Preparing for the AFOQT (Air Force Officer Qualifying Test)

In order to become an Air Force officer, it is imperative that you pass the Air Force Officer Qualifying Test (AFOQT). The importance of this test is that it lets the Air Force know where your strengths are, and this helps them decide in what field of work to place you. In other words, if you want to be a pilot, you need prove to the Air Force that your pilot skills are top notch. This guide will point you in that direction.

If you're serious about the AFOQT, which you should be considering you can only take it twice, you should go ahead and purchase some sort of study guide. I've heard that Peterson's Master the Military Flight Aptitude Tests is pretty good. The book that I used is called Military Flight Aptitude Tests by Captain Terry L. Duran. I'm not sure about the Peterson's book, but the Barron's book, Military Flight Aptitude Tests, has review information for just about every section on the AFOQT. However, the information it contains may be a little generalized and diluted due to the fact that it isn't a study guide just for the the Air Force, but also for the Army and Navy/Marine Corps/Coast Guard. Yet, the review information is very handy, and following the reviews are the most effective study tools for the big test: practice tests.

Similar to the SAT and ACT, it is pretty difficult to study for the AFOQT. However, with the right preparation, you can go into the testing room knowing what kind of information to expect. Don't be like the guy I sat next to during my test. While talking to him on the way in, he told me that he didn't bother looking up anything about the test because "you can't study for it." If you can't study it, practice it. Like some old guy somewhere said, practice makes perfect. The best way to prepare for the AFOQT is to take practice tests. And take a few of them. What I normally do is take one test at a leisurely pace to familiarize myself with the content, style, and directions of the test. Then, start timing yourself. This is the best method for preparing to take the AFOQT, or any other test for that matter. In addition to the practice tests provided in the Barron's and Peterson's books, you can find some pretty helpful sources online too. Peterson's also has an online practice test which I've found very useful. It's times and has explanations for every answer. Check it out at http://www.petersons.com/dod/DODHubPage.aspx?sponsor=12894&HubPage=10064

Alright, lets talk about the test format. I believe the last update to the test was in 2005, and having just taken the AFOQT myself last month, I can say with confidence that there are twelve sections. Yes, twelve sections that last a good few hours. However, they go by extremely quickly, and you need to stay on top of your game in order to do well in them. Here are the twelve test sections, as well as the number of questions in each and their allotted times in minutes.

Subtest
Verbal Analogies; 25; 8
Arithmetic Reasoning; 25; 29
Word Knowledge; 25; 5
Math Knowledge; 25; 22
Instrument Comprehension; 20; 6
Block Counting; 20; 3
Table Reading; 40; 7
Aviation Information; 20; 8
General Science; 20; 10
Rotated Blocks; 15; 13
Hidden Figures; 15; 8
Self-Description Inventory; 220; 40

Somewhere around the middle of the test, you will be given a ten minute break. Use that time to eat some goodies and pump yourself up for the second half.

These subtests are designed to determine your strengths and weaknesses, so you may excel in some and struggle in some others. However, please note that there is no penalty for an incorrect answer. So if it comes down to it, go ahead and start filling in random bubbles if you're not finished and the time is almost up. I know that for some of the sections on my test, I went ahead and filled in about six or seven bubbles, just because the time goes by so quickly.

Now I'll go into a little more detail about each subsection. Personally, I found the instructions on the test to be a little vague, so by preparing ahead of time, which you're doing by reading this, you'll know exactly what to expect for each section.

Verbal Analogies
Just like in the old SATs if you ever took them, this section requires you to figure out relationships between different words, and use that relationship to choose a missing word.

For instance,

BACON is to PIGS as HAMBURGER is to __________.
A. VEAL
B. BEEF
C. FOWL
D. HORSES
E. CATTLE

This analogy is pretty simple, but some of them can be very confusing. In addition, knowing your word knowledge, or having a large vocabulary, will most likely help you out a lot on this section.

Arithmetic Reasoning
This subtest is composed of mainly word problems. You need to be able to read a situation and figure out the problem and how to resolve it, mathematically, as opposed to being given the problem directly.

An example would fall along the lines of:

A man makes a 255-mile trip by car. He drives the first two hours at 45 miles per hour. At what speed must he travel for the remainder of the trip in order to arrive at his destination five hours after he started the trip?
A. 31 mph
B. 50 mph
C. 51 mph
D. 55 mph
E. 49 mph

Of course, the better you are at math, the easier this section will be. If you understand major mathematical concepts, you will be able to identify what type of problem you are reading and will know how to handle it. If you need to, go ahead and review. It never hurts.

Word Knowledge
This section was by far the hardest section for me. However, if you know your definitions well, this should be a breeze. That's all this section is, being able to identify the definition of a given word.

Here's an example:

INTRANSIGENT
A. doing things in a new way
B. knowing without being told
C. in between boundaries
D. courageous
E. uncompromising

Personally, I believe that if you're going for a pilot or navigator slot, don't stress over this section. You only need to get a 15% to pass this subtest. If you so desire, go ahead and pull out a dictionary and just start flipping the pages to random words.

Math Knowledge
Back to math. In this subtest, the problem will be more or less given to you. Instead of trying to figure out the problem like the last math section, in this section, you're given the problem.

