What to study for Navy Nuke Test

[rhagerman92]

Just thought I should drop a post in here for anyone that is about to take the Nuke test with the Navy any time soon..
With an ASVAB score of 94, and after reading some posts on this site about the test being "easy" and "entry-level" or "basic stuff" I assumed that I would do just fine without studying much. Couldn't have been more wrong, it's pretty damn challenging, I'll try to provide a bit of info on some questions I had at the end though. The minimum requirement to be accepted is a 55/80 on the test, I got a 54. Yep. And to top it all off I forgot to answer ONE question. And don't expect any sympathy either, I got so close to passing he had to go through my results 4 times to make sure he wasn't reading it wrong, even my recruiter asked him jokingly (but not jokingly) to just give me one point haha. So now, basically, I have to wait 90 days to retest, and that's only allowed once I complete a college-level math course and provide my transcripts. Awesome. Yeah, i should have put more effort into preparing, but I figured after reading what others put that it wasn't too challenging and I'd be alright, and now i get to suffer the consequences.
I'm in a bad place right now in my life, I'm 21, nothing to show for what I've accomplished, I've lived in at least 6 different places this year alone and I don't even have a car... mostly due to previous bad choices. I NEEDED this to work, it was an oppurtunity to change the direction I was headed and make something of myself like I should have years ago, and because of some misunderstanding on my part and misleading information that I blindly and regrettably believed, I'm back to square one. I can't wait another 3 months to pass it, then another 6-9 months to ship out.
I guess what I'm saying is, don't make the same mistake I did, prepare for this test! Study, then study some more. Shit, study a third time even. It's much easier to just do it right the first time. Anyway, I only posted this to try to provide some insight for people in a similar situation, I might not be nuke material anymore but if I can help someone else make the right choice I'd be happy with just that.

Things you should study: (the test is actually Top Secret, literally behind lock and key, so I might get in trouble for saying too much but oh well I'll try my best)
***Sines, Cosines, and Tangents
***Formulas for: diameter, circumference, area, and volume for circles/spheres
***Vectors & Fulcrums
***transferring Km/H into M/s & M/s/s
***Momentum of an object and how it is transferred, i.e. a 4 pound ball moving at 10 feet per second strikes a 12 pound stationary ball directly, what change in momentum will the 4 pound ball experience caused by the reaction force.
***F.O.I.L!! yeah, First, Inner, Outer, Last. i.e. (x + 5)(x - 3) and equations with the division of 2 fractions, both with annoying variables in them.
***Hydraulics - i.e. how much pressure needs to be exerted upon a 4 inch (radius i think) hydraulic tube in order to lift a 1600lb weight on the other side resting on a 128 in (radius) tube
***(random) - plane moving at 160 mph increases to 340 mph in 20 minutes, what is the feet per second per second that it has to speed up - I vaguely remember but thats somewhat how it went
***triangles- isosceles, scalene, and right triangles.
***both kinds of -  geometric angles AND temperatures (not really converting farenheit to celsius, i think it was a made up version of temperature they were just looking for the right method of finding the answer)
***Sigmas ( i think thats what theyre called. looks like a backwards E but pointier)
***Logarithms. Worst thing designed mathematically, ever. Period. I couldn't do them right even when I was in class learning about them, let alone 4 years later.
***half-life of an element, i.e. its halflife is 12 hours, how many are left after 3 days.
*** Pi. no symbol for it on my keyboard hah. remember the fraction form
***multiplying, dividing, simplifying and combining fractions.

SIDE NOTES:
***Be careful when answering, the answer may be in an odd format... i.e 7 1/3 might look like 22/3

***Don't be afraid to skip, its a 2 hour test with 80 questions, if you don't know it, skip it and go back later, maybe a future question will help it make more sense. Im not just saying this either every teacher you've ever had.

***My recruiters chief told me with the Navy the right answer is the longest answer a lot of the time, thats how it is with advancement tests at least.

***This might seem obvious, but its quite possibly the reason I didn't pass - DON'T LEAVE ANY QUESTION BLANK - 3 separate people told me after the fact, "if you don't know, then Charlie out" (or "C" yourself out) pretty sure it means just guess C..

