ASVAB AFQT Score Explained: Percentiles and Categories

The ASVAB has 10 tests (often called subtests), and you get two different kinds of scores from them.

• Standard Scores for each subtest, such as Arithmetic Reasoning (AR) or Word Knowledge (WK).
• The AFQT score (Armed Forces Qualification Test), one number built from four subtests: Arithmetic Reasoning (AR), Mathematics Knowledge (MK), Word Knowledge (WK), and Paragraph Comprehension (PC).

The official FAQ makes a point worth repeating: there are not two exams. The AFQT is not a separate test you sit for. It is a score made from four parts of the ASVAB you already took. The AFQT is used to decide whether you can enlist in the Army, Navy, Air Force, or Marine Corps. The scores from all the subtests are used to match you to military jobs.

A Standard Score is not a count of right answers. It shows where you stand compared with a national sample of youth aged 18 to 23. On the ASVAB subtests, the average (mean) is set at 50 and one standard deviation is set at 10. A standard deviation is just a fixed step size that tells you how far from the middle you are.

Here is how to read it:

1. A Standard Score of 50 is right at the middle. About half of the population scores 50 or higher.
2. A Standard Score of 60 is one step above the middle. Only about 16 percent of the population scores 60 or higher.
3. A Standard Score of 40 is one step below the middle.
4. A Standard Score of 70 is two steps above the middle.

So if your Mathematics Knowledge Standard Score is 58, you are a little less than one step above average on that subtest. If your Word Knowledge score is 44, you are a little more than half a step below average. Comparing your own subtest scores this way shows which areas are holding you back.

The AFQT is computed from the Standard Scores of AR, MK, WK, and PC, and it is reported as a percentile from 1 to 99. A percentile tells you the share of a reference group that scored at or below your score.

For current AFQT scores, the reference group is a sample of 18 to 23 year olds who took the ASVAB in a national norming study in 1997. That group stays the same, so your score is not graded against the other people in your test room that day.

The official FAQ uses this example: an AFQT score of 62 means you scored as well as or better than 62 percent of that national sample. In the same way, an AFQT of 90 means as well as or better than 90 percent, and an AFQT of 50 means as well as or better than half of the sample.

This is why "62" does not mean 62 percent of your answers were correct. It is a ranking, not a grade.

AFQT scores are also grouped into categories, so it helps to know where your number falls. The official ranges are:

• Category I: 93 to 99
• Category II: 65 to 92
• Category IIIA: 50 to 64
• Category IIIB: 31 to 49
• Category IVA: 21 to 30
• Category IVB: 16 to 20
• Category IVC: 10 to 15
• Category V: 1 to 9

Two things to notice. First, the categories are not the same width. Category II covers 28 points, while Category IVB covers only 5. Second, IIIA starts at 50, which is the middle of the reference group. Each service sets its own minimum AFQT score and its own job scores, and those can change, so ask a recruiter for the current numbers for the service you want.

The CAT-ASVAB is the computer adaptive version of the test. Adaptive means the test changes as you go. If you answer a question correctly, the next one is usually harder. If you miss one, the next one is usually easier.

This has three effects you should understand:

• Hard questions are not a bad sign. If the questions feel difficult, it may be because you are doing well. The official FAQ says the computer test can seem harder for above-average test takers and easier for below-average ones, but scores are statistically linked to the paper version, so you would expect a similar score on either.
• Your score is an ability estimate, not a tally. Behind the scenes, each question has a known difficulty. Your final ability estimate is turned into a Standard Score through a process called equating, so the score means the same thing no matter which set of questions you got.
• Unfinished questions cost you. On the computer test, if time runs out before you finish a subtest, a penalty is applied. The official site says it works as if you had guessed at random on the questions you did not reach. On the paper test, any question left blank is simply counted wrong. The official site also says the time limits are liberal enough that nearly all examinees finish each subtest.

Use the numbers to plan, not to worry.

1. Focus on the four AFQT subtests first. Only AR, MK, WK, and PC feed the AFQT. On this site that means the Word Problems, Algebra, Geometry, Vocabulary, and Reading chapters. Do 10 questions a day from whichever of these had your lowest Standard Score.
2. Practice math without a calculator. The official FAQ says calculators are not allowed, because the test checks whether you can do hand calculations.
3. Plan to reach every question. Since unfinished questions are penalized on the computer test and counted wrong on paper, practice working at a steady pace. Arithmetic Reasoning has the longest limit, 55 minutes for 15 scored questions when no tryout questions are included, so you have time to write out each step.
4. Know the retest rules before you test. After your first ASVAB, you must wait one calendar month to retest. A second retest needs another one-month wait. After that, each retest needs six months. If your AFQT jumps by 20 or more points within six months, you will be asked to take a confirmation test (C-Test).
5. Watch the two-year clock. Your scores can be used for enlistment for up to two years from the date of testing.

When most Intermediate questions on this site feel easy, take the full Mock Exam. Our practice goal of 65 percent correct is a study target only, not an AFQT score.