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SIFT - Tested 8/26/16


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Ladies and gents, future aviators, I would like to drop a little bit of information about the SIFT. My goal is to curb your test anxiety. Don't be nervous like I was - the AC was broken (Ft. Leonard Wood), and my test crashed. In the end nervousness will cost you precious points. If you're curious I scored a 69.

 

FYI I studied the Accepted, INC SIFT study guide and the Test Prep Books SIFT study guide. I purchased both from Amazon.

 

https://www.amazon.com/SIFT-Study-Guide-Practice-Questions/dp/1941743641/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1472271521&sr=8-2&keywords=SIFT

 

https://www.amazon.com/SIFT-Study-Guide-Selection-Instrument/dp/1517354188/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1472271521&sr=8-4&keywords=SIFT

 

Just know that the books won't tell you exactly what is on the test but will at least familiarize you with what will be on there. The only sections that are worth a sh*t in my opinion are maybe the first three. Even then they won't completely match the test. Better the devil you kind of know than the devil you don't, though.

 

Simple Drawings - 2 minutes is actually a good amount of time. Just don't stress out and scan and click your way through. You can hover your cursor above the 5 little figures because you are clicking the figure that is different. So don't worry about having to hit A, B, C, or D.

 

Hidden Figures - The study guides are harder. Each section has different figures too in the study guides. Unlike the book the test uses the same figures over and over. Literally you have the same 5 or so shapes below a drawing for ALL 50 drawings. It is a little less complicated than the two SIFT guides I studied. I only answered 32/50 - oops.

 

EDIT: Just to clarify - when I said less complicated I meant there are fewer figures in the image on the SIFT than there were in the books I studied. Less spaghetti in the bowl so the image is less busy.

 

Army Aviation Information Test. - Just read the FAA Helicopter handbook. sh*t. And if you don't have time you're pushing too hard. Also, know the different Army helicopters and the roles they serve. There might be some information outside of the FAA book but you'll be fine.

 

Spacial Test - Study at least one book. Just know that the figures in the book wont match the figures on the test but it will give you an idea of what to look out for. Read through the example section and you will be golden.

 

Reading Comprehension - Maybe scan one of the books to know what a main topic is or a theme but don't waste your time on this section unless you really don't comprehend what you're reading. Also, you only really deal with a paragraph at a time. Not autobiographies like in the practice books.

 

Math Skills Test - If you really want to prepare for this maybe look at one of the books to see what topics are covered and head over to https://www.khanacademy.org/

 

Mechanical Comprehension - Just whip through one of the sections to familiarize yourself with physics concepts. Mostly common sense.

 

In the end each section has an example section that doesn't count against your time. If you're really the nervous type just read through that section and ease your way into whatever section you're dealing with.

 

Good luck!

 

ALSO,

 

I have those two books if anyone wants them. I offered them to friends but no one seems interested. Just e-mail me at gudavand@gmail.com

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Great post.

 

If you have the pre-SIFT jitters, don't worry, nearly everyone does. If you study and have given yourself practice tests then you should do fine. Don't let over-thinking stop you!

 

Also...

 

If anyone would like a SIFT guide for FREE please PM me. Additionally, I do not want to just send this to anyone. Don't PM me unless you are dead serious about going through with the process. I would hate for this to go to someone that will use it to collect dust.

 

EDIT: No longer available.

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I had a completely opposite experience.

 

Pretty good test taker, no nerves going in and I totally bombed it.

 

I did okay on the simple drawings. Think I made it to 87, but got at least five wrong from trying to go too fast.

 

Hidden figures was the toughest thing I've ever done. So much harder than the practice tests I did. I went through the various stages of panic on this section. At first I thought I'd get it together and start recognizing them, then I began shitting myself, and at the end I was resigned to just laughing at how poorly I did. I didn't get many of these at all.

 

I felt great about the aviation section. I put a lot of study time into it. There were a couple questions that it would've taken extensive reading of the FAA handbook or a private pilot's license to get. Airspace questions mainly. But know military helicopter roles and flight controls. How inputs effect the helicopter.

 

I was solid on the math.

 

No problems on the reading.

 

Did well on the spatial apperception. You get the hang of it and have plenty of time to go back and review earlier questions.

 

Mechanical portion kicked my ass. I'm not naturally mechanically inclined and I should've focused more study time into this section.

