Understanding ASVAB Scores: What You Need to Know for Military Enlistment.

You don’t have to worry about the pass and failure scenario when it comes to the ASVAB test. Your score in every category, after all, represents your collect set of skills. Naturally, you should plan and then study for the test to get through the qualification process and avail a job that is suitable for your skills.

The AFQT score of an applicant is all about the comparison to other talented recruits’ scores who age from 18 to 23 years. It is vital to note down that each armed forces branch has a different score requirement for enlistment. The AFQT score essentially shows a ranked percentage from 1 to 99 about your score placement in comparison to other applicants.

Your minimum score can lead you to a different specialty job. It is one of the reasons. Each branch of the armed forces has a minimal AFQT score that applicants have to achieve for enlistment. However, specialty jobs also have separate eligibility requirements.

The following minimum scores can help you understand the minimum qualification criteria for different branches of armed services:

Marine Corps

If you want to enlist in the Marine Corps, you must have a high school diploma and as well as a minimum 32 AFQT score. There are, however, a few exemptions for recruits who have a GED or a 50 or higher score of AFQT.

The job of a Marine Corps comes under Military Occupational Specialty or MOS. If you want to get into a MOS-related Marine Corps job, you will have to get a good score on at least one or more categories of the ASVAB test.

How Various Score Evaluations Work

The last thing you want to do is generalize your ASVAB scores. Sure, it would be great to have just one parameter for the assessment of your test. However, the rabbit hole concerning your ASVAB scores goes much deeper. To simplify matters for you – here are different test score variants attached to ASVAB:

Raw Score

A raw score is the collective total points you get on each ASVAB category. Often, students are not able to spot their raw scores on scorecards in a heartbeat. You need to calculate other scores first to find out your raw score.

Remember, the official recruiters use your raw score to calculate ASVAB scores. Contrary to what you may have read, raw scores have nothing to do with the correct or even wrong answers. Instead, difficult mathematical questions lead to more points as compared to easier questions.

Composite Score

There are several names of composite scores, such as line scores, MOS scores, or aptitude scores. You get composite scores by combining different scores of the ASVAB sections. Most of the American Armed Services use composite scores to establish which military positions might be more suitable for you.

There’s just one factor that determines an ideal military role that is fitting for you. Also, the recruiters take into account your job status, physical evaluation, and as well as a medical condition. But the recruitment process could involve more security clearance factors. Remember, each armed service branch defines its separate eligibility composite scores for candidates. 

Percentile Score

Percentile scores serve the purpose of giving recruiters a clear picture of where you stand in comparison to other potential recruits. Percentile scores range between 1 and 99. If you perform well, you would fair-well in contrast to others, which will ultimately improve your selection chances.

On a student scorecard, you can see your percentile scores in comparison to your fellow students in the same grade. However, when it comes to the enlistment version of a student’s scorecard, you can view the percentile scores in the form of a probability sample. If you, for instance, obtain an incredible percentile of 72, you can consider that percentile score to be better than the other 72% of the same group.

Standard Score

Students need to realize that numerous reporting of the ASVAB categories takes place on standard scorecards. If you convert your original or raw score as per your standard deviation, you will need a mean average of 50 and an SD of 10 to get your standard score.

Also, don’t mix your graded-on-a-curve score with the standard score on regular school tests. Graded curve score has a range between 1-100, where most of the students managed to get between 70-100. However, standard scores range from 30 to 70.

There’s no such thing as an overall score when it comes to the ASVAB test. So, the next time someone announces that he or she got a score of 80 on the ASVAB, it merely suggests that the individual is referring to the AFQT score, rather than combined ASVAB score.

If you, for example, perform exceptionally on most of the ASVAB categories, then that is a personal achievement. The same rules, however, apply when you underperform in a specific category than others. Recruiters use selective categories of the ASVAB test to figure out the positions you can qualify. The military can, of course, assess your score in various sections for a variety of purposes.

Your task should be to determine which subject areas you should concentrate more to clear your career objectives altogether. For example, if you don’t want a job that mandates an excellent Mechanical Comprehension score, then you don’t have to stress about performing better in that section. In essence, most of the score mechanics come down to how you manage time at the time of the ASVAB test.

It’s ALL about Your Mean Average Score

Applicants will receive an average score for each category of the ASVAB test. Well, this standard score comes from your original or raw scores. Raw scores are the total points you get on each category. Statistically, the average mean score is a derived score on a scale of 30 and 70 for every section of the test.

The point of the standard scores is to create an average (mean) score of 50 with a standard deviation (SD) of 10. It suggests that 95% of the applicants who take the test are under two SDs and 20 points of the mean average of 50.