OAR

No. You sit for the full ASTB, and the OAR is one of the scores derived from it - specifically the composite of the Math, Reading Comprehension, and Mechanical Comprehension subtests. You cannot schedule the three OAR-contributing sections in isolation, so plan to prepare for the battery as a whole.

There is no single passing score for the exam itself. Minimums are set by the individual commissioning program or designator you apply for, and competitive scores often sit above the published minimum. Because those figures change, confirm the current requirement with your recruiter and the official Navy commissioning program pages.

The content is roughly solid high-school level: algebra and geometry, introductory physics concepts, and careful reading. The difficulty is breadth plus pacing - you must be accurate across three very different subjects without much warm-up. Most candidates find one section comfortable and one genuinely uncomfortable, which is why a diagnostic comes first.

Expect arithmetic, fractions, decimals, percentages, ratios, exponents, linear equations, and plane geometry including area, volume, and the Pythagorean theorem. Word problems are common and often test setup rather than computation. Calculus and formal trigonometry are not part of the assumed background, but comfort with manipulating formulas is essential.

Memorize the small core - force, work, power, density, pressure, Ohm's law, and mechanical advantage for levers and pulleys - but prioritize understanding over recall. Most mechanical items are conceptual: which gear turns faster, where a fluid level settles, why a lever balances. Intuition built from worked examples beats a formula sheet.

Diagnose first with a full-length practice set under timed conditions, then spend the bulk of your time on the lowest-scoring section while doing light maintenance work on the others. Finish with mixed timed sets, because switching subjects quickly is itself a tested skill. Keep an error log and re-work every missed question from scratch a few days later.

Three recur: burning too long on one stubborn math item and losing later easy points, answering reading questions from personal opinion instead of the passage, and skipping mechanical review entirely on the assumption that it is unteachable. All three are avoidable with timed practice and honest review of wrong answers.

Read for structure first - what the author is doing in each paragraph - then answer strictly from the text. Correct answers are usually defensible by a specific sentence or a clear inference, not by outside knowledge. Watch for tone and qualifying words like 'some' and 'generally', which often distinguish the right answer from an overreach.

Retake eligibility, waiting periods, and how repeated attempts are reported are governed by Navy testing policy rather than by the exam's content, and the rules have been revised over time. Ask your recruiter for the current policy in writing before you decide to retest, and confirm it against the official testing authority's site.

Those specifics are published by the official Navy recruiting and testing authorities and are updated periodically, so any number quoted secondhand may be stale. Check the official site or your recruiting office for the current question count, time limits, fee policy, and score reporting before finalizing your plans.