the PiCAT — provided his or her 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 he or she 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.
You may not make any marks in the exam booklet; however, you may make notes on your scratch paper. If you skip a question, you can lightly circle the item number on your answer sheet to remind yourself to go back to it. If you don’t know the answer to a question, you can mentally cross off the answers that seem unlikely or wrong to you and then guess based on the remaining answers. Be sure to erase any stray marks you make on your answer sheet before time is called for that subtest.
Killing trees isn’t the only disadvantage of the paper-based test. Other drawbacks include the following:
Harder questions are randomly intermingled with easier questions. This means you can find yourself spending too much time trying to figure out the answer to a question that’s too hard for you and may miss answering some easier questions at the end of the subtest, thereby lowering your overall score.
The paper answer sheets are scored by using an optical mark scanning machine. The machine has a conniption when it comes across an incompletely filled-in answer circle or a stray pencil mark and will often stubbornly refuse to give you credit, even if you answered correctly.
Getting your scores may seem like it takes forever. The timeline varies; however, your recruiter will have access to your score no later than 72 hours (3 days) after you finish the test (not counting days the MEPS doesn’t work, such as weekend days or holidays).
Tackling Multiple-Choice Questions
Both the computerized and paper versions of the ASVAB are multiple-choice tests. You choose the correct (or most correct) answer from among the four available choices. Here are some tips to keep in mind as you approach the choices:
Read the directions carefully. Most ASVAB test proctors agree — the majority of the time when there’s an issue with an applicant’s scores, misreading directions is a prime offender. Each subtest is preceded by a paragraph or two describing what the subtest covers and instructions on how to answer the questions.
Make sure you understand the question. If you don’t understand the question, you’re naturally not going to be able to make the best decision when selecting an answer. Understanding the question requires attention to three particular points:Take special care to read the questions correctly. Most questions ask something like, “Which of the following equals 2 × 3?” But sometimes, a question may ask, “Which of the following does not equal 2 × 3?” You can easily skip right over the word not when you’re reading, assume that the answer is 6, and get the question wrong. On the math subtests, be especially careful to read the symbols. When you’re in a hurry, the + sign and the ÷ sign can look very similar. Blowing right by a negative sign or another symbol is just as easy.Make sure you understand the terms being used. When a math problem asks you to find the product of two numbers, be sure you know what finding the product means (you have to multiply the two numbers). If you add the two numbers, you arrive at the wrong answer. If you’re having a tough time remembering what equals what in math terminology, check out Chapter 6.
Take time to review all the answer options. On all the subtests, you select the correct answer from only four possible answer options. On the ASVAB, you’re supposed to choose the answer that is most correct. (Now and then you do the opposite and choose the answer that’s least correct.) Sometimes several answers are reasonably correct for the question at hand, but only one of them is the best answer. If you don’t stop to read and review all the answers, you may not choose the one that’s most correct. Or if you review all the answer options, you may realize that you misread the question. Often, a person reads a question, decides on the answer, glances at the answer options, chooses the option that agrees with his or her answer, marks it on the answer sheet, and then moves on. Although this approach usually works, it can sometimes lead you astray.
If you’re taking a paper test, mark the answer carefully. A machine scores the paper-based ASVAB answer sheets. You have to mark the answer clearly so the machine knows which answer you’ve selected. This means carefully filling in the space that represents the correct letter. You’ve done this a million times in school, but it’s worth repeating: Don’t use a check mark, don’t circle the answer, and don’t let your mark wander into the next space. If you must erase, make sure all evidence of your prior choice is gone; otherwise, the grading machine may credit you with the wrong choice or disregard your correct answer and give you no credit at all. Incorrectly marking the answer sheet (answering Question 11 on the line for Question 12, Question 12 on the line for Question 13 — you get the idea) is a very real possibility. Be especially careful if you skip a question that you’re going to return to later.Incorrectly marking the answers can cause a real headache. If you fail to get a qualifying score, the minimum amount of time you must wait before retaking the ASVAB is one month. Even then, your journey to military glory through ASVAB torment may not be over. If within six months of a previous test, your retest AFQT score increases by 20 points or more, you’ll be required by MEPCOM regulation to take an additional ASVAB test, called a confirmation test. (Confirmation tests can be taken only at MEPS facilities, by the way.) If you’re not careful, you’ll be taking three ASVABs when all you really needed to take was one. Sound fun? Chapter
