Armed Forces Qualification Test (AFQT)
The Armed Forces Qualification Test (AFQT) is the ASVAB percentile used to assess military enlistment eligibility. It uses four math and verbal subtests.
Exam Tip
Practice Word Knowledge, Paragraph Comprehension, Arithmetic Reasoning and Mathematics Knowledge for the AFQT. Use your official percentile to check enlistment eligibility.
How the AFQT is calculated
Verbal Expression (VE) is a scaled, weighted composite of Word Knowledge and Paragraph Comprehension. The AFQT composite is 2VE + AR + MK, then converted to a percentile from 1 to 99.
The reference group comes from the 1997 Profile of American Youth study. An AFQT of 60 means you scored as well as or better than 60% of the national reference sample of 18- to 23-year-olds.
| Category | Percentile |
|---|---|
| I | 93-99 |
| II | 65-92 |
| IIIA | 50-64 |
| IIIB | 31-49 |
| IVA | 21-30 |
| IVB | 16-20 |
| IVC | 10-15 |
| V | 1-9 |
Enlistment and job scores
The Army publishes 31 for enlistment, the Air Force publishes 31 for high school seniors or graduates and 50 for GED holders, and the Coast Guard publishes 32. Confirm the current minimum with your branch recruiter for your education credential and program.
For a specific job, check the required branch line scores and other entry requirements.
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Study guide on MometrixRelated Terms
Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB)
The ASVAB is a multiple-aptitude test administered by the U.S. Department of Defense to determine qualification for military enlistment and job placement across all branches. The computer-adaptive enlistment form has 10 subtests in verbal, math, science and technical, and spatial domains.
Word Knowledge (WK)
Word Knowledge is an ASVAB subtest that tests vocabulary skills, including identifying synonyms and understanding word meanings. Combined with Paragraph Comprehension, it forms the Verbal Expression (VE) score, which is doubled in the AFQT formula.
Arithmetic Reasoning (AR)
Arithmetic Reasoning is an ASVAB subtest that measures your ability to solve word problems involving basic arithmetic operations, percentages, ratios, and time/distance calculations. It is one of the four subtests used to calculate the AFQT score.
Mathematics Knowledge (MK)
Mathematics Knowledge is an ASVAB subtest that tests pure mathematical concepts including algebra, geometry, and basic number theory. Unlike Arithmetic Reasoning, MK focuses on direct math problems rather than word problems.
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