Armed Services Articles

Cheat Sheet / Updated 04-26-2022

The first step toward acing the Army Combat Fitness Test, or ACFT, is to study each test event and understand what Uncle Sam expects from you. From there, it’s all about functional fitness training and giving your body the right fuel to succeed.

Cheat Sheet / Updated 04-14-2022

As any professional military commander will tell you, knowing your enemy is the first step in winning a battle. After all, how can you expect to pass the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) if you don’t know what’s on the test? Here are some test-taking tips and key info about ASVAB test formats and ASVAB subtests to help you score well on the ASVAB, get into the service of your choice, and qualify for your dream job.

Cheat Sheet / Updated 04-08-2022

The key to success for any method of study is having one. So if you’re preparing to take the ASVAB, set up a structured study plan using the following guide, and stick to it. Before you put your study plan into action though, be sure to review the tips included here on how to fine-tune your studying experience for success and kick-start your memory retention powers.

Cheat Sheet / Updated 02-11-2022

If you're thinking about joining the U.S. military, your Armed Forces Qualification Test (AFQT) score may well be the most important score you achieve on any military test. You need a qualifying score on the AFQT, or your plans for enlistment come to a dead end — and each branch of the military has its own minimum AFQT score requirements. Part of getting a high score on the AFQT involves brushing up on your math skills. You need to memorize key formulas and use proven test-taking strategies to maximize your chances for a high math score. The other part is making sure you have a firm grasp on English; in order to ace the language parts of the AFQT, you need a solid vocabulary and good reading comprehension skills.

Cheat Sheet / Updated 09-16-2021

If your sights are set on becoming a military aviator, you need to do well on a military flight aptitude test administered by the armed services — the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps — and the Coast Guard. Whether you're taking the Air Force Officer Qualifying Test (AFOQT), the Army's Selection Instrument for Flight Training (SIFT), or the Aviation Selection Test Battery (ASTB, used by the Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard), be sure to create a study plan, prepare yourself for test day, and brush up on your multiple-choice skills. Photo by James Lewis on Unsplash

Article / Updated 08-30-2021

Many versions of the ASVAB exist, but you don’t have a 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. 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 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, online 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-up 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 Puerto Rico, and MET sites are located in each state (often at National Guard armories or local high schools). Cheating gets you thrown out of the testing location. But even if you were able to get away with looking at your neighbor’s paper or computer screen, you’d fail the test. There are several versions of the test, and the people sitting around you have different questions presented in different orders. Going paperless: The pros and cons of the computerized test The computerized version of the ASVAB uses computerized adaptive testing (CAT) to make sure each applicant gets questions tailored to his or her 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). In a CAT test, 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. Maybe it’s because people today are more comfortable in front of a computer than with a pencil, but military recruiters have noted that among applicants who’ve taken both the paper-based and computerized versions of the ASVAB, many applicants tend to score slightly higher on the computerized version of the test. 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 Armed Forces Qualification Test (AFQT) score. 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. 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 of 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, which can stretch out your total test-taking time. But on a positive note, the tryout questions don’t affect your score. The PiCAT: The ASVAB’S stay-at-home cousin The 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, and 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 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. 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 paper-and-pencil 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 after you finish the test (not counting days the MEPS doesn’t work, such as weekend days or holidays).

