ASTB-E Exam Flashcards

Q: What are the six ASTB-E subtests?

The Math Skills Test (MST), Reading Comprehension Test (RCT), Mechanical Comprehension Test (MCT), Aviation and Nautical Information Test (ANIT), Naval Aviation Trait Facet Inventory (NATFI), and Performance Based Measures Battery (PBM). OAR is calculated from MST + RCT + MCT; AQR, PFAR, and FOFAR are separate aviation-selection composites.

Q: What is a passing ASTB-E score?

There is no single universal passing score. OAR is reported on a 20-80 scale, and AQR, PFAR, and FOFAR are reported as stanines from 1 to 9. Minimum required scores vary by branch (Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard) and by aviation pipeline (pilot, NFO, UAS).

Q: How many times can I retake the ASTB-E?

Official Navy retest policy allows up to three total attempts, with a 30 full-calendar-day wait between the first completed administration and a retest start. Scores from different attempts cannot be mixed by subtest.

Q: Is there a fee to take the ASTB-E?

No. Official ASTB-E testing is offered at no cost to the candidate.

Q: Can I use a calculator on the ASTB-E?

No. The Math Skills Test and the rest of the ASTB-E battery are taken without a calculator, so mental math and estimation skills matter.

Question 1

What does ASTB-E stand for and who administers it?

Accepted Answer

Aviation Selection Test Battery, Edition E. Administered by the Naval Aerospace Medical Institute (NAMI) / Naval Medicine Operational Training Command (NMOTC) for Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard aviation officer selection.

Question 2

Name the six official ASTB-E subtests.

Accepted Answer

Math Skills Test (MST), Reading Comprehension Test (RCT), Mechanical Comprehension Test (MCT), Aviation and Nautical Information Test (ANIT), Naval Aviation Trait Facet Inventory (NATFI), and Performance Based Measures Battery (PBM).

Question 3

OAR (Officer Aptitude Rating)

Accepted Answer

The composite score built from MST + RCT + MCT results. Reported on a 20-80 scale and used as a general officer-aptitude qualifier across Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard commissioning programs.

Question 4

AQR (Academic Qualifications Rating)

Accepted Answer

An aviation selection composite reflecting overall academic aptitude, reported as a stanine from 1 to 9.

Question 5

PFAR (Pilot Flight Aptitude Rating)

Accepted Answer

The aviation selection composite used to screen Student Naval Aviator (pilot) candidates, reported as a stanine from 1 to 9.

Question 6

FOFAR (Flight Officer Flight Aptitude Rating)

Accepted Answer

The aviation selection composite used to screen Naval Flight Officer (NFO) candidates, reported as a stanine from 1 to 9.

Question 7

ASTB-E retest policy

Accepted Answer

Up to three total attempts are allowed. Candidates must wait 30 full calendar days between the first completed administration and a retest start, and scores from different attempts cannot be mixed by subtest.

Question 8

MST calculator policy

Accepted Answer

No calculator is allowed on the Math Skills Test or anywhere else in the ASTB-E; all computation must be done by hand or mentally.

Question 9

Distance-rate-time formula

Accepted Answer

Distance = Rate x Time (equivalently, Rate = Distance / Time). Used for speed, fuel, and time word problems, including nautical-mile and knot scenarios.

Question 10

Percent change formula

Accepted Answer

Percent change = (New Value - Original Value) / Original Value x 100.

Question 11

How to solve a ratio word problem

Accepted Answer

Add the ratio terms to find the total number of parts, divide the total quantity by that number of parts, then multiply the result by each term to find individual amounts.

Question 12

Average (mean) formula

Accepted Answer

Average = Sum of all values / Number of values.

Question 13

How to isolate a variable in a linear equation

Accepted Answer

Apply inverse operations to both sides in reverse order of operations, undoing addition or subtraction first, then multiplication or division, until the variable stands alone.

Question 14

Perimeter of a rectangle

Accepted Answer

Perimeter = 2 x (Length + Width).

Question 15

Area formulas for a triangle and a circle

Accepted Answer

Triangle area = 1/2 x base x height. Circle area = pi x radius squared.

Question 16

Pythagorean theorem

Accepted Answer

For a right triangle, a squared plus b squared equals c squared, where c is the hypotenuse (the side opposite the right angle).

Question 17

Best RCT passage strategy

Accepted Answer

Skim the short passage first for main idea and structure, then read the questions before rereading for supporting details; RCT passages are typically brief technical or informational texts.

Question 18

Main idea vs. supporting detail

Accepted Answer

The main idea is the passage's central point that every paragraph supports. A supporting detail is a specific fact, example, or reason used to develop that central point.

Question 19

What is an inference question asking for?

Accepted Answer

A logical conclusion drawn from evidence stated in the passage, not information stated outright. The correct answer must be directly supported by the text, not just plausible.

Question 20

Vocabulary-in-context strategy

Accepted Answer

Use surrounding sentence context, such as contrast words, definitions, or examples, to determine a word's intended meaning rather than relying only on its most common dictionary definition.

Question 21

Identifying author's purpose and tone

Accepted Answer

Determine whether the author's aim is to inform, persuade, describe, or narrate, and note word-choice cues (objective vs. critical language) that reveal the passage's tone.

Question 22

First-class lever

Accepted Answer

The fulcrum sits between the effort and the load (example: a seesaw or crowbar). Depending on fulcrum placement, it can multiply force or change the direction of the applied force.

