What Is a Good OAR Score? Ranges and Minimums by Program

A good OAR score is one that clears the minimum for the officer program you want with room to spare, and for most applicants that means 50 or higher. There is no single passing score: the OAR is reported on a 20 to 80 scale where 50 is the average, and each program sets its own cutoff, from about 40 to 50 for common Officer Candidate School (OCS) programs.

So the useful question is not “did I pass?” but “is my score above my program’s minimum, and by how much?” Below is how the scale works, the minimum each program asks for, and how to decide whether to retake.

How the OAR is scored

The Officer Aptitude Rating is one composite score built from three subtests of the Aviation Selection Test Battery (ASTB-E): Math Skills, Reading Comprehension and Mechanical Comprehension. The test is computer-adaptive, so the questions you see depend on your earlier answers. You don’t get a percentage or a number correct, only the scaled OAR score. (For a quick overview of the test itself, see what the OAR is.)

The score is reported from 20 to 80 and, according to a Marine Corps overview of the ASTB, is scaled as a T-score. That kind of scale is built so the reference group averages 50, and most people land within about 10 points of it. The same overview’s score chart (fiscal year 2004 data) shows most examinees scoring between 40 and 60, with very few at either end.

If you also take the aviation parts of the ASTB-E, you get separate aviation scores (the AQR, PFAR and FOFAR) on a 1 to 9 scale. Those are what pilot and flight officer boards use. More on that below.

What is a good OAR score?

A good OAR score clears your program’s minimum with room to spare. Here is how to read your number. These bands are our reading of the official minimums and the T-score scale, not Navy cutoffs:

OAR score	What it means
Below 40	Under the minimum for most OCS programs. Study before you retest.
40–49	Meets the minimum for some programs (Surface Warfare and Supply Corps ask for 42). Competitive only with a strong GPA and record.
50–59	Meets every OAR minimum in the table below, and sits at or above the average.
60 and up	Well above average. If scores follow a normal curve, a 60 beats roughly 5 in 6 test-takers.

The score is only one part of your application. The Surface Warfare Officer program shows what a strong package looks like on paper: applicants who meet its immediate selection criteria skip the regular OCS board. Those criteria include an OAR of 50 or more, a GPA of 3.3 or higher, an age of 19 to 25, and no waivers (PA-100, June 2025).

Minimum OAR scores by Navy officer program

Each officer program publishes its requirements in a Program Authorization (PA) on MyNavyHR. These are the OAR minimums in the current PAs for common OCS programs:

Program (designator)	Minimum OAR	Notes	Source
Surface Warfare Officer (1160)	42	50 for immediate selection	PA-100, Jun 2025
Supply Corps (3100)	42		PA-102, Jul 2025
Public Affairs (1650)	40	Waiver for 37–39 with a GPA of 3.0+	PA-103, Oct 2024
Civil Engineer Corps (5100)	45	Waiverable to 40	PA-104, Mar 2025
Oceanography (1800)	45		PA-108B, Feb 2025
Cryptologic Warfare (1810)	45	Waiverable to 40	PA-108C, Feb 2025
Intelligence (1830)	50		PA-108A, Jul 2025
Communications Systems Warfare Officer (1820, formerly Information Professional)	50	Also a GPA of 3.0+	PA-108D, Jul 2026

Minimums as of October 2026. Program Authorizations are revised from time to time, and minimums and waivers change with them, so confirm with your recruiter or the current PA in the MyNavyHR Program Authorizations index.

Pilots and Naval Flight Officers are different. Student Naval Aviator (1390) and Student Naval Flight Officer (1370) applicants are screened on ASTB-E aviation scores, not the OAR: a minimum AQR of 4 with a PFAR of 5 for pilots, or an FOFAR of 5 for NFOs (PA-106).

Is my score good enough?

If you meet the minimum, you are eligible. Whether you are selected depends on the whole package: your GPA, your degree (some programs prefer or require technical degrees), interviews, leadership experience and physical readiness. Boards compare you with the other applicants in the same cycle, not with a fixed bar.

