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AFOQT/TBAS Help
Hey guys! I know we have a pretty wide variety of where people are at with regards to the AFOQT & TBAS, so hopefully this can be a good resource for anyone who hasn’t taken it yet or hasn’t gotten the score you want yet.
I scored 99/99/99/96/96/88 on the AFOQT and had a 94 PCSM with 0 flight hours (99 once I got 6 hours), so I’m more than happy to help however I can with regards to the test prep side of things.
Feel free to ask any questions you have in here and either myself or someone else with the experience to help will do our best to answer!
And my experienced testing-complete peers in here, let’s all do our best to help these guys out!
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31 Replies
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You obviously have very good scores, and you should be proud of that! What are some pointers you’d give to people preparing to take their AFOQT? How did you prepare?
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Wow, great scores. What did you feel was the most helpful/applicable out of all the prep materials you used? As you were taking the test, did you ever think, “I’m sure glad I used that resource”?
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Thanks guys! I used really every quality resource I could find. I’ll share the links below. As far as the actual studying goes, I would go through a section and review every single page, even if I already knew the stuff on it, then do a practice test or two for that particular section. I would study any concept I missed a question on, not just the question itself. For example, if I missed a question on systems of equations, I studied systems of equations as a whole until I couldn’t miss any question about it again. After going through each individual section, I started doing full practice tests (all sections in one sitting for the few hours it took) and would follow the same review/remediation process on any questions I missed. It’s really important to not just study the specific questions you miss, but the actual concepts since the real test will have different questions, but on the same topics. Don’t just study until you can get the questions right, study until you can’t get them wrong!
The reason my Quantitative score is so low compared to the others is that I ran out of time on the arithmetic reasoning section. In practice, I was even finishing it faster than the allotted time. You’ll find that on test day, you probably won’t finish quite as fast as you do in practice, even if you simulate it as closely as possible in practice. When you’re doing the practice tests, time yourself with the real times and practice until you can comfortably finish a good bit of time left on each section. For the table reading section, I got to the point where I was finishing with about 30 seconds remaining while practicing, but the day of (both in a practice run of that section before I left the house and in the real test), I was bubbling the last answer as time ran out. If you’re not prepared to comfortably go faster than you need to, you can count on running out of time on game day.
Those are the biggest pieces of advice I have and in the interest of not writing too much of an essay, I’ll stop there 😂. I’m happy to answer any further questions you guys have though!
Here are the books I used:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08QGNTP94?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1637981961?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share
And here’s the official Air Force AFOQT prep materials: https://access.afpc.af.mil/pcsmdmz/Form%20T.HTML
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This reply was modified 2 months, 4 weeks ago by Jeremy.
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This reply was modified 2 months, 4 weeks ago by
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One other thought, for the aviation information section, it’s good to be solid on the stuff the books have, but definitely try to do PPL ground school first, otherwise you’ll probably struggle with that section
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Those who are Test Pilots and have access to the Webinar Videos: The video titled “How to Ace The AFOQT” (should be under Video Library —> Webinar Videos —> How to Ace the AFOQT) with BogiDope coaches SIC and DUK is packed with so much good information!
DUK goes into a lot of depth on ways to optimize your study habits and practice exams to ensure that when you walk into that testing room, you have no doubts.
Those still trying to schedule these exams: DUK also talks about all the different ways to schedule out your exams in the same video!
Your scores are one of the only factors you can control throughout this process. Your scores are also one of the first things hiring boards see when they review your application. Make sure you do well and don’t let your AFOQT scores keep you from getting an interview with your dream squadron!
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I recently seen a video on YouTube of a person using a program that had flash cards to help with the drone subtest of the TBAS. Does anyone know where to go to get the flash card program? I am looking to retake my TBAS in the near future and struggled on this part the first time.
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It could be Anki that you’re referring to? Anki is a flashcard program I’ve been using for a while now and it’s really, really, really good. It works with 3 decks and it continues to cycle wrong answers through the decks so you will intentionally see topics more if you’re struggling to answer questions in that subset right. I would definitely recommend giving it a try.
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those are some amazing scores @Jeremy ! I truly admire the morale of your studying habit and was wondering what your routine was like. (how many hours a day? everyday? how long did you study for before you were competent in you test taking abilities?)
TIA.
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Does anyone have gouge on the eAFOQT? I’ve been prepping for the paper pencil one but I got an email that my testing center is moving to the electronic version. Was wondering if anyone had any experience or pertinent information on it.
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I actually just took the digital one yesterday. I will say time will be less of a factor as it is a simple click, instead of bubbling in a scantron. A pointer I would recommend is that there are hot keys to go to the next and previous pages, become comfortable with it as it can save time instead of moving the mouse all the way to the bottom of the screen to change pages. Also I a weird one is the table reading is all on the computer (no excel print out).
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@yahoo I studied a couple hours a day most days (probably averaged about 6 days a week or slightly more) for just under 3 months. I think I scheduled the AFOQT about 1.5 months into it after gauging where I’d be a little over a month later. I wanted to make sure I was going to knock it out of the park, so I continued studying past the point where I knew I could do well, to the point where I could only get scores close to perfect. I wish I’d have practiced speeding up the arithmetic reasoning section a bit more so I didn’t run out of time on the day of, but in the end, one score below 90 shouldn’t be the end of the world with my others where they’re at. You’re going to be nervous on test day, so the more you can do to give yourself complete confidence that you’re going to nail it, the better.
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This reply was modified 1 month, 2 weeks ago by Jeremy.
