This question should be your primary concern when signing up to take the AFOQT. It is important to know that this test is not one that qualifies you to be an AirForce officer. Rather, it determines your readiness to continue your training to become one in the future. Therefore, passing this test is an essential step in becoming an AirForce officer, pilot, navigator, or another career involved with the Air Force. We will walk you through not only how to prepare for the AFOQT, but also how to interpret your AFOQT test scores in light of your future career goal.
What Scores Do You Need to Pass the AFOQT?
The answer to this depends greatly on what your goal is. Some careers require higher scoring than others on the AFOQT, which makes this question a difficult one to answer. However, below the steps to determining what passing AFOQT results are for you and for your future aspirations in terms of the Air Force.
What is your goal?
Why are you taking the AFOQT? Because you are required to do so by your ROTC Air Force group? Is it because you hope to one day become a pilot in the Air Force? The answer to this question, believe it or not, changes how you will perceive your AFOQT scores as passing or failing. Look at the different careers listed below to see what you need to score to pass the AFOQT for your goal career.
1.Pilot: to qualify for this career, you must score at least a 15 on verbal, 10 on quantitative, 25 on pilot, and 10 on navigator on the AFOQT exam. Additionally, you must get a combined score of at least 50 for the pilot and navigator sections when they are added together.
2.Navigator: to advance your Air Force training to become a navigator in the future, you need to score at least a 15 on verbal, 10 on quantitative, 10 on pilot, and 25 on navigator. You also must have a combined score of at least 50 for the pilot and navigator sections when they are added together.
3. Any other military Air Force career: these careers don’t have as specific of scores you need to get for some of the sections, yet, you must do is score at least a 10 on the quantitative section and at least a 15 on the verbal section.
How Many Questions Are on the AFOQT?
Simply put, there are 380 questions on the AFOQT. They are organized into 12 subtests that focus on topics ranging from reading to pilot and navigation to writing. The test takes about 3.5 to 4 hours to complete and is given without any breaks for test takers. Therefore, this test requires not only preparation in terms of content, but also regarding the time that it takes to complete it. Both endurance and pacing are essential skills to use when taking the AFOQT due to how many questions are asked on the exam.
How Long is the AFOQT Exam?
When compared to other standardized tests, the AFOQT is very long. From the SAT and ACT to pre-professional exams, the AFOQT also proves to be one of the more lengthy tests offered. There are two reasons for this test’s length that we will discuss in more detail below: it tests your endurance and your skills. As stated above, the AFOQT is 380 questions and takes about 3.5 hours to 4 hours to complete.
Your skills are tested in-depth:
This is an obvious goal for all standardized tests since their purpose is to determine your readiness for further training. Whether it’s the ACT or SAT testing your knowledge before college or the LSAT measuring how prepared you are for Law School in the future, these tests are designed to see if you are of the skill level required to expand those skills to late apply to a career. In the case of the AFOQT, your readiness to continue your training to become a member of the Air Force is at stake.
Since being an AirForce officer is a very specialized profession, the AFOQT has a large quantity of information to cover. From basic subjects like math and science to more focused topics like pilot and navigation, the AFOTW not only tests what you already know regarding the Air Force (pilot and navigation subtests), but also what your capacity is to learn more and apply what you already know both mathematically and scientifically. In other words, the AFOQT goes a step further than some other standardized exams because it tests what you already know to see what skills you will be able to apply to your future training if you were able to pass the exam.
Your endurance is tested:
Now you may think of physical endurance at first, but this test measures your mental endurance. Since the test is 4 hours long with no breaks between subtests or subjects, you must be able to function for a long period of time and stay focused. This is difficult for many and it is common to see subtest scores decline as time passes due to mental fatigue. The purpose for this is because being an Air Force officer will require wit and attentiveness for hours on end. Therefore, if one is able to perform consistently well on the AFOQT their ability to be an officer is promising as well. Although it may seem tedious at first when you look at how long the AFOQT is, it’s that way for a purpose and to prepare you for your future career.
Can You Retake the AFOQT?
So you take the AFOQT and you either don’t meet the requirements for your preferred career training or you just don’t pass the exam in general. Thankfully, if this was your first time attempting the exam, it’s ok. Everyone has two attempts to take the AFOQT. Sometimes, you can be granted a third opportunity to pass the exam but this is rare.
How to approach your attempts
The goal should be to pass the exam on your first attempt. You should be aware of the second attempt to take the pressure off, if that helps you test better, but it should otherwise be seen as only a back-up plan if needed. If your first attempt doesn’t go as planned, you must wait at least 6 months to try again. The test is only offered in the fall and in the spring each year so typically once you get your scores back you have about 6 months before you have another chance to try again anyways. Taking it seriously the first time is the best advice we can offer in respect to your two attempts.
