Podcast
Military Exam Prep
Hosted by Ran Chen, EA, CFP® · EN
Military Exam Prep is a free, daily podcast by OpenExamPrep covering the most in-demand military aptitude, classification, and advancement exams — including the ASVAB (Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery), AFCT, PiCAT, AFOQT (Air Force Officer Qualifying Test), OAR (Officer Aptitude Rating), ASTB-E (Aviation Selection Test Battery), SIFT (Selection Instrument for Flight Training), DLAB and DLPT (Defense Language tests), EDPT, NAPT, DoD Cyber Test, Air Force PFE, Navy NWAE, Coast Guard SWE, and Army Promotion Board. Each 5-minute episode breaks down one exam topic with concrete examples, scoring strategies (especially the AFQT line scores that determine job eligibility), common exam traps, and memory tricks to help you pass on your first attempt. Whether you're preparing for enlistment, OCS, flight school, language school, or your next stripe, the material is built around the way the test actually scores you. This podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and the CFP designation. He is passionate about opening access to high-quality exam preparation for everyone — from recruits at MEPS to NCOs studying for promotion to officer candidates earning their commission. For free practice questions, AI-powered explanations, flashcards, and full study guides, visit https://open-exam-prep.com/ Subscribe and listen daily — your enlistment, commission, or next rank is closer than you think.
53episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
AFOQT Exam Prep 65, IC Pacing — 12 Seconds Per Question
Yesterday00:02:56Tap to summarizeThis podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and the CFP® designation. He is passionate about opening access to high-quality exam preparation resources and helping learners prepare more effectively for professional certification exams. In this episode you will learn: - To master the 12-second-per-question pace required for the AFOQT Instrument Comprehension subtest. - Why you must trust your first instinct when reading the attitude and heading indicators to avoid losing time. - How to use the "4 → 2 → 1" elimination strategy by first checking bank, then pitch. - Why you should always interpret the Attitude Indicator before the Heading Indicator for the fastest results. - To avoid the common trap of over-analyzing the Heading Indicator instead of using it for quick confirmation. For more free exam prep tools, practice questions, and AI-powered explanations, visit https://open-exam-prep.com/ or YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@Open-exam-prep
Transcribe →AFOQT Exam Prep 64, IC Common Traps — Mirrored Bank, Near Headings, Climb/Dive
2d ago00:03:38Tap to summarizeThis podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and the CFP® designation. He is passionate about opening access to high-quality exam preparation resources and helping learners prepare more effectively for professional certification exams. In this episode you will learn: - How to quickly and accurately differentiate between small, mirrored bank angles on the AFOQT attitude indicator. - The specific challenge of near-identical headings, such as NNW versus NW, and the proper technique to solve them. - A reliable method for identifying subtle climbs versus dives by focusing on the miniature aircraft's position relative to the horizon line. - Why intentionally slowing down for 1-2 seconds on Instrument Comprehension questions is a critical strategy for avoiding common errors. - The mnemonic 'Nose, Wings, Compass, check them twice' as a mental shortcut to ensure you verify pitch, bank, and heading on every question. For more free exam prep tools, practice questions, and AI-powered explanations, visit https://open-exam-prep.com/ or YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@Open-exam-prep
Transcribe →AFOQT Exam Prep 63, Combining Bank + Pitch + Heading — 12-Second Process
3d ago00:03:06Tap to summarizeThis podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and the CFP® designation. He is passionate about opening access to high-quality exam preparation resources and helping learners prepare more effectively for professional certification exams. In this episode you will learn: - Master the 12-second, three-step elimination process: Heading, then Bank, then Pitch. - Use Heading first to immediately eliminate silhouettes not pointing in the correct cardinal direction. - Determine Bank second by checking which wing is low to choose between the remaining options. - Use Pitch as a final, quick confirmation step to verify if the aircraft is climbing, level, or diving. - Apply the mnemonic "Head, Bank, Pin" to automate the sequence and avoid over-analyzing under pressure. For more free exam prep tools, practice questions, and AI-powered explanations, visit https://open-exam-prep.com/ or YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@Open-exam-prep
Transcribe →AFOQT Exam Prep 62, Reading the Compass — Heading Indicator
4d ago00:03:31Tap to summarizeThis podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and the CFP® designation. He is passionate about opening access to high-quality exam preparation resources and helping learners prepare more effectively for professional certification exams. In this episode you will learn: - The number at the top of the heading indicator under the lubber line represents the aircraft's current heading. - How to quickly identify cardinal (N, S, E, W) and intermediate (NE, SE, SW, NW) directions on the indicator. - To match the heading indicator's value to the correct aircraft silhouette, where North is up, South is down, East is right, and West is left. - Common exam traps include focusing on numbers not at the top of the dial and misinterpreting reciprocal headings. - The mnemonic "Top number tells the nose where it goes" is a simple way to remember the core concept during the timed exam. For more free exam prep tools, practice questions, and AI-powered explanations, visit https://open-exam-prep.com/ or YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@Open-exam-prep
Transcribe →AFOQT Exam Prep 61, Reading the Artificial Horizon
