Master The Officer Candidate Tests: Targeted Test Prep to Jump-Start Your Career (Peterson's Master the Officer Candidate Tests) [Paperback]

Scott A. Ostrow (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 20, 2009 | ISBN-10: 0768927943 | ISBN-13: 978-0768927948 | Edition: 8

Every year, the U.S. Armed Forces commissions thousands of new officers. Master the Officer Candidate Tests provides candidates with the preparation they need to achieve high scores on the required qualifying exam. Key topics for each military branch’s-specific exam are covered in detail, from verbal reasoning and math to mechanics and electronics. Test takers are also provided with the most current information on career opportunities in the military, with specific job descriptions for all five branches.

Product Details

• Paperback: 364 pages
• Publisher: Peterson's; 8 edition (April 20, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0768927943
• ISBN-13: 978-0768927948
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 0.8 x 11 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #22,179 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #29 in Books > Education & Reference > Education > Test Guides - Careers
  • #55 in Books > History > Military Science

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars It's a great start, July 10, 2009

By 

Shortshooter (State of Jefferson) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Master The Officer Candidate Tests: Targeted Test Prep to Jump-Start Your Career (Peterson's Master the Officer Candidate Tests) (Paperback)

I took the AFOQT this past Wednesday and this book (as well as two others "Peterson's flight" and "Barron's flight") were very helpful, but even they have a lot that they've left out. The rotated blocks in this book aren't anything like the rotated blocks on the test; the ones on the test are much more difficult, and the math sections are much more difficult on the test than in the book. But this is a great product and it will definitely help you score higher but you need a GRE book to really get the nitty gritty in the math sections.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars DON'T TAKE AN OFFICER TEST STUDYING FROM THIS BOOK ALONE!, January 9, 2011

By 

Joshua Contreras (USS KITTYHAWK FPO, AP United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Master The Officer Candidate Tests: Targeted Test Prep to Jump-Start Your Career (Peterson's Master the Officer Candidate Tests) (Paperback)

This is a great guide to have and study from but it will not fully prepare you for the actual test questions. My review is based off taking the OAR (Officer Aptitude Rating) of the Navy's ASTB.

This guide book has a lot of good information beyond just the test prep questions so it is a good one to have in your arsenal for preparing for any of the officer tests and what you need to do to become in officer. From my experience I recommend adding these other items to study from:

The OAR tests you on your math, mechanical, and reading skill level. To get the most from this guide book read all sections related to the test your going to take no matter the branch, for example read ALL math sections to prepare for your math test.

REGARDING OAR SECTIONS:
The mechanical section of this book is EXTREMELY lacking in information, in comparison to the actual OAR's mechanical section questions. To help with this all you need is a basic high school level physics book. Which I picked one up at my local library. It takes about two weeks to read ALL chapters, if you do one or two a day. Don't bother with the nuke sections if it has it. Lastly google or yahoo "pulleys" and "levers". I found that neither this guide nor the physics book went into enough detail like the OAR questions actual do about these two things. A quick read on all the basics (types and classes) of these two will do.

The math section of this book is ok, to enhance it read more than just the few sections dedicated to just the OAR math section, look at all the branch's math areas. The actual test covers basic algebra, advanced algebra, geometry, and beyond. About 5 or more questions will be very hard, a bonus for those with engineering and nuke related degrees. If you want to add an extra study guide for this I recommend picking up a GRE math study guide.

The reading section for the OAR is adequate. The actual test questions are simple they just require that you remember to focus and read fast but carefully.

Right now it is very competitive out there. Getting a good score is a plus. My recruiter said people now need to get in the 50's or higher to even be considered a candidate, which wasn't so 5-10 years ago. So I highly recommend increasing your studying past this book. Also, there are a few typos in the question and answer sections, but they are not hard to spot when you run into them.

Good luck!

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Well, I'm not sure if it helped, but it gave me an idea of what to expect., January 31, 2010

By 

A. Nolan "PBP" (MT) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Master The Officer Candidate Tests: Targeted Test Prep to Jump-Start Your Career (Peterson's Master the Officer Candidate Tests) (Paperback)

I started reading and using this book roughly two months prior to taking the AFOQT. I would definitely say it helped prepare me to some degree, at least the tips. The tips are mainly that you should expect to do the test quickly, if you don't know a question, move on and don't worry about it until later. Also it gives you a reasonably good idea of what kinds of questions to expect.

If you've never taken an officer candidate exam, you really won't be able to fully prepare. However, I do still feel that the vocabulary section helped me. I actually did the tests quite a few times and realized there were indeed some words which I didn't know the meaning to, and many of those appeared on the test.

Don't beat yourself up if you don't feel proficient at the pretests in the book; the actual test was easier than the pre-tests. The thing that the book preaches mainly is, think quickly, answer the question, move on.

If you aren't sharp on your math skills, or vocabulary, you should take at least an AP math in high school or college math, and begin to read some books. This will help sharpen your math and verbal skills. Of course, you can't become an officer without a degree so what is the point in taking the test if you aren't planning on finishing a degree?

I won't lie, when you take the test your head will feel like its on fire! So get some sleep before you take the test, and do your normal routine, if you normally skip breakfast then skip breakfast. The book will tell you all of this, but in more words and more detail.

Overall the book helps ease your nerves about the test, but it won't prepare you entirely. So practice the pre-tests, read the sections applicable to your branch, and follow the directions and you should do reasonably well.

If you're curious how I scored, I scored well enough to be a pilot, navigator and basically any other job. So, did it work? That's anybody's guess, but the vocab section did help a bit.