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.
Getting Access to the Online Test Bank
Accessing the online test bank that comes with this book is as easy as clicking a few buttons. First, visit www.dummies.com/go/getaccess. Then select the name of the book from the drop-down menu (it’s listed as 2022/2023 ASVAB For Dummies). Follow the onscreen prompts to validate your purchase and enter your email address. You’ll receive an email with your PIN and instructions on getting to the test bank (plus hundreds of flashcards you can use to practice your skills) by visiting www.dummies.com and looking for the text that says “Have a book PIN? Activate Now.”
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 able to communicate with other troops, understand written and spoken instructions, report to higher-ups, and lead junior servicemembers.
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 (or bestow upon you inestimable guidance and encouragement, if you prefer). 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.
When you take the Word Knowledge subtest on the computerized version of the ASVAB, you have 9 minutes to answer only 15 questions, which means you have 36 seconds to answer each question. (If your Word Knowledge subtest includes tryout questions, which I explain in Chapter 1, you have 18 minutes to answer 30 questions.) On the paper version, the schedule’s a little tighter. You have 11 minutes to answer 35 questions (or less than 20 seconds for each question). Either way, it’s plenty of time, as long as you stay focused and don’t waste time daydreaming about your future in the military (sorry, I mean becoming lost in reverie as you consider your impending enlistment).
These days, most candidates take the computerized version of the ASVAB, which is designed to ask you questions that gauge your ability quickly. You start with a question of medium difficulty. If you answer correctly, you see a harder question next; if you answer incorrectly, you see an easier question next. Some people find that the ASVAB is easier — or harder — than they expect, but that’s only because the test adapts itself to the test-taker’s ability.
Grasping the Importance of Word Knowledge
Word Knowledge is included on the ASVAB because words represent ideas, and the more words you understand, the better you can communicate with others. The military wants to be sure that you can follow directions for using and maintaining equipment, rules and regulations outlined in military manuals, and all the things your superiors are telling you — and that you can communicate with the troops working under you. 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 training (including basic training).
Table 4-1 shows the military line scores that are calculated by using your Word Knowledge subtest score.
TABLE 4-1 Military Line Scores That Use the Word Knowledge Score
| Branch of Service | Line Score |
|---|---|