the words “I can’t” don’t even exist in the military. If you don’t believe me, try telling your drill sergeant, “I just can’t do push-ups.” You’ll find that with sufficient practice — and your drill sergeant will ensure you get a lot of practice — you can do push-ups just as well as the next person. (Actually, I don’t recommend testing this, for reasons that should be obvious.) The truth is that those who do well on tests are those who’ve figured out how to study efficiently and how to use a dash of test-taking psychology.
This chapter includes information on how to prepare for the test. I explain how to study, as well as how and why you should take the practice exams. In addition, you get some inside info, such as secrets for guessing when you don’t know the answer to a question (although if you study for the test, you won’t need to guess, right?). The tips and techniques provided in this chapter can help you get a jump on the ASVAB and your military career.
Taking the Test: Computerized or Paper?
Many versions of the ASVAB exist, but you don’t have any say in which one you take. The versions primarily boil down to two basic differences: the computerized version and the paper version. Each version has advantages and disadvantages, which I discuss in the following sections.
If you’re taking the ASVAB as part of the student program in high school, you’ll take the paper version of the test — the one that doesn’t include the Assembling Objects subtest.
If you’re taking the ASVAB to enlist in any branch of the military, you’ll take the enlistment ASVAB. This version comes in two formats: computerized (CAT-ASVAB) and paper-and-pencil (P&P). You may even take the Pre-screening, internet-delivered Computerized Adaptive Test (PiCAT) on your own time. In any event, there’s a great chance that you’ll take a computerized version, because to save time and money, recruiters often accompany their applicants to the nearest Military Entrance Processing Station (MEPS) for testing, medical examination, and enlistment (one-stop shopping). MEPS only uses the computerized version, and the P&P version is offered only at Military Entrance Test (MET) sites that aren’t within an easy traveling distance to MEPS. If your high school schedules a testing event, you’ll most likely take the P&P version as well. Your recruiter might be able to schedule an ASVAB-only test session and bring you back in for a follow-on physical (and to sign your contract) if you can’t complete everything in one day. There are 65 MEPS locations in the United States and in Puerto Rico, and MET sites are located in each state (often at National Guard armories or local high schools).
Going paperless: The pros and cons of the computerized test
The computerized version of the ASVAB uses computerized adaptive testing to make sure each applicant gets questions tailored to their ability level. This version, called the CAT-ASVAB, presents test questions in a different format. It adapts the questions it offers you based on your level of proficiency (that’s why it’s called adaptive). Translation: The first test item is of average difficulty. If you answer this question correctly, the next question may be more difficult. If you answer that first question incorrectly, the computer will most likely follow with an easier question. By contrast, on the paper ASVAB, easy and hard questions are presented randomly.
The CAT-ASVAB also has fewer questions than the paper-and-pencil version has — the people who designed it did that on purpose. With this type of testing, the computer can quickly determine how much you know without asking you a full range of very easy to very hard questions.
You don’t have to be a computer guru to appreciate the advantages of the computerized version of the ASVAB:
It’s impossible to record your answer in the wrong space on the answer sheet. Questions and possible answers are presented on the screen, and you press the key that corresponds to your answer choice before moving on to the next question. Often, only the A, B, C, and D keys are activated when you take the test.
The difficulty of the test items presented depends on whether you answered the previous question correctly. On the two math subtests of the ASVAB, harder questions are worth more points than easier questions are, so this method helps maximize your AFQT score.THE PiCAT: THE ASVAB’S STAY-AT-HOME COUSINThe Pre-screening, internet-delivered Computer Adaptive Test, or PiCAT, is the military’s way of operating more efficiently and speeding up the enlistment process. It allows recruiters to give applicants a special access code to take a full-length, unproctored ASVAB on any computer. After a recruit completes the PiCAT — provided their scores are high enough to enlist in the military — the recruiter can take the recruit to MEPS for verification testing. Verification testing takes 25 to 30 minutes, and its purpose is simple: to make sure the recruit wasn’t at home looking up answers to ASVAB test questions. When PiCAT scores are verified (meaning the recruit most likely didn’t cheat on the test), the recruit is good to go for enlistment. When the scores aren’t verified (meaning the recruit scored poorly on the verification test compared to how they scored on the PiCAT), the recruit must take a full-length ASVAB at MEPS. The resulting ASVAB score will be the score of record. Not all recruiters use the PiCAT, and those who do may not use it for all applicants.
You get your scores right away. The computer automatically calculates and prints your standard scores for each subtest and your line scores for each service branch. (For more on line scores, see Chapter 2.) This machine is a pretty smart cookie — it also calculates your AFQT percentile score on the spot. You usually know whether you qualify for military enlistment on the same day you take the test and, if so, which jobs you qualify for.
On the downside, you can’t skip questions or change your answers after you enter them on the CAT-ASVAB. Instead of being able to go through and immediately answer all the questions you’re sure of, you have to answer each question as it comes. This can make it difficult to judge how much time to spend on a tough question before guessing and moving on. Also, if you have a few minutes at the end of the test, you can’t go back and make sure you marked the correct answer to each question. Finally, the CAT-ASVAB is the only version of the test that includes tryout questions (see Chapter 1 for more information), which can stretch out your total test-taking time — but on a positive note, the tryout questions don’t affect your score.
Writing on hard copy: The advantages and disadvantages of the paper version
The questions on the CAT-ASVAB are the same questions you get on the paper version. Some people feel that the P&P ASVAB provides certain advantages:
You can skip questions that you don’t know the answer to and come back to them later. This option can help when you’re racing against the clock and want to get as many answers right as possible. You can change an answer on the subtest you’re currently working on, but you can’t change an answer on a subtest after the time for that subtest has expired.