Article / Updated 07-06-2021

The Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) comes in five versions, depending on where and why you take it. The varieties of the test are essentially the same; they’re just administered differently. The following table boils them down. Versions of the ASVAB Version How You Take It Format Purpose Student Given to juniors and seniors in high school; it’s administered through a cooperative program between the Department of Education and the Department of Defense at high schools across the United States Paper Its primary purpose is to provide a tool for guidance counselors to use when recommending civilian career areas to high school students (though it can be used for enlistment if taken within two years of enlistment). For example, if a student scores high in electronics, the counselor can recommend electronics career paths. If a student is interested in military service, the counselor then refers her to the local military recruiting offices. Enlistment Given through a military recruiter at a Military Entrance Processing Station (MEPS) or at a satellite testing site Usually computer, may be paper This version of the ASVAB is used by all the military branches for the purpose of enlistment qualification and to determine which military jobs a recruit can successfully be trained in. Enlistment Screening Test (EST) Given at the discretion of a military recruiter for a quick enlistment qualification screening Computer These mini-ASVABs aren’t qualification tests; they’re strictly recruiting and screening tools. The EST contains about 50 questions similar but not identical to questions on the AFQT portion of the ASVAB. The test is used to help estimate an applicant’s probability of obtaining qualifying ASVAB scores. Pre-screening, internet-delivered Computerized Adaptive Test (PiCAT) Online, on your own time after receiving an access code from your recruiter Computer The PiCAT is an unproctored, full version of the ASVAB. You take it on your own time, but you must take a verification test at a MEPS to validate your score. The verification test typically takes 25 to 30 minutes to complete. Armed Forces Classification Test (AFCT) Given at installation educational centers to people already in the military through the Defense Manpower Data Center Computer At some point during your military career, you may want to retrain for a different job. If you need higher ASVAB scores to qualify for such retraining, or if you’re a commissioned officer who wants to become a warrant officer, you can take the AFCT. The AFCT is essentially the same as the other versions of the ASVAB. The vast majority of military applicants are processed through a MEPS, where they take the computerized format of the ASVAB (called the CAT-ASVAB, short for computerized-adaptive testing ASVAB), undergo a physical exam, and run through a security screening, many times all in one trip. The paper-and-pencil (P&P) version is most often given in high school and at Mobile Examination Test (MET) sites located throughout the United States. Most MET sites use paper versions of the test. See also, " Deciphering ASVAB Scores."

