ASVAB Preparation -
The First Step Towards a Military Career
The Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery, or ASVAB as it’s more commonly known, is the first step to beginning a career in the U.S. Military. This multiple choice test serves as a means for measuring an individual’s qualifications for enlisting in the armed services.
Many U.S. citizens have taken the ASVAB since it was first implemented in 1976. That's partly due to the fact that high schools have optionally participated in administering the test to 11th graders, although the test is open for anyone to take. The ASVAB is taken in addition to meeting other physical, metal and psychological requirements for joining the armed forces.
Scoring for the ASVAB is on a percentile basis on a scale from 0-100 which is standard in U.S. educational institutions and measures how a test taker did compared with others. The Armed Forces Qualification Test score is a complex mathematical equation that is used to determine an individual’s percentile on the test across various sections.
The Armed Forces Qualification Test score will place you in one of 8 categories that signifies your level of qualification. Additionally each of the 5 branches of the military also have “aptitude area scores” which measures qualification in specialized positions. For these “aptitude area scores” composite scores are used.
All this has been put in place so that the U.S. armed forces can recruit as well as gather research information. The school administering the test will have your scores released to them which they can then choose to share with armed forces recruiters.
For anyone interested in a career with the U.S. military the ASVAB will help ensure that you’re put in a position where your skills can be used to the best of your ability. It will help shape the path that you take within the military which makes it a crucial step in becoming a part of the U.S. armed forces.
If you’d like to learn more about taking the ASVAB test as well as additional qualification requirements and what to expect in your military career please read our other informative articles.