ASTB-E · AFOQT · SIFT

How many shots do you get?

Every service's pilot test has its own retake rules, and they trip people up: one counts your newest score even when it's lower, one keeps your best, and one locks you in the moment you pass. Here they are side by side.

ASTB-E

Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard pilots and flight officers. OAR is its officer part.
3 TRIES, EVER
Wait
30 full calendar days from finishing one test to starting the next. No waivers.
Which score counts
Your newest, even if it's lower.
A retest means the whole battery again; you can't mix parts from different tries.
Guessing
It's adaptive. Don't random-guess in the last seconds; it usually hurts more than leaving items unanswered.

AFOQT

Air Force and Space Force officers: OTS, ROTC, and pilot, CSO and air battle manager boards.
2 TRIES (3RD WITH A WAIVER)
Wait
At least 90 days between tests (it was 180 until 2021).
Which score counts
Your best: each composite is super-scored across every try, pilot boards included.
Guessing
Wrong answers cost nothing. Never leave a blank.
To commission
At least the 15th percentile on Verbal and the 10th on Quantitative.

SIFT

Army aviation: warrant officer flight training and aviation officers.
2 TRIES, EVER
Pass
40 on a 20 to 80 scale.
Which score counts
Pass once and it's locked: you can't retake for a higher score.
Fail both tries and you're out of Army aviation.
Wait
Army pages disagree: the regulation's 2023 revision puts the retest on the 46th day, while some Guard education offices still say 180 days. Ask your test control officer.
Guessing
Simple Drawings and Hidden Figures take points off for wrong answers: don't guess. Aviation, Spatial and Reading count blanks as wrong: guess. Math and Mechanical are adaptive: don't random-guess at the end.

When can I test again?

Pick the test and the date to see your earliest retest day.

Study the part you can study

Most of these tests measure aptitude, but every one of them has an aviation-knowledge section that rewards study: parts of the airplane, instruments, airspace, weather, flight rules. Our free Drone Ticket guide covers airspace, weather and sectional charts from the FAA's own handbooks, with the source on every answer.

Drone Ticket (free) Which way is up? (instrument game) Talk like a controller Water jobs from your ASVAB

Not official, and not tied to the Navy, Air Force, Army or any recruiter. Rules change; your recruiter or test control officer has the final word.

Sources

  1. ASTB-E: Naval Aerospace Medical Institute, Department 53OP Operational Psychology page and ASTB FAQ (med.navy.mil), read October 10, 2026.
  2. AFOQT: Pearson VUE AFOQT page (tries and waiver); Air Education and Training Command, "AFOQT: Breaking the Language Barrier" and Air Force Times, Oct. 7, 2021 (90-day wait, super-scoring); Air Force Accessions Center OTS selection notes (Verbal 15, Quantitative 10).
  3. SIFT: Army Personnel Testing "Frequently Asked Questions about the SIFT" (Minnesota National Guard copy) and the Pennsylvania National Guard Army Personnel Testing page; AR 611-110 (2023 revision) as cited by prep sites.