ASVAB For Dummies

ASVAB Subtests

The Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) consists of subtests designed to determine your skill level or potential in English, math, and science — as well as more specialized fields such as electronics and vehicle maintenance. Here's a look at the ASVAB subtests (in order of appearance), the number of questions each has, and the allotted completion time.

Reading Comprehension Tips for the ASVAB

The Paragraph Comprehension part of the ASVAB (Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery) tests how well you understand the contents of a few paragraphs. Generally, the paragraphs are pretty short and add up to a few hundred words altogether. You're expected to answer a handful of questions about each essay.

Use the tips in the following list to help in this part of the test:

• Understand what the question wants from you. Does it ask for the main point, specific information, or a conclusion based on the information presented?

• Comprehension questions may also test your vocabulary. Use the context to help you understand the meaning of words.

• Unless you're a really slow reader, you can go back and reread the paragraphs to make sure that you answer the questions correctly.

Test-Taking Tips for the ASVAB

Preparation and diligence will ease your ASVAB nerves. Whether you're taking the paper- or computer-based ASVAB (Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery), you can benefit by keeping these points in mind:

• Read the directions carefully.

• Know what the question is asking you to do before selecting an answer.

• Read all the answer options before selecting one.

• Make sure that you mark the answer on the correct space on your answer sheet — the space that corresponds to the question you're trying to answer. This doesn't apply to the computerized version.

• Skip questions you don't know, and then go back to them if you have time. (Unless you take the computer-based test, which forces you to answer each question before you can move on to the next one.)

• Don't leave any answers blank. The ASVAB doesn't penalize you for guessing. On the computer-based ASVAB, you can't leave any questions blank.

• Never change the answer to a question after you move on to another question. Again, this doesn't apply for the computerized version — after you submit your answer, you can't change it.

Pointers for Guessing on the ASVAB

Guess wisely, and you can score some extra points on many of the ASVAB (Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery) subtests. Guessing on the ASVAB doesn't count against you on any portion of the test. If you leave the answer blank, you have a zero percent chance of getting it right. If you guess, you have a 25 percent chance.

These quick pointers can serve you well in the world of guessing:

• Eliminate the answers you know are wrong and then guess among the remaining answers.

• Answers that include always or never statements are usually wrong.

• Don't guess based on the frequency of previous answers. Just because the answer to the last ten questions has been C doesn't mean the next answer can't be C, too.

• If two answer options have opposite meanings, one of them is probably correct.

• If two answer options are very close in meaning, neither of them is probably correct.

• If you can't eliminate any choices, always choose the same letter for your guess. For example, if you have to guess on ten questions, always guess C. Choosing the same letter every time increases your odds of selecting the right answer for at least one or two of those questions.

Math Tips for the ASVAB

Math is a basic part of the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery, or ASVAB. To do well on the ASVAB, you need a high-school level knowledge of math, including algebra and geometry. Brush up on basic concepts and use these tips to succeed:

• Use the scratch paper provided to help you visualize problems. You can't use a calculator on any of the ASVAB subtests.

• Memorize the formulas you need to know before the day of the test. They're not provided for you at the testing center. After you receive your scratch paper, write these formulas down, so you won't have to remember them after the test starts.

• ASVAB math questions often provide extra information to confuse you. Select only the facts you need to perform the correct operation. If a question states that Sam has 15 hens that each lay 3 eggs a day, and you need to know how many total eggs Sam's hens lay per day, Sam's sheep population doesn't matter.

• Remember that the formulas for rectangular things and circular things are different, but they're related.

• For difficult math questions, like those involving the quadratic equation, simply plug each of the four answers into the equation to see which one is right. This process is usually faster than calculating the whole quadratic formula.

• Don't forget to convert units of measurement to be consistent. If a question asks you to determine the number of 9-inch shingles needed to cover a 12-foot-by-12-foot roof, be sure to recognize that inches and feet are two different measurements and perform the necessary conversions.

Vocabulary Tips for the ASVAB

The Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) has a Word Knowledge subtest, which quizzes you on vocabulary, or word meanings. Vocabulary questions may also appear in the Paragraph Comprehension portion, so put the following tips to use:

• Vocab questions almost always ask you to choose synonyms (words with similar meanings) rather than antonyms (words with opposite meanings), but read the directions carefully to avoid making a careless mistake.

• Word Knowledge questions ask you to find the word that most closely means the same thing as the given word, so choose the answer that is most right instead of trying to find a word that means exactly the same thing.

• Beware of prefixes that alter a word's meaning. A- and un- are examples of prefixes that change the meaning of a word. For example, likely and unlikely have opposite meanings.