Whether you’re planning on taking the ASTB or you’ve already taken it, you want to make sure that you are getting a score that’s going to help you along. So, how do you do exactly that? We’re going to take a look at ASTB scores, what’s good and what’s bad, and what falls somewhere in the middle.
By the time we’re done, you’ll know how to check your ASTB score, whether you did all right on your first try, and what you need to do to use your ASTB score. That way, you can make sure that you’re getting the most out of your experience.
How to Check Your ASTB Scores?
If you are planning to take your ASTB and want to know how long it will take to get your scores back, you’re actually in luck. It doesn’t take any time at all. As soon as you finish all of the sections of the exam, you will be able to see your scores immediately. This eliminates the need to wait around.
If you take a paper test of the OAR, you will need to wait for the NMOTC to receive and score the test. Your test proctor or even your recruiter will not be able to do this for you. This means you will need to contact the NMOTC to get your score.
You can call the office or send an email to get your results. Keep in mind that your email must come from a professional email that ends in ‘.mil,’ ‘.gov,’ or ‘.edu.’ If you do not have one of these email addresses, you must call the phone number in order to receive a copy of your scores.
When you make a request for your scores, you must provide your full name as well as the last four digits of your social security number. You must also provide a fax number, approved email address, or physical address where the results can be sent as you will not receive them immediately over the phone.
Depending on the method that you choose to receive your scores, it could take a few minutes to a few days before you receive them. Email and fax can be sent within a few minutes to a few hours (though you may be told a couple of days). Physical mail will take several days, depending on where it’s coming from and where it’s going to.
What are Composite ASTB Scores?
Composite scores for the ASTB include the Officer Aptitude Rating (OAR), the Academic Qualifications Rating (AQR), the Pilot Flight Aptitude Rating (PFAR), and the Flight Officer Aptitude Rating (FOFAR). Each of these is given a score between 1 and 9 except for the Officer Aptitude Rating, which is scored between 20 and 80.
Composite scores are based on your score compared to the scores of other test-takers. This means that a high score will always help you to achieve a better result, but lower scores could be acceptable or not depending on how the rest of the test takers have done.
Keep in mind that there are minimum scores for each of the sections depending on what you are hoping to do with that score. That means, no matter how the other test takers do or how you stack up on average, if you do not meet those minimums, you will not be eligible for consideration.
The four composite sections test different qualifications, which include:
Academic Qualifications Rating – This rating is a culmination of your scores for Aviation Pre-Flight Indoctrination as well as your primary ground school.
Pilot Flight Aptitude Rating – This rating is a culmination of your flight performance and is used for the Student Naval Aviators.
Flight Officer Aptitude Rating – This rating is a culmination of your primary flight performance that is used for the Student Naval Flight Officers.
Officer Aptitude Rating – This rating is a culmination of your math, reading and mechanical comprehension scores.
Each of these composite scores uses what’s called a stanine system so that you are scored based on your percentile and based on the performance of others taking the same exam.
Keep in mind that your composite scores are the critical part, not individual scores on each subtest (which is why you won’t see specific scores on each subtest). You will need to do well overall in order to get a good score on these composites because they pull from several different sections.
How are Your ASTB Scores Used?
ASTB scores are used to determine whether you are a good candidate for an officer position or for certain aviation positions in the Coast Guard, Navy, or Marine Corps. If you achieve at least the minimum score for each of these fields, you will be considered for the position you want. If you don’t, you will need to retake the exam to try again.
The scores you receive on these exams will test not only your basic skills (in the Officer Aptitude portion) but also your overall aviation skills, your personality type, and your skills and accomplishments. A combination of all of these things will decide if you are eligible to become an officer or advance in aviation.
For Officer Candidate School, the OAR score is the only one that is used. For a Student Naval Aviator, the AQR and PFAR scores are both used, and for a Student Naval Flight Officer, the AQR and FOFAR scores are both used.
If you wish to go into the Officer Candidate School, you will only be required to take the Officer Aptitude Portion of the exam. This portion will test your ability to become an officer and your general skills in math, reading comprehension, and mechanical comprehension. Because this portion of the test is primarily aptitude, you should not need a lot of added time to prepare.
For those who wish to enter into specific areas of aviation, you will need to take the complete ASTB, which will require a little bit of study in some areas. This test is also primarily an aptitude test, which means you should not need to study too much for it, though the aviation portion can require a little additional support for some.
If you choose not to apply for an aviation position or for Officer Training, your ASTB scores will not be used for anything. In fact, you will simply have them sitting in your file and waiting for you to do something.
What are Good ASTB Scores?
If you’re looking to get good ASTB scores, you want to get at least the average ASTB scores. The average for the AQR, PFAR, and FOFAR is a 5 (with scores ranging from 1 to 9). If you get this score, you’ll be in a range of 40%-60%, meaning you did better than approximately that percentage of people taking the exam.
In order to get a good score on the OAR, you’ll need to score roughly the same. This exam is not scored on a 1 to 9 rating, so you need to get a 40%-60% overall on this exam in order to meet the average and have a good chance of being selected.
The minimum score for the exam depends on what you are hoping to do with it. In general, you will need at least to get a minimum of 4 on the sections in order to be considered for any of the following positions.
Student Naval Aviators – AQR 4 & PFAR 5
Student Naval Flight Offers AQR 4 & FOFAR 5
Marine Pilots – AQR 4 & FOFAR 6
Marine Flight Officers – AQR 4 & FOFAR 6
Coast Guard’s OCS – AQR 4 & PFAR 5
For the Navy OCS, it’s also essential to get a minimum of 35 on the OAR.
You should also keep in mind that these are minimum scores to even be considered. And they would require everyone else taking the exam to score in roughly the same bracket. If you were to receive any of these scores and the other test takers scored higher, you would not achieve the 40%-60% percentile ranking compared to your peers and would not likely be considered.
The higher the score that you get, the better you’re going to compare to the rest of the test takers. This is important because it puts you into a higher percentile and makes you more likely to achieve the position or role that you are hoping for. Getting a 5 is the average score; however, if you can get at least a 6, you will put yourself in better shape. Not only that, but some positions require you to have at least a 6.
How Long are ASTB Scores Good For?
The good news is that your ASTB scores will follow you forever. Whatever the last score was that you achieved on the previous test you took (not the best test score but the previous test score) will be there for you whenever you need it.
If you achieve a high score and you don’t immediately apply for the Officer Training, you will still have that ASTB score whenever you do want to apply. You are made eligible for any of the programs covered by this test by taking it only one time. You will never need to retake it.
That doesn’t mean you should wait after taking your ASTB to apply for the program or area that you want. Instead, you should take the test when you feel you are ready to complete the entire program or when you feel you are prepared to be accepted into Officer Training. This will allow you to jump right into the rest of the process.
Keep in mind also that you will need to have this information readily available while you are completing additional training as well. This means you may do best in the programs when you have just completed any studying for the exam and have all of the information as fresh as possible in your mind.
On the other hand, you may want to wait to take the ASTB until you have been on the job for a little while so that you have a lot of the basic knowledge. Don’t let yourself put it off too long, however, as you could find yourself never actually taking the test even though you are eligible and would definitely be good at it.
Wrapping Things Up: ASTB Scores
When it comes to your ASTB scores, the best news is that they will never expire. That means you never have to worry about taking this exam again if you’ve done it once. (And you don’t have to worry about taking it at all if you’re not interested in one of the applicable programs.) And getting your scores is instantaneous if you take the exam on the computer rather than just the OAR on paper. That makes it easy to see if you’re happy with your scores or if you need to start preparing to take it again.