Air Force ASVAB Scores and Entry Requirements
Every enlisted Airman takes the ASVAB. The Air Force then uses two kinds of score: the AFQT to decide whether you can enlist, and four MAGE scores to decide which careers you qualify for.
How the ASVAB fits into joining the Air Force
Enlisting in the active duty Air Force takes four steps. You apply through a recruiter, in person, by phone or online. Once you meet the basic requirements, you take the ASVAB. Your recruiter then books your physical and moral screening. After you are accepted, you enter the Delayed Entry Program and wait for your Basic Military Training date.
The ASVAB is the same test for every branch: ten adaptive subtests, usually taken on a computer at a Military Entrance Processing Station or a satellite test site. The full format, timings and scoring are on our ASVAB practice hub. What differs by branch is what each one does with your scores, and that is what this page covers.
The AFQT: can you enlist?
The Armed Forces Qualification Test is not a separate test. It is a percentile score from 1 to 99 built from four ASVAB subtests: Arithmetic Reasoning, Mathematics Knowledge, Word Knowledge and Paragraph Comprehension. It compares you with other test takers rather than counting correct answers: a 50 means you did as well as or better than half of a national reference group of young adults.
High school seniors can start the process with a statement from their school showing they will have the credits to graduate. Treat the minimums as a floor, not a target: the careers you can choose depend on your MAGE scores, and those come from more of the test.
MAGE scores: which careers you qualify for
The Air Force combines ASVAB subtests into four composite scores, known as MAGE. Each enlisted career has a minimum in one of them, and airforce.com's career slider shows which careers open up at each score. Like the AFQT, each is a percentile from 1 to 99.
| Score | Subtests behind it |
|---|---|
| Mechanical (M) | Arithmetic Reasoning, Auto and Shop, Mechanical Comprehension, Verbal Expression |
| Administrative (A) | Mathematics Knowledge, Verbal Expression |
| General (G) | Arithmetic Reasoning, Verbal Expression |
| Electronics (E) | Arithmetic Reasoning, Electronics Information, General Science, Mathematics Knowledge |
Verbal Expression is Word Knowledge and Paragraph Comprehension combined. Two patterns are worth noticing. Arithmetic Reasoning feeds three of the four scores as well as the AFQT, so it repays practice more than any other subtest. And the technical subtests, Auto and Shop, Mechanical Comprehension and Electronics Information, play no part in your AFQT but decide whether maintenance and electronics careers are open to you. If you have a career in mind, look up which MAGE score it needs and work on those subtests.
Practice for the AFQT
- AFQT Predictor Test (APT) (20 questions · 20-30 minutes · free) - Free. A practice version of the official 20-question AFQT Predictor Test, which recruiters use to estimate your AFQT before you sit the real thing. Start here to see where you stand against the 31 and 50 cutoffs.
- Arithmetic Reasoning (AR) (15 questions · 25-55 minutes · free) - Free. Math word problems. Counts toward your AFQT and toward three of the four MAGE scores (Mechanical, General and Electronics), so it is the highest-value subtest to practice.
- Mathematics Knowledge (MK) (15 questions · 20-31 minutes) - Algebra, geometry and number rules. Counts toward your AFQT and the Administrative and Electronics scores.
- Word Knowledge (WK) (15 questions · 6-9 minutes) - Vocabulary. Combined with Paragraph Comprehension into the Verbal Expression score, which feeds your AFQT and the Mechanical, Administrative and General scores.
- Paragraph Comprehension (PC) (10 questions · 15-27 minutes) - Short passages and questions about them. The other half of Verbal Expression.
Practice for the MAGE technical scores
- Mechanical Comprehension (MC) (15 questions · 15-22 minutes) - Levers, pulleys, gears and forces. Part of the Mechanical score that gates maintenance careers.
- Electronics Information (EI) (15 questions · 7-10 minutes) - Circuits, current and electronic devices. Part of the Electronics score.
- CAT-ASVAB Full Battery (135 questions · 90-197 minutes) - All ten subtests in order, each adaptive and on its own clock, as at MEPS. Take it once you have worked on your weak subtests.
Every subtest has its own page on the ASVAB hub, including Arithmetic Reasoning and the AFQT Predictor Test.
Officers take the AFOQT instead
Officer applicants do not need the ASVAB. Most must pass the Air Force Officer Qualifying Test, a multiple-choice test that the Air Force compares to the SAT. It covers verbal and math skills, plus pilot and navigation aptitude for those who want to fly, and scores are percentiles from 1 to 99, ranked against other officer applicants. Every commission needs at least 15 on the Verbal composite and 10 on Quantitative. You get two attempts, or three with an approved waiver, at least 90 days apart, and the Air Force keeps your best score on each composite. Passed scores do not expire, so prepare before the first attempt.
To join as an officer you need a four-year degree, or to be within 365 days of finishing one when you apply. After the AFOQT and your physical and moral screening, your application goes to a selection board. Boards meet twice a year, in February and August. If you are selected, you enter the Delayed Entry Program until you leave for Officer Training School.
Our AFOQT practice covers all ten ability subtests at their real lengths and time limits, plus a full-length AFOQT practice test. For the Verbal and Quantitative minimums, start with AFOQT Word Knowledge and AFOQT Arithmetic Reasoning; for pilot selection, AFOQT Instrument Comprehension and AFOQT Table Reading. What the percentile scores mean is explained in AFOQT scores explained.
Frequently asked questions
What is the minimum ASVAB score for the Air Force?
An AFQT of 31 for high school seniors and graduates, and 50 for GED holders. Without one of the listed credentials, the Air Force asks for 65.
What is a good ASVAB score for the Air Force?
One that clears your AFQT minimum and the MAGE minimum for the career you want. A higher score widens your choice of careers; the career slider on airforce.com shows how many open up at each MAGE score.
How soon can I retake the ASVAB?
After 30 days, then another 30 days for a third attempt, then six calendar months before a fourth.
Do Space Force applicants take the ASVAB too?
Yes. The Space Force asks for a qualifying ASVAB score and processes applicants through Air Force recruiters. Ask your recruiter which minimums apply.