Main Points: How to Pass the ASVAB
- Know your goal score: Each branch has its own lowest AFQT score (31-36)
- Focus on AFQT subtests: The math and word parts decide if you can join
- Study for 4-8 weeks: A little practice every day beats cramming at the end
- Take practice tests: Practice like it is test day to feel sure of yourself
- Answer every question: You don't lose points for guessing on the ASVAB
1What "Passing" the ASVAB Actually Means
Here is something many people don't know: you can't really "fail" the ASVAB. The test checks what you are good at and gives you scores. What matters is if your scores are high enough to join the military.
When people say they "passed" the ASVAB, they mean their AFQT score was high enough. AFQT stands for Armed Forces Qualification Test. You need a high enough AFQT score to join the branch you want. Your AFQT score is a percentile from 1-99. It shows how you did next to a big group of other test takers.
What Your AFQT Score Is
Your AFQT score comes from just four of the nine ASVAB subtests:
Word Parts
- • Word Knowledge (WK)
- • Paragraph Comprehension (PC)
Math Parts
- • Arithmetic Reasoning (AR)
- • Mathematics Knowledge (MK)
Word skills and math count the same. So you need to be good at both to pass.
Good to Know: AFQT vs. Line Scores
Your AFQT score decides if you can join. Your line scores decide which jobs you can get. Line scores come from all the subtests. You might pass with the lowest AFQT score. But low line scores could leave you with fewer job choices. Aim higher than the lowest score when you can.
2Lowest AFQT Scores by Branch
Each military branch sets its own lowest AFQT score to join. These are the official lowest scores. But reaching the lowest score does not promise you a spot. It just means you are allowed to apply.
Army
Lowest score of all
Marines
A little higher than Army
Navy
In the middle
Air Force
Higher score needed
Coast Guard
Matches Air Force
Space Force
Same as Air Force
Our Advice: Aim for 50+
You only need a 31-36 to join. But we really think you should aim for an AFQT score of at least 50. Here is why:
- Higher scores open up more jobs
- Sign-up bonuses often depend on your AFQT score
- It gives you extra room if you have a bad test day
- The military picks people with high scores over people with the lowest scores
3Step-by-Step Plan to Pass the ASVAB
Follow these steps to give yourself the best chance to pass. Each step builds on the last one. Together they help you get ready for the test.
Take a Practice Test to See Where You Stand
Before you study, find out where you stand. Take a full-length practice test with no study first. This gives you a starting score. It also shows which parts need the most work.
Action: Take our free 10-question AFQT quizzes. See how you do in math, words and reading.
Find Your Weak Spots
Look at your practice test results. Which subtests had your lowest scores? Pay close attention to the four AFQT subjects: Word Knowledge, Paragraph Comprehension, Arithmetic Reasoning, and Mathematics Knowledge. These decide if you pass.
Action: List your subjects from weakest to strongest. Spend 60% of your study time on weak spots. Spend 40% keeping your strong spots strong.
Make a Study Schedule
Studying a little every day works better than studying a lot at once. Study 1-2 hours a day for 6 weeks. That is better than cramming 8 hours a day for one week. Set a time each day for ASVAB study. Don't skip it.
Action: Mark 1-2 hours a day on your calendar for ASVAB study. Pick a subject for each day.
Learn the AFQT Subjects First
Start with the four subjects that make up your AFQT score. They decide if you can join at all. Once you feel good about them, move on to the other subtests. Those help decide which jobs you can get.
Action: In weeks 1-3, focus mostly on Word Knowledge, Paragraph Comprehension, Arithmetic Reasoning, and Mathematics Knowledge.
Practice Like It Is Test Day
The ASVAB is timed. If you never use a timer when you practice, test day will be a shock. As you get better, start timing yourself. Later, take full practice tests in one sitting with a strict timer.
Action: Take at least 2-3 full-length timed practice tests before your real test day.
Check Your Mistakes and Adjust
After each practice test, look at every wrong answer. Learn why you missed it. Learn why the right answer is right. If some topics keep tripping you up, spend extra time on them.
Action: Keep a "mistake list." Write down the questions you miss and what they were about. Look over the list every week.
4Study Tips That Work
These study tips are backed by research. They help you learn faster and remember longer. Use them every day for the best results.
Quiz Yourself
Test yourself often. Don't just read your notes again. Close your notes and try to remember what you learned. This helps your memory much more than reading.
Try: Cover up what words mean and quiz yourself
Review Again Later
Review things again after more and more time: 1 day, 3 days, 1 week, 2 weeks. This is how your brain builds memories that last.
