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Pilot and flight-officer selection · checked Nov 6, 2026

How to become a military pilot: the test each branch uses

Updated Nov 6, 2026

Every service that trains pilots screens them with an aptitude battery first, and five services share three batteries between them. The Air Force combines the AFOQT, the TBAS and your flying hours into a PCSM score. The ASTB-E serves the Navy, the Marine Corps and the Coast Guard. Army aviation uses the SIFT. Scales, minimums and retake limits differ more than the names suggest.

AFOQT, ASTB-E and SIFT compared

The figure that decides Air Force pilot selection is PCSM, which combines the AFOQT with two other inputs (next section). Checked Nov 6, 2026; each source number points to the list below.
AttributeAFOQTAir Force Officer Qualifying TestPractice ASTB-EAviation Selection Test BatteryPractice SIFTSelection Instrument for Flight TrainingPractice
Who takes it [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8]Air Force and Space Force officer applicants (Officer Training School, AFROTC) and every Air Force pilot, CSO and ABM applicantApplicants for Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard flight training (pilot and naval flight officer); its first three subtests (the OAR) also serve Navy Officer Candidate SchoolApplicants for Army aviation, both warrant officer flight training (WOFT, 153A) and commissioned aviation (ROTC, OCS, West Point cadets)
Run by [1][4][5][6][9]The U.S. Air Force; its Air Force Personnel Center (AFPC) owns the test, and Pearson VUE delivers the computer version (eAFOQT)The U.S. Navy's Naval Aerospace Medical Institute (NAMI), Operational Psychology departmentU.S. Army Personnel Testing (APT), Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff, G-1
Format [1][4][5][6][9]Fixed-length timed subtests on a computer at a Pearson VUE test center (not adaptive); a voucher from your recruiter or test control officer is required to scheduleComputer-adaptive in the APEX system for MST, RCT, MCT, ANIT and NATFI, with no skipping, no going back and no changing an answer; PBM is a timed device-based batteryWeb-based only, on a monitored secure server; MST and MCT are adaptive, the other five subtests have fixed items and time limits
Subtests [1][4][5][6][9]12 subtests, 7 composites6 subtests (MST, RCT, MCT, ANIT, NATFI, PBM)7 subtests (SD, HF, AAIT, SAT, RCT, MST, MCT)
Time at the testThe figure each owner gives for the whole sitting. [1][5][6][9]About five hours including breaks; every subtest has its own time limit2 hours to 3 hours 15 minutes for the full batteryUp to 3 hours, including check-in, setup and an optional break; many people finish in about 2 hours
Score scale [4][6][9][10]Composite percentiles from 1 to 99 against the applicant norm group, not percent correctOAR 20–80 in one-point steps; AQR, PFAR and FOFAR as stanines 1–9One score from 20 to 80 (mean 50, standard deviation 10); pass or fail shows on screen when you finish
Minimum scores [6][7][8][11][12][13][14][15]Verbal 15 and Quantitative 10 to commission; Pilot 25 for pilot and RPA pilot, CSO 25 for CSO, ABM 25 for ABM (rated minimums, not waivable)as of Nov 6, 2026published by AFROTC detachments citing DAFMAN 36-2664; check with your recruiter or detachmentAQR 4 and PFAR 5 for Navy pilots (SNA), AQR 4 and FOFAR 5 for Navy naval flight officers (SNFO), and AQR 4 and PFAR 5 for Coast Guard flight training (Navy program authorization of November 2023; Coast Guard solicitation of September 2023)as of Nov 6, 2026program minimums change; check with your recruiter40 to apply for Army aviation, with no waivers; the minimum may change as the SIFT is validated
Retakes [4][5][6][7][9][10][16]Wait at least 90 days between attempts; two attempts, a third only with an approved waiverAt most 3 attempts at the current version (OAR and ASTB-E attempts count together), at least 30 full calendar days apart, and the whole battery is retaken each timeTwo attempts at most; a passing score ends testing for good, a fail allows one retest, and a second fail ends Army aviation eligibility
Cost [5][6][9]FreeFree; English onlyFree; English only

Air Force: AFOQT, then TBAS, then PCSM

Air Force pilot and remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) pilot applicants clear two bars. The first is the AFOQT. AFROTC detachments publish its minimums this way: Verbal 15 and Quantitative 10 to commission; Pilot 25 for pilot and RPA pilot, CSO 25 for CSO, ABM 25 for ABM (rated minimums, not waivable). Which four subtests make up the Pilot composite is on AFOQT scores.

The second is PCSM. It joins your Pilot composite, the TBAS (about 75 minutes of hand-and-eye tasks) and your civilian flying hours into one score. The Air Force Reserve publishes a PCSM floor of 10. How each input counts, and why no calculator can reproduce the result, is on PCSM score.

We have checked age and degree rules only for the Air Force Reserve. Its flying training (pilot, combat systems officer, air battle manager) takes applicants who are not past their 33rd birthday and have no more than 8 years of commissioned service by the board date, with a 4-year degree or within one semester of one.

