ASVAB Practice Test

What the real test usually looks like

The ASVAB (Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery) is taken by people applying to join the US military. It comes in a computer version, the CAT-ASVAB, and a paper version. The ASVAB program's site lists these details (ASVAB program):

• 10 subtests on the computer version. The scored questions and time limits, without tryout items, are: General Science, 15 questions in 12 minutes; Arithmetic Reasoning, 15 in 55; Word Knowledge, 15 in 9; Paragraph Comprehension, 10 in 27; Mathematics Knowledge, 15 in 31; Electronics Information, 15 in 10; Auto Information, 10 in 7; Shop Information, 10 in 6; Mechanical Comprehension, 15 in 22; and Assembling Objects, 15 in 18.
• About 2 hours. The site says that on average it takes about 2 hours to complete the proctored CAT-ASVAB. Each subtest has its own time limit.
• Tryout questions. Examinees get tryout questions in 2 to 4 subtests, with extra time for them. They are not among the scored questions above.
• The paper version is 225 questions in 149 minutes.
• No calculator. The site states that calculators are not allowed on the ASVAB.

One question at a time. On the computer version it is commonly reported that you answer each question before you see the next, and that you cannot go back to change an answer once it is given. Budget your time inside each subtest rather than planning to return.

The AFQT. Four subtests, Arithmetic Reasoning, Word Knowledge, Paragraph Comprehension and Mathematics Knowledge, make up the AFQT (Armed Forces Qualification Test) score, as the ASVAB program's scores page says (Official ASVAB), and it is commonly reported to decide whether you are eligible to enlist. The other subtests feed the line scores each service uses to match people to jobs.

What our practice covers. Our full mocks are in the style of the computer ASVAB: nine subtests in their usual order, from General Science to Mechanical Comprehension, with no going back once an answer is given. Assembling Objects (the picture puzzles) is not in our practice. For that style of question, see our spatial reasoning test.

Question types with worked examples

One worked example for the main kinds of ASVAB-style question, with the trap to avoid.

1. Arithmetic Reasoning: a word problem. A truck uses 1 gallon of fuel every 18 miles. Fuel costs $4 a gallon. What does a 270-mile trip cost in fuel? First the gallons: 270 / 18 = 15. Then the cost: 15 x $4 = $60. Trap: answering 15, the number of gallons, when the question asks for dollars. Underline what the question asks for before you calculate.

2. Word Knowledge: a word in a sentence. The crew made a meticulous inspection of the engine. Meticulous most nearly means: careful and thorough. The sentence helps: an inspection of an engine is something you do carefully. If you do not know a word, try each option in the sentence and keep the one that fits best.

3. Paragraph Comprehension: what the passage says. Passage: "Volunteers must complete a safety briefing before their first shift. Briefings are held every Monday at 9 a.m. Volunteers who miss the briefing may not work that week." Question: what happens to a new volunteer who misses Monday's briefing? Answer: they cannot work that week. Trap: choosing an answer that sounds sensible, such as "they attend a make-up session", when the passage never mentions one. Answer from the text alone.

4. Mathematics Knowledge: algebra and geometry. A rectangle is 8 feet long and has a perimeter of 26 feet. How wide is it? The perimeter is 2 x length + 2 x width, so 26 = 16 + 2 x width, and the width is 5 feet. Know the basic formulas by heart: area and perimeter of a rectangle, area of a triangle (half base times height), and the area (π r squared) and circumference (2 π r) of a circle.

5. General Science: one fact, one reason. Which gas makes up most of the air we breathe? Nitrogen, at about 78%, not oxygen. Science questions are short and test what you know, so a quick review of basic biology, chemistry, physics and earth science pays off.

6. Electronics Information: Ohm's law. A circuit draws 2 amperes through a 6-ohm resistor. What is the voltage? Voltage = current x resistance, so 2 x 6 = 12 volts. The same rule, rearranged, finds current or resistance.

7. Mechanical Comprehension: gears, levers and pulleys. A lever has the load 2 feet from the pivot and the effort 6 feet from the pivot. How much effort lifts a 120-pound load? The effort is three times as far from the pivot, so it needs a third of the force: 40 pounds. Our mechanical aptitude test has more of these.

