ASVAB Test Guide

The Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) decides whether you can enlist in the U.S. military and which jobs you qualify for. This guide covers how the test is built, what the AFQT score means, retake rules and how to prepare.

Who takes it, and where

People applying to enlist take the ASVAB, usually at a Military Entrance Processing Station (MEPS) or a Military Entrance Test (MET) site after a recruiter schedules them. Many high school and college students also take it through the ASVAB Career Exploration Program.

The subtests

At MEPS and most MET sites you take the computer-adaptive CAT-ASVAB, which picks harder or easier questions based on your answers and takes about 2 hours on average. Its scored questions are:

Subtest	Scored questions
General Science	15
Arithmetic Reasoning	15
Word Knowledge	15
Paragraph Comprehension	10
Mathematics Knowledge	15
Electronics Information	15
Auto Information	10
Shop Information	10
Mechanical Comprehension	15
Assembling Objects	15

You may also see some unscored tryout questions. A few MET sites still give a paper version with 225 questions in 149 minutes. Calculators aren’t allowed.

What is the AFQT score?

Your Armed Forces Qualification Test (AFQT) score comes from four subtests: Arithmetic Reasoning, Mathematics Knowledge, Word Knowledge and Paragraph Comprehension. It’s a percentile from 1 to 99 comparing you with a national sample of 18 to 23 year olds, so a 50 means you did as well as or better than half of them.

There’s no single passing score. Each branch sets its own minimum AFQT, which can depend on your education and changes over time, so ask a recruiter for the current number. Your other subtest scores make up the line scores that decide which military jobs you qualify for.

Retakes

After your first test, you must wait one calendar month to retest, and another calendar month before a second retest. After that, you wait six months between retests. Scores can be used to enlist for up to two years from the test date.

How hard is the ASVAB?

It depends on your goal. Reaching a branch’s minimum AFQT is a reachable target for most people who review high school math and vocabulary. Scoring high enough for technical jobs takes more work, because those line scores use the science, electronics and mechanical subtests too. The adaptive format means everyone sees hard questions, so don’t panic when you do.

How to study

Focus on the AFQT four first. They decide whether you can enlist at all. Math (Arithmetic Reasoning and Mathematics Knowledge) is where most people gain the most points: practise word problems, fractions, percents and basic algebra without a calculator.

If you have two weeks: take a practice test, then drill math every day and read and look up unfamiliar words for Word Knowledge.

If you have four weeks: spend the first two weeks on the AFQT four, then add the technical subtests your target job needs: Mechanical Comprehension, Electronics Information or General Science.

Start with free practice on the home page.