Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)I am reviewing this book with respect to the AFOQT, which I recently took and achieved a near-perfect score: 99 (highest possible) in Pilot, Navigator-Technical, Academic Aptitude, and Quantitative, and 95 in Verbal. I credit this book in large part for my score being that high. (Although, obviously, not everyone will score that high just because they studied this book. I've always been a good student and test taker.)
I want to stress right now, before I rip the book to shreds, that __I found it very helpful__ in preparing for the AFOQT. I managed to complete every subtest, which I'm told is very rare; I definitely would not have accomplished this without having taken practice exams first. (Two AFOQT practice tests are in this book.) I recommend this book to those who are studying for the exam, but with some significant caveats. So, with that said, I must be bluntly honest about the contents of the book itself.
SHORTCOMINGS
1) The book is fairly poorly put together. For example, I didn't even read Chapter 2 (pp. 19-68) because it's fifty pages of irrelevant information: specification tables and associated descriptions of aircraft after aircraft currently in use by the US military (weight, dimensions, payload, range, manufacturer, etc.). Who cares? The book's declared purpose is to help people prepare for the military standardized exams, and that's why I bought it. But, those tests do not cover this information. So, while this chapter may be interesting, it is completely useless for studying for these exams, and it should be omitted. It is a waste of time, and it fills nearly one quarter of the text proper. (The non-practice-test portion ends on page 228.)
2) The book contains many errors, even within the practice tests/answers (at least for the AFOQT, which were the only two I took). This didn't bother me much because I'd read this about the book before buying it, and I'd decided to turn it into a challenge to identify such errors---you know you understand the material when you can do so. (You shouldn't ever just memorize what you read, in school or in this book; always seek to *understand*.) A simple example: the diagram at the top of page 162 is just flat-out wrong. It depicts the three axes of motion for an aircraft, but all labels associated with the lateral and longitudinal axes are swapped. (Search Google *Images* for, precisely, "airplane axes aviatorthings" for a very similar, but correct, diagram. See the difference?)
3) One study area I specifically found to be lacking in this book was a section on basic aviation systems and protocols. It wouldn't need to be exhaustive, but a little coverage of some ubiquitous systems would be helpful. For example, a brief description of VOR. What do taxiway or runway lights do? (e.g. for glide slope, on landing) Or plane lights? What colors are all of these, and what do they mean? Are they solid or flashing? etc. I found a few of these sorts of questions did actually show up on both the practice and real exams. There were only a few, but it's enough to justify at least a short section covering them. (Omit Chapter 2; add a sub-section or two containing this information under "Aviation Information" in Chapter 7.)
OTHER COMMENTS
I did not read Chapter 6 (Mathematics Review Information), although I did quickly flip through it. This is because my formal training is as an engineer, and this level of mathematics was surpassed long ago. It appears to me that the section should be sufficient review for the test, although I'd definitely recommend that people practice the really basic stuff to attain speed and accuracy. In other words, practice your multiplication and long division skills on paper, because they're major time-consumers on the exam, and they crop up a lot. And learn to estimate if your answers make sense.
Also, I read much of Chapter 5 (Language Review Information), but not all of it. Specifically, I did not read through the full listing of definitions for the nouns, verbs, and adjectives. I have a decent vocabulary, and most of the words were already familiar to me. This section might be useful to some, but I find that word knowledge and understanding comes more with use than just with a reading of a definition (though that is important as well). Personally, I found the information earlier in the chapter to be more helpful, but I can understand why the vocabulary lists are included.
SUMMARY
The book itself is only mediocre. But, the practice tests are invaluable. If you buy this book, TAKE THOSE TESTS! And, do so in as close to real-test conditions as possible. They more than make-up for other short-comings, errors and all. Also, skip Chapter 2, since it's simply a waste of time; instead, do a little outside reading on common aviation systems (e.g. VOR, compasses, meanings of light colors+flashing/solid on planes/runways/whatever, etc. You don't need to get into extreme nitty-gritty details, but look at the basics of the common systems.). Above all, take those tests, and apply what you learn! Time constraints are MAJOR factors in taking the AFOQT.
Read my two comments below if you want to see how I compare the book's practice tests to the real test in terms of difficulty, and also if you want to see a listing of the errors I identified in the two practice tests. (I felt that including them in the review itself, while still relevant, would make it far too long.)
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Barron's Military Flight Aptitude TestsU.S. Air Force officer candidates, ROTC cadets, and others preparing to take military flight aptitude tests will find the information they're looking for in this manual. They'll also find six full-length practice tests with answers and explanations for all questions. That total gives applicants more practice tests than any other flight aptitude manual on the market. The tests are as follows: two practice AFOQT (Air Force Officer Qualifying Tests); two practice AFAST (Army Alternate Flight Aptitude Selection Tests); and two practice ASTB (Navy/Marine Corps/Coast Guard Aviation Selection Test Batteries). This manual also provides general descriptions and overviews of all three tests, plus practice and review questions in all test topics. The topics include language comprehension, mathematics, mechanical comprehension, aviation information, nautical information, general science, and specific mental skills such as block counting, finding hidden figures and complex movements, cyclic orientation, and spatial apperception. The author also gives practical advice on effective study techniques, how to find information resources, and physical preparation.
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