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- Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
- Kategorie: Bildung
- Sprache: Englisch
The bestselling ASVAB test-prep guide--now updated for 2016/2017 Inside, you'll get in-depth reviews of all nine test subjects you'll encounter on the ASVAB, strategy cheat sheets for verbal, math, and general components, and tips to help you pinpoint your weaknesses and hone your test-taking skills in the areas where you need the most help. Your book purchase also includes a one-year subscription to online study tools, where you'll access six ASVAB practice tests, one AFQT practice test, 500 flashcards to improve your vocabulary, and tools to track your progress. The ASVAB is the most widely used multiple aptitude test in the world. If you're one of the more than one million people preparing to take the ASVAB this year, this updated edition of ASVAB For Dummies gives you everything you need to get the score you need to get the military job you want! * Test your skills with practice problems on each of the test's nine subtests * Score high and qualify for the military job you want * Boost your math, science, and English skills * Get one-year access to additional online practice If you have your sights set on enlisting in the military and want to ensure you perform your very best on test day, ASVAB For Dummies makes it easier.
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2016/2017 ASVAB For Dummies® with Online Practice
Published by:John Wiley & Sons, Inc.111 River StreetHoboken, NJ 07030-5774www.wiley.com
Copyright © 2016 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey
Published simultaneously in Canada
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Library of Congress Control Number: 2016940205
ISBN 978-1-119-23920-8 (pbk); ISBN 978-1-119-23926-0 (ebk); ISBN 978-1-119-23927-7 (ebk)
2016/2017 ASVAB For Dummies® with Online Practice
To view this book's Cheat Sheet, simply go to www.dummies.com and search for “ASVAB” in the Search box.
Table of Contents
Cover
Introduction
About This Book
Foolish Assumptions
Icons Used in This Book
Beyond the Book
Where to Go from Here
Part 1: Getting Started with the ASVAB
Chapter 1: Putting the ASVAB under a Microscope
Knowing Which Version You’re Taking
Mapping Out the ASVAB Subtests
Deciphering ASVAB Scores
Do-Over: Retaking the ASVAB
Chapter 2: Knowing What It Takes to Get Your Dream Job
Eyeing How ASVAB Scores Determine Military Training Programs and Jobs
Understanding How Each Branch Computes Line Scores
Chapter 3: Getting Acquainted with Test-Taking and Study Techniques
Taking the Test: Paper or Computerized?
Tackling Multiple-Choice Questions
When You Don’t Know an Answer: Guessing Smart
Studying and Practicing for the ASVAB
Making Last-Minute Preparations: 24 Hours and Counting
Part 2: Words to Live By: Communication Skills
Chapter 4: Word Knowledge
Grasping the Importance of Word Knowledge
Checking Out the Word Knowledge Question Format
Building Words from Scratch: Strategies to Help You Decipher Word Meanings
Yin and Yang: Understanding Synonyms and Antonyms
You Are What You Speak: Improving Your Vocabulary, Improving Yourself
Word Knowledge Practice Questions
Answers and Explanations
Chapter 5: Paragraph Comprehension
Understanding the Importance of Paragraph Comprehension for Military Jobs
Eyeing the Physique of the Paragraph Comprehension Subtest
Trying the Four Flavors of Comprehension Questions
Do You Get My Point? Breaking down Paragraphs
Analyzing What You’ve Read: Guessing at What the Writer Really Means
Faster than a Speeding Turtle: Tips for Slow Readers
Test-Taking Tips for Reading and Gleaning
Paragraph Comprehension Practice Questions
Answers and Explanations
Part 3: Making the Most of Math: Arithmetic Skills
Chapter 6: Mathematics Knowledge and Operations
Just When You Thought You Were Done with Vocab: Math Terminology
Operations: What You Do to Numbers
Working on Both Sides of the Line: Fractions
A Powerful Shorthand: Writing in Scientific Notation
Getting to the Root of the Problem
An Unknown Quantity: Reviewing Algebra
Looking at Math from a Different Angle: Geometry Review
Test-Taking Techniques for Your Mathematical Journey
Math Knowledge Practice Questions
Answers and Explanations
Chapter 7: Arithmetic Reasoning: Math Word Problems
Tackling the Real World of Word Problems
The Guessing Game: Putting Reason in Your Guessing Strategy
Arithmetic Reasoning (Math Word Problems) Practice Questions
Answers and Explanations
Part 4: The Whole Ball of Facts: Technical Skills
Chapter 8: General Science
There’s a Scientific Method to the Madness
Understanding Forms of Measurement
Another Day, Another Science: Scientific Disciplines You Should Know
Uncovering Biology, from Big to Small
Chemistry: Not Blowing Up the Lab
Where Few Have Gone Before: Astronomy
Down to Earth: Rocking Out with Geology and Meteorology
Improving Your Chances on the General Science Subtest
General Science Practice Questions
Answers and Explanations
Chapter 9: Auto & Shop Information
Checking under the Hood
Picking Up the Tools of the Trade
Sticking Materials Together with Fasteners
Building a Better Score
Auto & Shop Information Practice Questions
Answers and Explanations
Chapter 10: Mechanical Comprehension
Understanding the Forces of the Universe
You Call That Work?!
