Revalidation of the Selection Instrument for Flight Training
Abstract
The U.S. Army recently replaced the Alternate Flight Aptitude Selection Test (AFAST) with the Selection Instrument for Flight Training (SIFT). The SIFT is an aviator aptitude test created by the Army. Prospective students are required to complete and pass the SIFT as part of admission to flight training. Created in 2006 by the U.S. Army Research Institute, the SIFT addressed limitations of the AFAST that included negligible predictive and face validity, inadequate operational support, compromised security, and outdated testing format (i.e., paper and pencil testing). The present research analyzed the utility of the SIFT in predicting students success during flight training. SIFT exams were collected for all prospective students over the course of 2 years. Classroom and flight grades were collected for all students who successfully passed the SIFT and went on to enroll in the Initial Entry Rotary Wing (IERW) Common Core flight training (Phase l). Results suggest that the SIFT provided weak to moderate prediction of IERW Phase l grades and flight performance, respectively. Future research should verify if the SIFT can predict students success in their Go-To-War aircrafts (Phase II).
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jul 01, 2017
- Accession Number
- AD1036138
Entities
People
- C. V. Crawford
- Victor Ingurgio
Organizations
- U.S. Army Research Institute for the Behavioral and Social Sciences