EVE New Citizens Q&A

what skills do you recommend the most to minimize the amount of time it takes to scan something down I am tired of taking an hour to find something sometimes even more than one and which skill is the most effective to train first

Skills matter, but the ship bonus matters more, be sure to use a Probe(minmatar explration fregate) and to pump up the "minamatar fregate" skill too..
also be sure to look the ingame exploration video ( F12->tutorial videos->exploration scanning 2of2) to know when to move the scanning probes over a signal, when to reduce the scanning range, etc...

Order of importance: Astrometics first, then Rangefinding, then Pinpointing ... Acquisition is the least important.

But the most important part is player skill, knowing how to set custom probe formations and avoid unnessesary scan runs. Check out the videos of JonnyPew on YouTube.

There are modules, rigs, implants, charges, and ship bonuses that effect these stats. The best way to get to know this is to use them to change your stats around and see for yourself.

Other than that I agree with the other posters mostly but would add that each level of a skill takes 5 times longer to train as the previous level with no greater improvement. So when someone gives you a priority list like you have been given it typically means train skill A to level 3 before training skill B to level 3 and not train skill A to level 5 before training skill B to level 3.

Also don't forget the ship skill in the mix with the rest. It would not take you long to get those skills all up to 3 and if you do that and use some Rangefinding and Pinpointing arrays along with a flight of sister's probes I don't think it should be all that difficult.

A Magnate or other such T1 scanning frigate with two Small Gravity Capacitor Upgrade I rigs, one Scan Rangefinding Array I coupled with Astrometrics IV and all other Astrometrics skills at III shouldn't have too much trouble with the vast majority of signatures.

Scan Pinpointing Arrays and Sisters probes will also give you an extra boost. It's always worth looking at what you're flying and what you have fitted. In Eve you'll find that if there's a particular task to complete there's often a relatvely cheap hull and modules to do it with.