ASVAB Practice: the CAT-ASVAB, Adaptive and Scored the Official Way
The ASVAB is the enlistment test for the US Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Space Force and Coast Guard. Its scoring is published in unusual detail, so our practice adapts the way the computer version does and turns your answers into standard scores and an AFQT percentile with the same formulas. The questions are ours, so treat the result as a guide, not a prediction.
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Is this the right test?
Yes, if you are enlisting in the US forces
A recruiter has booked you on the ASVAB or CAT-ASVAB at a Military Entrance Processing Station (MEPS) or a Military Entrance Test (MET) site, sent you a PiCAT or AFQT Predictor Test code, or your school offers the ASVAB Career Exploration Program.
No, officer and aviation tests are separate
The AFOQT (Air Force officers), the SIFT (Army aviation) and the ASTB-E (Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard aviation and some officer programmes) are different batteries with their own scales, and the ASTB-E includes hand-eye coordination tasks. Army officers entering through a direct commission, ROTC or West Point do not sit the ASVAB. We do not simulate these tests.
No, if you are joining another country’s forces
The RAF, Royal Navy and Royal Marines set the Defence Aptitude Assessment, and the British Army runs its own test. The Australian Defence Force’s Job Opportunities Assessment matches the Revelian RCAT. The Canadian Armed Forces removed the CFAT from Regular Force selection in October 2024.
The ten subtests, in order
From the official applicant page, updated in October 2026. Each subtest has its own clock, and there is no overall clock. The counts still quoted elsewhere, 16 and 11 questions, and the older limits of 10 minutes for General Science, 23 for Mathematics Knowledge and 17 for Assembling Objects, are out of date. Four subtests make your AFQT.
- 1General Science (GS)Life science, earth and space science, and physical science15 questions, 12 minabout 48 seconds each; up to 25 min with trial questions
- 2Arithmetic Reasoning (AR)Word problems in US units and dollars, with no calculatorCounts towards the AFQT15 questions, 55 minabout 3 min 40 s each; up to 113 min with trial questions
- 3Word Knowledge (WK)What a word most nearly means, alone or in a sentenceCounts towards the AFQT15 questions, 9 minabout 36 seconds each; up to 18 min with trial questions
- 4Paragraph Comprehension (PC)Facts, conclusions, main idea and purpose from short passagesCounts towards the AFQT10 questions, 27 minabout 2 min 42 s each; up to 75 min with trial questions
- 5Mathematics Knowledge (MK)High school number facts, algebra, geometry and probabilityCounts towards the AFQT15 questions, 31 minabout 2 min 4 s each; up to 65 min with trial questions
- 6Electronics Information (EI)Components, symbols, circuits, Ohm’s law and power15 questions, 10 minabout 40 seconds each; up to 21 min with trial questions
- 7Auto Information (AI)Car components, systems, tools and troubleshooting10 questions, 7 minabout 42 seconds each; up to 18 min with trial questions
- 8Shop Information (SI)Shop tools, building materials and procedures10 questions, 6 minabout 36 seconds each; up to 17 min with trial questions
- 9Mechanical Comprehension (MC)Gears, pulleys, levers, fluids, structures and materials15 questions, 22 minabout 88 seconds each; up to 42 min with trial questions
- 10Assembling Objects (AO)Which figure shows the parts put together15 questions, 18 minabout 72 seconds each; up to 38 min with trial questions
135 scored questions and 197 minutes of limits in total, and most people finish in about 1.5 to 2 hours. Up to 15 unscored trial questions can be mixed into two to four subtests, with extra time, which is why a real subtest can run longer than its limit above. You cannot tell which questions are trials, so treat every one as scored. Auto and Shop are timed separately but reported as one Auto and Shop (AS) score, so we practise them as one game.
How your AFQT is built
A standard score per subtest. Each subtest is scored with a three-parameter item response model, which takes account of how hard each question you answered was and how likely a guess was to be right. Your ability estimate becomes a standard score on a scale with a mean of 50 and a standard deviation of 10 in a 1997 national sample of young people. About 16% of people score 60 or more on a subtest.
A verbal score that counts twice. Word Knowledge and Paragraph Comprehension combine into a verbal score, VE, with Paragraph Comprehension weighted at about 0.62 of Word Knowledge. Then the AFQT sum is AR + MK + 2 × VE, so the two verbal subtests carry as much weight as both maths subtests together.
A percentile from a published table. The sum is turned into a percentile from 1 to 99 against about 6,000 people aged 18 to 23, the norms in use since 2004. The table is in the Defense Manpower Data Center’s report on the 1997 score scale. Your percentile places you in a category, and the services set their minimums on the percentile.