Relying on Machines to Help You Work
Working Your Way to a Better Test Score
Mechanical Comprehension Practice Questions
Answers and Explanations
Chapter 11: Electronics Information
Uncovering the Secrets of Electricity
Switching Things Up with Alternating and Direct Current
Picture It: Decoding Electrical Circuit Codes
Eyeing Some Electronic Information Test Tips
Electronics Information Practice Questions
Answers and Explanations
Chapter 12: Assembling Objects
Getting the Picture about Assembling Objects
Two Types of Questions for the Price of One
Tips for the Assembling Objects Subtest
Assembling Objects Practice Questions
Answers and Explanations
Part 5: Practice ASVAB Exams
Chapter 13: Practice Exam 1
Answer Sheet for Practice Exam 1
Subtest 1: General Science
Subtest 2: Arithmetic Reasoning
Subtest 3: Word Knowledge
Subtest 4: Paragraph Comprehension
Subtest 5: Mathematics Knowledge
Subtest 6: Electronics Information
Subtest 7: Auto & Shop Information
Subtest 8: Mechanical Comprehension
Subtest 9: Assembling Objects
Chapter 14: Practice Exam 1: Answers and Explanations
Subtest 1: General Science Answers
Subtest 2: Arithmetic Reasoning Answers
Subtest 3: Word Knowledge Answers
Subtest 4: Paragraph Comprehension Answers
Subtest 5: Mathematics Knowledge Answers
Subtest 6: Electronics Information Answers
Subtest 7: Auto & Shop Information Answers
Subtest 8: Mechanical Comprehension Answers
Subtest 9: Assembling Objects Answers
Chapter 15: Practice Exam 2
Answer Sheet for Practice Exam 2
Subtest 1: General Science
Subtest 2: Arithmetic Reasoning
Subtest 3: Word Knowledge
Subtest 4: Paragraph Comprehension
Subtest 5: Mathematics Knowledge
Subtest 6: Electronics Information
Subtest 7: Auto & Shop Information
Subtest 8: Mechanical Comprehension
Subtest 9: Assembling Objects
Chapter 16: Practice Exam 2: Answers and Explanations
Subtest 1: General Science Answers
Subtest 2: Arithmetic Reasoning Answers
Subtest 3: Word Knowledge Answers
Subtest 4: Paragraph Comprehension Answers
Subtest 5: Mathematics Knowledge Answers
Subtest 6: Electronics Information Answers
Subtest 7: Auto & Shop Information Answers
Subtest 8: Mechanical Comprehension Answers
Subtest 9: Assembling Objects Answers
Chapter 17: Practice Exam 3
Answer Sheet for Practice Exam 3
Subtest 1: General Science
Subtest 2: Arithmetic Reasoning
Subtest 3: Word Knowledge
Subtest 4: Paragraph Comprehension
Subtest 5: Mathematics Knowledge
Subtest 6: Electronics Information
Subtest 7: Auto & Shop Information
Subtest 8: Mechanical Comprehension
Subtest 9: Assembling Objects
Chapter 18: Practice Exam 3: Answers and Explanations
Subtest 1: General Science Answers
Subtest 2: Arithmetic Reasoning Answers
Subtest 3: Word Knowledge Answers
Subtest 4: Paragraph Comprehension Answers
Subtest 5: Mathematics Knowledge Answers
Subtest 6: Electronics Information Answers
Subtest 7: Auto & Shop Information Answers
Subtest 8: Mechanical Comprehension Answers
Subtest 9: Assembling Objects Answers
Chapter 19: AFQT Practice Exam 1
Answer Sheet for AFQT Practice Exam 1
Subtest 1: Arithmetic Reasoning
Subtest 2: Word Knowledge
Subtest 3: Paragraph Comprehension
Subtest 4: Mathematics Knowledge
Chapter 20: AFQT Practice Exam 1: Answers and Explanations
Subtest 1: Arithmetic Reasoning Answers
Subtest 2: Word Knowledge Answers
Subtest 3: Paragraph Comprehension Answers
Subtest 4: Mathematics Knowledge Answers
Chapter 21: AFQT Practice Exam 2
Answer Sheet for AFQT Practice Exam 2
Subtest 1: Arithmetic Reasoning
Subtest 2: Word Knowledge
Subtest 3: Paragraph Comprehension
Subtest 4: Mathematics Knowledge
Chapter 22: AFQT Practice Exam 2: Answers and Explanations
Subtest 1: Arithmetic Reasoning Answers
Subtest 2: Word Knowledge Answers
Subtest 3: Paragraph Comprehension Answers
Subtest 4: Mathematics Knowledge Answers
Part 6: The Part of Tens
Chapter 23: Ten Surefire Ways to Fail the ASVAB
Choosing Not to Study at All
Failing to Realize How Scores Are Used
Studying for Unnecessary Subtests
Losing Focus
Panicking Over Time
Deciding Not to Check the Answers
Making Wild Guesses or Not Guessing at All
Changing Answers
Memorizing the Practice Test Questions
Misunderstanding the Problem
Chapter 24: Ten Tips for Doing Well on the AFQT
As Soon as the Test Starts, Write Down What You’re Likely to Forget
Read All the Answer Choices before Deciding
Don’t Expect Perfect Word Matches
Read the Passages before the Questions
Reread to Find Specific Information
Base Conclusions Only on What You Read
Change Percents to Decimals
Understand Inverses
Remember How Ratios, Rates, and Scales Compare
Make Sure Your Answers Are Reasonable
Chapter 25: Ten Ways to Boost Your Math and English Skills