Question 23

Second-class lever

Accepted Answer

The load sits between the fulcrum and the effort (example: a wheelbarrow). Always multiplies force, trading distance moved for reduced effort.

Question 24

Mechanical advantage of a pulley system

Accepted Answer

Mechanical advantage equals the number of rope segments supporting the load. Combining a movable pulley with a fixed pulley reduces the effort force needed to lift a weight.

Question 25

How do meshed gears rotate?

Accepted Answer

Meshed gears always rotate in opposite directions. A smaller gear driven by a larger gear spins faster but produces less torque.

Question 26

Pascal's principle (fluids)

Accepted Answer

Pressure applied to an enclosed, incompressible fluid is transmitted equally in all directions. This is the working principle behind hydraulic lifts and hydraulic brakes.

Question 27

Work formula

Accepted Answer

Work = Force x Distance, measured in the direction the force is applied.

Question 28

Ohm's Law

Accepted Answer

Voltage = Current x Resistance (V = I x R), relating the basic electrical quantities in a simple circuit.

Question 29

Series vs. parallel circuits

Accepted Answer

In a series circuit, current is the same throughout and resistances add together. In a parallel circuit, voltage is the same across each branch and total resistance decreases as branches are added.

Question 30

Center of gravity and stability

Accepted Answer

An object is more stable when its center of gravity is lower and its base of support is wider. Raising the center of gravity or narrowing the base increases the risk of tipping.

Question 31

Four forces of flight

Accepted Answer

Lift, weight (gravity), thrust, and drag. Steady, level, unaccelerated flight requires lift to equal weight and thrust to equal drag.

Question 32

How does a wing generate lift?

Accepted Answer

An airfoil's curved shape causes air to move faster over the top surface than the bottom, lowering pressure above the wing relative to below it and creating an upward lift force.

Question 33

Primary flight control surfaces

Accepted Answer

Ailerons control roll (on the wings), elevators control pitch (on the horizontal stabilizer), and the rudder controls yaw (on the vertical stabilizer).

Question 34

Aircraft axes of rotation

Accepted Answer

Longitudinal axis (roll), lateral axis (pitch), and vertical axis (yaw). Each axis passes through the aircraft's center of gravity.

Question 35

Angle of attack

Accepted Answer

The angle between a wing's chord line and the oncoming relative wind. Exceeding the critical angle of attack causes an aerodynamic stall regardless of airspeed.

Question 36

What causes an aerodynamic stall?

Accepted Answer

A loss of lift that occurs when the wing's critical angle of attack is exceeded, disrupting smooth airflow over the airfoil surface.

Question 37

Nautical mile vs. statute mile

Accepted Answer

A nautical mile (about 6,076 feet) is longer than a statute mile (5,280 feet). Aviation and naval navigation use nautical miles and knots (nautical miles per hour) for speed.

Question 38

Port and starboard

Accepted Answer

Port is the left side of a vessel or aircraft when facing forward; starboard is the right side.

Question 39

How does an altimeter work?

Accepted Answer

It is a flight instrument that measures altitude using barometric (air) pressure changes relative to a reference pressure setting.

Question 40

Warm front vs. cold front weather

Accepted Answer

A warm front brings gradually rising cloud layers and steady precipitation ahead of it. A cold front brings fast-moving, often severe thunderstorms along a steeper leading edge.

Question 41

METAR

Accepted Answer

A standardized routine surface weather report format used in aviation, typically updated hourly, giving wind, visibility, sky condition, temperature, dew point, and altimeter setting.

Question 42

VOR navigation

Accepted Answer

A VHF Omnidirectional Range station is a ground-based radio navigation aid that provides aircraft with bearing information relative to the station.

Question 43

What does NATFI measure?

Accepted Answer

A non-cognitive personality and behavioral inventory that compares a candidate's traits, attitudes, and behavioral tendencies against profiles associated with successful naval aviators. It is not scored right or wrong.

Question 44

Best strategy for answering NATFI items

Accepted Answer

Respond honestly and consistently rather than trying to guess a 'correct' profile. The inventory is designed to flag inconsistent or overly self-favorable response patterns.

Question 45

Is the NATFI scoring published?

Accepted Answer

No. NATFI trait facets and scoring criteria are officially proprietary and are not publicly released, unlike the objective OAR subtests.

Question 46

What does the PBM measure?

Accepted Answer

Multitasking ability, situational awareness, spatial orientation, and psychomotor control-tracking performance under time pressure, delivered as computer-based tasks.

Question 47

What input devices does the PBM use?

Accepted Answer

The PBM is administered on the APEX system using a joystick and throttle, an aircraft/UAV-style control interface, rather than only a mouse and keyboard.

Question 48

How is the PBM delivered?

Accepted Answer

As a series of computer-based tasks with on-screen automated instructions and practice trials before scored trials, testing tracking and multitasking under time pressure.

Question 49

Why can't static practice questions fully replicate the PBM?

Accepted Answer

The PBM measures real-time joystick and throttle control-tracking plus divided-attention performance, so multiple-choice practice can only approximate the underlying spatial-orientation and multitasking concepts, not the timed control task itself.

Question 50

Best way to prepare for the PBM

Accepted Answer

Practice spatial-orientation and rapid-decision drills under time pressure, and get comfortable with basic instrument and attitude interpretation, since PBM performance is skill-based rather than knowledge-based.

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