Article / Updated 04-02-2021

If you walked into a gym right now, you’d most likely see rows of machines dedicated to training just one muscle at a time. Those are great for bodybuilders but not necessarily for the average soldier. Because most military occupational specialties (MOSs) have at least minimal physical demands, and because those demands require real-world movement, many of the machines at the gym are great supplements to your training. However, you definitely need movement training, too. Distinguishing muscle training from movement training Improving athleticism, which is what the Army is really testing with the ACFT, requires a combination of muscular and movement-based training. Movement training is unlike muscle training. It harnesses your natural human kinetics—the way you move—and makes your movements stronger, more stable, and safer. In standard muscle training, you have to isolate a muscle (or a group of muscles) to focus all your work there. Your intent is to put force in just one region of your body, like your chest, while the rest of your body is stabilized and still, and your goal is to see just how much force you can send into that region and still execute a movement, such as a chest press. You don’t want to “cheat” by using momentum because that means other muscles are pitching in to help you execute the movement. That’s fine if that’s the type of training you’re doing. But when you need motor skills you can use outside the gym, and if you need to be efficient with your movement (like you do on the ACFT and on the battlefield), you need your muscles to work together to accomplish a result. Whether you’re putting together a GP Medium or carrying one of your squad members to safety, your movement training kicks in. Movement training is about improving motor tasks that take you outside the linear plane. Movement training integrates your whole body. And with the ACFT, the Army is testing your ability to pull off complex movements—not just your ability to use your pecs and a few smaller muscles to push yourself off the ground. That means you have to cross-train, use three-dimensional movements and your planar movements, and use weight training to complement everything you’re doing if you want to perform well on the ACFT. These 3D movements come with a wide range of other benefits, too, such as improved Aerobic capacity Coordination Joint health Resiliency in multidirectional movements outside the gym Tensile strength in your connective tissues The more momentum you can harness while controlling your form, the more efficiently you work. Your brain automatically wants to execute all your body’s movements in ways that are easiest to accomplish—but not necessarily in ways that prevent injury (think about the last time you did bicep curls and threw your back into them, or picked up a box from the floor without bending your legs). Planar movement With physical training, you can do your work in one or more of the three planes of motion: the sagittal plane, the frontal plane, and the transverse plane. If you’re working in the sagittal plane, you’re moving two-dimensionally—up and down or back and forth. In the frontal plane, you’re making side-to-side movements. Finally, in the transverse plane, you’re using twisting or rotating movements. Work in any of these planes can be unloaded, which means you have only your body weight, or loaded, which means you’re using an external mass while moving. An external mass can be anything from a barbell loaded with weight to your Improved Outer Tactical Vest, or IOTV. Most exercises in the three planes of motion fall into one or more of four main categories: Unloaded linear movements: Linear movements are in the sagittal plane or the frontal plane. You’re running, cycling, or performing some types of strength training. Linear exercises move only horizontally or vertically. Unloaded 3D movements: Movements that cross over the borders between the sagittal, frontal, and transverse planes are 3D movements. Things like sports (tennis, football, baseball, and a number of others), dancing, and many types of martial arts use unloaded 3D movements. Loaded linear movements: Loaded movements keep you in the sagittal or frontal plane and involve external weight. Running while carrying a litter, squatting with a bar on your back, and doing everyday bicep curls are loaded linear movements. The external weight can range from resistance bands and barbells to the flywheel of an adjustable stationary cycle or full battle rattle. Loaded 3D movements: Working through different planes with an external weight means you’re doing loaded 3D movements. These movements, like agility drills, modified exercises (such as shoulder extensions with a trunk rotation), and lateral lunges with a plate reach involving rotation. Strictly training in loaded linear movements can easily result in overuse injuries. Working in 3D allows other muscles, connective tissues, and joints to pitch in to complete a task, which “shares the load.” The 4Q model The 4Q model allows you to group exercises together by type: unloaded linear, unloaded 3D, loaded linear, and loaded 3D. (Check out the preceding section for more on these types of movements.) The figure shows the 4Q model, as well as some of the exercises that belong in each quadrant. Training in all four quadrants is essential for optimal results. If your goal is overall strength and endurance, you can’t leave one (or more) out. Unloaded training Unloaded training—commonly called body weight training—refers to exercises like push-ups and pull-ups. Despite what you’ve heard, body weight training isn’t inherently easier than loaded training is. The Leg Tuck on the ACFT is a perfect illustration of that; it’s all body weight, but for many people, it’s one of the most difficult exercises to perform. Loaded training Loaded training requires you to add external mass to movement. Any mass counts, whether it’s a 1-kilogram plate alone or a bar loaded with 400 pounds. How much mass you need to move to make gains and improve your fitness level depends on your current level of physical fitness. Your body will adapt to larger loads over time, provided that you use something that challenges you and forces a change in your muscles. When your body adapts to a certain amount of weight, it’s no longer going to force your muscles to adapt, so if you want to become stronger, you have to increase the mass of the loads you’re working with. Loaded movements are movements that involve an external mass that’s not part of your body. Running is an unloaded linear movement, while running while wearing your IOTV is a loaded linear movement. Throwing your rucksack over a wall is a loaded 3D movement, and climbing up the wall after it (if you’re not wearing your kit) is an unloaded linear movement. (If you’re wearing your kit, it becomes a loaded linear movement.) Going over the top of the wall to come down on the other side is a 3D movement; it’s unloaded or loaded depending on whether you’re wearing your kit. Loaded multi-planar (3D) training for the ACFT Loaded multi-planar training is relatively new—at least in the gym. Classic strength training isolates muscles with the purpose of strengthening only those muscles, as evidenced by people hitting the gym for “chest day” or “cardio day.” (Everyone knows what happens when “leg day” isn’t part of a weekly routine.) But loaded multi-planar movement falls into the upper-right quadrant in the 4Q model, and training there is absolutely essential for passing the ACFT. The bottom line is that functioning in and out of the Army requires the human body to move mass while in motion, and most of the time, you have to move that mass in a way that asymmetrically loads your body or puts it in a weird position. If you’re only training to carry something by using both biceps evenly at the same time, without any help from your back or legs, you’re not going to perform as efficiently or as safely as you would if you practiced loaded movement training that integrated your whole body. ACFT events in the 4Q model The table shows whether each of the ACFT events falls into the loaded linear or unloaded linear quadrant of the 4Q model. The test is mostly about linear movement, but training to perform well on the test requires you to work in all four quadrants. Each event gives the Army a good look at how you perform 3D movements, such as surmounting an obstacle or extracting a casualty from a vehicle, which are hard to grade. Some of the events require a combination of muscular strength and endurance plus cardiovascular endurance, such as the drag and carry shuttles of the Sprint-Drag-Carry. ACFT Events in 4Q Quadrants Loaded Linear Movement Unloaded Linear Movement 3 Repetition Maximum Deadlift (MDL) Hand Release Push-Up – Arm Extension (HRP) Standing Power Throw (SPT) Sprint-Drag-Carry (SDC) Sprint-Drag-Carry (SDC) Leg Tuck (LTK) Two-Mile Run (2MR) Note that the Sprint-Drag-Carry falls under two quadrants: loaded linear movement and unloaded linear movement. That’s because this single event comprises four individual activities. The sprints and laterals are unloaded linear movements, while the drag and carry are loaded linear movements.

