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Air Force Officer Qualifying Test (AFOQT) |
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Before earning a commission in the U.S. Air Force, you must take (and pass) the AFOQT. The test measures your aptitudes in certain areas and is used for selection to certain training programs (i.e., pilot and combat systems officer). The exam is similar to the SAT or ACT and takes roughly 4-5 hours to complete. The Det 800 staff administers the test each semester at the University of Tennessee. The exam is comprised of 12 subtests: (1) Verbal Analogies, (2) Arithmetic Reasoning, (3) Word Knowledge, (4) Math Knowledge, (5) Instrument Comprehension, (6) Block Counting, (7) Table Reading, (8) Aviation Information, (9) General Science, (10) Rotated Blocks, (11) Hidden Figures, and (12) Self-Description Inventory.
You will be given a score in each of these 5 areas: (1) Pilot, (2) Combat System Officer, (3) Academic Aptitude, (4) Verbal, and (5) Quantitative (Math).
Scores are normally tabulated and returned to you within 1-week after taking the test. In order to pass, you must score at least 15 (percentile) on the Verbal portion and 10 on the Quantitative portion. There is no minimum score on the Academic Aptitude portion. If you have aspirations of becoming a pilot, you must achieve at least a 25 Pilot score and a 10 Combat Systems Officer score. However, you must have a combined Pilot and Combat Systems Officer score of 50.
If you are on scholarship through the High School Scholarship Program (HSSP), you must take the AFOQT during the fall semester of your freshman year. All other cadets must take the AFOQT before commissioning or scholarship activation.
You may only take the AFOQT twice, and you must wait at least 6-months after taking it the first time. It is highly recommended that you prepare for the exam before taking it. There are various study guides available for purchase (i.e., ARCO, Barron's, etc.) and/or online resources.
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Test of Basic Aviation Skills (TBAS) |
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The TBAS aids in the selection of Air Force pilot candidates by measuring psychomotor and cognitive skills known to be correlated with pilot training performance. The test is comprised of 10 subtests and takes approximately 1-hour to complete (several of the tests are self-paced, which means actual test times may vary).
The results of your TBAS are combined with your AFOQT Pilot score and your flight hour experience (if applicable) to compute a Pilot Candidate Selection Method (PCSM) score. Scores are typically computed within a day or two.
If you wish to pursue a career as an Air Force pilot, you must take the TBAS at some point before or during the fall semester of your junior year. Like the AFOQT, you may take the TBAS only twice, waiting at least 6-months after taking it the first time. Therefore, we recommend you take it at some point during your freshman or sophomore year so you'll have time to retake it if you score poorly the first time.
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