The Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery or ASVAB is broken down into 9 major component sections. (The MET combines the final 2 topics for a total of 8) When studying for the exam you need to know what each section entails and how to specifically prepare for it.
Here is a quick breakdown of what to expect for each topic
General Science (GC)
Time Allowed: 8 Minutes
Questions: 16
This section tests your general science knowledge including biology or life science, physical sciences including chemistry and physics, earth and space science including geology and basic astronomy.
Don’t let this scare you, you will only need a basic overview of these topics. Each section can easily be broken down into a series of flashcards and outlines which you can memorize and study one aspect at a time.
Arithmetic Reasoning (AR)
Time Allowed: 39 Minutes
Questions: 16
This section is composed of mathematical word problems. The ‘trick’ of this section is to read past the ‘story’ and simply pick out the required mathematical calculations. Without a calculator!
The lack of calculator scares most students as they are not used to doing complex math using pen and paper. That’s OK, with adequate practice, and learning when you can round/simplify equations, you should have no problem on this section, especially given the lengthy time allotted
Word Knowledge (WK)
Time Allowed: 8 Minutes
Questions 16
This section tests your knowledge of vocabulary words by comparing them to other vocabulary words. In other words, for this section you will really have to study vocabulary words (seeing the trend?)
I recommend getting a set of ASVAB or SAT flashcards and simply studying a few words every day between now and examination day
Paragraph Comprehension (PC)
Time Allowed: 22 Minutes
Questions 11
Think of this section as reading comprehension. You will be given a short passage to read and then asked to answer related questions. This section tests your overall understanding of the information. The trick here is to SKIM the passage to get the gist, read the question, then go back and find the correct answer. Doing so will keep you from getting bogged down with time-consuming details allowing enough time for completion of this section
Mathematics Knowledge (MK)
Time Allowed: 18 Minutes
Questions 16
This is a straight-forward solve the math equation section. You will be tested on mathematical concepts learned throughout high school and asked for the correct answer, once again without using a calculator. This section is perhaps easier to practice for than the AR section given that if you study the concept you should be able to answer the questions easily. Just make sure you have reviewed every required math topic
*Note for the following sections:
These sections are not factored into the AFQT scores and will not have a direct impact your military acceptance. Unless you are applying for a job that specifically requires this information, you can simply guess your way through it. I scored a 93 AFQT and still can’t tell you the first thing about cars…
Electronics Information (EI)
Time Allowed: 8 Minutes
Questions 16
This is a scary section for many students given the involvement of electricity related topics including current, circuits, wires, and related calculations. However, this section doesn’t factor into your AFQT so unless you are entering an electrical type field, don’t worry about it. If this is required for you, go back to your physics material and review the chapters on electricity and circuits
Auto/Shop Information (AI/SI)
Time Allowed: 6 Minutes
Questions 11 each
The AI/SI sections are tested separately on the CAT-ASVAB on combined on the MET-ASVAB. As with EI, unless these fields are required, don’t even worry about it. IF this is your field of choice, bring your ASVAB book to a mechanic willing to help you, and review the concepts by studying them on actual cars and machines
