AIR-FORCE OFFICER QUALIFYING TEST VALIDITY FOR PREDICTING PILOT TRAINING PERFORMANCE

The AFOQT was validated for the prediction of pilot training criteria. Subjects were 7,563 men and women selected for pilot training on the basis of educational attainment and AFOQT scores. Criterion variables included daily flight training grades, check flight grades in subsonic and transonic aircraft, and overall academic performance in the 53 we ek pilot training course. Test validities were presented as observed, corrected for multivariate range restriction, and corrected for multiv ariate range restriction and unreliability. The Aviation Information a nd Instrument Comprehension tests, measures of job knowledge, were mos t predictive of daily and check flights in the initial subsonic jet ai rcraft. This reflects the relative greater importance of prior job kno wledge early in training. The Scale Reading test, a measure of percept ual speed, was most predictive for daily and check flights in the adva nced transonic training aircraft. The Arithmetic Reasoning test, a goo d measure of general cognitive ability, was most predictive of aeronau tics in ground school. The development of an improved pilot selection composite is suggested by the results of the validity analyses.