How to prepare

1. Start with the AFQT subtests. Arithmetic Reasoning, Word Knowledge, Paragraph Comprehension and Mathematics Knowledge make up the AFQT, which is commonly reported to decide eligibility, so give them most of your time.
2. Practice without a calculator. The ASVAB program states that calculators are not allowed (ASVAB program). Do every practice problem by hand, and learn quick ways to multiply and divide.
3. Know your pace in each subtest. The time limits differ a lot: Arithmetic Reasoning allows 55 minutes for 15 questions, while Word Knowledge allows 9 minutes for 15. Rushing a word problem costs more than rushing a vocabulary item.
4. Answer in order and commit. On the computer version you are commonly reported not to be able to go back. Read each question fully, choose, and move on. If you are stuck, eliminate what you can and pick the best of what is left.
5. Build vocabulary in short, daily sessions. Ten new words a day, each used in a sentence of your own, does more than one long session the night before.
6. Learn the handful of formulas and rules that come up often: percentages, ratios, area and perimeter, simple equations, Ohm's law, and how gears, levers and pulleys trade force for distance.
7. Refresh the technical subtests. Electronics, Auto and Shop Information are short and fact-based. A few evenings with a basic guide on each can lift the scores your service uses for job placement.
8. Take full timed mocks. Sitting nine subtests in a row is tiring. Practicing the whole sequence once or twice helps you keep focus to the end.

How scoring usually works

The AFQT score. The four AFQT subtests are combined into a single AFQT score (Official ASVAB), given as a percentile, which each service uses to decide whether you can enlist. Each service sets its own requirements, and they can change, so ask your recruiter for the current ones.

Line scores. It is commonly reported that the services combine subtest scores in different ways, called line scores or composite scores, to decide which military jobs you qualify for. This is where General Science, Electronics, Auto and Shop Information and Mechanical Comprehension matter most.

Tryout questions. The ASVAB program says examinees get tryout questions in 2 to 4 subtests, outside the scored counts it lists (ASVAB program). Treat every question as if it counts.

Our practice score is the number of our own questions you got right, with a breakdown by subtest. It is a practice score, not an ASVAB or AFQT score, and it does not predict a percentile or a line score.

Common mistakes on ASVAB-style tests

• Answering a different question than the one asked. Word problems often ask for a total, a difference or a cost. Check the last line before you choose.
• Spending too long on one question. You cannot come back, so a guess after a fair try is better than running out of time.
• Skipping the units. Hours and minutes, feet and inches: convert first, then calculate.
• Ignoring the technical subtests. They are short, but they shape which jobs you can get.
• Reading into a passage. In Paragraph Comprehension the answer is in the text. Do not add what is not there.
• Practicing with a calculator. It builds a habit you cannot use on test day.

How this practice compares with the real test

What we match. The nine subtests from General Science to Mechanical Comprehension, in the computer version's usual order, timed, one question at a time with no going back. Every answer is explained.

What we do not include. Assembling Objects, the picture puzzle subtest, is not in our practice. Our tests are not adaptive, and they have no tryout questions.

What we cannot match. The ASVAB's questions and scoring belong to the program that runs it. Our questions are original and written in a similar style. We cannot give you an AFQT score or a line score, and Intellect Council is not affiliated with the US Department of Defense or the ASVAB program.

A one-week ASVAB study plan

• Day 1: Take the free sample above. Note which subtests cost you the most.
• Day 2: Arithmetic Reasoning. Ten word problems by hand, then check each step.
• Day 3: Word Knowledge and Paragraph Comprehension. New words in your own sentences, then short passages.
• Day 4: Mathematics Knowledge. Formulas, equations and simple geometry, without a calculator.
• Day 5: A full timed mock. The 30-Day Pass includes full ASVAB-style mocks, each with explanations.
• Day 6: The technical subtests: science, electronics, auto, shop and mechanical. Review the subtest you scored lowest in.
• Day 7: A second mock in the morning, then rest. Check where you are testing and what to bring.