual test score is to plan on taking all the branch services tests you can. (Some branches may not let you take the test if you’re disqualified — for, say, being too old — from joining that branch.) Start with the branch you’re least interested in joining/least likely to join and work your way up to your preferred branch. This approach has two advantages:
Combating test jitters: Taking the less-desired tests first gives you real-world experience and a sense of the level of anxiety you’ll encounter when taking the test you most want to do well on. Sitting in a room with other motivated applicants with a proctor watching serves as excellent training and prepares you far more than any test practice session you may do by yourself.
Setting the stage for Plan B (or C): If you put all your eggs in one test’s basket, you run the risk of delaying your dream if that particular branch doesn’t accept you. Taking all the tests as part of your test prep gives you a head start on pursuing secondary options instead of forcing you to gear up for more studying and testing after your initial disappointment. Hope for the best, but plan for the worst!
For example, if you’ve decided your priorities are Marine Corps/Navy first, Air Force second, and Army/Coast Guard helicopter program third and you know you meet all the eligibility requirements, you’d take the Army’s Selection Instrument for Flight Training, the Air Force Officer Qualifying Test, and the Navy/Marine Corps/Coast Guard Aviation Selection Test Battery in that order so that you give yourself a backup for all three branches and use the lower-priority tests as run-throughs for the one that matters most.
Getting Ready for Test Day
Bright eyed and bushy tailed. We don’t know where that term comes from (probably something to do with squirrels), but we do know it’s how you must arrive at the test site. Be ready!
This section covers proper rest, nutrition, and schedule management in the weeks and days leading up to the test. We really feel that attending to these areas can boost your test score significantly (maybe by 10 percent). That isn’t a scientific percentage, just our estimate. By taking care of these variables, you can show up to the test site mentally ready to kick butt!
Arriving well rested
We can’t stress enough how important being well rested for your test is. The best technique for preparing yourself to rest up for the test is to start adjusting your body at least two weeks ahead of time to the schedule you’ll need to adhere to on test day. If you feel that you must get up at 0500 hours to avoid having to rush to the test site, spend the two weeks leading up to that day getting up at 0500 hours and going to bed no later than 2200 hours. (That’s 5 a.m. and 10 p.m., respectively, if you’re a little rusty on your military time.) Of course, this schedule is just an arbitrary example, but it’s a good one to use. The bottom line is to get the normal amount of sleep your body is used to.
Another component to getting enough rest is considering the effects of late-evening caffeine or alcohol. Both interfere with your sleep patterns (even if you don’t notice it), so slowly back off your intake of both during your schedule adjustment period to get your body used to a good night’s rest. Finally, keep in mind that the body encounters a natural rhythm in which most people get drowsy at 1400 hours (2 p.m.). If you’re taking a test that will last into this time, be aware of that tendency.
Rescheduling if necessary
Make sure you’re ready for the exam before you take it. If you aren’t feeling up to taking the exam on your scheduled day, don’t hesitate to reschedule! You’re better off to wait and make sure you’re on your game for the exam than to muff it. Be aware, though, that rescheduling more than once reduces the likelihood that the application staff will be willing to accommodate any additional changes in schedule.
If you must reschedule an exam, do it as early as possible. Although not taking the test may be better than taking the test while coping with an unexpected sickness or personal tragedy, you must let your aviation recruiter know so that he or she can reschedule you as soon as possible.
Dressing in layers
Have you ever been too hot or too cold and unable to do anything about it? Both conditions are miserable, and you don’t want to be in that state of mind when taking a test that can determine the course of the rest of your life; that’s enough pressure as it is. Dress in layers that you can easily remove or add as the test environment changes.
Specifically, bring a sweater or light jacket with you. If you end up not needing it, great; if you find yourself cold, having the extra layer available will be a huge relief.
Fueling up before the test
Although you don’t want to go into the exam on an empty stomach, you shouldn’t just mindlessly grab whatever’s handy while you do some last minute studying. When preparing your test-day breakfast (most if not all tests start in the morning), don’t consume tons of carbohydrates, especially the simple carbohydrates found in such foods as sugary cereal, maple syrup, and sweet tea. Simple carbohydrates can cause a mental rush followed by a crash — not exactly helpful in inspiring your best performance on the test. Enjoy a balanced meal with an emphasis on proteins (eggs, sausage, bacon, and so on) to maximize your mental alertness.
As unsavory as mentioning this info in a section on eating may seem, we’d be remiss if we didn’t remind you to monitor your bowel patterns and habits. To minimize your chances of intestinal distress, don’t eat foods that you know you’re sensitive to within three days of your test date. Keep your bowel patterns as regular as possible on the day of the test.
Go easy on the caffeine
Although we recommend watching your caffeine intake to help your sleep patterns in the weeks before your exam (see “Arriving well rested” earlier in the chapter), go ahead and drink caffeine on the day of the test if you like. A small-to-moderate amount of caffeine will increase your alertness and perhaps even your performance on the test. And if you typically have a cup or two of coffee or a soda with breakfast, continuing this routine will help calm your nerves. But moderation is the key here (isn’t it always?). If you usually drink no caffeine or a lot of caffeine, changing that tendency on test day may lead you to become agitated and lose the ability to focus. Caffeine junkies who stop just for the test may actually experience a withdrawal-type headache. Our recommendation is that you stick with what your body is used to. Just don’t overdo it!
Hydrate, but don’t overhydrate
Staying hydrated enables you to process mental information quickly and correctly. Of course, drinking large amounts of fluids can result in an excessive number of trips to the restroom, and you can’t exactly escape whenever nature calls during the test; bathroom breaks are scheduled. Few things are worse than looking at the clock, fidgeting in anticipation of using the bathroom when you should be focusing on the test.
