AF officials primed for officer qualifying test revamp Published April 24, 2009 By Tech. Sgt. Amaani Lyle Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs WASHINGTON (AFNS) -- Force Management officials will further refine the Air Force Officer Qualifying Test by conducting surveys that ensure the test content measures the most critical abilities and aptitudes tomorrow's officers need. Officials in the Air Staff Force Management Policy Division said the results of two Air Force-wide officer surveys will be used to revise the AFOQT, used by all accession sources, and for potential new officer classification instruments in high-tech career fields such as cyber, space, intelligence and meteorology. Both surveys will begin in mid-May and continue for one month. One survey focuses on technical abilities required for success in specific Air Force specialties for which Air Education and Training Command instructors conduct technical training, while the other survey focuses on broad officership abilities required for success across all line officer specialties. "This approach distinguishes between institutional versus occupational competencies," said Dr. Lisa Mills, Air Force Personnel Testing Program manager. "There are abilities that every officer needs, and there are needs for specific Air Force specialties. We are planning a more extensive revision to reflect the demands placed on officers in the context of today's operations tempo, emerging missions, new weapons systems and other evolving requirements." The AFOQT has been an integral part of the officer commissioning and aircrew training qualification process since 1951. The AFOQT enables Air Force officials to select high-quality officer candidates and predict success in training programs, resulting in substantial cost savings. The AFOQT has been revised 18 times over its nearly 60-year history. The current AFOQT development cycle is about eight years to ensure its content is current and to minimize potential compromise. Test developers are preparing to undertake its next revision. "To keep up with the ever-changing Air Force mission, the required officer skills necessary for success and the changing officer candidate recruiting pool, we are undertaking a broad initiative in search of very specific metrics," Dr. Mills said. "This is a very technically savvy and net-centric generation, and we must be able to identify talent and match people to the right jobs. This may involve measuring abilities that we haven't measured before on the AFOQT, and even abilities that are not acquired in formal schooling." Psychologists with expertise in military personnel selection and test development worked with focus groups comprising active-duty officers at several Air Force bases over the past few months to develop the surveys. Dr. Mills added that testing officials strongly encourage participation from any active-duty, Reserve, Guard 0-6, and even active flag officers. The additional input will be categorized by officer demographics and used in the analysis. Officers who are not selected to participate in either of the surveys or would like to participate in both may do so by accessing the survey online during its respective 30-day administration period. If selected to participate, officers will be notified of survey details via their official Air Force e-mail accounts. Dr. Mills said the survey results are critical in helping to identify the most important officer technical abilities and determining the content of the next version of the AFOQT. "The survey will identify both the broad and technical requirements of Air Force officers and it will quantify those requirements so we understand how pervasive and important they are across the service," Dr. Mills said. Comment on this story (comments may be published on Air Force Link) View the comments/letters page