Practice Doing Math Problems
Put Away Your Calculator
Memorize the Order of Operations
Know Your Geometry Formulas
Keep a Word List
Study Latin and Greek
Use Flashcards
Read More, Watch TV Less
Practice Finding Main and Supporting Points
Use a Study Guide
Appendix A: Matching ASVAB Scores to Military Jobs
Army Enlisted Jobs
Air Force Enlisted Jobs
Navy Enlisted Jobs
Marine Corps Enlisted Jobs
Coast Guard Enlisted Jobs
Appendix B: Countdown to Taking the ASVAB
How Much Time Do You Have to Prepare?
Outline Your ASVAB Study Strategy
About the Author
Connect with Dummies
End User License Agreement
Guide
Cover
Table of Contents
Begin Reading
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Introduction
If you’re reading this book, there’s a good chance that you want to join the United States military. Perhaps it’s been your lifelong dream to drive a tank, fire a machine gun, or blow things up (legally). Maybe you’ve always wanted to learn how to cook for 2,000 people at a time. Possibly you were attracted to the military because of education and training opportunities, the chance of travel, or huge enlistment bonuses. In any event, by now you’ve discovered that you can’t just walk into a recruiter’s office and say, “Hey, I’m here. Sign me up!” These days, you have to pass the ASVAB.
The ASVAB (short for Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery) is unlike any test you’ve ever taken. It covers standard academic areas, such as math and English, but it also measures your knowledge of mechanics, electronics, science, and assembling objects.
The good news is that you need to do well on some of the subtests but not all of them. The order of importance of the subtests depends on your career goals. In this book, you find out what you need to know to do well on all the subtests and then get the info to determine which subtests are important to you. I include charts and tables to help you figure out the subtest scores that individual military jobs require. You can use this information to ace the subtests that make up the ASVAB and determine which subtests are important for your military-career goals.
About This Book
The paper enlistment version of the ASVAB and the computer version of the test have nine subtests, each of which is covered in its own chapter in this book. This book shows you what to expect on each subtest, offers strategies for studying each subject area, gives you test-taking (and guessing) tips, and provides three full-length sample tests that help you determine your strengths and weaknesses. These sample tests also help you prepare mentally for taking the real test — you can use them to get in the zone. I’ve thrown in two extra tests that cover the four most important subtests of the ASVAB that make up the AFQT (Armed Forces Qualification Test) score at no extra cost.
Although much of the material covered on the ASVAB is taught in practically every high school in the country, you may have slept through part of the info or performed a major brain-dump as soon as the ink was dry on your report card. So you also get a basic review of the relevant subject areas to help refresh your memory, as well as some pointers on where to find more information if you need it.
Foolish Assumptions
While writing and revising this book, I made a few assumptions about you — namely, who you are and why you picked up this book. I assume the following:
You’ve come here for test-taking tips and other helpful information. You may be a nervous test-taker.
You want to take a few ASVAB practice tests to measure your current knowledge in various subject areas to help you develop a study plan.
You want the military job of your dreams, and passing the ASVAB (or certain sections of it) is of utmost importance. Or you’re in a high school that takes part in the ASVAB Career Exploration Program, and you want to know what to expect on the test.
Icons Used in This Book
Throughout this book, you find icons that help you use the material in this book. Here’s a rundown of what they mean to you:
This icon alerts you to helpful hints regarding the ASVAB. Tips can help you save time and avoid frustration.
This icon reminds you of important information you should read carefully.
This icon flags actions and ideas that may prove hazardous to your plans of conquering the ASVAB. Often, this icon accompanies common mistakes or misconceptions people have about the ASVAB or questions on the test.
This icon points out information that is interesting, enlightening, or in-depth but that isn’t necessary for you to read.
This icon points out sample test questions that appear in review chapters.
