Army Aptitude tests revisited

[huffmanite]

If I remember correctly, back in the late 60s, the army required you to have a GT score of 110 or higher to become an officer.

[SKIPH]

I went in in 1970 if I correctly recall it was 115 for OCS and SF. For SF you also had to take the DLAT(Defense Language Aptitude Test) and the SF exam. Seems there was a lot of photographic things on the SF test. Later the army lowered the GT score to 110. SKIP

[huffmanite]

Back in the late 1960s, I seem to remember the Army required you to have a minimun GT score of 110 to become an officer.

After high school, I attended college for more than 2 years, but dropped out and was drafted. When I showed up for the induction physical given to draftees, there was a guy in line with me who had graduated from my high school a year after me. He had been a good athelete in high school and had received a football scholarship to one of the small Texas universities. The guy was just a little over 5'9" tall and in high school he'd weighted around 220 lbs and could run a 10.1 second 100 yard dash. But now, due to weightlifting and etc., while he had been playing college football, he now weighted about 240lbs. The guy was a walking brick with not an ounce of fat on him. A shoulder injury had ended his college football and his college athelete scholarship. So, he too had dropped out of college and had been drafted. After our physicals, we cross paths in the hallway and he gleefully tells me that he had failed the physical. "Oh", said I, "your shoulder injury failed you." He laughed and said, "nope, the doctor said I was over weight for my height" and "that I needed to lose about 20 lbs before I could be in the army."

I can also remember the 100 question test you were given before being inducted into the army in the late 60's. To this day, I think back to when I took that basic IQ/military entrance test. I remember reading the questions and saying to myself, hmmmmm this is a question that a guy raised in the country would have no problem answering correctly. Hmmmmm, here is a question a city guy should have no problem answering this question. Being someone who had lived in both the country and the city, I had no problems with the questions and remember being one of the test takers to finish early. I thought the test was a joke. There were only a few questions that I had to stop and think about before answering. Seems you had to only get about 30 questions correct out of the 100 to pass the Basic IQ test. Well, when I'm standing out in the hallway, awaiting the test results, with the rest of the test takers, I can remember listening to a group of 4 or 5 guys talking about how hard the test was and several of them were concerned about having answered enough questions correctly to have passed the test. My thoughts on their converstion was something to the effect, egads you had to either intensionally answer the questions wrong to fail or be someone who truely lacked any intelligence whatsoever. How many, if any, failed the test I don't know. We were sworn in and then led outside to board the 3 buses waiting to take us to Ft. Polk, La. While waiting to board the bus, a sergeant yelled out my name and I answered him. In high school and college I considered myself to be just an average student. The sergeant came over to me and much to my surprise said, "you must be a real smart guy, I've never had a guy get as many questions correct as you did on the test, you only missed one." Because of that, the sergeant gave me the paperwork/records for all the guys on the buses to give to the sergeant that greeted us at Ft. Polk.

[Bolo Badge]

If I am not mistaken the required score for OCS varied from 110 to 115 based upon the needs of the Army and the availablility of qualified recruits or inductees. In addition to higher physical standards SF candidates had to successfully complete the DLAT/DLAB language test (I can't remember what a passing score was). All selectees (OCS/SF) had to appear before a selection board of officers and be recommended prior to attendance. While not infallible the AFQ tests did give a good general indication as to whether or not a recruit or inductee had the necessary academic and reasoning skills thought necessary to complete a certain course. While every class lost students due to physical disqualificaton, family/personal hardships, etc. the major reason, then and now, for a soldier failing to complete a course was simple lack of maturity. Many soldiers just did not have the maturity and self-discipline to apply themselves to the level required for successful completion.

[DaveHH]

I'd say the ideal weight for a good soldier would be about 165-175lbs, no more no less. It isn't a game for fat people or weight lifters because all of those extra pounds of muscle serve little purpose in the field, it is just weight you have to pack around. The NVA had guys that weighed around 125lbs and they had a high muscle to weight ratio. They were strong enough to do the job and still be able to march their little flip-flops off. I weighed about 200lbs wringing wet when I got there and 178 when I left and I had little or no fat either way. At 6'2" I was a screaming skull when I got home as I had lost pounds of muscle from not eating well. In basic training I was the only draftee in my platoon and finished the overall test as number two in the company (220 people), one other draftee from Washington beat me. I thought it was telling that two draftees beat out all of those RAs who WANTED to be there. Regarding the Language test; they wanted me to go to the language school at Monterey, CA but when I asked what language they said Vietnamese, I declined. Wound up there anyway for a little OJT language training.

[Dale in Louisiana]

I took the original Army version back in 1968 and had scores in the 130-145 range. Had to retake the series to join the Texas Air National Guard in the early 1980's and maxed the whole set. Apparently I learned something in the army.

[Former Cav]

I was offered OCS and had a 110 score on the GT.
that was in Jun 65 at Ft. Knox KY.
I barely made it through high school as I did NOT apply myself.
I was a "D minus" student.
When I got out of the army, I went and got an AA in Engineering, and a BA degree in Business.
Not too bad for a "flunky"
course, I hit the books and had to go to summer quarters in tech school to keep up with my class in mechanic engineering/design. It was a real panic taking Algebra, Trig, Calculus, and slide rule all in the same quarter because I did not take them in high school.

[Fred G.]

I was at College in 1979 when, while walking through the campus one Saturday morning, a Major in our ROTC building called out to me and told me they were giving the flight aptitude test or FAST in a few minutes. He asked if I wanted to take it too. "Sure, why not?" I told him. THe test was a really long one that lasted for some time. Out of 400 points, it only took 120 or 125 to pass as I recall. Nobody passed but two people, a female cadet who got 130 something and myself. I got 305. However, I was drunk the night before I was supposed to take my flight physical and missed it the next morning. Since I'd allready signed up for Cavalry (air cav) the just put me into the Armored Cav. I never had another chance to take the flight physical. I never got to fly. I regreted that ever since.

[Searcher1911]

I don't know about the aptitude but I went to Vietnam weighing around 218. About 30 days in a rifle platoon and I was down to 178 where I stayed until I left. Humping, eating C rations and Army chow and not sleeping much does wonders for a heavy body.

[DaveHH]

I had a 44" chest when I got there and they fitted me in a 40 ex long for my going home suit. I just couldn't get behind eating a diet that was good in northern Germany in that heat. It was stupid; eat a decent load of Army chow and you had a lead weight in your gut all day. Once every month or so we got chili over rice and that was prime chop. They even had some farmers down in Dalat raise some lettuce using no human fertilizer and that was a big treat. This was 1967 and we hadn't seen any salad for a long, long time. I chowed down on that stuff and remember how many inch worms and bugs were left on the tray, killed by the vinegar. The cooks were just stupid fat pigs too. I recall many times coming in from a convoy just after hours and those guys would dump the food out right in front of us rather than take a minute to feed us. It wasn't like you could pop down to the Burget King, that was all there was. We finally stole large amounts of Cs which p***ed them off royally, but having food was important for us. Those of you who were there know that the cooks vs us situation could turn real bad real quick after you had been in that place for 10 months or so. It would be real easy to blow anyone away who crossed you. Another thing: the Army is beer cooled and nowhere again could you do a 12 pack a night and not gain a pound.