The ASVAB also produces several line scores, which are different for each branch of service. Line scores determine which military jobs you’re qualified for. For charts showing how such scores relate to specific jobs in each branch of service, click here for the printable article, Matching ASVAB Scores to Military Jobs.
Whether you take the pencil-and-paper version of the ASVAB or the CAT-ASVAB (computerized version), the scores are the same. The computerized version of the ASVAB is adaptive, which means that on some sections of the test, harder questions are worth more points than easier questions, so you may be able to obtain the maximum possible score with fewer questions.
VE Score
The Verbal Expression (VE) score is used to determine qualifications for many military jobs in all the branches, and it’s used to help determine your AFQT score. To compute your VE score, the military adds the number correct (1 point per correct answer) of the Paragraph Comprehension (PC) and the Word Knowledge (WK) subtests and then compares the results to the info in the following table.| Standard Scores (PC + WK) | VE Score |
|---|---|
| 50 | 62 |
| 48–49 | 60 |
| 46–47 | 58 |
| 44–45 | 56 |
| 42–43 | 54 |
| 40–41 | 52 |
| 38–39 | 50 |
| 36–37 | 49 |
| 34–35 | 47 |
| 32–33 | 45 |
| 30–31 | 44 |
| 28–29 | 42 |
| 26–27 | 40 |
| 24–25 | 38 |
| 22–23 | 36 |
| 20–21 | 34 |
| 18–19 | 32 |
| 16–17 | 31 |
| 14–15 | 29 |
| 12–13 | 27 |
| 10–11 | 25 |
| 8–9 | 22 |
| 6–7 | 22 |
| 4–5 | 21 |
| 0–3 | 20 |
AFQT Score
The AFQT (Armed Forces Qualifying Test) score is arguably the most important ASVAB score because it determines whether you’re eligible to join the military branch of your choice. Although the AFQT is often called the “overall ASVAB score,” that’s not quite correct, because it’s derived from only four subtests: Verbal Expression (VE), which is computed from the Paragraph Comprehension (PC) and Word Knowledge (WK) subtests, Arithmetic Reasoning (AR), and Math Knowledge (MK).On the CAT-ASVAB, AR and MK questions are worth between 1 and 3 points each, depending on the difficulty of the question.
To find your AFQT score, the formula to use is 2VE + AR + MK. First, double the VE score (see the preceding section). Then add it to the Arithmetic Reasoning (AR) and Math Knowledge (MK) scores and compare the results to the following table. Note: For points of 120 or lower, keep reducing by one.
| Score | AFQT Percentile | Score | AFQT Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| 229 | 99 | 189 | 60 |
| 228 | 98 | 187–188 | 59 |
| 227 | 97 | 186 | 58 |
| 226 | 96 | 185 | 57 |
| 225 | 95 | 183–184 | 56 |
| 224 | 94 | 182 | 55 |
| 223 | 93 | 181 | 54 |
| 222 | 92 | 179–180 | 53 |
| 221 | 91 | 178 | 52 |
| 220 | 90 | 176–177 | 51 |
| 219 | 89 | 175 | 50 |
| 218 | 88 | 173–174 | 49 |
| 217 | 86 | 172 | 48 |
| 216 | 85 | 170–171 | 47 |
| 215 | 84 | 168–169 | 46 |
| 214 | 83 | 166–167 | 45 |
| 213 | 82 | 165 | 44 |
| 212 | 81 | 163–164 | 43 |
| 211 | 80 | 161–162 | 42 |
| 210 | 79 | 159–160 | 41 |
| 209 | 78 | 157–158 | 40 |
| 207–208 | 77 | 155–156 | 39 |
| 206 | 76 | 154 | 38 |
| 205 | 75 | 151–153 | 37 |
| 204 | 74 | 149–150 | 36 |
| 203 | 73 | 147–148 | 35 |
| 202 | 72 | 145–146 | 34 |
| 201 | 71 | 143–144 | 33 |
| 200 | 70 | 140–142 | 32 |
| 199 | 69 | 138–139 | 31 |
| 198 | 68 | 135–137 | 30 |
| 197 | 67 | 132–134 | 29 |
| 195–196 | 66 | 128–131 | 28 |
| 194 | 65 | 125–127 | 27 |
| 193 | 64 | 124 | 26 |
| 192 | 63 | 123 | 25 |
| 191 | 62 | 122 | 24 |
| 190 | 61 | 121 | 23 |
Composite Scores
Composite scores are used for job qualification by the Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps. The Navy and Coast Guard use a different system, which I explain later in this section.Air Force composite scores
The Air Force has four composite scores used for job-qualification purposes:-
*General (G): Add the Paragraph Comprehension (PC) and Word Knowledge (WK) scores and then double the result. Add this to the Arithmetic Reasoning (AR) score.