Beyond the Book
In addition to the book you’re reading right now, be sure to check out the free Cheat Sheet for a set of quick reference notes on general test-taking tips, pointers for guessing, and some advice on answering the dreaded Paragraph Comprehension questions. To get this Cheat Sheet, simply go to www.dummies.com and search for “ASVAB” in the Search box.
The online practice that comes free with this book contains all the practice ASVAB tests that appear in the book, as well as three additional computerized ASVAB-style tests. The tests have a timer, so you can choose to take the tests like you would take the real ASVAB. You can also find 300 flashcards to improve your vocabulary.
To gain access to the online practice, all you have to do is register. Just follow these simple steps:
Find your PIN access code located on the inside front cover of this book.
Go to Dummies.com and click
Activate Now
.
Find your product (
2016/2017 ASVAB For Dummies with Online Practice
) and then follow the on-screen prompts to activate your PIN.
Now you’re ready to go! You can go back to the program as often as you want — simply log on with the username and password you created during your initial login. No need to enter the access code a second time.
Tip: If you have trouble with your PIN or can’t find it, contact Wiley Product Technical Support at 877-762-2974 or go to http://support.wiley.com.
Where to Go from Here
You don’t have to read this book from cover to cover to score well. I suggest that you begin with Chapters 1 and 2. That way, you can get a feel for how the ASVAB is organized (along with the most up-to-date changes on the test) and which subtests may be important for the military service branch and job of your choice. This plan of attack helps you set up logical and effective goals to maximize your study efforts.
You may want to start by taking one of the practice tests in Part 5. By using this method, you can discover which subjects you’re strong in and which subjects you could spend a little more time reviewing. If you choose this technique, you can use the other practice tests to measure your progress after reading through and studying the subject chapters.
If you’re taking the ASVAB for the purpose of enlisting in the U.S. military, you may want to skip entire chapters, depending on your career goals. For example, if the military careers you’re interested in don’t require a score on the General Science subtest, you may want to spend less time studying that topic and concentrate your study time on chapters that are required for your particular job choices.
I wish you luck on taking this test, and if you want to join the military, I hope your journey is successful!
Part 1
Getting Started with the ASVAB
IN THIS PART …
Get the details about what topics are covered on the ASVAB, how your score is calculated, and the policies on retaking the test if you didn’t do so well on your first try.
Check out how line scores relate to military jobs and how each branch of the military computes those scores.
Review test-taking strategies and get some last-minute preparation tips.
Chapter 1
Putting the ASVAB under a Microscope
IN THIS CHAPTER
Checking out the different versions of the ASVAB
Figuring out what each subtest covers
Computing the Armed Forces Qualification Test (AFQT) score
Taking the ASVAB again
The Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) consists of nine individual tests (ten for Navy applicants who test at a Military Entrance Processing Station, or MEPS) that cover subjects ranging from general science principles to vocabulary. Your ASVAB test results determine whether you qualify for military service and, if so, which jobs you qualify for. The ASVAB isn’t an IQ test. The military isn’t trying to figure out how smart you are. The ASVAB specifically measures your ability to be trained to do a specific job.
The famous Chinese general Sun Tzu said, “Know your enemy.” To develop an effective plan of study and score well on the ASVAB, it’s important to understand how the ASVAB is organized and how the military uses the scores from the subtests. This chapter describes the different versions of the ASVAB, the organization of the subtests, how the AFQT score is calculated, and the various service policies for retaking the ASVAB.
Knowing Which Version You’re Taking
The ASVAB comes in many flavors, depending on where and why you take it. You’d think that after almost 50 years in existence, the test could’ve been whittled down to a single version by now. But don’t get too confused about the different versions. Table 1-1 boils down the choices.
Table 1-1 Versions of the ASVAB
Version
How You Take It
Format
Purpose
Student
Given to juniors and seniors in high school; it’s administered through a cooperative program between the Department of Education and the Department of Defense at high schools across the United States
Paper
Its primary purpose is to provide a tool for guidance counselors to use when recommending civilian career areas to high school students (though it can be used for enlistment if taken within two years of enlistment). For example, if a student scores high in electronics, the counselor can recommend electronics career paths. If a student is interested in military service, the counselor then refers her to the local military recruiting offices.
Enlistment
Given through a military recruiter
Usually computer, may be paper
This version of the ASVAB is used by all the military branches for the purpose of enlistment qualification and to determine which military jobs a recruit can successfully be trained in.
Computer Adaptive Test (CAT) or Enlistment Screening Test (EST)
Given at the discretion of a military recruiter for a quick enlistment qualification screening
Computer
These mini-ASVABs aren’t qualification tests; they’re strictly recruiting tools. The EST and CAT contain questions similar but not identical to questions on the ASVAB. The tests are used to help estimate an applicant’s probability of obtaining qualifying ASVAB scores.