5d ago00:03:36Tap to summarizeThis podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and the CFP® designation. He is passionate about opening access to high-quality exam preparation resources and helping learners prepare more effectively for professional certification exams. In this episode you will learn: - How to interpret the basic display of an artificial horizon, where blue represents the sky and brown signifies the ground. - The correct method for reading an aircraft's bank angle and direction by focusing on the miniature aircraft's low wing. - How to determine the aircraft's pitch attitude, whether climbing or diving, by its position relative to the horizon line. - To recognize common AFOQT exam traps, such as confusing the direction of bank or misinterpreting combined pitch and bank attitudes. - A simple mnemonic to quickly assess the aircraft's general state: 'Blue over brown, you're flying sound.' For more free exam prep tools, practice questions, and AI-powered explanations, visit https://open-exam-prep.com/ or YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@Open-exam-prep
Transcribe →AFOQT Exam Prep 60, Instrument Comprehension — Two Instruments to Read
6d ago00:03:10Tap to summarizeThis podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and the CFP® designation. He is passionate about opening access to high-quality exam preparation resources and helping learners prepare more effectively for professional certification exams. In this episode you will learn: - How to quickly interpret the AFOQT's attitude indicator for both bank and pitch. - The most effective two-step process to eliminate incorrect answer choices under extreme time pressure. - Why the heading indicator is often a distractor and should typically be checked last. - How to avoid the most common exam trap: mentally reversing the aircraft's bank. - A memorable mnemonic, "Bank, Pitch, Pass," to systematize your approach to every question. For more free exam prep tools, practice questions, and AI-powered explanations, visit https://open-exam-prep.com/ or YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@Open-exam-prep
Transcribe →AFOQT Exam Prep 59, Table Reading Pacing — Guess After 12 Seconds
1w ago00:02:24Tap to summarizeThis podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and the CFP® designation. He is passionate about opening access to high-quality exam preparation resources and helping learners prepare more effectively for professional certification exams. In this episode you will learn: - How to apply the '8-12 Second Rule' to conquer the AFOQT Table Reading subtest. - Why completing all 40 questions is statistically better than achieving perfect accuracy on only 30. - The importance of choosing a pre-decided 'panic letter' for strategic guessing to maintain pace. - How to avoid the common exam trap of lingering on a difficult question for too long. - To use the 'Scan, Spot, or Scram' mnemonic to enforce disciplined time management. For more free exam prep tools, practice questions, and AI-powered explanations, visit https://open-exam-prep.com/ or YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@Open-exam-prep
Transcribe →AFOQT Exam Prep 58, Table Reading — Negative Number Axes
1w ago00:03:01Tap to summarizeThis podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and the CFP® designation. He is passionate about opening access to high-quality exam preparation resources and helping learners prepare more effectively for professional certification exams. In this episode you will learn: - The AFOQT Table Reading subtest uses a large, four-quadrant grid with both negative and positive X and Y axes. - A frequent, high-cost error is misreading a negative coordinate (e.g., Y=-5) as its positive counterpart (Y=5) under time pressure. - Test designers intentionally include incorrect answer choices that correspond to the wrong coordinate signs to trap candidates. - Scanning across the zero line on the axes is a common point of visual error, causing test-takers to lose their place. - Use the 'Signs, Find, Finalize' technique to consciously verify the signs of both coordinates before locating the value to improve accuracy. For more free exam prep tools, practice questions, and AI-powered explanations, visit https://open-exam-prep.com/ or YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@Open-exam-prep
Transcribe →AFOQT Exam Prep 57, Table Reading Finger-Tracking Technique
1w ago00:03:32Tap to summarizeThis podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and the CFP® designation. He is passionate about opening access to high-quality exam preparation resources and helping learners prepare more effectively for professional certification exams. In this episode you will learn: - How to use the two-finger tracking technique to master the AFOQT Table Reading subtest. - Why the Table Reading subtest is a test of psychomotor speed, not data interpretation. - To recognize common exam traps, like adjacent-cell values used as incorrect answer choices. - A critical test-day strategy: bubble your answer immediately and do not double-check to maximize speed. - The 'Lock and Load' mnemonic to solidify the finger-tracking process for better retention. For more free exam prep tools, practice questions, and AI-powered explanations, visit https://open-exam-prep.com/ or YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@Open-exam-prep
Transcribe →AFOQT Exam Prep 56, Table Reading Mechanics — 10.5 Seconds Per Question
1w ago00:02:23Tap to summarizeThis podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and the CFP® designation. He is passionate about opening access to high-quality exam preparation resources and helping learners prepare more effectively for professional certification exams. In this episode you will learn: - The AFOQT Table Reading subtest gives you only 10.5 seconds to answer each of the 40 questions. - This subtest is a high-speed visual lookup task that measures accuracy under pressure, not math skills. - The core task involves finding the value at the intersection of a given X-axis column and a Y-axis row. - The most common errors are being off by one row or column, and answer choices often include these adjacent, incorrect values. - The most effective technique is the "Point and meet to beat the sheet" method, using two fingers to trace the column and row to their intersection. For more free exam prep tools, practice questions, and AI-powered explanations, visit https://open-exam-prep.com/ or YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@Open-exam-prep
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