That is why a score just above the minimum and a score well above it are not the same. A 43 makes you eligible for Surface Warfare; a 55 makes the same application noticeably stronger. If your program’s minimum is 50, aim higher than 50.

Should you retake the OAR?

Retaking is a real decision because the rules are strict. According to the Naval Aerospace Medical Institute’s ASTB-E FAQ:

• You get 3 attempts in your lifetime.
• At least 30 full days must pass between attempts.
• Your newest score replaces your earlier scores, even if it is lower.

Our advice: retake when you are below your program’s minimum, or well below where competitive applicants land, and your practice results show you can now score clearly higher. Don’t retake to chase one or two points. A lower score would replace the one you have, and you would have used an attempt you can’t get back.

If you do retake, use the ASTB-E retest date calculator to find your earliest retest date and plan your study around it.

How to raise your OAR score

Start by finding your weakest subtest, then spend most of your time there.

• Find your weak spot. Take the free OAR practice test: 15 questions, five per subtest, with an explanation for every answer.
• Math Skills. Calculators aren’t allowed, so slow arithmetic costs you on every question. Build speed with the no-calculator math drill, then work full word problems in the OAR math practice test.
• Mechanical Comprehension. Most questions come down to a handful of ideas: levers, gears, pulleys, pressure and simple circuits. Learn them from the OAR formula sheet and check yourself with the mechanical comprehension practice test.
• Reading Comprehension. Practice telling apart what a passage says, what it implies and what it never mentions, with the reading comprehension practice test.

For daily practice, OAR Prep has 2,604 exam-style questions with explanations, 90-question timed mock exams and flashcards on iPhone and iPad. Your first quiz is free.

Frequently asked questions

What is the minimum OAR score for Navy OCS?

There isn’t one minimum for OCS as a whole. Each program sets its own: 42 for Surface Warfare and Supply Corps, 45 for Civil Engineer Corps and Oceanography, and 50 for Intelligence and Communications Systems Warfare, as of the October 2026 Program Authorizations.

Is 50 a good OAR score?

Yes. 50 is the average of the reference group on the OAR scale, and it meets every OAR minimum listed in the current Program Authorizations above. For programs with a minimum of 50, aim a few points higher to stand out.

What is the average OAR score?

The scale is centered on 50. In the score data published in a Marine Corps overview of the ASTB (fiscal year 2004), most examinees scored between 40 and 60.

Is there a passing score for the OAR?

No. The OAR has no pass or fail. You receive a score from 20 to 80, and each officer program decides what minimum it accepts.

How many times can you take the OAR?

Three times in your lifetime, with at least 30 full days between attempts. Your most recent score replaces earlier ones, even if it is lower.

Do pilots need a minimum OAR score?

Pilot and Naval Flight Officer applicants are screened on the ASTB-E aviation scores instead: a minimum AQR of 4 with a PFAR of 5 (pilots) or an FOFAR of 5 (NFOs).

Sources

Checked against the Navy’s published pages on October 24, 2026.

• Naval Aerospace Medical Institute: ASTB-E frequently asked questions
• MyNavyHR: Officer Program Authorizations
• MyNavyHR: PA-100, Surface Warfare Officer (June 2025)
• MyNavyHR: PA-102, Supply Corps (July 2025)
• MyNavyHR: PA-103, Public Affairs (October 2024)
• MyNavyHR: PA-104, Civil Engineer Corps (March 2025)
• MyNavyHR: PA-106, Pilot and NFO (November 2023)
• MyNavyHR: PA-108A, Intelligence (July 2025)
• MyNavyHR: PA-108B, Oceanography (February 2025)
• MyNavyHR: PA-108C, Cryptologic Warfare (February 2025)
• MyNavyHR: PA-108D, Communications Systems Warfare Officer (July 2026)
• U.S. Marine Corps: Aviation Selection Test Battery (ASTB) overview

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