That's all I'm going to say, don't remember a whole lot more and considering how its classified that's probably a good thing. So, if youre going to study, use this information, I took the test 10/23/2013.

I wasn't planning on this being such a long post, apologies & good luck.

[Smart People]

So what you're saying is that it was a test of basic math, physics and chemistry like I just read over and over again when i reviewed the NAFT thread.

Some said it was easy. Some not so much.

Twenty five years ago, after scoring a 98 on the ASVAB I had to take the NFQT. I was still in high school with minimal knowledge of physics and chemistry. So it took every bit of my math skills to pass.

Still in high school = still fresh. I doubt I would have done so well if I were three years out and having to recover from my own bad choices.

We are talking Navy Nuke here. Consider the idea that they are not going to give out a test just anybody can pass.

This was your first post. If you had posted before you might have been told to brush up since you have been out of school for a while.

All of that aside, the information you have given us is FANTASTIC! This should be stickied for other newcomers to see right away.

Thanks for the info. Sorry you had to learn the hard way. And Karma to you

[hamsamich]

Heck man, if you had so much to loose and you can't wait 90 days, you should have taken preparations even if you thought it was unnecessary.  Are you sure you can't just sigh and hunker down and do the 90d with a college class?  Unless things have changed you will have much harder times when you get to the ship/boat, so maybe you are better off, unless I am missing something.  Heck if you play your cards right you could be working for broadzilla 7 years from now!

[Fermi2]

My favorite part is the test is Top Secret.

[cedugger]

My favorite part is the test is Top Secret.

We joke, but it does seem like we controlled our exams in CRCI at NPTU Charleston as closely as we control our nuke weapons publications at work now! A bit of over-kill?....um, maybe!

To the OP...your warning is something that others need to see/read if they're considering the program and will be taking the test in the near future. I guess I was fortunate that I didn't know how big of a deal the NFQT was when I took it. It was over 20 years ago and in between my junior/senior year of high school, so I don't remember my actual score, but I do remember my score being lower than others' when the topic was brought up.

If this is something that you really want and need, then the 90 days and a college-level course will all be worth the wait and effort. Not knowing what classes you've taken up to this point, I can't really say what will satisfy the class you need to take. With the topics you've mentioned, as far as math is concerned, it sounds like pre-calc would be the highest you'd need to take. Hopefully you can find an inexpensive community college to get the course knocked out. The timing isn't great, as you're looking at a spring course, with transcripts available in early summer.

Regardless whatever course you take, any one course will not fill-in the gaps across the algebra/pre-calc/physics subjects. I really suggest the Khan Academy (khanacademy.com) videos to get a handle on a lot of this material. I'm in school again, and their tutorial videos are great...and free! I highly recommend giving it a look if you haven't already.

If anything, this temporary delay in entering the program will show you whether this is something you really want to do, or whether it was just a last-ditch, quick-fix effort to remedy your current situation. Hang in there, and if this something that you truly want, I wish you success. The program is not easy, no part of it. The schooling/training is not easy, and your first several years after that are not ideal either. The program can be worth it to those who make the best of it. I wouldn't trade my experience for anything, and can only thank that program for the successes I've enjoyed and all that I'm able to do today.

[Fermi2]

Put nit this way! Do you honestly think they gave a guy off the street access to Top Secret Material? It's locked for exam security, not national decurity.

[rhagerman92]

Well thanks for the replies I've had a lot to figure out over the past week or so, I'm getting all my stuff switched over from the Navy to the Marines now, going in January 1st as a reservist initially since the first year is the exact same as active duty anyway and the next available date for active duty isn't until mid-june/july, so i'll have to request to be activated once i'm done but oh well. I figure it's better this way since the Marines will instill some much needed discipline and structure in my life. I know this is not the appropriate place to ask for advice on this matter, but if anyone has any insight or suggestions as far as possible jobs that are offered with the marines that will let me take advantage of my high asvab score, like the nuke program does for the Navy, I'd appreciate it nonetheless.
Thanks

[Fermi2]

Well thanks for the replies I've had a lot to figure out over the past week or so, I'm getting all my stuff switched over from the Navy to the Marines now, going in January 1st as a reservist initially since the first year is the exact same as active duty anyway and the next available date for active duty isn't until mid-june/july, so i'll have to request to be activated once i'm done but oh well. I figure it's better this way since the Marines will instill some much needed discipline and structure in my life. I know this is not the appropriate place to ask for advice on this matter, but if anyone has any insight or suggestions as far as possible jobs that are offered with the marines that will let me take advantage of my high asvab score, like the nuke program does for the Navy, I'd appreciate it nonetheless.
Thanks

The Marines will not instill anything in you. They will provide the opportunity but you are responsible for the installation.

