2022 / 2023 ASVAB For Dummies. Angie Papple Johnston
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Which Version You’re Taking
Regardless of the military branch you want to join, you take the same ASVAB everyone else takes. That goes for the Army, Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, and Space Force. Every test-taker gets questions from the same pool, so you and every other potential enlistee are all on equal ground.
However, the ASVAB comes in five versions, depending on where and why you take it. The varieties of the test are essentially the same; they’re just administered differently. Table 1-1 boils them down.
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 them to the local military recruiting offices. |
| Enlistment | Given through a military recruiter at a Military Entrance Processing Station (MEPS) or at a satellite testing site | 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. |
| 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 and screening tools. The EST contains about 50 questions similar but not identical to questions on the AFQT portion of the ASVAB. The test is used to help estimate an applicant’s probability of obtaining qualifying ASVAB scores. |
| Pre-screening, internet-delivered Computerized Adaptive Test (PiCAT) | Online, on your own time after receiving an access code from your recruiter | Computer | The PiCAT is an unproctored, full version of the ASVAB. You take it on your own time, but you must take a verification test at a MEPS to validate your score. The verification test typically takes 25 to 30 minutes to complete. |
| Armed Forces Classification Test (AFCT) | Given at installation educational centers to people already in the military through the Defense Manpower Data Center | Computer | 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, or if you’re a commissioned officer who wants to become a warrant officer, you can take the AFCT. The AFCT is essentially the same as the other versions of the ASVAB. |
The vast majority of military 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 physical exam, and run through a security screening, many times all in one trip. The paper-and-pencil (P&P) version is most often given in high school and at Mobile Examination Test (MET) sites located throughout the United States. Most MET sites use paper versions of the test.
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. The paper format of the test has nine subtests (the Auto & Shop Information subtests are combined). The two formats differ in the number of questions in each subtest and the amount of time you have for each one. The CAT-ASVAB now often contains tryout questions. These questions haven’t been used on an officially scored ASVAB; test-makers use your responses to them to ensure the questions are good enough to use on future versions of the test. Each tester sees 15 tryout questions in two, three, or four of the subtests. These questions don’t count toward your score, but you still have to answer them. The tryout questions are only on the computerized version of the test; they’re not on the paper version. When you get tryout questions in a subtest, you get extra time to complete it.
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 without Tryout Questions (CAT-ASVAB) | Possible Questions/Time with Tryout Questions (CAT-ASVAB) | Questions/Time (Paper Version) | Content | Chapter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Science (GS) | 15 questions, 10 minutes | 30 questions, 20 minutes | 25 questions, 11 minutes | General principles of biological and physical sciences | Chapters 10, 11, and 12 |
| Arithmetic Reasoning (AR) | 15 questions, 55 minutes | 30 questions, 113 minutes | 30 questions, 36 minutes | Word problems involving high school math concepts that require calculations | Chapter 9 |
| Word Knowledge (WK) | 15 questions, 9 minutes | 30 questions, 18 minutes | 35 questions, 11 minutes | Correct meaning of a word; occasionally antonyms (words with opposite meanings) | Chapter 4 |
| Paragraph Comprehension (PC) | 10 questions, 27 minutes | 25 questions, 75 minutes | 15 questions, 13 minutes |
Questions based on passages (usually a couple |