 

I haven't felt like this during and after a test since early college. Completely humbled me. I studied more than I typically do for tests, but I could've and should've done more I guess. But no amount of studying could've helped on the hidden figures I'm afraid. My test also crashed for an hour in the middle. As much as I'd like to blame that, it's on me.

 

SIFT score: 55

 

ASVAB AFQT: 96

 

GT: 131

 

They must've given me someone else's score for the ASVAB.

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Eljay,

 

I was extremely worried about the hidden figures. I read a few posts on these forums though where people said they did terrible and still got a decent score. That was my only confidence boost. I honestly couldn't have studied for the math portion of the SIFT other than completely reviewing all of Khan Academy. Actually my Math and Mechanical section both stopped before I ran out of time...I was worried I did so poorly the test was like...just stop. Now. The aviation section did have a few questions for me that you would only know if you have a private pilots license...but I don't think it's enough to freak out about. Just take the hit and know you can still do pretty well in my opinion. I wouldn't say you bombed it...maybe didn't score as high as you wanted but you are still above average. People get selected from what I've read with scores in the 40s. Are you a current aviator? Next step for me is a flight physical in two weeks from now.

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Hidden figures was the toughest thing I've ever done. So much harder than the practice tests I did. I went through the various stages of panic on this section. At first I thought I'd get it together and start recognizing them, then I began shitting myself, and at the end I was resigned to just laughing at how poorly I did. I didn't get many of these at all.

 

I second this. The hidden figures on the SIFT were WAY harder than they were in the practice tests. I read the "secret" (as they say in the study guide) to squint when looking at them and the shape will pop out. It worked for me on the practice tests, but unfortunately didn't help at all on the SIFT. Still, I scored pretty well on the SIFT so I think you just have to get a couple of the hidden figures to pass that section.

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Let me drop some actual SIFT tips on ya'll in regards to the "hidden figures" section...

 

I've actually got a legitimate trick for this one. I have taken the SIFT and the AFOQT and I can remember finishing the hidden figures section in both tests feeling confident i got a 100%.

 

Here is the trick....

 

AFOQTGuideHiddenFigureExample5.gifAFOQTGuideHiddenFigures.gif

 

What you want to do is find the most convoluted portion of the picture.. Where does it look the most confusing?? Usually that is the location they are able to best hide something..

 

I would argue that the bottom right quarter quadrant has the most stuff going on... And once I have that information, I scour that section and finding the answer "C" becomes fairly simple..

 

As I said, I've completed at least 2 serious tests containing these sections, and both times, I was 100% sure I got them all correct.

 

I really hope that information is useful to some.. Thanks, a lot, and Good luck..

 

 

p.s. Great posts.

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Let me drop some actual SIFT tips on ya'll in regards to the "hidden figures" section...

 

I've actually got a legitimate trick for this one. I have taken the SIFT and the AFOQT and I can remember finishing the hidden figures section in both tests feeling confident i got a 100%.

 

Here is the trick....

 

AFOQTGuideHiddenFigureExample5.gifAFOQTGuideHiddenFigures.gif

 

What you want to do is find the most convoluted portion of the picture.. Where does it look the most confusing?? Usually that is the location they are able to best hide something..

 

I would argue that the bottom right quarter quadrant has the most stuff going on... And once I have that information, I scour that section and finding the answer "C" becomes fairly simple..

 

As I said, I've completed at least 2 serious tests containing these sections, and both times, I was 100% sure I got them all correct.

 

I really hope that information is useful to some.. Thanks, a lot, and Good luck..

 

 

p.s. Great posts.

 

What was your SIFT score?

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For that particular section, 100%.

 

Aside from this one particular section, my score isn't high enough to give other people advice. I scored a meager 64 to answer your question though. That being said i still feel my trick is worth checking out considering some people are saying they had trouble with hidden figures.

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You shouldn't spend a whole lot worrying about hidden figures. If you don't see one immediately, guess and move on. Focus on the areas you can actually study for, math, mechanics, or aviation knowledge.

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I guess what I was trying to say was that the hidden figures were not as scrambled as the books I looked at. There were less figures on the SIFT for me than there were on the book in a given image. Regardless, you can still do well even if you only get 25/50 done so don't freak out on this section.