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This reply was modified 1 month, 2 weeks ago by
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https://quizlet.com/451378913/tbas-uav-scdunn2439-flash-cards/?i=1v6gms&x=1jqY
tbastestprep.com
Ditch the flash cards, flight simiulators, and random internet forums. The TBAS Test Prep Tools are by far the best way to prepare yourself for the grueling
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I also have reasonably high AFOQT/TBAS scores. Im also rather old (Bush admin baby, the first one) and a long time removed from classrooms, school subjects, and bubble sheets. I devised a methodical and rigorous study regimen where I had to relearn (or even learn for the first time) much of the material. I have a system down including a nice excel visualizer/tracker. Let me know if you’re also an older guy/gal who could use some help to put up some 99s! It’ll make me feel useful in between rushing/interviewing. (Scores: 99/99/99/94/94/87)
In exchange, you can help me try to figure out how to improve a near-decade-stale, mediocre GPA 😭(JK)
Jeremy, just figured I’d help you out if you’re getting pinged a lot from this, ha.
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Yeah if you’d be willing to share that would be awesome! Thank you!
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Hi. Awesome scores! Would you mind sharing your excel sheet please? Thank you!
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What was your test taking strategy? Did you skim through all the questions and answer the easy ones first, then the tougher ones, the. Best guesses? Although with your scores there probably wasn’t much guessing.
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I took the computer version of the AFOQT this morning at a Pearson Test Center in Nashville.
Apparently they don’t give many AFOQT tests, if any at all, and they were about to give me a calculator!! I had to tell them no calculators were allowed… So speak up if this happens. You don’t want to get your test thrown out because someone doesn’t know their job that well.
They give me a blank booklet with laminated engineering paper and a fine point magic marker, which served in place of scratch paper. This proved to be DISASTROUS when my marker ran out of ink mid way through the arithmetic reasoning sub test…I was pretty pissed about that. Cost me about 7 questions. I requested a new marker which came a minute or so later, but in this test every second counts, and the damage was already done.
The test is self paced. You can finish the whole thing as fast as you want. The computer will prompt you for the scheduled 15 minute break, but you can decline it and keep going if you want. There’s a countdown timer for every section so you know how long you have left.
Before every section, there was anywhere from 3 to 7 minutes of practice and instructional time before the sub test started. The timer was proportional to the actual length of the section. You could use that time to gather yourself mentally, read the instructions, practice, or just skip it and push on.
If your mouse speed is pretty fast (the “next” button is far away from the answer selections), and you have a good computer (there is a slight delay in loading the next problem), then it should take less time to answer then bubbling in a Scantron. Marginal difference, but it’s there.
As for the table readings, this section benefited the most from being on the computer! I was always coming up a few questions short while taking timed practice tests using Baron’s, but I had no issues on the real thing. It’s only -17 to +17 rather than -20 to +20. You also don’t have to worry about flipping pages, re-locating your current question #, or having the book crease right in the middle of the table. The real test also has the row & column numbers around the entire table, as opposed to just the top and left. That’s a big deal! Here’s a free hint for the real test. Find the x value first, and use the mouse to click and drag, highlighting the column. Then just use your eyes to make the intersection! Easy
As for the instrument comprehension, it didn’t use confusing, dark silhouettes. It had a cartoon looking airplane with color, and bombs under the wings. This helps more than you think. If you can do Baron’s, you shouldn’t have any issues here. Just don’t let the easy feeling cause you to relax and come up short on time. Don’t underestimate the time limit on this one.
Last thing I’ll say is, I used Baron’s, Trivium, and AFOQTguide.com. Baron’s is by far the closest to the format of the real thing. Even some of the questions looked oddly familiar (especially block counting). It’s still good to use as many resources as you can get your hands on.
Feel free to DM me if you have any specific questions about my experience.
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Does anyone have any strategies for the block counting section? 4.5 minutes for 30 questions is roughly 9 seconds per question. Open to any recommendations. Appreciate it!
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It’s all about practice man. Mindless repetition more than anything. I found a good strategy when I was fiddling with it for the paper. I’d use a finger from one hand and put it on the X coordinate the question gave, the one from the other hand on the Y coordinate, and converge them both onto the number. Takes a bit of practice to not jump or skip on the paper, but it only takes roughly 3 seconds per question and gives me a near perfect accuracy rate.
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For the block counting? Or the table reading?
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Oh, sorry my bad, yeah mine was for table reading. Apologies I misread. I barely remembered the blocks being there as it wasn’t very hard for me. I think I just visualized the collection as a 3D models and counted out each block on my finger to be sure in a similar fashion. Sorry again.
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No worries, thanks for the insight! Much appreciated.
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Hey guys I got a question regarding the multi-target tracking section of the TBAS. I read somewhere that for that section they use stick and rudder pedals. Does anyone know if that is true and if so any good recommendations for stick controls to practice?
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Has anybody had experience with scores taking longer than expected to be returned? I’m going on day 15 now and still have nothing coming up.
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Did you take the computerized version?
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Has anyone taken the AFOQT at any of the PearsonVUE testing sites? I am wondering about the differences between taking it at a military installation…
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I took one there at the beginning of the month. There is typically a lot of other people there taking different types of tests. My test was on the computer and they have their own rules for the testing center as well.
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Got it. Everything went smoothly? Nothing out of the ordinary?
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No everything was surprisingly simple. They offered my a pair of ear muffs to cancel out background noise since you are in a room with a bunch of other test takers. I would recommend you take them to help stay locked in during your test.
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Good to know. Where did you receive your code to schedule online?
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