ASVAB aptitude test explores military occupations

Everyone is familiar with the common required standardized tests such as the ACT and the SAT, but the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery is not as widely known.

The ASVAB is a multiple choice aptitude test, administered by the United States Military Entrance Processing Command, that is used to determine qualification for enlistment in the United States Armed Forces. Anyone who is interested in taking the test is free to do so, but if one is wanting to enter the military the test is a requirement.

If you want to enlist [in the military], you have to take the ASVAB,” senior Alex Ray said. “I would take the ASVAB as a junior because taking it twice, for me, better familiarized me with the test and helped me prepare.”

The four critical areas that the ASVAB include are arithmetic reasoning, word knowledge, paragraph comprehension and mathematics knowledge. The scores from these four areas establish how qualified one is for particular military occupational specialties and Enlistment Bonuses. Receiving a high score will increase one’s chance of earning a specialty job or signing to a bonus of choice.

“If you make a really high score, then it opens a lot of doorways for different jobs in the military,” senior Lauren Fagan said.