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I bought the "SIFT Study Guide: Test Prep and Practice Questions for the Army SIFT Exam" to study with as well as the "FAA helicopter flying handbook" and the "army fundamentals of flight" to study. Didn't use the ARMY book much, I found it to be way to in depth for what I was expecting on the test. And I was right. That being said, definitely be somewhat familiar with your military aircraft. The SIFT study guide was okay. It had way to many wrong answers in the answer guide. Whic made for some confusion while studying. Was I wrong or is the book wrong? But familiarizing with the spatial appreciation, simple drawings, and hidden figures, I think that's about all you could do. The hidden figures, in my opinion, were more difficult on the test than what was in the book. But not too bad. The reading comprehension wasn't bad either. The math and mechanical section, I found to be way more difficult than expected. That being said, I graduated college in 2006 with a criminal justice degree, not much math or mechanical.

 

I got 65, I left thinking I bombed it. After the math and mechanical sections being the last two. So I was content with that score. Could have been higher but there's nothing I can do about it at this point.

I have an ASVAB of 92 with a GT of 128.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Hi, I'm new to this forum but I have sifted (hehe) through some posts in the past week and I think they helped improve my SIFT score.

 

I agree that the actual hidden figures section is much more basic, lacking densely jumbled messes of lines and patterns like all of the practice material. In a way, it's a little more challenging because the shapes are much simpler (no major distinguishing features) and somewhat similar, so they can seem to blend in (that's the point though, right?).

 

I empathize with the ones that are worried about this section because it was one of my worst when practicing. I would only get through 17-25 on the practice tests. However, I got through 37 on the actual SIFT. Like previously stated, guess if you are stumped....I did this and got the next five or so right, and possibly guessed right on the one I was stuck on.

 

I think the study book that most closely resembles the SIFT Hidden Figures is the one by Accepted, Inc.

 

Good luck, y'all!

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  • 2 weeks later...

I think the study book that most closely resembles the SIFT Hidden Figures is the one by Accepted, Inc.

 

Heads up on the Accepted INC. study guide. Some of the math answers were wrong in the key. However, as far as I am aware much of the other content is correct and helpful, I used that guide paired with the FAA rotarywing handbook and scored just fine.

 

One note on the hidden figures, if I remember correctly for the entirity of that portion of the test you will only be finding the same 5 objects in varying scenes. It surprised me for a little when I was going through it.

 

Also spatial apperception had a few more angles and directions that the plane could be going compared to the study guide.

 

My favorite part was also when I got asked what the function of the Kiowa was. Seeing as it has already been retired, luckilly the guy I helped study and tested with didn't get asked that question!

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  • 2 weeks later...

Regarding the discussion of the hidden figures:

 

People are saying that it's the same 5 choices for the entirety of the test -- that wasn't true for me. It was the same 5 figures for the first 20-25, but it changed after that. Either way, it's a lot better than having to change your pool of figures every 5 questions.

 

You also don't need to ace hidden figures to ace the SIFT. I got an 80 and only finished ~30/50. So if it's an issue of anxiety, don't stress out too much about it, and focus on acing the sections you can really prepare for.

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Literally took the test 2 hours ago. The hidden images section was definitely the hardest part for me. I bombed that section, but I must have made up for that on the other sections because I ended up wits a 62. I only studied the SIFT Study Guide off and on for a little under two weeks, so I know I could've done better if I gave myself more time to review the info. Congrats to the others that have passed it, as well!

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  • 2 weeks later...

Honestly I'm not so sure. It is a better book in my opinion (the other one). However, the real take away is knowing what the different sections are and focusing on your weak areas. Additional study needs to be accomplished with the Helicopter Flying Handbook, maybe YouTube or Khan Academy if you are weak with math. From what I understand the majority of your score is going to be Reading Comprehension, Math, and Mechanical (Basic Physics). I honestly think people psych themselves out more than anything. A lot of the people I've talked to that were freaking out did pretty well.

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Alright, I still have my handbook from flight school. I'm not horribly worried about it, then again this is pretty much my last shot so I want to do every single thing I can. Otherwise I'll kick myself later. I won't have many college courses either since I only go to school part time, so I'm hoping to make up for that with ASVAB, SIFT, and APFT scores. Thanks for all the help jaswhee!

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Yeah, don't position yourself for regret. Nothing good comes from that. Well, at least you are enrolled in College just make sure you do well. I've heard of people getting selected who scored in the 40s on their SIFT. Average is 50 and last I checked the average score for selection was like 59. But again, people with barely passing scores still can get in. Just do everything you can to max all of your scores. Good luck sir!

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Good score man mine was 71 but i cant pass fisical fitness test so i am doing push ups like a mad man and my grandpa says your score is good so be true to yourself and fly like an eagle go america go usa

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