Armed Forces Classification Test (AFCT)
Given in-house to people already in the military
Paper, though the military plans to replace it with a computerized version soon
At some point during your military career, you may want to retrain for a different job. If you need higher ASVAB scores to qualify for such retraining, you can take the AFCT. Except for the name of the exam, the AFCT is the same as the other versions of the ASVAB.
For people taking the enlistment version of the test, the vast majority of applicants are processed through a MEPS, where they take the computerized format of the ASVAB (called the CAT-ASVAB, short for computerized-adaptive testing ASVAB), undergo a medical physical, and run through a security screening, many times all in one trip. However, applicants may instead choose to take the paper and pencil (P&P) version, which is generally given by non-MEPS personnel at numerous Mobile Examination Test (MET) sites located throughout the United States.
Mapping Out the ASVAB Subtests
The computerized format of the ASVAB contains ten separately timed subtests, with the Auto & Shop Information subtest split in two (also, one small subtest is geared to Coding Speed for a few Navy jobs; I don’t include this subtest in the practice tests in this book because very few people test for these jobs). The paper format of the test has nine subtests. The two formats differ in the number of questions in each subtest and the amount of time you have for each one. Table 1-2 outlines the ASVAB subtests in the order that you take them in the enlistment (computerized or paper) and student (paper only) versions of the test; you can also see which chapters to turn to when you want to review that content.
Table 1-2 The ASVAB Subtests in Order
Subtest
Questions/Time (CAT-ASVAB)
Questions/Time (Paper Version)
Content
Chapter
General Science (GS)
16 questions, 8 minutes
25 questions, 11 minutes
General principles of biological and physical sciences
Chapter 8
Arithmetic Reasoning (AR)
16 questions, 39 minutes
30 questions, 36 minutes
Simple word problems that require simple calculations
Chapter 7
Word Knowledge (WK)
16 questions, 8 minutes
35 questions, 11 minutes
Correct meaning of a word; occasionally antonyms (words with opposite meanings)
Chapter 4
Paragraph Comprehension (PC)
11 questions, 22 minutes
15 questions, 13 minutes
Questions based on several paragraphs (usually a few hundred words) that you read
Chapter 5
Mathematics Knowledge (MK)
16 questions, 20 minutes
25 questions, 24 minutes
High school math, including algebra and geometry
Chapter 6
Electronics Information (EI)
16 questions, 8 minutes
20 questions, 9 minutes
Electrical principles, basic electronic circuitry, and electronic terminology
Chapter 11
Auto & Shop Information (AS)
11 Auto Information questions, 7 minutes; 11 Shop Information questions, 6 minutes
25 questions, 11 minutes
Knowledge of automobiles, shop terminology, and tool use
Chapter 9
Mechanical Comprehension (MC)
16 questions, 20 minutes
25 questions, 19 minutes
Basic mechanical and physical principles
Chapter 10
Assembling Objects (AO)
16 questions, 15 minutes
25 questions, 15 minutes*
Spatial orientation
Chapter 12
* The Assembling Objects subtest isn’t part of the student version of the test.
Do-Over: Retaking the ASVAB
An AFQT score of less than 10 is a failing score, but no branch of the service accepts that low of a score anyway. Therefore, you can fail to achieve a score high enough to enlist in the service branch you want, even if you pass the ASVAB. This means you need to work on one (or more) of the four core areas: Mathematics Knowledge, Arithmetic Reasoning, Paragraph Comprehension, and Word Knowledge. Parts II and III of this book are specifically designed to help you improve your scores on these four subtests.
When you’re sure that you’re ready, you can apply (through your recruiter) to take the ASVAB. After you take an initial ASVAB (taking the ASVAB in high school does count for retest purposes), you can retake the test after one month. After the first retest, you must again wait one month to test again. From that point on, you must wait at least six months before taking the ASVAB again.
You can’t retake the ASVAB on a whim or whenever you simply feel like it. Each of the services has its own rules concerning whether it allows a retest, and I explain them in the following sections.
ASVAB tests are valid for two years, as long as you aren’t in the military. In most cases, after you join the military, your ASVAB scores remain valid as long as you’re in. In other words, except in a few cases, you can use your enlistment ASVAB scores to qualify for retraining years later.
U.S. Army retest policy
The Army allows a retest in one of the following instances:
The applicant’s previous ASVAB test has expired.
The applicant failed to achieve an AFQT score high enough to qualify for enlistment.
Unusual circumstances occur, such as if an applicant, through no fault of his own, is unable to complete the test.
Army recruiters aren’t authorized to have applicants retested for the sole purpose of increasing aptitude area scores to meet standards prescribed for enlistment options or programs.
U.S. Air Force retest policy
For the U.S. Air Force, the intent of retesting is for an applicant to improve the last ASVAB scores so the enlistment options increase. Before any retest is administered, the recruiting flight chief must interview the applicant in person or by telephone and then give approval for the retest.
Here are a few other policies to remember:
The Air Force doesn’t allow retesting for applicants after they’ve enlisted in the Delayed Entry Program (DEP).