Article / Updated 04-02-2021

The Two-Mile Run, or 2MR, event on the Army Combat Fitness Test (ACFT) measures your aerobic endurance, just like it did on the APFT. The same theory is in play here: If you have higher aerobic endurance, you can recover more quickly from one task so you’re ready for the next one—and you can run when you need to. In practice, performing well on the 2MR shows the Army that you’ll do just fine during dismounted operations, rucking, and infiltration and extraction. Your unit chooses where you complete your Two-Mile Run. It can be on an indoor or outdoor track or on an improved surface (like a road or sidewalk). The ACFT has a pre-programmed 10-minute rest between the LTK and the 2MR, which starts when the last soldier in your group finishes the LTK. Run times for the ACFT are a lot different from what they were on the APFT. If you only need to eke by with 60 points, you have 21 minutes to make your way through the entire course. If you need 65 points, aim for 19 minutes even, or score 70 points by running it in 18 minutes. You can max out 100 points on the 2MR by running the whole thing in 13:30. Two-Mile Run instructions The Army tests your cardiovascular endurance by turning you loose on a two-mile running course and telling you to cross the finish line as quickly as possible. The official instructions for the Two-Mile Run (2MR) say as much, too. Here they are: Prior to starting the ACFT event, you will already know the 2-mile course including the start and finish points, turn around points, or number of laps. On the command “Go,” the clock will start and you will begin running at your own pace, completing the 2-mile distance without receiving any physical help. You may walk or pause, but you cannot be picked up, pulled, or pushed in any way. You may pace another soldier or be paced by another soldier. Verbal encouragement is permitted. Leaving the course at any time or at any point during the event will cause the event to be terminated. Your time will be recorded as you cross the finish line at the 2-mile point. The course can be any flat, improved surface, so your unit may run the ACFT 2MR on a road or a track. If you’re on a road, you can expect to see NCOs stationed at waypoints or turn around points. 2MR tips and techniques Like any Army run, walking is authorized but highly discouraged. You have to stay on the running course, and you have to complete the run with no physical help from anyone. If your unit isn’t already running on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays for PT, or if running is your weak point, you’re going to have to mix running into your own fitness routine. Trouble spots on the 2MR Your grader counts your laps and monitors for no-gos like leaving the designated running course for any reason and receiving physical assistance from anyone. Even if your grader doesn’t tell you to, keeping track of your own laps if you’re on a track is a good idea—just like any other time you’re running a track with your unit. You don’t want to mistakenly think you’ve completed the event and walk off with one lap to go. It seems like you have plenty of time to complete the 2MR, especially if you’re comparing it to the APFT standards, but this run is your last of six events, and you’ve done a full-body workout—so don’t take passing it for granted.