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2(PC + WK) + AR
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*Mechanical (M): Add the Paragraph Comprehension (PC) and Word Knowledge (WK) scores and then double the result. Add this to the Arithmetic Reasoning (AR), Mechanical Comprehension (MC), and General Science (GS) scores.
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AR + 2(PC + WK) + MC + GS
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*Administrative (A): Add the Paragraph Comprehension (PC) and Word Knowledge (WK) scores and then double the result. Add this to the Mathematics Knowledge (MK) score.
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2(PC + WK) + MK
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*Electrical (E): Add the Arithmetic Reasoning (AR), Mathematics Knowledge (MK), Electronics Information (EI), and General Science (GS) subtest scores.
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AR + MK + EI + GS
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Army composite scores
Army composite scores are computed from a straightforward addition of subtest scores:-
Clerical (CL): Add the Verbal Expression (VE), Arithmetic Reasoning (AR), and Mathematics Knowledge (MK) scores.
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VE + AR + MK
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Combat (CP): Add the Arithmetic Reasoning (AR), Auto & Shop (AS), and Mechanical Comprehension (MC) scores.
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AR + AS + MC
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Electronics (EL): Add the General Science (GS), Arithmetic Reasoning (AR), Mathematics Knowledge (MK), and Electronics Information (EI) scores.
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GS + AR + MK + EI
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-
Field Artillery (FA): Add the Arithmetic Reasoning (AR), Mathematics Knowledge (MK), and Mechanical Comprehension (MC) scores.
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AR + MK + MC
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General Maintenance (GM): Add the General Science (GS), Auto & Shop (AS), Mathematics Knowledge (MK), and Electronics Information (EI) scores.
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GS + AS + MK + EI
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General Technical (GT): Add the Paragraph Comprehension (PC) and Word Knowledge (WK) scores and then double the result. Add this to the Arithmetic Reasoning (AR) score.
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2(PC + WK) + AR
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Mechanical Maintenance (MM): Add the Auto & Shop (AS), Mechanical Comprehension (MC), and Electronics Information (EI) scores.
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AS + MC + EI
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Operators and Food (OF): Add the Verbal Expression (VE), Auto & Shop (AS), and Mechanical Comprehension (MC) scores.
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VE + AS + MC
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Surveillance and Communications (SC): Add the Verbal Expression (VE), Arithmetic Reasoning (AR), Auto & Shop (AS), and Mechanical Comprehension (MC) scores.
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VE + AR + AS + MC
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Skilled Technical (ST): Add the General Science (GS), Verbal Expression (VE), Mathematics Knowledge (MK), and Mechanical Comprehension (MC) scores.
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GS + VE + MK + MC
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Marine Corps composite scores
Marine Corps composite scores are a straightforward addition of subtest scores:-
Mechanical (M): Add the Arithmetic Reasoning (AR), Mechanical Comprehension (MC), Auto & Shop (AS), and Electronics Information (EI) scores.
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AR + MC + AS + EI
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-
Clerical (CL): Add the Paragraph Comprehension (PC) and Word Knowledge (WK) scores and double the result. Add this to the Arithmetic Reasoning (AR) and Mechanical Comprehension (MC) scores.
-
2(PC + WK) + AR + MC
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General Technical (GT): Add the Paragraph Comprehension (PC) and Word Knowledge (WK) scores and double the result. Add this to the Arithmetic Reasoning (AR) and Mechanical Comprehension (MC) scores.
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2(PC + WK) + AR + MC
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-
Electrical (EL): Add the Arithmetic Reasoning (AR), Mechanical Comprehension (MC), Electronics Information (EI), and General Science (GS) scores.
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AR + MC + EI + GS
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Navy and Coast Guard scores
The Navy and the Coast Guard don’t use composite scores. Instead, they simply list the combination of ASVAB subtest score totals needed for a specific job.For example, the ASVAB requirements to become an enlisted Navy medic are listed as “VE + MK + GS = 146.” That means that in order to qualify for this job, the totals of your Verbal Expression (VE), Mathematics Knowledge (MK), and General Science (GS) subtest scores must be greater than or equal to 146.