[cedugger]

I know this is not the appropriate place to ask for advice on this matter, but if anyone has any insight or suggestions as far as possible jobs that are offered with the marines that will let me take advantage of my high asvab score, like the nuke program does for the Navy, I'd appreciate it nonetheless.

You're right...probably not the appropriate place to ask about Marine Corps MOS's. But since you did ask, I'll throw in my 2 cents.

I provide rad/nuc response training for USMC members of the Chemical Biological Incident Response Force (CBIRF). Even though rad/nuc isn't technically part of CBIRF's mission, after the Marines' participation in Operation Tomodachi following the Fukushima disaster, they've been sending members to us. This way, if there's a next time, they'll know more about what they're doing when it comes to deconing helicopters and planes.

I think the Chem/Bio/Rad/Nuc Defense field is "Field 57", but that may have changed. As a Marine, being a CBRN Defense guy will offer more technical training and opportunities for some good training courses.

There is also the Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) field. I work with five EOD techs and they love their jobs. They're technically competent and many get the opportunity to become nuclear trained (nuke weapons response). It is a very limited field for USMC, and may be a specialty that you have to ask for after meeting a minimum service time requirement.

Those are the only two fields I have familiarity with, but that gives you something to look into. Good luck!

[Ksheed]

Well thanks for the replies I've had a lot to figure out over the past week or so, I'm getting all my stuff switched over from the Navy to the Marines now, going in January 1st as a reservist initially since the first year is the exact same as active duty anyway and the next available date for active duty isn't until mid-june/july, so i'll have to request to be activated once i'm done but oh well. I figure it's better this way since the Marines will instill some much needed discipline and structure in my life. I know this is not the appropriate place to ask for advice on this matter, but if anyone has any insight or suggestions as far as possible jobs that are offered with the marines that will let me take advantage of my high asvab score, like the nuke program does for the Navy, I'd appreciate it nonetheless.
Thanks

The Marines will not instill anything in you. They will provide the opportunity but you are responsible for the installation.

They most certainly will instill discipline and structure in your life, at least for the first three months. You won't have a choice in the matter then, after that it will be up to you to maintain the high level of discipline expected. Which can be difficult for some.

As for the MOS; go open contract they will definitely put you where you fit best.  

Seriously, speak to your Marine recruiter about what possibilities are available. I scored a 90 on the ASVAB but didn't bother to ask, I knew what I wanted to do.

EDIT STARTS HERE:
Ok so I thought I would quickly reply to this because of my background. Then after posting I decided to search USMC MOS just out of curiosity. Seriously rhagerman92? SERIOUSLY? Goggle results: About 750,000 results (0.36 seconds).
Here is a link to the number one result http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_States_Marine_Corps_MOS
Complete list of all USMC MOS's. A 94 on the ASVAB but unable to perform a web search.

[spekkio]

If you're enlisting in the Marines for any other reason than to be in infantry, you're barking up the wrong tree.

Also, you should read the CMC's new messages wrt post-war initiatives and enlisted QOL. If that doesn't make you run, then lacking internet search skills is the least of your problems.

If you want to do something technical, join the USAF or USN.

[Fermi2]

Incorrect, they will provide the OPPORTUNITY to get discipline and structure. Only HE can instill it..

[scotoma]

You have learned a valuable lesson, but it is not a new lesson. It is a lesson as old as time. It was first discovered when necessity was a child. "If it something worth doing, do it well." Or in the words of the boy scouts "be prepared". Some people can wing it and get by, but if your like me, you can't move fast enough to keep something from biting you in the ass.

[Ksheed]

If you're enlisting in the Marines for any other reason than to be in infantry, you're barking up the wrong tree.