Current policy allows retesting of applicants who aren’t holding a job/aptitude area reservation and/or who aren’t in DEP but already have qualifying test scores.
Retesting is authorized when the applicant’s current line scores (mechanical, administrative, general, and electronic) limit the ability to match an Air Force skill with his or her qualifications.
U.S. Navy retest policy
The Navy allows retesting of applicants
Whose previous ASVAB tests have expired
Who fail to achieve a qualifying AFQT score for enlistment in the Navy
In most cases, individuals in the Delayed Entry Program (DEP) can’t retest. One notable exception is the Navy’s DEP Enrichment Program. This program provides for the provisional DEP enlistment of high school graduates with AFQT scores between 28 and 30. Individuals enlisted under the program are enrolled in academic enhancement training, retested with the ASVAB, and accessed to active duty, provided they score 31 or higher on the subsequent ASVAB retest.
TRACING THE TESTING TRAIL
In 1948, Congress made the Department of Defense develop a uniform screening test to be used by all the services. The Defense Department came up with the Armed Forces Qualification Test (AFQT). This test consisted of 100 multiple-choice questions in areas such as math, vocabulary, spatial relations, and mechanical ability. The military used this test until the mid-1970s. Each branch of the service set its own minimum qualification (AFQT) score.
When the military decides to do something, it often acts with the lightning speed of a snail carrying a backpack. So in the 1960s, the Department of Defense decided to develop a standardized military selection and classification test and to administer it in high schools. That’s where your old buddy, the ASVAB, came from. The first ASVAB test was given in 1968, but the military didn’t use it for recruiting purposes for several years. In 1973, the draft ended and the nation entered the contemporary period in which all military recruits are volunteers. In 1976, the ASVAB became the official entry test used by all services.
The ASVAB remained unchanged until 1980, when the ASVAB underwent its first revision. The subtest areas remained the same, but several of the questions were updated to keep up with changes in technology.
In 1993, the computerized version was released for limited operational testing, but it didn’t begin to see wide-scale use until 1996. The questions on the computerized version of the ASVAB were identical to the questions on the paper version. It wasn’t until the end of 2002 that the ASVAB finally underwent a major revision. Two subtests (Coding Speed and Numerical Operations) were eliminated and a new subtest (Assembling Objects) was added to the computerized version. Also during the 2002 revision, all the questions were updated, and the order of the subtests was changed. The revised ASVAB was first rolled out in the computerized format, and the paper versions of the test were updated during the next year. The most recent update occurred in 2008. The ASVAB was revised to better sync the line score with the applicants’ qualified jobs.
U.S. Marine Corps retest policy
The Marine Corps authorizes a retest if the applicant’s previous test has expired. Otherwise, recruiters can request a retest if the initial scores don’t appear to reflect the applicant’s true capability, considering the applicant’s education, training, and experience.
For the Marine Corps, the retest can’t be requested solely because the applicant’s initial test scores didn’t meet the standards prescribed for enlistment options or programs.
U.S. Coast Guard retest policy
For Coast Guard enlistments, six months must have elapsed since an applicant’s last test before he or she may retest solely for the purpose of raising scores to qualify for a particular enlistment option.
The Coast Guard Recruiting Center may authorize retesting after one calendar month has passed from an initial ASVAB test if substantial reason exists to believe the initial test scores or subtest scores don’t reflect an applicant’s education, training, or experience.
Chapter 2
Knowing What It Takes to Get Your Dream Job
IN THIS CHAPTER
Finding out there’s more to life than the AFQT score
Making sense out of line scores
Discovering how each military branch uses line scores
The Armed Forces Qualification Test (AFQT) portion of the ASVAB is your most important score because it determines whether you can join the service of your choice. However, qualifying to join is only part of the picture. Unless you’d be content to spend your military career painting things that don’t move, you need to understand how the ASVAB relates to various military job opportunities.
Civilian employers generally use a person’s education and experience level when selecting candidates for a job position, but in the military, 99 percent of all enlisted jobs are entry-level positions. The military doesn’t require you to have a college degree in computer science before you’re hired to become a computer programmer. You don’t even have to have any previous computer experience, nor does the military care if you do. You’re going to go to military school to study how to make computers stand at attention and fly right.
Sounds like a good deal, right? So what’s the catch? Well, believe me — the military spends big bucks turning high school graduates into highly trained and skilled aircraft mechanics, language specialists, and electronic-doodad repair people. In an average year, the services enlist about 175,000 new recruits. Any way you look at it, that’s a lot of combat boots! Each and every recruit has to be sent to a military school to train for a job. Uncle Sam needs a way to determine whether a wet-behind-the-ears high school graduate has the mental aptitude to succeed at that job — preferably before he spends your hard-earned tax dollars.
