A couple of weeks before the ASVAB, take the next-to-last practice test. Brush up on any of those nagging areas that still give you fits. Check to see which areas you need help with and spend more time studying those areas.
A week before your test date, take the last test. This test helps you calm your nerves before taking the ASVAB — how the test works will be fresh in your mind.
To determine the subject areas in which you need to improve: Use the tips and techniques, along with standard study materials (like high school textbooks), to improve your knowledge of each specific subject.
To familiarize yourself with the types of test questions and the way they’re presented on the test: Getting a good idea of what all the subtests look like will improve your test-taking speed. You won’t have to spend time trying to figure out how a question looks. You can spend your time answering the question.
Making Last-Minute Preparations: 24 Hours and Counting
On the morning of the test, eat a light meal. Anything too heavy will make you drowsy, but not eating enough will make it hard for you to concentrate.Try to avoid eating a breakfast high in carbohydrates and sipping energy drinks. Although the carbs and caffeine will initially make you feel energetic, a couple of hours into the test, you may come crashing down. Select foods high in protein instead.
Get exercise the day before and even the morning of the test. Doing so gets your blood pumping and helps you remain mentally sharp.
If you’re sick, upset, or injured, consider rescheduling the test. Right before the test starts, the proctor will ask if there’s anything, such as sickness or injury, that may affect your test performance. After the test actually starts, it’s considered an “official test,” and you’ll have to wait a certain time period before any possibility of a retest. See Chapter 1 for details.
Don’t bring personal supplies to the test. Your test administrator will provide you with pencils and scratch paper. Don’t bring calculators, personal electronic devices (smartphones, tablets), backpacks, or a cooler of munchies to the testing site. You won’t be allowed to have them with you. (But if you wear eyeglasses, bring them.)
Bring a watch to help you keep track of time if you’re taking the paper version. The computerized version has a clock on the screen.
Don’t drink a lot of liquids just before the test. You don’t want to waste valuable test time in the restroom!
Make sure you arrive at the test site with plenty of time to spare. In the military, arriving on time means you’re 5 minutes late. You should plan to be in your seat at least 15 minutes before the scheduled testing time. Unless your recruiter is driving you (which is often the case), you may want to do a test run a day or two before your testing date to make sure you know where the test is, the availability of parking, and how to find the testing room.
Bring your ID. You’ll have to show proof of your identity when you arrive at MEPS.
Part 2
Words to Live By: Communication Skills
IN THIS PART …
Brush up on vocabulary lessons that will help you ace the Word Knowledge subtest. Review prefixes, suffixes, and roots, and distinguish between synonyms and antonyms.
Get help tackling the Paragraph Comprehension subtest, and check out the different types of questions you’ll encounter.
Work some practice questions at the end of each chapter to help you determine where you excel and where you could use some more review.
Chapter 4
Word Knowledge
IN THIS CHAPTER
To make it to basic combat training, you need a pretty decent vocabulary that helps you score well on the Word Knowledge subtest of the ASVAB. Not only do you have to know how to spell to some degree (so you can differentiate among words), but you also need to know what the words on the test mean. The military wants to know how big your vocabulary is so it can determine whether you’ll be a good fit in its ranks. If you’re on a military base and you’re hungry, don’t bother looking for a sign that says Chow Hall. Instead, you need to find the Dining Facility. If you want to work out after your big lunch, forget about the gym. You’re looking for the Fitness and Wellness Center.
So, what if you don’t know the difference between a carbine and a carbon? Never fear — I’m here to give you a helping hand (bestow upon you inestimable guidance and encouragement — that’s Word Knowledge speak). With the help of this chapter and a little work on your part, you can whip your word-knowledge skills right into shape. And then at the end of the chapter, you can check out the practice questions to test those skills.
Grasping the Importance of Word Knowledge
Word Knowledge isn’t part of the ASVAB just because the military likes to use big words. It’s included because words stand for ideas, and the more words you understand, the more ideas you can understand (and the better you can communicate with others). A decent vocabulary is essential in the military if you want to get ahead. The military operates on paperwork, and whether you’re trying to get more supplies (submit necessary logistical requisitions) or get the assignment you want (via application for personnel career-enhancement programs), you need to develop a good vocabulary. The military considers clear communication so important that it’s taught and graded at all levels of leadership training.