Aviation officers, what advice do you have for doing well on the SIFT exam?

2017-12-03T01:12:50-05:00

Response by CPT Nicholas D. made Dec 3 at 2017 5:16 AM

2017-12-03T05:16:11-05:00

Grab a commercial off the shelf study guide. Prices vary and you can read reviews online. The SIFT is not “hard”, but will catch you off guard if you are unprepared. I administer SIFTs for our state and only saw one guy bomb it. He shifted gears, studied for 6 months (the required duration before retest) and came back and did pretty well with a score in the mid 60’s. Be thorough. FAA Rotorcraft Hanbook is a good reference for the Aviation knowledge section. I would advise being familiar with how a helicopter flies. The first few subsections are pure aptitude, but you can improve your performance if you know what to expect. Knock the dust off your math comprehension. Don’t need a calculator, but if you haven’t divided or multiplied fractions or done basic geometry or algebra in a while, it can be rough. Mechanical comp is practically the same as the ASVAB. “I pull this rope, pulley B moves...”

Min passing score is a 40. If you pass the first time (even with a 40) you’ll never take the test again. If you fail it, you can retest in 6 months. Your first score will have no impact on your second score. If you fail a second time, you won’t be flying for the Army. Most candidates say the study guides are harder than the exam. Better to be over prepared than under prepared. Good Luck!

Response by WO1 Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 9 at 2018 10:34 AM

2018-01-09T10:34:25-05:00

I read the FAA helicopter manual front to back. Found a PDF on google. General understanding!