Factor structure of the air force officer qualifying test: Analysis and comparison

The Air Force Officer Qualifying Test (AFOQT) is used to qualify men and women for commissions in the Air Force, classify them for pilot and navigator jobs, and award Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) scholarships. Despite more than three decades of use, little published literature exists outside of Air Force technical reports, which do not receive wide distribution. One of the most important details about a test battery is which factors it measures. To determine this, several factor models were tested with structural equations. Most of the models were hierarchical with general cognitive ability (g) as the highest factor. A model with hierarchical g and the five lower order factors of verbal, math, spatial, aircrew, and perceptual speed fit the data best. The factor structure of the AFOOT was compared to the factor structure of the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB), the enlistment qualification test battery. The AFOQT was found to contain a greater number of factors than did the ASVAB. Given the confirmed AFOOT factor structure, four methods of increasing its validity are proposed and discussed. These methods are increasing reliability of the tests, increasing the g saturation, adding job knowledge tests, and adding additional valid factors.