Try: Use a flash card app like Anki that plans your reviews for you
Practice Problems First
Try problems before you read how to do them. Working hard on a problem first helps you understand it better later.
Try: Do math problems before you look at the formulas
Teach What You Learn
Explain ideas out loud, as if you are teaching someone. This makes you put your thoughts in order. It also shows you what you don't know yet.
Try: Explain a math idea to a family member or friend
Tips for Each Subject
Word Knowledge
- • Learn 10-15 new words a day with flash cards
- • Learn word parts: Latin and Greek roots, prefixes, and suffixes
- • Read something hard every day, like news stories or essays
- • Use new words in sentences so they stick
Paragraph Comprehension
- • Practice reading fast while still understanding
- • Learn to tell the main idea from the small details
- • Read the question before the passage so you know what to look for
- • Practice with many kinds of reading: science, history, how-to
Arithmetic Reasoning
- • Learn to turn word problems into math
- • Learn common formulas for distance, work, and percents
- • Practice math in your head. You can't use a calculator on the test.
- • Learn to estimate so you can cross out wrong answers fast
Mathematics Knowledge
- • Review algebra basics: equations, inequalities, factoring
- • Learn geometry formulas for area, perimeter, and volume
- • Practice fractions, decimals, and percents
- • Know the basics of probability (chance) and statistics
5Tips for Using Your Time
The ASVAB is a timed test. Running out of time is one of the top reasons people don't pass. Here is how to use your time well while you study and on test day.
CAT-ASVAB Time Limits
If you take the computer ASVAB at MEPS, here are your time limits:
| Subtest | Questions | Time | Per Question |
|---|---|---|---|
| General Science | 16 | 8 min | 30 sec |
| Arithmetic Reasoning* | 16 | 39 min | 2.4 min |
| Word Knowledge* | 16 | 8 min | 30 sec |
| Paragraph Comprehension* | 11 | 22 min | 2 min |
| Mathematics Knowledge* | 16 | 20 min | 1.25 min |
| Electronics Information | 16 | 8 min | 30 sec |
| Auto & Shop Information | 25 | 15 min | 36 sec |
| Mechanical Comprehension | 16 | 20 min | 1.25 min |
| Assembling Objects | 16 | 40 min | 2.5 min |
* AFQT subtests (in blue)
Go Through Twice
Go through the test two times. The first time, answer every question you know right away. Skip the hard ones. Mark them and move on. The second time, go back to the marked questions with the time you have left.
Check the Clock
Check the clock during each part. Say a part has 16 questions and 8 minutes. You should be at question 8 when 4 minutes are gone. If you are behind, speed up. If you are ahead, don't rush. Use the extra time to check your work.
Don't Get Stuck
The biggest time mistake is spending too long on hard questions. Have you spent more than 90 seconds on a question and still aren't sure? Make your best guess and move on. One question is not worth missing a few others.
6Test-Taking Tricks
Knowing the material is not all that matters. Smart test-taking tricks can raise your score a lot. These tricks work on every ASVAB subtest.
1. Answer Every Question
You don't lose points for wrong answers on the ASVAB. A blank answer is always zero. A guess gives you at least a 25% chance to be right. Never leave a question blank.
Tip: Say you have 30 seconds left and 3 questions left. Quickly pick answers for all of them. Any answer is better than none.
2. Cross Out Wrong Answers
Even if you don't know the answer, you can often cross out choices that are clearly wrong. Cross out one choice, and your chance goes from 25% to 33%. Cross out two, and you have a 50% chance.
Tip: Cross out answers you know are wrong. Then pick from the ones left. Trust your gut. Your first pick is usually right.
3. Read Questions Carefully
Many wrong answers come from reading the question wrong. Watch for key words like "not," "except," "always," "never," and "most likely." These words change what the question asks.
Tip: Underline the key words in the question, or say them in your head. Do this before you look at the answer choices.
4. Use Clues in the Sentence (Word Knowledge)
For word questions, use the rest of the sentence to find the meaning. You may not know the word. But the words around it often show if it is good, bad, or about a certain topic.
Tip: Try each answer choice in the sentence. The one that makes the most sense is likely right.
5. Check Your Math
For math questions, check your answer if you have time. Many questions have "trap" answers. You get them when you make a common math mistake. If your answer matches one of these, check your work again.
Tip: After you solve, put your answer back into the problem. See if it works. This catches math mistakes.
6. Trust Your First Answer
Research shows your first gut feeling is usually right. Stick with your first choice. Only change it if you have a clear reason, like finding out you read the question wrong.
Tip: Only change an answer if you know why. Say why your first pick was wrong. Then say why your new pick is right.
