Air Force Officer Qualifying Test
| Acronym | AFOQT |
|---|---|
| Type | Computer-based standardized test |
| Administrator | United States Department of the Air Force |
| Skills tested | Verbal, quantitative, spatial, aviation, perceptual speed, situational judgment, and personality-related measures |
| Purpose | Selection for Department of the Air Force officer commissioning programs and classification into officer training programs |
| Year started | 1953 |
| Duration | About five hours including breaks[1] |
| Score range | Composite percentile scores from 1 to 99 for Pilot, Combat Systems Officer, Air Battle Manager, Academic Aptitude, Verbal, and Quantitative composites[1][2] |
| Score validity | No expiration date for valid Form T scores; superscoring is used across composites[2] |
| Offered | By appointment; voucher required[1] |
| Restrictions on attempts | At least 90 days between administrations; a third administration requires a waiver[2] |
| Regions | United States |
| Languages | English |
| Prerequisites | Eligibility verified through a recruiter or test control officer |
| Fee | Free of charge; voucher required |
| Used by | Department of the Air Force officer accession, selection, and classification programs |
| Website | www |
The Air Force Officer Qualifying Test (AFOQT) is a standardized test used by the United States Department of the Air Force to select applicants for officer commissioning programs, including Officer Training School (OTS) and the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps (AFROTC).[1] Department of the Air Force policy describes the AFOQT as a commissioning requirement and as a test used to classify commissioned officers into utilization specialties such as pilot, combat systems officer, air battle manager, or technical specialties.[2]
Test sections
The AFOQT consists of 516 multiple choice questions across 12 timed subtests, with the exam lasting about five hours including breaks.[1] The Self-Description Inventory is included in the test but is not graded.
| Section | Abbreviation | Time (minutes) | Questions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Verbal Analogies | VA | 8 | 25 |
| Arithmetic Reasoning | AR | 29 | 25 |
| Word Knowledge | WK | 5 | 25 |
| Math Knowledge | MK | 22 | 25 |
| Reading Comprehension | RC | 24 | 25 |
| Situational Judgment | SJ | 35 | 16 |
| Self-Description Inventory | SDI | 45 | 240 |
| Physical Science | PS | 10 | 20 |
| Table Reading | TR | 7 | 40 |
| Instrument Comprehension | IC | 5 | 25 |
| Block Counting | BC | 5 | 30 |
| Aviation Information | AI | 8 | 20 |
Composite scores
AFOQT scores are reported through composite scores in the areas of pilot, combat systems officer (CSO), air battle manager (ABM), academic aptitude, verbal, and quantitative. Composite scores are reported as percentiles from 1 to 99, reflecting an examinee's ranking on that composite against a reference population.[2]
| Composite | Total Score |
|---|---|
| Pilot | MK + TR + IC + AI |
| CSO | VA + AR + MK + PS + TR + BC |
| ABM | VA + WK + RC + TR + IC + AI |
| Academic Aptitude | VA + AR + WK + MK + RC |
| Verbal | VA + WK + RC |
| Quantitative | AR + MK |
Use in officer candidate selection
The AFOQT is one of several factors considered by officer selection boards. The AFOQT is also used for selection into rated training programs. For pilot and remotely piloted aircraft applicants, the AFOQT pilot composite is used with the Test of Basic Aviation Skills and logged flying hours to calculate the Pilot Candidate Selection Method score.[2]
The AFOQT was first administered in 1953. The first version, later designated Form A, was developed for selecting officers for advanced Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps training. During the 1950s, use of the test expanded to pilot selection, officer candidate school, the Air Force Reserve, and the Air National Guard. New forms have been introduced periodically to preserve test security, update obsolete content, and improve prediction of officer success.[3]
Minimum scores
The Department of the Air Force has established minimum AFOQT standards for commissioning and classification in officer commissioning programs. The general commissioning minimums are a Verbal score of 15 and a Quantitative score of 10. Rated applicants must also meet the minimum for the relevant rated composite.[2]
| Officer Type | Verbal | Quantitative | Pilot | CSO | ABM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Any | 15 | 10 | |||
| Pilot | 15 | 10 | 25 | no min | no min |
| Combat Systems Officer | 15 | 10 | no min | 25 | no min |
| Air Battle Manager | 15 | 10 | no min | no min | 25 |
Validity and psychometric research
The AFOQT has been the subject of research in military psychology, aviation psychology, and personnel selection. A 1996 factor-analytic study found that the AFOQT was best represented by a hierarchical model with general cognitive ability and five lower-order factors: verbal, math, spatial, aircrew, and perceptual speed.[4]
A RAND Corporation review of AFOQT research concluded that the test predicts important Air Force outcomes and reviewed questions about its validity, fairness, bias, cost, and possible replacement by the SAT.[3] A 2010 study in Military Psychology examined 10,542 officers in 14 non-rated technical training courses and found that 63 of 70 observed correlations between AFOQT composites and average technical training grades were statistically significant.[5] A 2020 meta-analysis examined the predictive validity of AFOQT subtests and the Pilot composite for pilot performance.[6]
See also
- Air Force Officer Training School
- Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery
- Test of Basic Aviation Skills
References
- ^ a b c d e "Air Force Officer Qualifying Test (AFOQT)". Pearson VUE. Retrieved May 10, 2026.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Department of the Air Force Manual 36-2664: Personnel Assessment Program" (PDF). Department of the Air Force. January 17, 2025.
- ^ a b Hardison, Chaitra M.; Sims, Carra S.; Wong, Eunice C. (2010). The Air Force Officer Qualifying Test: Validity, Fairness, and Bias (Report). RAND Corporation. TR-744-AF.
- ^ Carretta, Thomas R.; Ree, Malcolm James (1996-03-01). "Factor Structure of the Air Force Officer Qualifying Test: Analysis and Comparison". Military Psychology. 8 (1): 29–42. doi:10.1207/s15327876mp0801_3. ISSN 0899-5605.
- ^ Carretta, Thomas R. (2010). "Predictive Validity of the Air Force Officer Qualifying Test for Non-Rated Officer Specialties". Military Psychology. 22 (4): 450–464. doi:10.1080/08995605.2010.513261.
- ^ ALMamari, Khalid; Traynor, Anne (2020). "Predictive Validity of the Air Force Officer Qualifying Test (AFOQT) for Pilot Performance". Aviation Psychology and Applied Human Factors. 10 (2): 70–81. doi:10.1027/2192-0923/a000190. ISSN 2192-0923.