When you’re sure you’re ready, you can apply (through your recruiter) to take the ASVAB. After you take the ASVAB for the first time, you can retake the test after one month (taking the ASVAB in high school does count for retest purposes). After the first retest, you must wait another month to test again. From that point on, you must wait at least six months before taking the ASVAB again.
You can’t retake the ASVAB on a whim or whenever you simply feel like it. Each of the services has its own rules concerning whether it allows a retest, and I explain them in the following sections.
U.S. Army retest policy
The Army allows a retest in one of the following instances:
The applicant’s previous ASVAB test has expired.
The applicant failed to achieve an AFQT score high enough to qualify for enlistment.
Unusual circumstances occur, such as if an applicant, through no fault of his or her own, is unable to complete the test.
U.S. Air Force retest policy
For the U.S. Air Force, the intent of retesting is for an applicant to improve the last ASVAB scores so the enlistment options increase. Before any retest is administered, the recruiting flight chief must interview the applicant in person or by telephone and then give approval for the retest.
Here are a few other policies to remember:
The Air Force doesn’t allow retesting for applicants after they’ve enlisted in the Delayed Entry Program (DEP).
Current policy allows retesting of applicants who aren’t holding a job/aptitude area reservation and/or who aren’t in DEP but already have qualifying test scores.
Retesting is authorized when the applicant’s current line scores (mechanical, administrative, general, and electronic) limit the ability to match an Air Force skill with his or her qualifications.
U.S. Navy retest policy
The Navy allows retesting of applicants
Whose previous ASVAB tests have expired
Who fail to achieve a qualifying AFQT score for enlistment in the Navy
TRACING THE TESTING TRAIL
In 1948, Congress made the Department of Defense develop a uniform screening test to be used by all the services. The Defense Department came up with the Armed Forces Qualification Test (AFQT). This test consisted of 100 multiple-choice questions in areas such as math, vocabulary, spatial relations, and mechanical ability. The military used this test until the mid-1970s. Each branch of the service set its own minimum qualification (AFQT) score.
When the military decides to do something, it often acts with the lightning speed of a snail carrying a backpack. So in the 1960s, the Department of Defense decided to develop a standardized military selection and classification test and to administer it in high schools. That’s where your old buddy, the ASVAB, came from. The first ASVAB test was given in 1968, but the military didn’t use it for recruiting purposes for several years. In 1973, the draft ended and the nation entered the contemporary period in which all military recruits are volunteers. In 1976, the ASVAB became the official entry test used by all services.
The ASVAB remained unchanged until 1980, when it underwent its first revision. The subtest areas remained the same, but several of the questions were updated to keep up with changes in technology.
In 1993, the computerized version was released for limited operational testing, but it didn’t begin to see wide-scale use until 1996. The questions on the computerized version of the ASVAB were identical to the questions on the paper version. It wasn’t until the end of 2002 that the ASVAB finally underwent a major revision. Two subtests (Coding Speed and Numerical Operations) were eliminated, and a new subtest (Assembling Objects) was added to the computerized version. Also during the 2002 revision, all the questions were updated, and the order of the subtests was changed. The revised ASVAB was first rolled out in the computerized format, and the paper versions of the test were updated during the next year. The most recent update occurred in 2008. The ASVAB was revised to better sync the line scores with the applicants’ qualified jobs.
In most cases, individuals in the Delayed Entry Program (DEP) can’t retest.
U.S. Marine Corps retest policy
The Marine Corps authorizes a retest if the applicant’s previous test has expired. Otherwise, recruiters can request a retest if the initial scores don’t appear to reflect the applicant’s true capability, considering the applicant’s education, training, and experience.
U.S. Coast Guard retest policy
For Coast Guard enlistments, six months must have elapsed since an applicant’s last test before he or she may retest solely for the purpose of raising scores to qualify for a particular enlistment option.
The Coast Guard Recruiting Center may authorize retesting after one calendar month has passed from an initial ASVAB test if substantial reason exists to believe the initial test scores or subtest scores don’t reflect an applicant’s education, training, or experience.
Chapter 2
Knowing What It Takes to Get Your Dream Job
IN THIS CHAPTER
The Armed Forces Qualification Test (AFQT) portion of the ASVAB is your most important score because it determines whether you can join the service branch of your choice. However, qualifying to join is only part of the picture. Unless