July 3, 2012

ASVAB or USNA? What’s Best for You

If you’re graduating from high school and you don’t want to join the military via a Service Academy, you can enlist. To do that, you must take the ASVAB– the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB). It’s multiple choice administered by United States Military Entrance Processing Command prior to enlistment. Areas of competence include:

Word Knowledge (WK)
Arithmetic Reasoning (AR)
Mechanical Comprehension (MC)
Shop Information (SI)
Automotive Information (AI)
Electronics Information (EI)
Mathematics Knowledge (MK)
General Science (GS)
Paragraph Comprehension (PC)
Assembling Objects (AO)
Verbal Expression (VE)

It’s scored as a hundred points, 50 representing where 50% of applicants end up. Depending upon which service you are interested in, minimal scores differ:

Air Force/Air National Guard 36
Coast Guard (AFQT) 45
Navy (AFQT) 35
Marines (AFQT) 32
Army (AFQT) 31
Army National Guard (AFQT) 31

Here are a few practice questions:

If Lynn can type a page in p minutes, what piece of the page can she do in 5 minutes?

A. 5/p
B. p – 5
C. p + 5
D. p/5
E. 1- p + 5

Everyone in the bank-including the manager and the tellers, ran to the door when the fire alarm rang.

A. tellers, ran
B. tellers:ran
C. tellers, had run
D. tellers-ran
E. tellers’ ran

The prince abdicated the crown and returned to his castle.
Abdicated means

A. Gave up
B. Sold
C. Reinvested into
D. Auctioned

Military.com has a multi-part review of the test, with tips and strategies and what it means to your military future:

The ASVAB is a timed multi-aptitude test, which is given at over 14,000 schools and Military Entrance Processing Stations (MEPS) nationwide and is developed and maintained by the Department of Defense.

Start now by taking our practice ASVAB tests. These tests will give you an idea of how you’ll score, and identify areas that need improvement. Then use our suggested resources and ASVAB study guides to learn how to prepare for the ASVAB test.

How important is the ASVAB test?

Your scores in four critical areas — Arithmetic Reasoning, Word Knowledge, Paragraph Comprehension and Mathematics Knowledge (see below) — count towards your Armed Forces Qualifying Test (AFQT) score. The AFQT score determines whether you’re qualified to enlist in the U.S. military.

Your scores in the other areas of the ASVAB will determine how qualified you are for certain military occupational specialties and Enlistment Bonuses. A high score will improve your chances of getting the specialty/job and signing bonus you want.

Scoring high on the ASVAB will require study and concentration. Don’t skimp on preparing for this test. It’s your future. Get the most out of it.

Want more information? Here are a few more articles that might interest you:

11 Paths to Becoming an Officer–Which Works For You

Enlisting isn’t Easy Any More

Military a Good Option for College Grads

4 Ways to Become a Navy Officer and a Gentleman

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Jacqui Murray is the editor of a technology curriculum for K-fifth grade and author of two technology training books for middle school. She wrote Building a Midshipman, the story of her daughter’s journey from high school to United States Naval Academy midshipman. She is webmaster for five blogs, an Amazon Vine Voice book reviewer, a tech columnist for Examiner.com, Editorial Review Board member for ISTE’s Journal for Computing Teachers, IMS tech expert, and a weekly contributor to Write Anything. Currently, she’s editing a thriller for her agent that should be out to publishers this summer. Contact Jacqui at her writing office or her tech lab, Ask a Tech Teacher.