AFPSAT Guide: Schedule, Requirements, Coverage and 8-Week Plan

AFPSAT Guide: How the AFP Aptitude Test Works and How to Prepare

The Armed Forces of the Philippines Service Aptitude Test (AFPSAT) is the AFP's unified written entrance test. It is one of the screening requirements for both officer and enlisted applicants to the Philippine Army, Air Force and Navy. Passing it doesn't get you in by itself. It's one step, next to the physical, medical and other screening each service runs.

Two things to get straight early:

• The AFPSAT is not how you enter the Philippine Military Academy. PMA cadets go through the separate PMA Entrance Examination (PMAEE). See the PMAEE guide.
• It is not the police exam either. PNP applicants take the NAPOLCOM PNP Entrance Exam, and PNPA cadets take the PNPA Cadet Admission Test. See AFPSAT vs NAPOLCOM PNPE.

Get a baseline first: the free AFPSAT readiness test shows you where you stand before you plan your review.

1. When is the AFPSAT?

There is no single national AFPSAT date. You register online, then the testing office of the service you're applying to gives you an exam slot. The testing offices include the Philippine Air Force testing office at Villamor Air Base, the Army Testing Office at Fort Bonifacio, the Navy's testing office at the Naval Personnel Management Center, and regional recruitment offices.

One example: in 2026, the Army Testing Office at Camp Evangelista, Cagayan de Oro, announced officer-candidate batches on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays, and candidate-soldier batches on Thursdays (as reported by local news). Other offices set their own schedules, so ask the office you're applying to.

Rules from the AFPSAT portal:

• Report by 7:00 a.m. Latecomers are moved to the next scheduled date.
• Retakes need approval, and the portal refers to a six-month waiting period before a retake.

2. Requirements and fee

Bring these when you apply:

• Original transcript of records (TOR) or Form 137
• Original college diploma
• PSA birth certificate
• Valid ID
• 2x2 photo

Age, height and education rules for each program are set by the service you apply to, so confirm them with its recruitment office.

Fee: no fee is published. The AFPSAT portal described its services as free. Confirm with the recruitment office, and be wary of anyone who asks for money to "reserve" a slot.

3. What the AFPSAT covers

The AFP does not publish the item count, the subtests, the time limit or the passing score, and each major service sets its own cut-off. Reviewer sources describe these kinds of items:

1. Verbal: vocabulary, sentence completion, analogies, short reading passages
2. Numerical: arithmetic, percentages, ratios, word problems, basic algebra
3. Logical and abstract reasoning: number and letter series, syllogisms, figure patterns
4. Spatial and mechanical reasoning: figure rotation, paper folding, gears, pulleys and levers
5. General information: Philippine history, government and the Constitution, current events, basic AFP knowledge

Treat that list as a map of what to practice, not as an official breakdown. Anything that quotes an exact AFPSAT item count, subtest weights or a "composite cut-off" is guessing.

The AFPSAT portal names test leakage as a problem, and the AFP does not release its test papers. Be skeptical of anything sold as "actual AFPSAT questions".

4. The 8-week prep plan

Built for a graduate with about 3 hours a day. If you're working, stretch it to 12 weeks at a lighter daily load.

Weeks 1–2: Diagnose

Take a baseline: the free AFPSAT readiness test, or a timed set of mixed items from a printed reviewer. Sort your wrong answers by area.

Check two areas first, because school doesn't teach them directly: spatial and mechanical items and AFP-specific general information.

Weeks 3–6: Targeted drill

Pair your two weakest areas:

• Mon/Wed/Fri (90 min): Area A
• Tue/Thu (90 min): Area B
• Saturday (2–3 hrs): a mixed, timed practice set
• Sunday: Off

For spatial and mechanical items: drill figure rotation, paper folding and simple machines. About 50 practice items a week is a sensible volume. See the spatial ability review.

For general information, cover (a) Philippine history, (b) Philippine geography (regions, capitals), (c) the AFP's organization (the major services, ranks, basic acronyms), and (d) basic civics, especially Articles II and XVI of the 1987 Constitution. See the general information review.

Weeks 7–8: Timed practice and final review

Take two full timed practice tests a week and spend a day reviewing every wrong answer. The official time limit isn't published, so set a fixed time budget and stick to it. See the practice test strategy. In the last 3 days before your slot, keep it light.

5. What it costs to prepare

The test itself has no published fee. Review centers and printed reviewers charge for their materials, so check each one's current rates. Many applicants prepare with a printed reviewer, free practice tools and a steady daily routine.

6. After passing: base pay

Uniformed personnel follow the MUP Base Pay Schedule (EO 107, s. 2025), not the civilian Salary Grade table. 2026 monthly base pay:

On top of base pay, the subsistence allowance is ₱350 a day from 1 January 2026. Base pay rises again in 2027 and 2028. See the AFP salary guide for the full rank-by-rank table.

7. If you don't pass

• Retake: retakes need approval, and the AFPSAT portal refers to a six-month waiting period. Use the time to fix your weakest areas.
• Consider the NAPOLCOM PNP Entrance Exam: it's a 3-hour, pen-and-paper test covering General Information/Uprightness, Verbal Reasoning, Quantitative Reasoning and Logical Reasoning, with a 70% pass mark. It's open to bachelor's-degree holders aged 21–30 on exam day. The next sitting is on 18 October 2026, and it's usually held in April and October. See the NAPOLCOM PNPE guide.
• Consider the academies: PMA admission goes through the PMAEE, and PNPA admission goes through the PNPA Cadet Admission Test (set for 25 October 2026). Both have their own age and grade requirements. See the PNPA guide.

Practice with Super Tutor

Super Tutor's AFPSAT reviewer covers Verbal Ability, Numerical Ability, Analytical Ability (analogies, inferences, reading, logical reasoning), General Information (Constitution, government, RA 6713, human rights, environment, Philippine history), Filipino and AFP Knowledge (Articles of War, AFP organization, Philippine defense history and current affairs). It has practice quizzes at three difficulty levels and an AI tutor that explains any question step by step. It has no spatial or mechanical-reasoning content and no AFPSAT mock exams, so use a printed reviewer for those. Start free — 5-day trial, no card.