Missing ASTB scores are not something a candidate should try to fix on their own. The Aviation Selection Test Battery (ASTB) is supposed to hand you a full set of numbers, and when one or more don’t show up, the fix runs through your recruiter and NAMI (Naval Aerospace Medical Institute), not the front desk at the testing site. I went through OCS in Newport and later flew a desk in the cryptologic community, so I never sat for the ASTB myself, but I’ve sat across from plenty of officer candidates who did, and I’ve watched how the pipeline handles a bad test day.
What the ASTB normally gives you
A clean ASTB attempt produces several scores. The OAR (Officer Aptitude Rating) comes from the math, reading, and mechanical comprehension sections. The performance-based measures produce the AQR (Aviation Qualification Rating), the PFAR (Pilot Flight Aptitude Rating), and the FOFAR (Flight Officer Flight Aptitude Rating). Those performance scores come out of the stick-and-throttle portions of the test, including the LPSS (Landing Performance Scoring System) and the UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) section. Each score maps to a different designator, so a missing one is a real problem for your package, not a cosmetic glitch.
Why a missing UAV section can wipe out scores
The performance-based scores are built from the whole battery of interactive tasks. If the UAV section never launched, froze, or got skipped by the system, the scoring engine may not have enough data to compute AQR, PFAR, and FOFAR. That matches what you’re describing. The community answer you got is right on this: it’s abnormal. Freezing happens, and one shipmate of mine in the aviation pipeline had his screen lock up mid-test and still walked out with every score. So a freeze alone doesn’t doom the attempt. A genuinely absent section is a different animal.
What you should not do is assume the scores will appear later or that someone will call you. They won’t, and nobody will. Tell your recruiter the same day. Your recruiter is the one who contacts NAMI to pull the test record and confirm whether the attempt is valid, partially valid, or void. That is the only path to a straight answer.
Will you retake the whole ASTB or just the missing ASTB scores?
This is the question everybody asks, and I’ll give you the honest answer: it depends on what NAMI finds in the record. If the attempt is ruled invalid because a section didn’t run, the usual outcome is a full retake, because the performance scores are computed from the complete battery. Partial retests exist for some situations, but whether you qualify is a determination NAMI and your recruiter make, not something you can request at the keyboard. Policies and retake windows change, so confirm the current rules with your recruiter or the latest NAVADMIN before you plan anything.
- Report the missing section to your recruiter immediately, in writing if you can.
- Ask your recruiter to open the issue with NAMI and get the attempt’s status in writing.
- Do not schedule a retake on your own until NAMI rules on the first attempt.
- Ask specifically whether the failed attempt will count against your retake eligibility.
What to expect while you wait
Expect a wait. NAMI correspondence moves at the speed of a working day, and your recruiter is juggling other candidates while this sits in the queue. Use the time. If a full retake is coming, drill the UAV and LPSS portions until they’re boring, because those are the sections that trip people up under pressure. If you’re also tracking the rest of your package, the Navy OCS Journey hub lays out how the application pieces fit together, and your recruiter can tell you which deadlines are hard and which can flex.
One more thing. Keep every scrap of paper from test day. The proctor’s name, the time of day, the exact point where the test stopped. That record is what your recruiter hands to NAMI, and a clear timeline makes the case that the fault was the system’s, not yours.
Missing ASTB scores feel like the end of the world at the moment you see the screen. They’re not. This is a paperwork problem with a known fix, and the candidates who come out the other side are the ones who call their recruiter fast, keep good records, and use the wait to get sharper. Square yourself away, stay on your recruiter, and keep your eyes on Newport.