Enter the ASVAB. The services combine various ASVAB subtest scores into groupings called composite scores or line scores. Through years of trial and error, the individual military services have each determined what minimum composite scores are required to successfully complete its various job-training programs. In this chapter, you discover how those test scores translate into finding the military job of your dreams.
Eyeing How ASVAB Scores Determine Military Training Programs and Jobs
Each service branch has its own system of scores. Recruiters and military job counselors use these scores, along with other factors such as job availability, security clearance eligibility, medical qualifications, and physical strength, to match up potential recruits with military jobs.
During the initial enlistment process, your service branch determines your military job or enlistment program based on established minimum line scores: various combinations of scores from individual subtests (see the next section for details). If you get an appropriate score in the appropriate areas, you can get the job you want — as long as that job is available and you meet other qualification factors.
For active duty, the Army is the only service that looks at the scores and offers a guaranteed job for all its new enlistees. In other words, every single Army recruit knows what his or her job is going to be before signing the enlistment contract. The other active duty services use a combination of guaranteed jobs or guaranteed aptitude/career areas:
Air Force:
About 40 percent of active duty Air Force recruits enlist with a guaranteed job. The majority enlists in one of four guaranteed aptitude areas, and during basic training, recruits are assigned to a job that falls into that aptitude area.
Coast Guard:
The Coast Guard rarely, if ever, offers a guaranteed job in its active duty enlistment contracts. Instead, new Coasties enlist as undesignated seamen and spend their first year or so of service doing general work (“Paint that ship!”) before finally applying for specific job training.
Marine Corps:
A vast majority of Marine Corps active duty enlistees are guaranteed one of several job fields, such as infantry, avionics, logistics, vehicle maintenance, aircraft maintenance, munitions, and so on. Each of these fields is further divided into specific subjobs, called Military Occupational Specialties (MOS). Marine recruits usually don’t find out their actual MOSs until about halfway through basic training.
Navy:
Most Navy recruits enlist with a guaranteed job, but several hundred people each year also enlist in a guaranteed career area and then
strike
(apply) for the specific job within a year of graduating boot camp.
All enlistment contracts for the reserve forces (regardless of branch) contain guarantees for a specific job. Why? Because reserve recruiters recruit for vacancies in specific reserve units, usually located within 100 miles of where a person lives.
Understanding How Each Branch Computes Line Scores
A line score combines various standard ASVAB scores to see which jobs or training programs you qualify for. The standard scores are your scores on the individual ASVAB subtests (with Word Knowledge and Paragraph Comprehension combined as a Verbal Expression score):
General Science (GS)
Arithmetic Reasoning (AR)
Auto & Shop Information (AS)
Mathematics Knowledge (MK)
Mechanical Comprehension (MC)
Electronics Information (EI)
Assembling Objects (AO)
Verbal Expression (VE), the sum of Word Knowledge (WK) and Paragraph Comprehension (PC)
Each of the military services computes its line scores differently. Some calculations even include dummy scores — average scores received by thousands of test-takers — for Numerical Operations (NO) and Coding Speed (CS), subtests that are no longer part of the ASVAB. The following sections outline how each branch comes up with its line scores.
Line scores and the Army
To compute line scores for job qualification, the Army combines the various scores into ten separate areas by simple addition of the ASVAB standard scores. Table 2-1 shows the line scores and the ASVAB subtests that make them up.
Table 2-1 The U.S. Army’s Ten Line Scores
Line Score
Standard Scores Used
Formula Used
Clerical (CL)
Verbal Expression (VE), Arithmetic Reasoning (AR), and Mathematics Knowledge (MK)
VE + AR + MK
Combat (CO)
Arithmetic Reasoning (AR), Coding Speed (CS), Auto & Shop Information (AS), and Mechanical Comprehension (MC)
AR + CS + AS + MC
Electronics (EL)
General Science (GS), Arithmetic Reasoning (AR), Mathematics Knowledge (MK), and Electronics Information (EI)
GS + AR + MK + EI
Field Artillery (FA)
Arithmetic Reasoning (AR), Coding Speed (CS), Mathematics Knowledge (MK), and Mechanical Comprehension (MC)
AR + CS + MK + MC
General Maintenance (GM)
General Science (GS), Auto & Shop Information (AS), Mathematics Knowledge (MK), and Electronics Information (EI)
GS + AS + MK + EI
General Technical (GT)
Verbal Expression (VE) and Arithmetic Reasoning (AR)
VE + AR
Mechanical Maintenance (MM)
Numerical Operations (NO), Auto & Shop Information (AS), Mechanical Comprehension (MC), and Electronics Information (EI)
NO + AS + MC + EI
Operators and Food (OF)
Verbal Expression (VE), Numerical Operations (NO), Auto & Shop Information (AS), and Mechanical Comprehension (MC)
VE + NO + AS + MC
Surveillance and Communications (SC)
Verbal Expression (VE), Arithmetic Reasoning (AR), Auto & Shop Information (AS), and Mechanical Comprehension (MC)
VE + AR + AS + MC
Skilled Technical (ST)
General Science (GS), Verbal Expression (VE), Mathematics Knowledge (MK), and Mechanical Comprehension (MC)
GS + VE + MK + MC
Line scores and the Navy and Coast Guard
The Navy and Coast Guard use the standard scores directly from the ASVAB: the individual subtest scores and Verbal Expression (VE) score, which is the sum of Word Knowledge (WK) and Paragraph Comprehension (PC).
