Reddit reviews ASTB Study Guide 2018-2019: ASTB-E Test Prep and Practice Test Questions for the Aviation Selection Test Battery

So, for Naval Aviation (Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard) you'd be studying for the ASTB. You can use resources here and here to study; my scores jumped by a fair amount after doing some smart studying.


The Marine PFT is pretty straight forward, but most people have to spend 3-6 months getting in good running and pull-up shape. You can google Armstrong Pull-up program and C25K running programs to get you started. Then, get in contact with an OSO or Navy Officer Recruiter once you've gotten in better shape.


An FAA 1st Class Medical is a pretty good indication you'd pass the NAMI physical.


edited to say; I've heard tanker life is actually pretty sweet. There's a reason KC-130Js are the platform that a lot of Marines put #1 but don't get...

TL;DR at the end.

According to the study book I used here, the math section plays a heavy role in the calculation of a lot of your ASTB scores, especially the OAR sections. So definitely work that area heavily for your retake.

When I took the test, I did some light study about two weeks in advance of my date and scored 68 8/7/8. Honestly, I think going into the test environment calm and well-rested is as crucial as being well-versed in the material, which can be pretty broad. I took my exam at 1000, late November of 2018.

For the kind of math you get on this test, drilling-and-killing is the order of the day once you understand the nature of the problem. For any questions you don’t fundamentally understand, spend a bit of time during your practice sessions deconstructing a problem or two so you can really probe it and figure it out.

For example, the colored ball problem you listed is a combinatorial probability problem where we have choice without replacement. You’re basically counting how many things you have and comparing that to your item of interest. Differentiating between choice with and without replacement is crucial to probability problems like that one.

As for reading, I agree: all the Navy excerpts caught me off-guard as I had assumed I’d have a bunch of random SAT-style passages. I felt this area dicked my OAR score a bit because of my poor assumption.

I got lucky with mechanical and naval/aviation history in that they didn’t ask any obscure questions, except for one question about super conducting in the Mech section, lol.

I’d never touched a flight simulator or program in my life before the ASTB, so I feel like I just grabbed my ankles and hoped for the best on that section; very chaotic. I have no idea how much simulator software helps in preparation.

TL;DR Focus on math, then reading, and go into the test environment calm, fed, and well-rested. Khan Academy is your friend! You’ve got this!