Aviation Selection Test Battery ASTB Exam


Aviation Selection Test Battery is an exam conducted by the United States Coast Guard, Marine Corps, and Navy. The exam is for the selection of candidates for pilot training programs and flight officers. The exam consists of certain subtests and a certain portion of the test are meant for use by the US Navy to determine the selection of the candidates for OCS- Officer Candidate School.

Eligibility for Aviation Selection Test Battery ASTB Exam


The basic requirements to be eligible for becoming an officer in United States Coast Guard, Marine Corps, and Navy are-

  • Candidate must possess a bachelor's degree
  • Age should be 19 years and above
  • Must be a US citizen

Syllabus for Aviation Selection Test Battery


The U.S. Navy, Coast Guard, and Marine Corps use this test as their principal exam for selection in their respective aviation programs. Many technical improvements have been introduced in ASTB and now it is referred to as ASTB-E.

Aviation Selection Test Battery comprises of several subtests and they cover key areas like-

  • MST (Math Skills Test)
  • It covers the topic you have studied in high school- Algebra, Arithmetic, Geometry, angles, and perimeter, and some topics covering time and distance word problems, probability.

  • RCT (Reading Comprehension Test)
  • It covers reading a passage of text and responding to multiple options which stands correct.

  • MCT (Mechanical Comprehension Test)
  • It covers basic physics like velocity, volume, and pressure as well as the mechanics of simple machines.

  • ANIT (Aviation and Nautical Information Test)
  • This requires an understanding of aviation history as well as principles of aviation like aerodynamic principles, basic aircraft components, and flight rules.

  • NATFI (Naval Aviation Trait Facet Inventory)
  • This section covers and evaluates selection on the suitability based on personal characteristics.

  • PBM (Performance Based Measures Battery)
  • This section covers flight simulation.

  • BI-RV (Biographical Inventory with Response Validation)

It is more like a questionnaire that covers your previous experiences and successes or achievements with aviation.

Format of Aviation Selection Test Battery ASTB Exam


The ASTB exam is conducted online in a computer-based format. For each candidate combination of tests, the question varies. Candidates can take this exam only 3 times in a lifetime.

The test-takers are provided with 3 separate scores and this includes-

  • Academic Qualifications Rating
  • It predicts the Aviation Preflight Indoctrination (API) academic performance.

  • Pilot Flight Aptitude Rating
  • It determines Student Naval Aviators’ (SNAs) primary flight performance.

  • Flight Officer Aptitude Rating
  • It determines Student Naval Flight Officers’ (SNFOs) primary flight performance.

    The ratings of all are scored on 0-9.

  • Aptitude Rating (OAR)

It is used to determine the Naval Officer Candidate School (OCS) academic performance. Its scoring is in the range of 20 to 80 in single-point increments. Many students undertake all 4 components of the exam and they are provided with 4 different scores.

The 5 sections of the exam- MST, RCT, MCT, ANIT, NATFI are computer-based and adaptive.

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