AFOQT Block Counting practice and strategy

Block Counting format and timing

Source: AFOQT Information Pamphlet (Form T, updated 1 Aug 2015), Tables 1–2. Block Counting is subtest 11 of 12, between Instrument Comprehension and Aviation Information in Part B. The test has been computer-only (the E-AFOQT) since 2023; whether that changed any timing isn't published, so these are the Form T figures our timed sets use.

The touching rules

The pamphlet's rules, in our words:

• Blocks touch only if all or part of their faces touch.
• Blocks that meet only at corners don't count.
• All blocks in a pile are the same size and shape, so you can complete a partly hidden block in your head.
• The five options are consecutive numbers (for example 3 to 7), so an off-by-one count is always among them.

The skill is seeing into the pile: inferring the contacts you can't see from the ones you can. Our generated piles are built in layers. Within a layer the blocks run the same way and span the full width of the pile, the layers alternate direction like a log crib, and every block is at least partly visible.

The technique: under, around, over

1. Find the numbered block and trace its whole outline, including the parts hidden behind other blocks.
2. Under: count the blocks it rests on. Zero if it sits on the ground.
3. Around: count the blocks touching its sides and ends in the same layer.
4. Over: count the blocks resting on it.
5. Add the three. Never count the block itself.
6. Pick the option and move on. Corner-only contact never counts.

Three blocks, worked in words

The set above draws real piles; here's one described in words. Picture three layers of identical long blocks, like a log crib. Bottom layer: three blocks side by side, running left to right. Middle layer: three blocks running front to back, laid across the bottom layer. Top layer: two blocks running left to right, one at the front and one at the back, with an empty slot between them.

Block 1, the middle block of the middle layer. Under: it crosses all three bottom blocks, so 3. Around: one neighbor on each side, so 2. Over: both top blocks cross it, so 2. Total 7.

Block 2, the front block of the bottom layer. Under: the ground, so 0. Around: one neighbor, the middle bottom block, so 1. Over: all three middle-layer blocks rest across it, so 3. Total 4.

Block 3, the front block of the top layer. Under: it rests on all three middle-layer blocks, so 3. Around: the other top block sits across the empty slot and doesn't touch it, so 0. Over: nothing, so 0. Total 3. The trap is counting that back block: it's close, but no face touches.

Common traps

• Forgetting hidden blocks underneath or behind. Use the same-size rule to rebuild them.
• Counting the block itself. The question asks about other blocks.
• Counting near misses: a block across a gap, or one that meets only at a corner.
• Double-counting a long block that touches in two places. It's still one block.
• Skipping the layer below. Contacts underneath are the easiest to forget, so count them first.

Pacing plan: 30 in 4½ minutes

Thirty questions in 4:30 is 9 seconds each. In our sets each pile carries five numbered blocks, so build your picture of the pile once and reuse it for every block on it. Checkpoints: 10 answered at 1:30, 20 at 3:00. If a count isn't settled in about 12 seconds, pick your best count and move on. Answer every question; a wrong answer costs nothing.

Which composites it feeds

Block Counting counts toward Combat Systems Officer and Air Battle Manager. CSO training needs a CSO composite of at least 25, and ABM training an ABM composite of at least 25 (DAFMAN 36-2664, Table A2.1). It doesn't feed Pilot. If you're aiming at CSO or ABM, it's a mechanical skill that responds to timed repetition.

Composites are percentiles from 1 to 99 against a reference group. The norms aren't published, so any composite we show is an estimate. More in AFOQT scores explained.

Practice it here

Start with the five questions above. Then run timed Block Counting sets: 30 questions at 9 seconds each. Piles are generated, contacts are computed face by face, and each explanation splits the answer into under, around and over, so you see exactly which contact you missed. Sets never run out. Pair it with Table Reading in the same session, since both are pure speed.

How to count touching blocks fast

1. Find the numbered block and picture its full shape.
2. Count the blocks under it.
3. Count the blocks beside it in the same layer.
4. Count the blocks on top of it.
5. Add the three, leaving out the block itself.
6. Skip neighbors that meet it only at a corner or sit across a gap.

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