Also, you should read the CMC's new messages wrt post-war initiatives and enlisted QOL. If that doesn't make you run, then lacking internet search skills is the least of your problems.

If you want to do something technical, join the USAF or USN.

Every Marine is a rifleman first but there are many other jobs including technical. However, as it is with the rest of the branches you better get it in writing.

YATYAS

[Ksheed]

Incorrect, they will provide the OPPORTUNITY to get discipline and structure. Only HE can instill it..

It is obvious you have never been through the Marine Corps boot camp. In that three months there is no "OPPORTUNITY". You will do it, you will do it their way, no exceptions. At first you may think you have a choice, but eventually they will break you.

[GLW]

Incorrect, they will provide the OPPORTUNITY to get discipline and structure. Only HE can instill it..

They most certainly will instill discipline and structure in your life, at least for the first three months. You won't have a choice in the matter then, after that it will be up to you to maintain the high level of discipline expected. Which can be difficult for some.....

Well, after the lobotomy, the least they can do is put something back in,...



consistency counts:

Always quick to pick on the Jarheads.

[rhagerman92]

I wasn't relying solely on the feedback from this forum to blindly make my decision and sign the next 4 years or so of my life away, ksheed12, I'm well aware of what options I have as far as an MOS goes. Wikipedia would without a doubt be the last place I go for vital information seeing as how anyone can log on and type whatever they please, although I appreciate you taking the time to post that link for me. I figured it would be beneficial to hear some first hand experience from people that have been in the service, regardless of which branch they might have belonged to. I don't see how that labels me incompetent.
I appreciate you guys taking the time to provide some insight and opinions, thank you for any and all suggestions.

[spekkio]

Incorrect, they will provide the OPPORTUNITY to get discipline and structure. Only HE can instill it.

Marines have a very different culture than the Navy, which I'm sure you're aware of. One small example: O-3's calling O-4's by their first names makes Marines' heads explode. And on the enlisted end, being promted to an E-4 is actually a big deal in terms of the amount of leadership influence you are expected to exercise.

Every Marine is a rifleman first but there are many other jobs including technical. However, as it is with the rest of the branches you better get it in writing.

Yea, but that's not the point. The point is that the Marines exist to provide light, deployable infantry on a moment's notice. Everything the Marines do is based on either doing that or supporting it. It's a service that prides itself on doing more with less and doesn't have a lot of room for people who are just looking to 'use their high asvab score', mostly because it doesn't have as many of the 'cool toys' that the Navy or AF has that needs to be maintained. It has neither the budget nor the mission criteria for them.

If he's looking to do a job that requires a fair bit of brainpower 'similar to nuke,' then he doesn't seek a job in the USMC.

[cedugger]

It's a service that prides itself on doing more with less and doesn't have a lot of room for people who are just looking to 'use their high asvab score'

My boss is a Marine Major and I brought up this conversation today. He's a rather abrasive, prior-enlisted, warrant officer turned LDO, so to say he's blunt is an understatement. His response..."you join the Marines to be a f'in Marine first...if you're looking for a job, join one of the other f'in branches." Translation...pretty much what Spekkio said.

[rhagerman92]

My boss is a Marine Major and I brought up this conversation today. He's a rather abrasive, prior-enlisted, warrant officer turned LDO, so to say he's blunt is an understatement. His response..."you join the Marines to be a f'in Marine first...if you're looking for a job, join one of the other f'in branches." Translation...pretty much what Spekkio said.

Haha well said. The only other branch is AF and the recruiters ive talked to in the past avoid meeting or even talking to you over the phone like the plague. I refuse to join the Army that's not even an option, the requirements are so low to get in, and i'm sure as shit not going to have faith in them to have my back. That's just my opinion at least. So basically, navy isn't recruiting except for nuke(have to wait 3 months to pass the test, then another 6 months to even go to boot camp...), marines are only recruiting for reserves (I'd just request to be activated after training), and as far as AF I'm beginning to wonder if they even have recruiters that work hah. So unless something changes then i'll be going into the Marines it's the only one that makes sense with whats going on in my life right now

[HydroDave63]

Haha well said. The only other branch is AF and the recruiters ive talked to in the past avoid meeting or even talking to you over the phone like the plague. I refuse to join the Army that's not even an option, the requirements are so low to get in, and i'm sure as shit not going to have faith in them to have my back. That's just my opinion at least. So basically, navy isn't recruiting except for nuke(have to wait 3 months to pass the test, then another 6 months to even go to boot camp...), marines are only recruiting for reserves (I'd just request to be activated after training), and as far as AF I'm beginning to wonder if they even have recruiters that work hah. So unless something changes then i'll be going into the Marines it's the only one that makes sense with whats going on in my life right now

0:45 onwards...

