Army aviation · Army Personnel Testing · checked Nov 6, 2026
The Army SIFT test, 7 parts, 1 score
Updated Nov 6, 2026 · facts checked Nov 6, 2026
The Army's screening test for flight school: 7 timed subtests on a secure web server, up to 180 minutes at the test site, and a single score on which 40 is the floor. Retakes are limited to two attempts, and a pass ends testing.
The test is for applicants for Army aviation, both warrant officer flight training (WOFT, 153A) and commissioned aviation (ROTC, OCS, West Point cadets). No other service uses it: Air Force pilot candidates take the AFOQT, and Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard candidates take the ASTB-E.
Army Personnel Testing (APT), under the Army's Deputy Chief of Staff G-1, runs it. The rules on this page come from the Army Personnel Testing FAQ, version 2.0 of February 2024 (PDF copy hosted by the Minnesota National Guard), cross-checked against the Aviation Branch's cadet page.
History:The SIFT replaced the Alternate Flight Aptitude Selection Test (AFAST) in 2013; the 2024 FAQ keeps the 2013 subtest table. Prep books that still describe AFAST sections predate the current battery.
Up to 3 hours, including check-in, setup and an optional break; many people finish in about 2 hoursSubtest limits: SD 2, HF 5, AAIT 30, SAT 10, RCT 30, MST 40, MCT 15 minutes.
It depends on the subtest. SD and HF deduct for wrong answers (don't guess); AAIT, SAT and RCT count blanks as wrong (guess before time runs out); MST and MCT penalize too few answers, and random guessing usually hurts more
Two attempts at most; a passing score ends testing for good, a fail allows one retest, and a second fail ends Army aviation eligibilityThe wait before the retest is given two ways: the SIFT FAQ says no earlier than the 181st day, while the Aviation Branch cadet page (Fort Rucker) says after 45 days.
Army Personnel Testing · U.S. Army Aviation Branch, Fort Rucker [1][2]
Scores valid for
The SIFT FAQ and the Aviation Branch pages do not state an expiryas of Nov 6, 2026 · no expiry rule is published; ask your recruiter
Army Personnel Testing · U.S. Army Aviation Branch, Fort Rucker [1][2]
Subtests against the clock
Most subtests have a fixed count and a fixed time; Math Skills and Mechanical Comprehension are adaptive, so their length changes with your answers. Two picture subtests have their own format guides, Hidden Figures and Spatial Apperception; Simple Drawings is described under exam facts.
A blank and a wrong answer are not treated the same way throughout the battery. Prep sites that call guessing safe on every subtest are wrong for four of them.
Simple Drawings and Hidden Figures: part of a point comes off for each wrong answer, so do not guess.
Aviation, Spatial Apperception, Reading: a blank counts as wrong, so guess before time runs out.
Math Skills, Mechanical Comprehension:Too few answers is penalized; random guessing usually hurts more.
The FAQ's reasoning for each case is summarized on exam facts.
No line scores on the SIFT
The ASVAB, AFOQT and ASTB-E each report several scores. This test reports one: a single compensatory score; strong subtests can offset a weak one, and no subtest scores are reported. A score letter will not tell you which subtest pulled you down, so a retake plan has to come from your own practice results. How the number works is on Army SIFT scores.
4 sample items from the text subtests
0 of 4 answeredPick a letter: the reasoning for every choice opens under it.
Q1 of 4 · Army Aviation Information Test (AAIT)
While hovering, the helicopter's right skid catches on a stump and the aircraft starts rolling right around it. The best corrective action is –
Once the roll passes the critical angle, cyclic alone cannot stop it; full deflection may also be too late.
Pedals control yaw, not roll, and tail rotor thrust can even add to the roll.
More collective adds thrust on the rolling side and speeds the rollover.
Lowering collective reduces rotor thrust, the force rolling the aircraft over the stuck skid (dynamic rollover).
A helicopter rotor blade tip is 20 feet from the center of rotation, and the rotor turns at 300 revolutions per minute. How far does the tip travel in one minute?
6,000π feet uses πr instead of 2πr for one revolution.
12,000 feet drops the π from the circumference.
120,000π feet uses the area πr² = 400π instead of the circumference.
One revolution is the circumference 2π × 20 = 40π feet, and 300 × 40π = 12,000π feet in a minute.
Checklists shall be used for all normal and emergency procedures. Normal checklists are read aloud by one crewmember and answered by the crewmember responsible for each item. Emergency procedures designated as critical memory items shall be performed from memory first and then verified with the checklist once time permits.
Which statement can be inferred only from the passage?
Memory items are performed from memory first; the checklist is read afterward.
The passage requires checklists for all emergency procedures, memorized items included.
The passage splits the job: one crewmember reads each normal item and the responsible crewmember answers it.
Critical memory items are done from memory first and "then verified with the checklist," so the checklist confirms actions already taken.
Your tally shows here once every question above has an answer.
Where the test fits in an aviation application
A passing score is the first gate, not the last. Warrant officer applicants also need an ASVAB GT score; see line scores for how GT is built. The flight physical, the age limit, the packet and the service commitment are laid out on Army helicopter pilot requirements. If you are still choosing a service, the Army route is compared with the Air Force and Navy routes on how to become a military pilot.
Prep pages for this test
Practice test: a longer set from Math Skills, Reading, Mechanical Comprehension and the aviation subtest.
There is no calculator; a few formulas are provided, with scrap paper and pencils. Plan your math prep around mental arithmetic and estimation.
How difficult is the SIFT for a first-time applicant?
The scale is set with a mean of 50, and the minimum to apply is 40. The hard parts are the speed subtests and, for people without flight experience, the helicopter questions. More on how hard it is.
Does it cost anything to take the SIFT?
No, it is free. You schedule it through an education center if you are serving, or through a recruiter if you are a civilian applicant.
Is the SIFT the same test as the AFOQT or the ASTB-E?
No. The Air Force uses the AFOQT, the Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard share the ASTB-E, and the Army uses the SIFT. They are separate batteries with their own scales. The three are side by side on how to become a military pilot.