How is asvab scores calculated

To learn more about how standard scores are derived and used, download PDF. AFQT scores are reported as percentiles between An AFQT percentile score indicates the percentage of examinees in a reference group that scored at or below that particular score. ASVAB scores are used primarily to determine enlistment eligibility , assign applicants to military jobs , and aid students in career exploration. IRT is a theory that enables test questions and examinee abilities to be placed on the same scale, thereby allowing tests to be tailored to the specific ability level of each examinee and scores to be expressed on the same scale regardless of the combination of items that are taken.

The military uses a unit of toyear-olds who took the ASVAB during a national study as its reference group. The percentile indicates the percentage of reference group participants who received an equal or lower score. For example, a candidate with a score of 95 represents the 95th percentile. The following chart represents how the military categorizes AFQT scores based on percentile rank:.

The branches of the military require different minimum AFQT scores for enlistment eligibility. These requirements also differ for applicants with a high school diploma and applicants with a GED. For individuals who received a high school diploma, the requirements are:.

For individuals who received a GED, the requirements are:. Related: The U. The military uses composite scores to help determine which jobs best suit applicants. To do this, they developed a list of 10 occupational specialties and determined which skills or knowledge were most necessary to perform jobs within those specialties. Those skills align with the sub-tests applicants take during the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery. The following list demonstrates the formulas used to generate composite scores for each branch of the military, according to the official ASVAB website :.

The Air Force uses the following composite scores for each occupational specialty:. The Army uses the following composite scores for each occupational specialty:. The score range is to with being about average. A book titled Military Careers will accompany your test results. It is designed to describe most of the careers available in the military as well as the job requirements for each career.

In addition you can reference a graph that shows your chance of acceptance based on the Military Careers Score. The scores you obtained in the General Science and Auto and Shop Information subtests are not used to calculate any of the above mentioned scores.