Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery

 The Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery, also known as the ASVAB, is a test administered by the United States Military Entrance Processing Command in order to assess potential military members for enlistment qualifications. The test is generally offered on a non-mandatory basis in American high schools in the 10th, 11th, and 12th grade. Anyone who is eligible for enlistment may take the test, and all members of the Armed Forces of the United States take the test before being accepted. Taking the test does not incur any obligations to the military. '''

 == History ''' ==  The ASVAB was first introduced in 1968, and by 1976 all branches of the United States military used the test as an entrance exam. It underwent revision in 2002. In 2004, the percentile ranking system was reorganized to more accurately reflect the scores given in comparison to the average. The test is scored against other students, meaning that a score of 75% puts the test taker ahead of 75% of the other test takers, rather than simply answering 75% of the questions correctly. The test is frequently administered in public high schools in the United States, however, it is optional and no principal, teacher, or member of the armed forces has the authority to force a student to take the test, nor will the test scores affect the student's grades in any way. '''

''' === Current   ===  The ASVAB currently contains nine sections. The sections take between ten and thirty-six minutes to complete. The entire test takes roughly three hours to complete. The test sections are as follows: 

 ·           General Science (GS) 

 ·           Arithmetic Reasoning (AR) 

 ·           Word Knowledge (WK) 

 ·           Paragraph Comprehension (PC) 

 ·           Mathematics Knowledge (MK) <span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:19.2pt;text-indent:-0.25in;line-height:15pt;"> ·           Electronics Information (EI) <span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:19.2pt;text-indent:-0.25in;line-height:15pt;"> ·           Automotive and Shop Information (AS) <span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:19.2pt;text-indent:-0.25in;line-height:15pt;"> ·           Mechanical Comprehension (MC) <span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:19.2pt;text-indent:-0.25in;line-height:15pt;"> ·           Assembling Objects (AO) <span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:19.2pt;text-indent:-0.25in;line-height:15pt;"> ·           Verbal Expression (VE)= (WK)+(PC) <span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:14.4pt;"> Navy applicants must also complete a Coding Speed (CS) test; this will only be tested by taking the test through the Navy during recruiting. The test in high schools is administered by the army, so any high school students taking the test in school will not take the Coding Speed test. <span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;"> ==== Discontinued Sections <span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;"> ==== <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:15.75pt;"> Several sections were part of the test but have since been removed during revisions. <span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:19.2pt;text-indent:-0.25in;line-height:15pt;"> ·           "Numerical Operations" (NO) <span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:19.2pt;text-indent:-0.25in;line-height:15pt;"> ·           "Space Perception" (SP) <span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:19.2pt;text-indent:-0.25in;line-height:15pt;"> ·           "Tool Knowledge" (TK) <span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:19.2pt;text-indent:-0.25in;line-height:15pt;"> ·           "General Information" (GI) <span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:19.2pt;text-indent:-0.25in;line-height:15pt;"> ·           "Attention to Detail" (AD) '''

'''<span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:2.25pt0in1.2pt19.2pt;text-indent:-0.25in;line-height:15pt;"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;">

<p style="margin:0in0in0.0001pt0.25in;text-indent:-0.25in;border-style:none;padding:0in;"> Enlistment Requirements <span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:19.2pt;text-indent:-0.25in;line-height:15pt;"> AFQT required minimum scores for people with a high school diploma (or a GED with fifteen hours of college credit) as of December 2012 (unless otherwise noted) are as follows: <span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:19.2pt;text-indent:-0.25in;line-height:15pt;"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:15.75pt;"> <span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;">

<p style="margin:0in0in0.0001pt;line-height:15.75pt;"> Armed Forces Qualification Test <span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:14.4pt;"> An Armed Forces Qualification Test (AFQT) score is used to ensure that the core intelligence requirements needed to join the military are met. The purpose of this score is to make sure that a student does not fail the most important tests and use their high scores in other sections to compensate and earn a passing grade. Only four of the sections are scored to determine the AFQT: Paragraph Comprehension (PC), Word Knowledge (WK), Mathematics Knowlege (MK), and Arithmetic Reasoning (AR). The scores are divided into the following categories: <span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:19.2pt;text-indent:-0.25in;line-height:15pt;"> ·           Category I: 93–99 <span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:19.2pt;text-indent:-0.25in;line-height:15pt;"> ·           Category II: 65–92 <span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:19.2pt;text-indent:-0.25in;line-height:15pt;"> ·           Category III A: 50–64 <span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:19.2pt;text-indent:-0.25in;line-height:15pt;"> ·           Category III B: 31–49 <span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:19.2pt;text-indent:-0.25in;line-height:15pt;"> ·           Category IV A: 21–30 <span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:19.2pt;text-indent:-0.25in;line-height:15pt;"> ·           Category IV B: 16–20 <span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:19.2pt;text-indent:-0.25in;line-height:15pt;"> ·           Category IV C: 10–15 <span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:19.2pt;text-indent:-0.25in;line-height:15pt;"> ·           Category V: 0–9 <span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:14.4pt;"> The formula for computing an AFQT score is: AR + MK + (2 x VE) where VE = PC + WK. <span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:14.4pt;"> Applicants who score in Category V are prohibited from membership in the armed forces, and of all members inducted into the military each year, only 20% may be those who scored in Category IV.    

<p style="margin:0in0in0.0001pt;line-height:14.4pt;"> Composite scores <span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:14.4pt;"> The test scores also include MOS (Military Occupation Specialty) scores which combine certain section scores to measure how well an applicant is qualified for certain occupations in the military. The way these scores are measured differ from branch to branch

<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:14.4pt;"> Army/National Guard Composite Scores . <span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;"> <p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:14.4pt;">''' '''<span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:14.4pt;"> Air Force/National Guard Composite Scores (Standard AFQT score AR + MK + (2 x VE))  <span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;"> <p class="MsoNormal">''' '''<span style="font-size:10pt;line-height:115%;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;">

<p class="MsoNormal"> Marine Corps Line Score: <span style="font-size:10pt;line-height:115%;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;">

Information use
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:14.4pt;"> The test score data may be used by the Department of Defense for research purposes and may be made available to both the school and military recruiters. The last two uses are contingent on the consent of the school. <span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:15.75pt;"> <span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;">

<p class="MsoNormal">