[cedugger]

I refuse to join the Army that's not even an option, the requirements are so low to get in, and i'm sure as shit not going to have faith in them to have my back.

All of the branches have low requirements to enlist for just any ole job. I wouldn't let your bias prevent you from doing more research into the what the Army has to offer. I'm the only civilian health physics instructor at work...the other two are Army HP techs. There are less than 60 of them across the Army, so it's a rather exclusive field.

The Health Physics MOS is buried inside the 68-Sierra (68S) Preventive Medicine Specialist MOS as an additional concentration...just as ELT's are pulled from the MM rate in the nuke Navy. The specific subset of the 68S MOS is the "N4" (November-4). Here's a link: http://www.army-portal.com/jobs/medical-service/68s.html

You'll need to look closer at your ASVAB scores. You'll see that the ST minimum is a 101. That's the sum of your GS+VE+MK+MC. I hope you meet that minimum...or else it would be rather embarrassing after dumping on the Army's low entry standards.

[spekkio]

Haha well said. The only other branch is AF and the recruiters ive talked to in the past avoid meeting or even talking to you over the phone like the plague. I refuse to join the Army that's not even an option, the requirements are so low to get in, and i'm sure as shit not going to have faith in them to have my back. That's just my opinion at least. So basically, navy isn't recruiting except for nuke(have to wait 3 months to pass the test, then another 6 months to even go to boot camp...), marines are only recruiting for reserves (I'd just request to be activated after training), and as far as AF I'm beginning to wonder if they even have recruiters that work hah. So unless something changes then i'll be going into the Marines it's the only one that makes sense with whats going on in my life right now

.

With OIF and OEF coming to a close, the ground forces are downsizing, particularly the USMC which is the only true 'redundant' service that we have. That's why they're making anyone up to and including E-5 move to the barracks to cut operational costs. The Army generally has lower requirements because it's a very large service personnel wise. The USAF is unresponsive because they're never short of people willing to enlist. It's practically highway robbery to get the pay and benefits with as little as they actually have to work.

I would caution you that your impatience shouldn't lead you to choose a job that you don't actually want. All of the branches need an influx of junior enlisted personnel, so it might just be a matter of having the patience for waiting for the slot to be open.  Sorta like buying a car -- eventually the dealership will need to move the vehicle and will come to your asking price, as long as it's reasonable.

Also, the Navy is a more heterogenious service than the others. We're the only service where someone will answer "I'm an ET" and not a generic "I'm a Soldier/Marine/Airman," so if you're looking to go into a specific area and be guaranteed to stay within that area for your enlistment, the Navy/USAF are the better option.

[Ksheed]

Yea, but that's not the point. The point is that the Marines exist to provide light, deployable infantry on a moment's notice. Everything the Marines do is based on either doing that or supporting it. It's a service that prides itself on doing more with less and doesn't have a lot of room for people who are just looking to 'use their high asvab score', mostly because it doesn't have as many of the 'cool toys' that the Navy or AF has that needs to be maintained. It has neither the budget nor the mission criteria for them.

If he's looking to do a job that requires a fair bit of brainpower 'similar to nuke,' then he doesn't seek a job in the USMC.

I'm aware of the Marine Corps Mission, and low end equipment they use. Been there done that. The vehicle I operated and maintained was built in 1972 and is still in use today. My point is that there are other MOS's besides 0300, quite a few in fact. They are not all "dumb grunts".

[spekkio]

My point is that there are other MOS's besides 0300, quite a few in fact. They not all "dumb grunts".

Who called them dumb? Certainly not me.