1.3 ADTC, Catalogs, and E5 vs E6 Chapters

1.3 ADTC, Catalogs, and E5 vs E6 Chapters

Quick Answer: Print the 2026 SSgt catalog or 2026 TSgt catalog before you highlight AFH 1. SSgt PFE chapters are 1, 5, 7, 8, 9, 11, 12, 14, 15, 17, 18, 19, 20, 22, and 24. TSgt PFE chapters are 1, 5, 7, 8, 9, 11 through 20, 22, and 24. Chapters 13 and 16 are TSgt/E6 only. Chapters 2, 3, 4, 6, 10, 21, and 23 are untested for both 2026 cycles. Then use the 15 February 2025 ADTC and study each remaining section to the letter in your grade column (A = Remembering through D = Analyzing).

AFH 1 has 24 chapters. The PFE is not the whole book. Content and importance come from Attachment 1, the Airman Development and Testing Chart, and from the cycle catalog for AFPT 00035 (SSgt) or AFPT 00036 (TSgt). AETC will develop no study guides for 26E5 or 26E6. The catalog PFE line is the chapter filter; the ADTC is the depth filter.

Build the reading list from the catalog

NCO scenario. SrA Jordan starts AFH 1 at page one and spends two weeks on Aviation History and Air Force Heritage. The 2026 SSgt catalog does not test Chapters 2 or 3. SSgt Patel, testing for TSgt, skips Chapter 13 Developing Organizations and Chapter 16 Developing Ideas because a SSgt coworker said “we don’t test those.” Patel has the wrong catalog. Those two chapters are the E6-only add.

SSgt testers have 15 PFE chapters; TSgt testers have 17. The extras are Chapter 13 and Chapter 16. Both grades still test Chapters 14 and 15. Untested chapters will not generate 2026 PFE items.

Use the 15 February 2025 ADTC as a depth map

The Airman Development and Testing Chart in AFH 1 is dated 15 February 2025. Comprehension levels came from a survey of Regular Air Force chief master sergeants. The ADTC relates test content to the required knowledge for the next grade and prints a letter in the SSgt, TSgt, MSgt, SMSgt, and CMSgt columns for each section.

• A — Remembering. Recognize or recall knowledge from memory: definitions, facts, or lists.
• B — Understanding. Construct meaning: interpret, classify, summarize, compare, or explain.
• C — Applying. Carry out a procedure by executing or implementing it.
• D — Analyzing. Break material into parts and determine how the parts relate to one another or to an overall purpose.

SSgt and TSgt testers both use the 15 February 2025 chart, but they do not always share a letter. Verified examples:

• Chapter 1, USAF Core Values is C for both grades—apply the values, do not only list them.
• Chapter 1 sections on the USAF professional, profession of arms, and ethical standards are B for both.
• Chapter 20, Appropriate Working Relationships and Addressing Misconduct, is B for SSgt and C for TSgt. Same chapter, supervisor application for E6.
• Many shared chapters sit at B for both (Chapter 5, Chapter 7 Leadership Levels, Chapter 14 Teamwork, Chapter 19, Chapter 24 respect for the flag).

Read your column. B means explain-and-compare practice. C means “you are the NCO—what do you do?” If two grades share a chapter but not a letter, the TSgt tester needs the extra application step.

Study this cycle without an AETC booklet

1. Download the correct 2026 catalog and highlight the PFE chapter line for AFPT 00035 or 00036.
2. Study only those AFH 1 (15 February 2025) chapters. TSgt testers add 13 and 16; SSgt testers leave them.
3. Match notes to the SSgt or TSgt ADTC letter: recall, explain, apply, or analyze.
4. Use the SJT informational guide and AFH 36-2647 with Chapter 7 and the developing-self/others/ideas/organizations chapters.
5. Do not wait for a 26E5 or 26E6 study guide. Both catalogs already said it will not be developed.

NCO scenario. Jordan (SSgt) tracks 15 chapters and studies Chapter 20 at B, plus Core Values at C. Patel (TSgt) tracks 17 chapters, adds 13 and 16, and restudies Chapter 20C/20D at C. Both skip Chapters 2, 3, 4, 6, 10, 21, and 23 for PFE points.