ASVAB AFQT For Dummies
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To enlist in the U.S. military, you have to take the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Test (ASVAB). The ASVAB consists of nine separately timed subtests, which are primarily used by the military to determine your aptitude to learn various military jobs.

Four of the ASVAB subtests are used to compute the Armed Forces Qualification Test (AFQT) score, a percentile score that runs from 1 to 99. This score determines whether you're qualified to join the military service of your choice. Each branch of the military has its own minimum AFQT score standards:

  • Army (including Army National Guard and Army Reserves): The Army requires a minimum AFQT score of 31 for those with a high school diploma and a score of 50 for those with a high school equivalency certificate. When the Army is experiencing high recruiting and reenlistment rates, it has been known to temporarily increase its qualifying AFQT score minimum to as high as 50.
  • Air Force (including Air National Guard and Air Force Reserves): Air Force recruits must score at least a 36 on the AFQT to qualify for enlistment, but more than 70 percent of people who are accepted for an Air Force enlistment score 50 or above. For those who have a high school equivalency certificate instead of a high school diploma, the minimum score is 65.
  • Navy: Navy recruits must score at least 35 on the AFQT to qualify for enlistment. If you have a high school equivalency certificate, the minimum score is 50.
  • Navy Reserves: The Navy Reserves requires a minimum score of 31 on the AFQT for those with a high school diploma and 50 for those with a high school equivalency certificate. The Navy is the only branch for which the requirements for the Reserves are different from the requirements for the branch itself.
  • Marine Corps (including Marine Corps Reserves): Marine Corps recruits must score at least 32. People who have a high school equivalency certificate must score a minimum of 50 on the AFQT to be considered. The Marine Corps limits GED enlistments to about 5 percent to 10 percent per year.
  • Coast Guard (including Coast Guard Reserves): The Coast Guard requires a minimum of 40 points on the AFQT. A waiver is possible for applicants with prior service if their ASVAB line scores qualify them for a specific job and they're willing to enlist in that job. The minimum AFQT score for people who have a high school equivalency certificate is 50.

About This Article

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About the book authors:

Angie Papple Johnston joined the U.S. Army in 2006 as a CBRN specialist. Currently, she's the CBRN noncommissioned officer-in-charge of an aviation battalion in Washington, D.C. Rod Powers served more than 20 years in the U.S. Air Force and retired as a first sergeant.

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