Arriving early
A common mistake that a lot of people make is planning on arriving at the test site as they would any event, where being fashionably late if they’re running behind is often no big deal. But showing up right at the wire or even late for your aptitude test is a bad idea, so plan accordingly. One of the worst things you can do is cut your schedule close and then end up stuck in traffic. That move can make the difference between a nice, leisurely drive where you arrive fresh and ready to go and a frustrating drive where you arrive frazzled and mentally incapacitated.
Map out the route to the test site and make a practice run (preferably at the same time of day) to get a feel for the route, the traffic, and the time required to get there. One option to help ensure you get there in plenty of time on test day is to have a light-to-medium-sized breakfast at a restaurant close to the test site. (Just be sure to follow our pre-test meal guidelines in the earlier section “Fueling up before the test.”)
Packing for test day
What do you bring with you? Although some locations don’t allow you to carry a bag with you, we suggest you plan to pack a light duffel or book bag with a sweater/jacket, some light snacks full of complex carbohydrates (such as an energy bar or fruit), a bottle of water, and if you’re a coffee drinker, perhaps a small thermos of coffee. In winter, you may want to consider bringing a change of shoes so you don’t have to take the test in soggy snow boots.
Mastering Multiple-Choice Questions
Being successful in multiple-choice tests requires a combination of core knowledge on the subject, confidence, and mastery of the various tricks of the multiple-choice trade. Just knowing how to think when it comes to multiple-choice questions can vastly improve your test scores. Now, we aren’t saying that you don’t have to know your material. You do! What we are saying is that by knowing your material and applying a few simple strategies we show you here, you’ll improve your chances at a higher score. Note: A lot of these tips apply to any test you take in any format. More for your money!
Reading (and understanding) the directions
Most people are both apprehensive and excited when they get in front of the actual test. These emotions, and the chemical responses that result, often cause them to misread or misunderstand the test’s directions. For example, some vocabulary questions ask you to choose the one word in a group that doesn’t fit with the others. A common mistake many quick-acting test-takers make is to mark an answer choice with the nearly identical meaning.
To combat this effect, sit down, take a deep breath, and make sure that you clearly understand what the test is asking you to understand and to do. If you have a question about the directions, ask the proctor (although the proctors have specific guidelines about what information they can give you that may or may not allow them to answer your question).
A few more important points to note about the directions:
The time limit: You don’t want to be a constant clock-watcher, but you do want to stay on top of how much time you have so that you manage your time accordingly.
The number of questions: Divide the allotted time by the number of questions to give yourself a rough idea of how long you can devote to each question. Of course, this number is an average; some questions are more difficult than others and will take longer to solve. One trick for managing your time well is to do spot checks at each quarter of the test to determine how you’re tracking; if you’ve answered approximately the right number of questions for that time period, you’re on pace. If you haven’t, adjust your time spent on each question accordingly.
The extra materials allowed/required: Some tests let you use scratch paper, so make sure you have some handy if necessary. Tip: Use said scratch paper to write down hard-to-remember formulas at the beginning of the test. That way, they’re at your fingertips and less likely to slip through the cracks if you get jittery.
Start with the easier questions
Because all questions in each test section count the same, you don’t want to spend so much time on one difficult question that you miss the opportunity to answer five other questions. (Time management strikes again!) When you encounter a difficult or time-consuming question, set that question aside and answer questions that are easier or that require less time to complete. You can then go back and tackle the hardest ones and allocate your time accordingly.
Coauthor Terry recalls skipping an easy problem on a physics midterm because he knew he had it in the bag and focusing on the remaining problems first. Well, time flew by, and the next thing Terry knew, the proctor was saying, “ten minutes.” Suddenly, Terry had to scramble to complete the “surefire” problem as much as possible. Don’t make the same mistake!
Maximize guesses with the process of elimination
Invariably, you’re going to come across a question that you just don’t know the answer to, regardless of how hard you’ve studied. What do you do in this situation: Throw a dart? Punt?
The answer (no pun intended) is to first eliminate those answers you know for a fact can’t be correct. Decide how likely you think each remaining answer is to be correct, and then pick the one you feel most strongly about. If you’re left with two answers that you’re evenly split between, consider choosing the longest answer and/or eliminating an answer that includes the term always or never. These last two criteria aren’t hard and fast rules; they’re just suggestions for helping you pull the trigger on a final educated guess. These simple techniques can reasonably increase your chances of guessing the right answer from 20 or 25 percent (if you guess without narrowing down the choices at all) to 60 percent (if you can eliminate one or two choices). We like those odds.
Even a 20-percent chance is better than no chance at all, so be sure to mark some answer for every question, even if you can’t make an educated guess. The flight aptitude tests don’t penalize you for guessing incorrectly, so filling in something always gives you a better chance at earning more points than leaving the question blank does.
Mark answers carefully
Make sure you mark the correct answer, on the correct section, on the correct form, and that it indeed correlates to the question you’re answering on the test. Putting Answer 22 on the spot for Question 23 is an easy mistake, so be sure to double-check your work periodically.
After you find the correct spot for your answer, don’t sabotage your correct answer by filling in the oval sloppily. You need to completely fill in the oval (“make your mark heavy and dark,” as the test instructions always seem to say) without running outside the lines. The answer sheets are scanned by computers, so a faint mark or one that runs into another answer’s oval may register as an incorrect response even if you knew the right answer. These computerized answer scanners usually require the infamous number 2 pencil, which will be provided for you at the test site.