7Week-by-Week Study Plan
Here is a 6-week study plan. It has helped thousands of people pass the ASVAB. Change it to fit where you start and the score you want.
Week 1: See Where You Stand & Build the Basics
Goals
- • Take a full practice test to see where you stand
- • Find your weak spots
- • Make a study schedule
- • Start learning new words for Word Knowledge
Daily Time: 1-2 hours
- • 30 min word flash cards
- • 30 min going over your practice test
- • 30 min basic math review
Week 2: Focus on Words and Reading
Goals
- • Learn Word Knowledge tips
- • Practice Paragraph Comprehension
- • Learn root words, prefixes, and suffixes
- • Keep learning new words every day
Daily Time: 1.5-2 hours
- • 45 min learning words
- • 45 min reading practice
- • 15 min math to keep it fresh
Week 3: Math Focus
Goals
- • Get good at Arithmetic Reasoning word problems
- • Review algebra and geometry
- • Practice mental math
- • Take a practice test to check your progress
Daily Time: 1.5-2 hours
- • 1 hour math practice
- • 30 min word review
- • 15 min reading practice
Week 4: Science and Tech Subtests
Goals
- • Study General Science basics
- • Learn Electronics Information basics
- • Review Mechanical Comprehension ideas
- • Study Auto & Shop if the job you want (your MOS) needs it
Daily Time: 1.5-2 hours
- • 1 hour science and tech subjects
- • 30 min AFQT review
- • 15 min words
Week 5: Full Practice Tests
Goals
- • Take 2-3 full-length timed practice tests
- • Study every wrong answer
- • Find any weak spots left
- • Build the stamina to finish a long test
Daily Time: 2-3 hours
- • Full practice test (every other day)
- • Look closely at your mistakes
- • Practice your weak spots
Week 6: Last Review & Rest
Goals
- • Light review of all subjects
- • One last practice test (early in the week)
- • Build your confidence
- • Rest well before test day
Daily Time: 30 min - 1 hour
- • Light review only
- • Don't learn new things
- • Last 2 days: study very little
Change the Plan to Fit You
Is your first practice score far below your goal? Then make the plan 8-12 weeks long. Are you already close to your goal? Then 4 weeks may be enough. The key is to practice every day, not to cram.
8Mistakes That Make People Fail
Stay away from these common mistakes. Just knowing about them is half the battle.
Study Mistakes
- ✗Not studying at all - Thinking you can just show up and pass
- ✗Cramming - Trying to learn everything in 2-3 days
- ✗Skipping weak spots - Only studying what you already know
- ✗Not timing practice - Practicing without a timer
- ✗Only reading - Just reading instead of practicing
Test Day Mistakes
- ✗Bad sleep - Staying up late to study the night before
- ✗Skipping breakfast - Taking the test hungry
- ✗Leaving questions blank - Not guessing when you aren't sure
- ✗Getting stuck - Spending 5+ minutes on one question
- ✗Second-guessing - Changing answers with no good reason
9Test Day Guide
Getting ready doesn't end when you stop studying. The day before and the morning of your test matter too. They can change how well you do.
The Night Before
- Get 7-8 hours of sleep (really!)
- Get your ID and the papers you need ready
- Lay out comfortable clothes
- Just a light review. No hard studying.
- Stay away from alcohol and too much caffeine
Test Day Morning
- Wake up with lots of time so you don't rush
- Eat a good breakfast (like eggs and whole-grain toast)
- Arrive 15-30 minutes early
- Use the restroom before the test starts
- Take deep breaths and stay calm
Believe in Yourself
Did you follow a study plan and do the work? Then trust it. It is normal to feel nervous. But you have done this kind of work many times in practice. The test is just one more practice where the answers count. You've got this.
10What If You Don't Pass?
First, don't panic. Not passing the first time does not end your military dreams. Many people in the military didn't pass on their first try. Here is what to know about taking the ASVAB again.
Rules for Taking the ASVAB Again
- 1First retake: You can take the ASVAB again 1 month after your first test
- 2Second retake: You can take it again 1 month after your first retake
- 3After that: After your third test, you must wait 6 months between tries
If You Need to Retake
- • Figure out what went wrong. Was it things you didn't know, running out of time, or nerves?
- • Study the parts that were hard for you
- • Think about getting a tutor if studying alone isn't working
- • Take more practice tests, just like the real thing
- • Use the wait to study. Don't just hope for better luck.
Keep in mind that scores often go up on a retake. This is most true if you use the time between tests well. The one-month wait is a chance to learn what you missed and build confidence. Many people score 10-20 points higher on their second try.