Three things the table shows. Scoring exactly average, 50, on all four subtests gives an AFQT of 48, not 50, because the distribution of the sum is skewed. About 46 on all four gives 32, so the 31 the Army and Air Force publish sits less than half a standard deviation below average, while 45 on all four gives 28. And the table skips 37, 58 and 65, so nobody is ever given those percentiles; the lowest Category II score anyone can receive is 66.
AFQT categories
- 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
Department of Defense rules bar Category V from enlisting, limit Category IV to 4% of recruits (a limit the law allows to rise to 20%), and require 60% to be in Category IIIA or above.
What each service asks for
The minimum AFQT is set by each service, not by the test, and not every service publishes one. These are the figures on the services’ own pages as read in October 2026. A minimum makes you eligible to enlist; the jobs open to you depend on your line scores, below. Confirm the current figure with your recruiter.
Army
31
goarmy.com publishes 31. Its Future Soldier Preparatory Course takes applicants from 21, and the Army uses your most recent score, not your highest.
Air Force
31, or 50 with a GED
airforce.com publishes 31 for high school seniors and graduates and 50 for GED holders, and puts the range at 31 to 65 depending on your credential.
Coast Guard
32
gocoastguard.com publishes 32. A figure of 36 still circulates; it is not what the Coast Guard says.
Navy
No number published
navy.com says only that you must meet a minimum score, and job minimums apply. A 2022 pilot accepted 10 to 30 with qualifying line scores through fiscal year 2023.
Marine Corps
Order dated 2011
A 2011 Recruiting Command order sets 21 for high school graduates, with a district review for anything under 31, then 31 with a GED and 50 for non-graduates.
Space Force
No number published
spaceforce.com asks for a qualifying ASVAB score and gives no figure. Applicants go through Air Force recruiters.
Line scores and composites
Your AFQT decides whether you can enlist. Combinations of your standard scores decide which jobs are open. The Army calls them line scores; the other services call them composites. In the formulas below, AS is the Auto and Shop score and VE the verbal score.
Army line scores
GT is published as a formula, AR + VE rescaled to a mean of 100, and our full battery reports it. The other nine are weighted combinations of all nine scores, including Assembling Objects, and the weights are not published. These are the main subtests goarmy.com names for each.
- Clerical (CL)
- VE, AR, MK
- Combat (CO)
- VE, AS, MC
- Electronics (EL)
- GS, AR, MK, EI
- Field Artillery (FA)
- AR, MK, MC
- General Maintenance (GM)
- GS, AS, MK, EI
- General Technical (GT)
- VE, AR
- Mechanical Maintenance (MM)
- AS, MC, EI
- Operators and Food (OF)
- VE, AS, MC
- Surveillance and Communications (SC)
- VE, AR, AS, MC
- Skilled Technical (ST)
- GS, VE, MC, MK
Air Force MAGE scores
Mechanical = AR + MC + AS + 2VE; Administrative = MK + VE; General = AR + VE; Electronics = GS + AR + MK + EI. Each sum is converted to a percentile from 1 to 99 with a published table.
Navy composites
Plain sums of standard scores, among them GT = VE + AR, EL = GS + AR + MK + EI, ENG = AS + MK, MEC = AR + AS + MC, NUC = VE + AR + MK + MC and ADM = VE + MK. Older lists that include Coding Speed use a subtest that has been retired.
Marine Corps composites
MM = AR + MC + EI + AS; GT = AR + MC + VE; EL = GS + AR + MK + EI; CL = MK + VE, each rescaled to a mean of 100 using transforms published in 2004.
We found no published composites for the Coast Guard or the Space Force, so our feedback does not invent any.
Rules worth knowing before the day
No going back. On the computer version you cannot change an answer once you have moved on to the next question. Each subtest begins with a question of average difficulty, and each later one is chosen to tell the test the most about your ability.
Unfinished questions cost you. If time runs out, the questions you did not reach are scored as if you had guessed at random, and the official advice warns that several wrong answers at the end of a subtest are heavily penalised. The official site also says almost everyone finishes before time expires, so work steadily rather than rushing the last few. Paper is the opposite: blanks count as wrong with no deduction, so guess.
No calculator, on any version. Scratch paper is provided at the test centre, and you can ask the administrator for more.
Retests. You can retest after one month, again after another month, then after six months each time. A gain of 20 or more AFQT points within six months triggers a supervised confirmation test. Scores are valid for two years, and the Army uses your most recent score, not your highest.
