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What is ASVAB?
The Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) is a multiple-choice test used to determine qualification for enlistment in the United States Armed Forces. It's administered by the United States Military Entrance Processing Command and often offered to U.S. high school students, although anyone eligible for enlistment may take it.
History of the ASVAB
The ASVAB was first introduced in 1968, becoming adopted by all branches of the military by 1976. It underwent significant revisions in 2002, with the percentile rank scoring system renormalized in 2004 to ensure that a score of 50% truly represented outperforming exactly 50% of the test takers.
Structure of the ASVAB
The ASVAB consists of nine sections and takes about three hours to complete. Each section varies in duration between 7 and 39 minutes, with Arithmetic Reasoning being the longest. The test is typically administered in a computerized format at Military Entrance Processing Stations (MEPS) or in a written format at Military Entrance Test (MET) sites. The sections include:
General Science
Arithmetic Reasoning
Word Knowledge
Paragraph Comprehension
Mathematics Knowledge
Electronics Information
Automotive and Shop Information
Mechanical Comprehension
Assembling Objects
Navy applicants also complete an additional Coding Speed (CS) test.
Scoring the ASVAB
ASVAB scores are used to compute an Armed Forces Qualification Test (AFQT) score, which is used to determine basic qualifications for enlistment. The AFQT scores are divided into categories ranging from I to V, with I being the highest (93–99) and V the lowest (0–9). The AFQT score is calculated as AR + MK + (2 × VE), where VE is the Verbal Expression score obtained by adding the raw scores from the Paragraph Comprehension and Word Knowledge tests.