Bouncing back
If you fail the first time you try the AFOQT, don’t worry! There is a reason there are two attempts offered. Many students take advantage of this second attempt whether it is to simply raise their score, become a qualified candidate for a specific career, or to just pass the exam. Looking at your subtest scores and focusing on the subjects you struggled in is the best way for you to improve your score the second time around. Like we mentioned above, you will need to wait 6 months between your first two attempts. Although this may seem inconvenient, especially if you just barely failed the exam, it will ensure that you have more than enough time to study and get yourself prepared to pass the AFOQT exam the next time you take it.
But what about the third attempt?
If you fail the AFOQT exam both times, you can try it once more if you get special permission to do so from the Air Force. Your request will only be considered and granted if you have done outside work to prepare you for your final chance including logged flight hours and perhaps being part of an Air Force ROTC group that is training you. Having or pursuing a degree in an Air Force related subject is also advantageous when asking for a third attempt. Furthermore, this opportunity is rarely given out since most interested students pass the exam within their first two attempts and few meet the special requirements needed for the third attempt since there are no prerequisites for the AFOQT exam’s first two chances.
How to Study Effectively for the AFOQT?
So how do you study for the AFOQT? There are so many topics covered on the AFOQT that it’s hard to cover all of them when you study. The process can be overwhelming because of this variety. Therefore, we suggest the best way to study effectively for the AFOQT is to make a study plan and give yourself enough time to prepare. These two steps will help you be both confident in your studying and help you avoid cramming for the exam at the last minute. This is especially important to avoid on the AFOQT since you want to make the most of your attempts because they are limited. Below we will go more in-depth on how to prepare for the AFOQT.
5 Tips to Ace the AFOQT Test
The steps below will help you ace the AFOQT within your two attempts. “Passing” the AFOQT can simply be defined as meeting the requirements listed above for your ideal career. However, going above and beyond with your studying will be reflective within your score and impressive to training officers. Most importantly, it will improve your confidence and abilities as you advance your training to become an Air Force member. Below we outlined 5 tips to help you know how to study for the AFOQT.
1. Start early
Give yourself enough time to properly prepare for this exam. Take into consideration how few attempts you have. Do you want to waste one or both of them by being lazy during the months leading up to it? Since it helps determine your career path, we hope your answer to that is a no. Starting to study early on will ensure that you have enough time to get to all of the material and it will also help you avoid cramming which is usually not a successful stay tactic.
2. Take FULL practice tests
Usually people take practice tests for exams. However, these are typically by a subject by subject basis. For example, one may take a math subtest practice one day, then word comprehension the next day. Although this is helpful to break up the material and aids you time management, it doesn’t give you a sense of time. Test takers often forget how long the AFOQT truly is so sitting down for the full 4 hours every once and awhile will train your brain to perform for a long period of time.
Additionally, it will help you transition your pacing from one subtest to the next since not all of them are the same length for the same amount of time. We’ve written an article on the best AFOQT study guides to help you out.
3. Narrow your focus
Whether you have already taken the exam or you are simply analyzing your results from a practice test, narrowing your focus on the sections you had a hard time on will be very helpful. For example, if you are an aspiring pilot, but you tested poorly on the pilot section, focus your time on the subtests that contribute to that sub score. Although it can be tempting to spend an equal amount of time preparing for each subtest, at the end of the day, you are more prepared on some sections than you may think. There is little to no use to review material you are confident in when there is so much to cover in total on this exam.
4. Determine your goal
Again, why are you taking this exam? Figure that out and focus on studying for the subtests that will help you get there. Furthermore, why spend time on sections that have nothing to do with your career path? For example, although you have to take the navigation subtest, if you don’t want to be a navigator or a pilot, you score on this section doesn’t matter.
5. Make a schedule and stick to it
Since there is such a variety of subjects on this exam, it is important to split up your study time by subject. Learn to differentiate between subtests that seem similar—they are separate for a reason. Your schedule should relieve some of the pressure felt when studying since it helps you pace yourself with the material to avoid overwhelming feelings associated with the preparation.
Wrapping Things Up: How to Pass the AFOQT Test?
Overall, the AFOQT is a difficult yet manageable test to pass. The steps and advice above will help you master the AFOQT to the extent needed to achieve your goal in terms of your career. At the end of the day, taking your time and preparing sufficiently will ensure a promising score.
Read our post here if you want to know how long AFOQT scores are valid.
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