For instance,

If x^2 + x = 6, what is the value of x?
A. 6 or -1
B. 1 or -6
C. 2 or -3
D. 3 or -2
E. 0 or -3

For the Math Knowledge section, an understanding of fundamental mathematics is necessary. But there's no need for anything beyond trigonometry. Of course, if you really don't know how to do something, you could just plug in numbers until you find an answer that works. But if you don't know how to do a certain problem, just go ahead and guess on it because you need to move on to the next question before you lose too much time.

Instrument Comprehension
This is where the fun stuff begins. If you're looking to be a pilot, this might be a good section to excel on. Essentially, you're given two items per question. The first is an Artificial Horizon dial, and the second is a compass. By looking at these two dials, you need to be able to visualize the orientation of the airplane that these dials are in. The artificial horizon shows the plane's orientation along the lateral axis (pitch) and the longitudinal axis (roll). In layman's terms, the artificial horizon shows whether the airplane's nose is up or down, as well as whether the plane is tilted left or right. The compass, obviously shows the direction of the plane. In this subtest, you are to assume that north goes into the paper, and south comes out of the paper. So if the compass points west, the plane will be facing the left. I recommend checking out a study guide or practice test to get a better idea of this section.

Block Counting
The Block Counting section is another visual exercise. You will be shown a stack of blocks, neatly piled up to resemble a cube, with various blocks being numbered. Each numbered block is a problem. You need to be able to count how many other blocks physically touch the problem block you are on, which requires a lot of mental visualization of the stack. Please note that when two blocks share a corner or edge, but not necessarily a side, they are still touching. This is not mentioned in the test's directions; however, the study guides that I have used have all made note of this, and my AFOQT results supplement it. This is just one example of the benefits you receive from preparing for the AFOQT ahead of time, like by reading this article.

Table Reading
Table Reading is extremely easy, in concept. However, when given a ridiculously short amount of time to finish, this subtest is extremely difficult. You are given a sheet of X and Y coordinates, as well as their values. Given a coordinate, you need to find its value on the chart. My best recommendation is to use your fingers and drag them along the appropriate X and/or Y coordinate to find your desired value as quickly and efficiently as possible. Time is crucial in this section, so work fast.

Aviation Information
The Aviation Information subtest is just questions about general aviation information, from information about camber to vertical take-off and landing. If you have some previous experience in the field, you should be set. These questions are not too difficult and in-depth. However, for everyone else, skimming through the Aviation Information section in an actual study guide is highly recommended if you're seeking a pilot or navigator slot.

A question from this section may look like:

_______ is induced by use of a movable rudder controlled by _______ in the cockpit.
A. Roll, ailerons
B. Bank, control column
C. Change of pitch, collective
D. Yaw, rudder pedals
E. Power dive, trim tabs

General Science
As the title implies, this subtest covers knowledge learned from biology, chemistry, physics, and other general sciences. The key word here is "general." Don't stress too much on the particulars, but know important concepts and facts.

An example is:
An insulator is a material with
A. many free electrons
B. few free electrons
C. few free protons
D. many free ions
E. a variable number of neutrons

Rotated Blocks
Going back to mental visualizations, this section provides you with an isometric view of a three-dimensional object. You need to be able to mentally rotate this object in order to find the correct answer. The answer will be an image of the exact same object in the question, just rotated around a little bit. It can be very confusing, but if you have ever played with Lego's as a child, or even taking a graphical communications class, this section should be a breeze. It's hard to practice these types of questions without actually doing them. In other words, go find yourself a practice test.

Hidden Figures
Embrace yourself. This section is intimidating. You're given an image composed of countless random lines and curves, jumbled up and intertwined with each other. It's a mess. From this pile of random lines and curves, you need to be able to find one of five given shapes. But be careful, these questions are tricky. When you think you have found one of the shapes in the mess, double check and make sure that every side and corner matches the object you are looking for. It's pretty hard describing this one in words, so, again, go to the Peterson's site and take a practice test to see what a real question would look like.

Self-Description Inventory
The Self-Description Inventory section is extremely boring, and apparently not very important. However, you still need to do it. Essentially, you have 40 minutes to complete 220 questions where you describe yourself on a one to five scale. The trick is maintain your composure and answer questions consistently. Every once in a while, you will come across a duplicate question, or at least a very similar question, and you should answer both questions with the same number. One represents a strong disagreement, and five represents a strong agreement.

An example Self-Description Inventory question is:
I am seldom reluctant to voice my opinion in a group setting.
1 2 3 4 5

The final results will be given in the form of five separate categories. These categories are Pilot, Navigator, Academic Aptitude, Verbal, and Quantitative. The only minimums for passing are a score of 15 in the Verbal category and a score of 10 in the Quantitative category. However, if you are competing for a pilot slot, you need a minimum of 25 in the Pilot category, 10 in the Navigator category, and 50 in both the Pilot and Navigator categories combined. Similarly, if you want a navigator slot, you need a minimum of 10 in the Pilot category, 25 in the Navigator category, and 50 in the Pilot and Navigator categories combined. Keep in mind though that AFOQT scores only accounts for fifteen percent of your Order of Merit scores. There are many other factors. A great site for all of the pilot categorization information is http://www.wantscheck.com/PilotSlotResources/ROTCPilotSlot/tabid/60/Default.aspx#A2

I hope you found this article helpful in one way or another. I tried to give enough information to let you know what to expect on the AFOQT. However, I stress again, please do yourself a favor and take a practice test or two. The AFOQT can only be taken twice in your career, and only the last score counts. So make every effort to do your best.

Excellence In All We Do.