Although the Navy and Coast Guard don’t use their line scores for officially determining jobs, the scores provide recruiters, job counselors, and recruits with a snapshot of which broad career areas recruits may qualify for. For example, the Navy regulation that lists the qualifications to become an Air Traffic Control Specialist, states that an ASVAB score of VE + AR + MK + MC = 210 (or higher) is required for that job.
Table 2-2 shows the Navy and Coast Guard line scores that show up on the ASVAB score sheet.
Table 2-2 The U.S. Navy and Coast Guard’s Line Scores
Line Score
Standard Scores Used
Formula Used
Engineman (ENG)
Auto & Shop Information (AS) and Mathematics Knowledge (MK)
AS + MK
Administrative (ADM)
Mathematics Knowledge (MK) and Verbal Expression (VE)
MK + VE
General Technical (GT)
Arithmetic Reasoning (AR) and Verbal Expression (VE)
AR + VE
Mechanical Maintenance (MEC)
Arithmetic Reasoning (AR), Auto & Shop Information (AS), and Mechanical Comprehension (MC)
AR + AS + MC
Health (HM)
General Science (GS), Mathematics Knowledge (MK), and Verbal Expression (VE)
GS + MK + VE
Mechanical Maintenance 2 (MEC2)
Assembling Objects (AO), Arithmetic Reasoning (AR), and Mechanical Comprehension (MC)
AO + AR + MC
Electronics (EL)
Arithmetic Reasoning (AR), Electronics Information (EI), General Science (GS), and Mathematics Knowledge (MK)
AR + EI + GS + MK
Nuclear Field (NUC)
Arithmetic Reasoning (AR), Mechanical Comprehension (MC), Mathematics Knowledge (MK), and Verbal Expression (VE)
AR + MC + MK + VE
Engineering and Electronics (BEE)
Arithmetic Reasoning (AR), General Science (GS), and two times Mathematics Knowledge (MK)
AR + GS + 2MK
Operations (OPS)
Arithmetic Reasoning (AR) and Mathematics Knowledge (MK)
AR + MK
Line scores and the Marine Corps
The Marine Corps computes its three line scores for job qualification by adding scores from various ASVAB subtests, as Table 2-3 shows.
Table 2-3 The Marine Corps’s Line Scores
Line Score
Standard Scores Used
Formula Used
Mechanical Maintenance (MM)
General Science (GS), Auto & Shop Information (AS), Mathematics Knowledge (MK), and Mechanical Comprehension (MC)
GS + AS + MK + MC
General Technical (GT)
Verbal Expression (VE) and Arithmetic Reasoning (AR)
VE + AR
Electronics (EL)
General Science (GS), Arithmetic Reasoning (AR), Mathematics Knowledge (MK), and Electronics Information (EI)
GS + AR + MK + EI
Line scores and the Air Force
The U.S. Air Force uses standard scores from the ASVAB subtests to derive scaled scores in four aptitude areas called MAGE (mechanical, administrative, general, and electronics). The Air Force MAGE scores are calculated as percentiles, ranging from 0 to 99, which show your relationship to thousands of others who’ve taken the test. In other words, a percentile score of 51 indicates you scored better in this aptitude area than 50 percent of the testers who were used to establish the norm.
Table 2-4 lays out the four areas, the subtests used, and the formula used to calculate the score for each particular area. After calculating the score for a particular area, the test-scorer converts that score to a percentile.
Table 2-4 The U.S. Air Force’s MAGE Scores
Line Score
Standard Scores Used
Formula Used
Mechanical
General Science (GS), Mechanical Comprehension (MC), and two times Auto & Shop Information (AS)
GS + MC + 2AS
Administrative
Numerical Operations (NO), Coding Speed (CS), and Verbal Expression (VE)
NO + CS + VE
General
Arithmetic Reasoning (AR) and Verbal Expression (VE)
AR + VE
Electronics
General Science (GS), Arithmetic Reasoning (AR), Mathematics Knowledge (MK), and Electronics Information (EI)
GS + AR + MK + EI
SCORE! SPEAKING THE LINGO
When you sit down with your recruiter to discuss your ASVAB scores and what you qualify for, you may think he suddenly decided to speak in a foreign language. For job-qualification purposes, remember three key terms and their definitions:
Standard score: A standard score refers to individual ASVAB subtest scores (that is, Verbal Expression, Arithmetic Reasoning, Mathematics Knowledge, and so on).Line score:
