The Selection Instrument for Flight Training — the gate into Army aviation, and the one test in this catalog you effectively get one run at.
When’s your SIFT?
You’ll get a countdown and a daily pace — a study signal, never a pass guarantee.
The SIFT is the first hard gate into Army aviation: pass it, then pass a flight physical, and you are in the running. The Army sets the passing score at 40, and the retake rules are unlike anything else in this catalog — once you score 40 or above you are no longer authorised to retake it, and if you score below 40 you get exactly one more attempt after 45 days. Fail that second attempt and you are disqualified from Army aviation service.
Read those two rules together and the study strategy writes itself. There is no diagnostic attempt, no "sit it early to see where I am", and no grinding a score upward across four sittings the way people do with the SAT. Whatever you walk in with on the day is what the Army records. That makes the SIFT the strongest argument in this catalog for practising until the underlying skills are automatic rather than cramming a week out.
The Army describes what the test measures rather than publishing a question-by-question blueprint: mathematical skill and aptitude, extracting meaning from written passages, familiarity with mechanical concepts and simple machines, mental rotation to work out the orientation of an aircraft in three dimensions, rapid pattern recognition across objects and groups of images, and knowledge of aviation terminology, aircraft components and function, basic aerodynamics and basic flight rules. Every one of those maps onto a skill you can drill here, adaptively, at your own level.
Or take a timed drill — 20 questions, 25 minutes
A focused drill on one section under a real clock — not a full practice exam, and never a predicted SIFT score.
What’s on the SIFT exam
Passing score
40
If you pass
You are no longer authorised to retake it — a passing score is final
If you fail
One more attempt, no sooner than 45 days later
If you fail twice
Disqualified from Army aviation service
Next step
A qualified flight physical, scheduled after you pass
Blueprint
The Army publishes what the test measures rather than a per-subtest item count — so this page does not quote one
Mathematical skills and aptitude
Named by the Army as one of the aptitudes assessed.
Extracting meaning from written passages
Reading comprehension under time.
Mechanical concepts and simple machines
Familiarity with how mechanisms behave.
Mental rotation in three dimensions
Determining the orientation of an aircraft in 3-D space.
Rapid pattern recognition
Recognising patterns within objects and groups of images, quickly.
Aviation knowledge
Terminology, aircraft components and function, basic aerodynamics, and basic flight rules and regulations.
Passing score, retake rules and the assessed aptitudes verified against the US Army Aviation Branch cadet guidance (home.army.mil/rucker), 2026-08-22
Practice by section
Math skills
Arithmetic, algebra and geometry — the Army is explicit that you do not need to be a maths specialist, but the work has to be fluent.
Aviation terminology, aircraft components and their function, basic aerodynamic principles, and basic flight rules and regulations — the one part that is pure study.
Practice aligned to the aptitudes the US Army states the SIFT measures. Keentune is independent study practice — not affiliated with or endorsed by the US Army, the Aviation Branch or the Department of Defense, not a copy of the official test, and no score or aviation selection is guaranteed. It does not reproduce a subtest-by-subtest question count or timing: the Army’s public SIFT guidance states what the test measures and the pass and retake rules, not a fixed blueprint, and unofficial counts are not a substitute for one. SIFT is a US Army program name, used here for identification only.
Forty. The Army states the minimum passing score is 40, and that you cannot be denied a flight physical for scoring below 50 — 40 is the bar, and clearing it completes the first step toward aviation service.
How many times can I take the SIFT?
Effectively once, and this is the rule most people get wrong. If you score 40 or above you are no longer authorised to retake it, so there is no improving a passing score. If you score below 40 you may test once more, no sooner than 45 days later. Fail that second attempt and you are disqualified from Army aviation service. There is no diagnostic sitting — treat the first attempt as the only one.
How many questions are on it, and how long does it take?
The Army’s public guidance for cadets describes what the SIFT measures and the pass and retake rules rather than a subtest-by-subtest question count, so this page does not quote one. You will find exact-looking counts on commercial study sites; treat them with care — the equivalent figures circulated for the Navy’s OAR turned out to describe a retired version of that test. Ask your ROTC cadre or recruiter if the exact format matters to your planning.
What should I actually study?
Work backwards from what the Army says is assessed. Aviation knowledge is the one part that is pure study — terminology, aircraft components and function, basic aerodynamics, basic flight rules — so it is the fastest to move. Mental rotation and rapid pattern recognition are trainable with repetition and respond well to practice. Maths and mechanical comprehension are fluency: the Army is explicit that you do not need to be a maths specialist, but you do need to be quick and accurate.
How does Keentune practice map to the SIFT?
Each section above drills one of the aptitudes the Army names, adaptively — meeting you near your current level and moving with you, with explanations that name the principle and diagnose the trap. These are original questions written from public sources, never real SIFT items, and Keentune does not attempt a full-length replica of a test whose blueprint the Army does not publish.
All exam, test, and product names and trademarks are the property of their respective owners and are used here for identification and reference only. Keentune is independent study practice — not affiliated with, authorized, or endorsed by any of these organizations.