Article / Updated 04-02-2021

The Leg Tuck—maybe the most infamous event on the Army Combat Fitness Test (ACFT)—is how the Army measures your muscular strength and endurance. The LTK requires you to use your grip, shoulders, arm and chest muscles, abs, and even your front leg muscles. It’s notoriously tough because it requires you to hang from a pull-up bar with an alternating grip, curl your body (like a shrimp) so that your knees or thighs touch your elbows, and return under control to the straight-arm hang—all while your body is perpendicular to the bar. The starting position for the LTK is a straight-arm hang from the pull-up bar with an alternating grip. Ideally, your dominant hand is supposed to be closer to your head than your other hand is; for most people, that’s the strategy that provides the most power. (Try it both ways when you practice, though.) Your grader can help you get up to the bar if you can’t reach it, and if you’re too tall to hang from the bar with straight arms, you must bend your knees, because your feet aren’t allowed to touch the ground. On the command “Go,” flex at the elbows, waist, hips, and knees to bring your lower body up. Touch your knees or thighs to your elbows, and then return to the start position under control. If you keep your elbows bent, the rep doesn’t count; the same goes if you swing your trunk or legs to get your knees up. You can, however, adjust your grip. Just make sure you don’t touch the ground while you do it, or your grader will terminate the event. You have to curl up to the bar once to score 60 points, three times for a score of 65, and five times if you want to earn yourself 70 points. Think you can do it 20 times? If you pull it off, you get a whopping 100 points on this event. Leg Tuck instructions The Leg Tuck (LTK) is a quick check on your grip, arm, shoulder, and core strength. It requires you to curl your body up to a pull-up bar, touch your legs (anywhere from your knee to your upper thigh) on your elbows, and lower yourself back down to a hang. These are the Army’s official instructions for the LTK: You will assume a straight-arm hang on the bar with feet off the ground and uncrossed. You must use the alternating grip, with the dominant hand closest to the head. Your body will be perpendicular to the bar. Your elbows will be straight. Your feet cannot contact the ground or the pull-up/climbing bar during the event. On the command “Go,” you will flex at the elbows, knees, hips, and waist to raise your knees. Your elbows must flex. They cannot remain fully extended or straight. The right and left knees or thighs must touch the right and left elbows respectively. Your grader must observe both of the knees or the front of the thighs contacting both elbows. You will return under control to the straight-arm hang position to complete each repetition. If your elbows remain bent in the straight-arm hang position, that repetition will not count. You do not have to be completely still in the straight-arm hang position, but deliberate, active swinging of the trunk and legs to assist with the upward movement is not permitted. Small, inconsequential or passive movement of the body and twisting of the trunk is permitted. Your grader may assist with controlling these movements if they become excessive. You may rest in the straight-arm hang position. The event will be terminated when you voluntarily stop by dropping from the bar or if you use the ground to rest or push up from to complete a repetition. This figure shows the up position of the Leg Tuck event, where both elbows touch the legs. LTK tips and techniques For some people, the LTK is one of the toughest parts of the ACFT. If you’re one of those folks, this event is where you should focus your attention. Getting the technique down is almost as important as strengthening your core muscles. The Leg Tuck requires a lot of core strength (front and back). It also requires you to have a good grip, a strong upper body and legs, and a bit of technique. But you can’t get around it: To become good at the LTK, you’re going to have to practice leg tucks. Keep the following in mind as well: Pull your body up at an angle. You can do that by looking up at the bar or even above your head and leaning back slightly. Involve your hips in the exercise. Tuck them in and curl your body up as you bend your arms. The longer you wait to perform your reps, the more difficult they are. Try not to hang and rest for too long. Don’t relax yourself completely between reps; you don’t want to go into a complete dead-hang and loosen up all your muscles because then you have to reengage them all to do another leg tuck. Keep your shoulders, core, and lats engaged while you’re hanging there. You may find that losing as little as five pounds can make a big difference in your LTK performance. Talk to your primary care provider about losing weight if you’re heavier than you want to be. You can also visit the Army Wellness Center on your installation to find out about nutrition options. Trouble spots on the LTK Graders are trained to watch for Failing to start at and return to a straight-arm hang Failing to touch both elbows to both upper legs Swinging excessively Touching the ground with your feet Using the posts for assistance Moving your hands more than a fist’s width apart