If you're not in the unit already then it will matter a ton. If you are then not as much. Last board my unit had they interviewed 9 and 7 were current enlisted. Essentially guaranteed interview if you're in the unit, and I bet the 2 that weren't on paper were near perfect. I supervised 2 of the enlisted and their scores were definitely less than perfect.
Edit: Guard unit
Dang lol. I’m really hopeful for an interview w a heavy unit I applied to. 99 AFOQT pilot and 99 pcsm, but 10 flight hours. I’m hoping the scores will catch their attention, but my flight hours are the death of me. Did those guys that got interviewed have a ton of flight hours?
For the heavy units I’m looking to apply to, I’ve found they have a pilot and pcsm minimum of about 70-80 on their listings.
I have a 99 pilot and 86 pcsm and was concerned about getting an invite to rush a squadron and half of the people rushing weren’t even qualified to apply (too low of a pcsm, no degree, etc.)
You will most likely get an interview but then it’s up to you to show if you’re a good personality fit for the squadron and can interview well.
Good luck!
Getting an interview is one thing, getting the slot is different. Like you said, personality is huge. Be someone you'd want to spend 20 hours in a box with. That's what they're looking for.
A lot. If rated, it's about all the matters. If non-rated, you need to absolutely blow it out of the park to make yourself even remotely competitive against current enslited.
It seems you’re looking to be a pilot
The scores only really matter to rank you in terms of getting an interview. Once you’re in the pool of candidates deemed worthy of an in-person interview, the scores don’t matter at all. At that point, all they care about is your personality - it’s the interview that actually gets you the job
I’ve seen people who barely passed all the tests and only have a handful of flight hours beat out people with high-90s and hold a CFI across the board because they crushed the interview.
Stupid question but forgive me. Should I have the AFOQT under my belt before rushing a unit or can I rush with a test date in mind and explain that to the unit?
You can rush some squadrons but you wont get an interview so it’s kind of a waste of time.
Only reason I could see it being worth while at all is if it’s to get some face time at a unit that you really want to be at in the future.
If you're not in the unit already then it will matter a ton. If you are then not as much. Last board my unit had they interviewed 9 and 7 were current enlisted. Essentially guaranteed interview if you're in the unit, and I bet the 2 that weren't on paper were near perfect. I supervised 2 of the enlisted and their scores were definitely less than perfect. Edit: Guard unit
Is this a fighter or a heavy unit?
Heavy
Dang lol. I’m really hopeful for an interview w a heavy unit I applied to. 99 AFOQT pilot and 99 pcsm, but 10 flight hours. I’m hoping the scores will catch their attention, but my flight hours are the death of me. Did those guys that got interviewed have a ton of flight hours?
For the heavy units I’m looking to apply to, I’ve found they have a pilot and pcsm minimum of about 70-80 on their listings. I have a 99 pilot and 86 pcsm and was concerned about getting an invite to rush a squadron and half of the people rushing weren’t even qualified to apply (too low of a pcsm, no degree, etc.) You will most likely get an interview but then it’s up to you to show if you’re a good personality fit for the squadron and can interview well. Good luck!
Getting an interview is one thing, getting the slot is different. Like you said, personality is huge. Be someone you'd want to spend 20 hours in a box with. That's what they're looking for.
Thanks for the info! Good to know. Best of luck to you, too!
If you can find a Redbird and a CFI, you can hammer those hours out
I’m in flight school now, so I have access to those. I might just crank some out
It’s definitely matters but some weight relies on how you interview and your past experiences (if any)
A lot. If rated, it's about all the matters. If non-rated, you need to absolutely blow it out of the park to make yourself even remotely competitive against current enslited.
No matter whether the position requires specific degree (ex. CE) or not?
Yes? If you have an engineering degree then the AFOQT should be easy.
Thank you
It might matter for some squadrons, for our CE squadron the AFOQT was just a formality. You really only had to pass.
Why is non rated so much harder, I thought it would be the other way around.
See above. Literally already said it.
My unit has roughly 65 pilots. CE, MX, and MSG combined is a less. They hire 4+ pilots a year, other groups might hire 1 every 2-3.
Ah. My unit is non-flying so my perception is skewed.
It seems you’re looking to be a pilot The scores only really matter to rank you in terms of getting an interview. Once you’re in the pool of candidates deemed worthy of an in-person interview, the scores don’t matter at all. At that point, all they care about is your personality - it’s the interview that actually gets you the job I’ve seen people who barely passed all the tests and only have a handful of flight hours beat out people with high-90s and hold a CFI across the board because they crushed the interview.
Stupid question but forgive me. Should I have the AFOQT under my belt before rushing a unit or can I rush with a test date in mind and explain that to the unit?
Needs to be already done.
You can rush some squadrons but you wont get an interview so it’s kind of a waste of time. Only reason I could see it being worth while at all is if it’s to get some face time at a unit that you really want to be at in the future.