APEX Test Prep - The AFOQT Tutor: AFOQT Study Guide 2020-2021 Prep & Practice Test Questions for the Air Force Officer Qualifying Test: [Includes Detailed Answer Explanations]

A popular assumption in Western culture is the idea that wedont have enough time for anything. We speed while driving to work, we want toread an assignment for class as quickly as possible, or we want the line in thesupermarket to dwindle faster. However, speeding through such events robs usfrom being able to thoroughly appreciate and understand whats happening aroundus. While taking a timed test, the feeling one might have while reading aquestion is to find the correct answer as quickly as possible. Although pace isimportant, dont let it deter you from reading the whole question. Test writersknow how to subtly change a test question toward the end in various ways, suchas adding a negative or changing focus. If the question has a passage,carefully read the whole passage as well before moving on to the questions.This will help you process the information in the passage rather than worryingabout the questions youve just read and where to find them. A thoroughunderstanding of the passage or question is an important way for test takers tobe able to succeed on an exam.

Lets say were at the market buying apples. The first applewe see on top of the heap may look like the best apple, but if we turnit over we can see bruising on the skin. We must examine several apples beforedeciding which apple is the best. Finding the correct answer choice is likefinding the best apple. Although its tempting to choose an answer that seemscorrect at first without reading the others, its important to read each answerchoice thoroughly before making a final decision on the answer. The aim of atest writer might be to get as close as possible to the correct answer, sowatch out for subtle words that may indicate an answer is incorrect. Once thecorrect answer choice is selected, read the question again and the answer inresponse to make sure all your bases are covered.

Sometimes we become paralyzed when we are confronted withtoo many choices. Which frozen yogurt flavor is the tastiest? Which pair ofshoes look the best with this outfit? What type of car will fill my needs as aconsumer? If you are unsure of which answer would be the best to choose, it mayhelp to use process of elimination. We use filtering all the time on sites suchas eBay or Craigslist to eliminate the ads that are not right for us. We cando the same thing on an exam. Process of elimination is crossing out the answerchoices we know for sure are wrong and leaving the ones that might be correct.It may help to cover up the incorrect answer choice. Covering incorrect choicesis a psychological act that alleviates stress due to the brain being exposed toa smaller amount of information. Choosing between two answer choices is mucheasier than choosing between all of them, and you have a better chance ofselecting the correct answer if you have less to focus on.

When we are attempting to answer questions, our minds willoften wander away from the question and what it is asking. We begin to seeanswer choices that are true in the real world instead of true in the world ofthe question. It may be helpful to think of each test question as its ownlittle world. This world may be different from ours. This world may know as atruth that the chicken came before the egg or may assert that two plus twoequals five. Remember that, no matter what hypothetical nonsense may be in thequestion, assume it to be true. If the question states that the chicken camebefore the egg, then choose your answer based on that truth. Sticking to theworld of the question means placing all of our biases and assumptions aside andrelying on the question to guide us to the correct answer. If we are simplylooking for answers that are correct based on our own judgment, then we maychoose incorrectly. Remember an answer that is true does not necessarily answerthe question.

If you come across a complex test question that you have toread over and over again, try pulling out some key words from the question inorder to understand what exactly it is asking. Key words may be words thatsurround the question, such as main idea,analogous, parallel,resembles, structured, or defines. The question may be asking forthe main idea, or it may be asking you to define something. Deconstructing thesentence may also be helpful in making the question simpler before trying toanswer it. This means taking the sentence apart and obtaining meaning inpieces, or separating the question from the foundation of the question. Forexample, lets look at this question:

Given the authors description ofthe content of paleontology in the first paragraph, which of the following ismost parallel to what it taught?

The question asks which one of the answers most parallelsthe following information: The description of paleontology in the firstparagraph. The first step would be to see how paleontology is describedin the first paragraph. Then, we would find an answer choice that parallelsthat description. The question seems complex at first, but after we deconstructit, the answer becomes much more attainable.

Negative words in question stems will be words such as not,but, neither, or except. Test writers often use these words in orderto trick unsuspecting test takers into selecting the wrong answeror, at least,to test their reading comprehension of the question. Many exams will featurethe negative words in all caps (which of the following is NOT an example),but some questions will add the negative word seamlessly into the sentence. Thefollowing is an example of a subtle negative used in a question stem:

According to the passage, which ofthe following is not considered to be an example of paleontology?

If we rush through the exam, we might skip that tiny word, not,inside the question, and choose an answer that is opposite of the correctchoice. Again, its important to read the question fully, and double check forany words that may negate the statement in any way.

The word hedging refers to language that remains vague oravoids absolute terminology. Absolute terminology consists of words like always,never, all, every, just, only, none,