ASVAB

What Is the ASVAB

The Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) is a multiple-choice test used by the United States to determine enlistment eligibility, assign military jobs, and help students explore careers. The test contains 10 subtests that measure aptitude in four areas: Verbal, Math, Science and Technical, and Spatial. The ASVAB is scored on a curve so that the average score for an exam is always 50 and each standard deviation in either direction is 10 points, so a score of 40 would be one standard deviation below the average. Students will also receive a score on the Armed Forces Qualification Test (AFQT). This score is determined by your performance on the Arithmetic Reasoning (AR), Mathematics Knowledge (MK), Paragraph Comprehension (PC), and Word Knowledge (WK) sections of the ASVAB. These scores are percentiles between 1-99. Percentile scores indicate how each examinee performed compared with the base population. If a student scored a 75, they scored higher than 75% of those who took the test. This is the score that will be used to determine eligibility to enlist. The minimum AFQT score varies according to the branch of service. The ASVAB always uses your most recent score, not your best score. So unlike the SAT and ACT, if you take the ASVAB two times and score worse on the second attempt, your score will go down.

The ASVAB requirement for high school graduates for each military branch is listed below. These may be subject to change, so please check with your recruiter.

How to Take the ASVAB

There are two ways that you can take the ASVAB, either at your school or at a recruiting center. When you take the ASVAB at a recruiting center you will contact a recruiter and they will help you register. If you take the ASVAB at a recruiting center, you will have to wait a set amount of time before you can try again. You must wait thirty days after your first two attempts and six months after each subsequent attempt. The ASVAB is also offered at NAHS each fall through the JROTC department. Please reach out to them for more info via their website.