Army: the SIFT for warrant and commissioned aviators

Army aviation uses one test, the SIFT, for warrant officer flight training and for commissioned aviators from ROTC, OCS and West Point. Minimum: 40 to apply for Army aviation, with no waivers; the minimum may change as the SIFT is validated. Warrant officer applicants also need an ASVAB General Technical (GT) score of 110. The Army's recruiting site, goarmy.com, asks aviation applicants to be 18 to 33 years old, a U.S. citizen or green-card holder, with a finished high school education or the equivalent, and able to get a Secret clearance.

Its retake rule is the strictest of the three. You get two attempts at most: a pass ends testing for good, a fail allows one retest, and a second fail ends Army aviation eligibility. How soon the retest may come is published two ways: the Army's FAQ for the test says from the 181st day, the Aviation Branch cadet page (Fort Rucker) after 45 days, so confirm the date with whoever schedules you. The service commitment and the rest of the Army's entry rules are on Army flight school requirements.

Retakes, drawn out

AFOQT: two attempts at least 90 days apart, a third only by waiver. The TBAS keeps its own count: up to three administrations, at least 90 days apart.

  1. Attempt 1

    first sitting

  2. Attempt 2

    ≥ 90 days later

  3. Attempt 3

    approved waiver only

ASTB-E and OAR, attempts counted together, the whole battery each time.

  1. Attempt 1

    first sitting

  2. Attempt 2

    ≥ 30 full days later

  3. Attempt 3

    ≥ 30 full days later; the last one

SIFT. A pass ends testing for good.

  1. Attempt 1

    fail: one retest left

  2. Retest

    181st day (FAQ) or 45 days (Fort Rucker)

  3. Second fail

    Army aviation eligibility ends

What the tests leave out

A selection battery is one gate among several. Height, vision and other medical standards sit outside these tests, and this page gives age and degree rules only where noted above. The recruiter, ROTC detachment or officer selection officer handling your application applies the current version to your case. The practice pages for each battery are on the AFOQT, ASTB-E and SIFT guides.

Pilot selection: common questions

Do flying hours help you become an Air Force pilot?

They count toward PCSM up to a cap that AFPC states two ways: 60 hours in its FAQ, 41+ hours as the new maximum on its PCSM home page. Logged hours count; a private pilot certificate by itself adds nothing. More on PCSM score.

What score does Army flight school ask for?

At least 40 on the 20–80 scale, with no waivers. Warrant officer applicants also need a GT score of 110 on the ASVAB.

Can you retake the ASTB-E as often as you want?

No: at most 3 attempts at the current version (OAR and ASTB-E attempts count together), at least 30 full calendar days apart, and the whole battery is retaken each time. The latest attempt is the one that counts, even if it is lower.

Does the Army or the Navy use a PCSM score?

No. PCSM belongs to Air Force pilot selection. The Army reads its own flight-aptitude score, and the three sea services read the ASTB-E ratings.

Sources

with the date we checked each

  1. [1]AFPC: AFOQT Information Pamphlet, Form T (updated August 2015, PDF) access.afpc.af.milchecked Nov 6, 2026
  2. [2]Air Force ROTC: academic requirements afrotc.comchecked Nov 6, 2026
  3. [3]U.S. Space Force: officer paths spaceforce.comchecked Nov 6, 2026
  4. [4]NAMI, Department 53OP Operational Psychology: the ASTB-E (archived May 2026; the live page blocks automated access) web.archive.orgchecked Nov 6, 2026
  5. [5]NAMI: ASTB-E frequently asked questions (archived October 2026) web.archive.orgchecked Nov 6, 2026
  6. [6]Army Personnel Testing: SIFT frequently asked questions, version 2.0 (February 2024 PDF, Minnesota National Guard copy) mn.govchecked Nov 6, 2026
  7. [7]U.S. Army Aviation Branch, Fort Rucker: cadets and candidates home.army.milchecked Nov 6, 2026
  8. [8]Washington Army National Guard: aviation careers mil.wa.govchecked Nov 6, 2026
  9. [9]Pearson VUE: AFOQT (updated August 2026) pearsonvue.comchecked Nov 6, 2026
  10. [10]AFPC: AFOQT FAQ access.afpc.af.milchecked Nov 6, 2026
  11. [11]Montana State University AFROTC Det 450: AFOQT montana.educhecked Nov 6, 2026
  12. [12]Rutgers AFROTC Det 485: AFOQT (Table 14.1, minimum AFOQT scores) afrotc.rutgers.educhecked Nov 6, 2026
  13. [13]Navy Personnel Command: Program Authorization 106, OCS Pilot and NFO (November 2023, PDF) mynavyhr.navy.milchecked Nov 6, 2026
  14. [14]Navy Personnel Command: Program Authorization 150D, STA-21 Pilot and NFO (March 2022, PDF) mynavyhr.navy.milchecked Nov 6, 2026
  15. [15]U.S. Coast Guard: ALCGOFF 050/23, flight training solicitation (September 2023) content.govdelivery.comchecked Nov 6, 2026
  16. [16]Air Force Reserve: AFRC Undergraduate Flying Training guidebook (February 2023, PDF) airforce.comchecked Nov 6, 2026