Peterson’s M aster the M F ilitary light a t ptitude ests 8th Edition Scott A. Ostrow Lt. Col., USAF (Ret.) About Peterson’s Publishing Peterson’s Publishing provides the accurate, dependable, high-quality education content and guidance you need to succeed. No matter where you are on your academic or professional path, you can rely on Peterson’s print and digital publications for the most up-to-date education explo- ration data, expert test-prep tools, and top-notch career success resources—everything you need to achieve your goals. Visit us online at www.petersonspublishing.com and let Peterson’s help you achieve your goals. For more information, contact Peterson’s Publishing, 2000 Lenox Drive, cqx, Lawrenceville, NJ 08648; 800-338-3282 Ext. 54229. © 2012 Peterson’s, a Nelnet company Previous editions © 1989, 1994, 1997, 2000, 2002; © 2005 Solomon Wiener Bernadette Webster, Director of Publishing; Ray Golaszewski, Publishing Operations Manager; Linda M. 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Contents Before You Begin vii How to Use This Book vii Special Study Features viii You're Well on Your Way to Success viii Give Us Your Feedback ix PART I: Military Flight Basics 1 From Officer to Aviator: What You Need to Know 3 General Information About Military Aviation 3 So You Want to Become a Commissioned Officer 5 Pay and Benefits for Military Flight Officers 6 Officer Rank Structure 10 General Commissioning Requirements 13 The Path to Becoming an Officer 14 Summing It Up 18 PART II: Military Flight Aptitude Tests 2 Military Flight Training Programs 21 General Requirements for Pilot Training 21 Flight Training: It Isn't for Everyone! 22 Air Force Pilot and Navigator Training 23 Army Commissioned and Warrant Officer Pilot Training 25 Navy Pilot and Navigator Training 28 Marine Corps Flight Training 33 Coast Guard Aviator Training 34 Summing It Up 38 3 Introduction to Military Flight Aptitude Tests 39 Air Force Officer Qualifying Test (AFOQT) 39 Alternate Flight Aptitude Selection Test (AFAST) 41 Aviation Selection Test Battery (ASTB) 43 Summing It Up 46 v vi Contents PART III: Question Types in Military Flight Aptitude Tests 4 Preparing to Take a Military Flight Aptitude Test 49 About Multiple-Choice Tests 49 Tips for Taking Computer-Adaptive Tests 50 Seven Strategies for Taking a Military Flight Aptitude Test 51 Preparing for Test Day 52 Summing It Up 54 5 The Kind of Questions You Can Expect 55 Synonyms 55 Verbal Analogies 58 Reading/Paragraph Comprehension 62 Arithmetic Reasoning 74 Math Knowledge 77 Mechanical Comprehension 79 Instrument Comprehension 84 Block Counting 95 Table Reading 99 Aviation Information 100 Nautical Information 107 Rotated Blocks 113 General Science 115 Hidden Figures 117 Complex Movements 119 Cyclic Orientation 122 Spatial Apperception 128 Background Information Questions and Self-Description Subtests 136 Answer Key and Explanations 141 Summing It Up 153 PART IV: Three Practice Tests 155 Practice Test 1: Air Force Officer Qualifying Test (AFOQT) 157 Practice Test 2: Army Alternate Flight Aptitude Selection Test (AFAST) 239 Practice Test 3: Navy and Marine Corps Aviation Selection Test Battery (ASTB) 297 facebook.com/petersonspublishing Before You Begin Congratulations! You have in your hands a powerful tool to ensure your best chances of getting a great score on one of the military flight aptitude tests. By taking time to work on the sample exercises in this book, studying the strategies and techniques for tackling each question type, and taking the full-length Practice Test and reviewing the answers and explanations, you will gain experience in answering real test questions and give yourself a significant advantage in achieving a top-notch score on your military flight aptitude test. This book contains information on: • careers in military aviation, including how to qualify, pay and benefits, and specific job descriptions • flight training in the Air Force, Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard • strategies for tackling multiple-choice test questions • the Air Force Officer Qualifying Test (AFOQT) and its subtests • the Army Flight Aptitude Selection Test (AFAST) and its subtests • the Navy and Marine Corps Aviation Selection Test Battery (ASTB) and its subtests How to Use tHis Book The book is designed as a self-training course, complete with test-taking tips and strategies, exercises, and three full-length Practice Tests. Every answer in the book comes with a detailed explanation. You learn immediately why a correct answer is correct and why a wrong answer is wrong. Studying the answer explanations for all the questions in your test—even those you answer correctly—will serve as a course in itself. • Part I provides an overview of the opportunities and benefits available to military pilots, navigators, and flight officers. Officer rank structure, pay and benefits, and general commis- sioning requirements are covered in detail. You’ll also find thorough information about how to get on the path to a career in military aviation, including available training and programs, for each branch of the Armed Forces. • Part II explains three different military flight aptitude tests: the AFOQT, AFAST, and ASTB. You’ll find comprehensive information about each subtest, including the number of questions vii viii Before You Begin you’ll encounter and the length of every subtest, with special strategies for answering multiple- choice questions and top-notch tips on how to prepare for test day. • Part III explains the kinds of questions you can expect on the AFOQT, AFAST, and ASTB. We include plenty of examples of every question type you are likely to encounter. This section also contains sample questions and practice exercises with detailed answer explanations. • Part IV offers full-length AFOQT, AFAST, and ASTB Practice Tests. Each Practice Test is fol- lowed by an answer key with detailed explanations. For the AFOQT, you’ll also find 110 sample Self-Description Inventory questions; we’ve provided sample questions for the Background Information and Self Description sections of the AFAST as well. To accurately measure your performance on these Practice Tests, be sure to adhere strictly to the stated time limits for each subtest. sPecial stUdY FeatUres Master the Military Flight Aptitude Tests is designed to be as user-friendly as it is complete. To this end, it includes these features to make your preparation more efficient. overview Each chapter begins with a bulleted overview listing the topics covered in the chapter. This allows you to quickly target the areas in which you are most interested. summing it Up Each chapter ends with a point-by-point summary that captures the most important points in the chapter. The summaries offer a convenient way to review key points. YoU're well on YoUr waY to sUccess You’ve made the decision to seek a career in military aviation and have taken a very important step in the process. Master the Military Flight Aptitude Tests will help you get on the path you need to take to achieve your goal—from scoring high on your exam to becoming a military pilot, navigator, or flight officer in the U.S. Armed Forces. facebook.com/petersonspublishing Before You Begin ix Give Us YoUr FeedBack Peterson’s publishes a full line of resources to help guide you through the career search process. Peterson’s publications can be found at your local bookstore, library, and high school or college guidance office. You can also access us online at www.petersons.com. We welcome any comments or suggestions you may have about this publication. Peterson’s Publishing 2000 Lenox Drive Lawrenceville, NJ 08648 E-mail:[email protected] Your feedback will help us make your education dreams possible. facebook.com/petersonspublishing