Line scores and the Navy and Coast Guard
The Navy and Coast Guard use the standard scores directly from the ASVAB: the individual subtest scores and Verbal Expression (VE) score, which is the sum of Word Knowledge (WK) and Paragraph Comprehension (PC).
Although the Navy and Coast Guard don’t use their line scores for officially determining jobs, the scores provide recruiters, job counselors, and recruits with a snapshot of which broad career areas recruits may qualify for. For example, the Navy regulation that lists the qualifications to become an Air Traffic Control Specialist states that an ASVAB score of VE + AR + MK + MC = 220 (or higher) is required for that job.
Table 2-2 shows the Navy and Coast Guard line scores that show up on the ASVAB score sheet.
TABLE 2-2 The U.S. Navy and Coast Guard’s Line Scores
| Line Score | Standard Scores Used | Formula Used |
|---|---|---|
| Engineman (ENG) | Auto & Shop Information (AS) and Mathematics Knowledge (MK) | AS + MK |
| Administrative (ADM) | Mathematics Knowledge (MK) and Verbal Expression (VE) | MK + VE |
| General Technical (GT) | Arithmetic Reasoning (AR) and Verbal Expression (VE) | AR + VE |
| Mechanical Maintenance (MEC) | Arithmetic Reasoning (AR), Auto & Shop Information (AS), and Mechanical Comprehension (MC) | AR + AS + MC |
| Health (HM) | General Science (GS), Mathematics Knowledge (MK), and Verbal Expression (VE) | GS + MK + VE |
| Mechanical Maintenance 2 (MEC2) | Assembling Objects (AO), Arithmetic Reasoning (AR), and Mechanical Comprehension (MC) | AO + AR + MC |
| Electronics (EL) | Arithmetic Reasoning (AR), Electronics Information (EI), General Science (GS), and Mathematics Knowledge (MK) | AR + EI + GS + MK |
| Nuclear Field (NUC) | Arithmetic Reasoning (AR), Mechanical Comprehension (MC), Mathematics Knowledge (MK), and Verbal Expression (VE) | AR + MC + MK + VE |
| Engineering and Electronics (BEE) | Arithmetic Reasoning (AR), General Science (GS), and two times Mathematics Knowledge (MK) | AR + GS + 2MK |
| Operations (OPS) | Arithmetic Reasoning (AR) and Mathematics Knowledge (MK) | AR + MK |
Line scores and the Marine Corps
The Marine Corps computes its three line scores for job qualification by adding scores from various ASVAB subtests, as Table 2-3 shows.
TABLE 2-3 The Marine Corps’s Line Scores
| Line Score | Standard Scores Used | Formula Used |
|---|---|---|
| Mechanical Maintenance (MM) | General Science (GS), Auto & Shop Information (AS), Mathematics Knowledge (MK), and Mechanical Comprehension (MC) | GS + AS + MK + MC |
| General Technical (GT) | Verbal Expression (VE) and Arithmetic Reasoning (AR) | VE + AR |
| Electronics (EL) | General Science (GS), Arithmetic Reasoning (AR), Mathematics Knowledge (MK), and Electronics Information (EI) | GS + AR + MK + EI |
Line scores and the Air Force
The U.S. Air Force uses standard scores from the ASVAB subtests to derive scaled scores in four aptitude areas called MAGE (mechanical, administrative, general, and electronics). The Air Force MAGE scores are calculated as percentiles, ranging from 0 to 99, that show your relationship to thousands of others who’ve taken the test. In other words, a percentile score of 51 indicates you scored better in this aptitude area than 50 percent of the testers who were used to establish the norm.
Table 2-4 lays out the four areas, the subtests used, and the formula used to calculate the score for each particular area. After calculating the score for a particular area, the test-scorer converts that score to a percentile.
TABLE 2-4 The U.S. Air Force’s MAGE Scores
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Line Score
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