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ASVAB - Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery

What is the ASVAB?

 

At its core, the ASVAB is a military enlistment test. ASVAB scores are used to determine if you are qualified to enlist in the military and to assign you to an appropriate job in the military. However, students who choose to take the ASVAB may or may not be interested in enlisting in the military in the future. Some students choose to take the ASVAB simply because the program provides tool to help students learn more about career exploration and planning, in both the civilian and military worlds of work.

 

Information about specific careers in the military is available at www.careersinthemilitary.com and www.todaysmilitary.com. 

 

The paper and pencil ASVAB (called the P&P-ASVAB) is a traditional test, which means that everyone takes the same set of questions at the same pace. The number of test questions and time limits for each test are shown in the table in the next section. In all, it takes about 3 hours to complete the P&P-ASVAB. 

 

What Content is Included on the ASVAB?  

 

The ASVAB tests are designed to measure aptitudes in four domains: Verbal, Math, Science and Technical, and Spatial. The table below describes the content of the ASVAB tests. The tests are presented in the order in which they are administered.

 

Test  Description  Domain  Test Length  Time Limit 
General Science (GS)  Knowledge of physical and biological sciences  Science/Technical  25 Questions  11 Minutes 
Arithmetic Reasoning (AR)  Ability to solve arithmetic word problems  Math  30 Questions  36 Minutes 
Word Knowledge (WK)  Ability to select the correct meaning of a word presented in context and to identify the best synonym for a given word  Verbal  35 Questions  11 Minutes 
Paragraph Comprehension (PC)  Ability to obtain information from written passages  Verbal  15 Questions  13 Minutes 
Mathematics Knowledge (MK)  Knowledge of high school mathematics principles  Math  25 Questions  24 Minutes 
Electronics Information (EI)  Knowledge of electricity and electronics  Science/Technical  20 Questions  9 Minutes 
Auto Information / Shop Information (AS)  Knowledge of automobile technology / Knowledge of tools and shop terminology and practices  Science/Technical  25 Questions  11 Minutes 
Mechanical Comprehension (MC)  Knowledge of mechanical and physical principles  Science/Technical  25 Questions  19 Minutes 
Assembling Objects (AO)  Ability to determine how an object will look when its parts are put together  Spatial  25 Questions  15 Minutes 

 

You are allowed to review your answers on the P&P-ASVAB. However, you cannot go back to an earlier test section, or proceed to the next test until instructed to do so. If you run out of time on the P&P-ASVAB, it is to your advantage to fill in random guesses for the remaining items, as there is no penalty for guessing.

 

When Should You Take the ASVAB?

 

The ASVAB is free to sophomores, juniors, and seniors who are interested in military enlistment or would like to further explore their interests and/or career options.

 

After you take your initial ASVAB, you must wait one calendar month to retake the test. You must wait an additional calendar month to retest a second time. After that, you must wait six calendar months to retake the ASVAB. Your scores may be used for enlistment for up to two years from the date of testing.

 

When is the ASVAB Administered?

 

The ASVAB is offered twice per school year to Community High School District 94 students. It is offered each October and March. 

 

After ASVAB results are received by the school, students who completed the test will meet in a computer lab to have the results interpreted. This will take place approximately two weeks after the test administration. Students will be notified about the date and time of the score interpretation session by the Counseling Office. 

 

How Do You Register for the ASVAB?

 

Students who are interested in taking the ASVAB can sign up in the Counseling Office approximately three weeks prior to the test administration.

 

How Do You Prepare for the ASVAB?

 

The ASVAB Testing Program does not endorse any particular method of test preparation beyond recommending that examinees take a solid core of courses in mathematics, English, and science in high school and/or college. Such academic preparation will help with performance on the Arithmetic Reasoning, Mathematics Knowledge, Paragraph Comprehension, Word Knowledge, and General Science subtests. Taking technical courses will also help with performance on the Auto Information, Shop Information, Electronics Information, and Mechanical Comprehension subtests.

 

Steps to take in advance of the actual test day:

  • Prepare well in advance of the day of the test.
  • Know what to expect on test day.
  • Familiarize yourself with the contents of the ASVAB subtests.
  • Get plenty of rest the night before the test.

For more information about the ASVAB, click here.