English only. There is no Spanish version.
PiCAT, Vtest, APT, paper and the student ASVAB
PiCAT, at home
The computer ASVAB taken unsupervised at home, with a recruiter’s code that expires in 30 days. Once started it must be finished within 48 hours and takes 2 to 3 hours. There are no subtest time limits and no trial questions, and you can take it once, only if you have never taken the ASVAB. You get the scores through your recruiter. Our full battery has an untimed mode for it.
Vtest, the check
A supervised Verification Test of 25 to 30 minutes at a MEPS or MET site within 45 days of a PiCAT. If it is successful, the PiCAT scores become your scores of record. School staff test scores need one too.
AFQT Predictor Test (APT)
An unsupervised online predictor a recruiter can send: 20 adaptive questions from Arithmetic Reasoning, Mathematics Knowledge, Word Knowledge and Paragraph Comprehension, usually 20 to 30 minutes, untimed, with unlimited retakes. Only the recruiter sees the predicted AFQT. Our free APT practice shows you yours.
The paper ASVAB
A fixed form of 225 questions in 149 minutes, with Auto and Shop as one subtest. You may review answers within the current subtest only, and scores take a few days. The applicant page says only a handful of MET sites use it; the October 2026 fact sheet says most do. Scores are equated with the computer version, so they mean the same thing.
The student ASVAB (CEP)
The ASVAB Career Exploration Program, given free in high schools, on paper or computer. It has no Assembling Objects, and its computer version uses the older 16 and 11 question counts. Juniors, seniors and post-secondary students can use its AFQT to enlist for two years. Our games follow the enlistment version.
Where the real test runs
The CAT-ASVAB runs on test-centre computers at 65 MEPS and at MET sites, with a mouse or a keyboard labelled for the test. The PiCAT and APT run in a browser and should be sat on a screen of at least 7 inches, which rules out most phones. Our practice works on a phone, but sit your timed runs on a computer or tablet.
An example from every subtest
Written by us to the official topic lists and formats, in the American English the real test uses. Every question has four options, A to D. Assembling Objects is a picture test, so its example is described in words.
General Science (GS)
A rock that forms when layers of sand are pressed together over a long time is classified as
- A.igneous
- B.metamorphic
- C.sedimentary
- D.volcanic
Answer C. Pressed layers of sediment make sedimentary rock.
Arithmetic Reasoning (AR)
A delivery van uses 3 gallons of fuel for every 54 miles. How many gallons does it need for a 216-mile route?
- A.9
- B.12
- C.14
- D.18
Answer B. 216 is four times 54, so four times 3 gallons.
Word Knowledge (WK)
The supply clerk’s tally was off by two crates. Tally most nearly means
- A.count
- B.label
- C.route
- D.invoice
Answer A. A tally is a running count.
Paragraph Comprehension (PC)
“Crews inspect every runway light before 0600. A light that fails is logged and replaced before the first flight, unless no spare is in stock; then the light is covered and the tower is told.” What happens to a failed light when no spare is available?
- A.It is replaced after the first flight.
- B.It is covered and the tower is notified.
- C.The first flight is delayed.
- D.It is logged and left on.
Answer B. The last clause says so; the other options are not in the passage.
Mathematics Knowledge (MK)
If 3x − 7 = 2x + 5, then x =
- A.−12
- B.−2
- C.2
- D.12
Answer D. Take 2x from both sides and add 7: x = 12.
Electronics Information (EI)
A 12-volt battery drives current through a 4-ohm resistor. What is the current?
- A.0.33 amperes
- B.3 amperes
- C.16 amperes
- D.48 amperes
Answer B. Ohm’s law: current is voltage over resistance, 12 ÷ 4.
Auto Information (AI)
An engine overheats only while idling in traffic and stays cool at highway speed. The most likely cause is a faulty
- A.thermostat gasket
- B.radiator cooling fan
- C.fuel injector
- D.oxygen sensor
Answer B. At speed, air is forced through the radiator; at idle only the fan moves it.
Shop Information (SI)
Which saw is designed to cut tight curves in thin wood?
- A.hacksaw
- B.coping saw
- C.crosscut saw
- D.miter saw
Answer B. A coping saw’s thin blade turns in the cut.
Mechanical Comprehension (MC)
Gear A has 12 teeth and drives gear B, which has 36 teeth. If gear A turns clockwise at 90 revolutions per minute, gear B turns
- A.clockwise at 30 rpm
- B.counterclockwise at 30 rpm
- C.counterclockwise at 270 rpm
- D.clockwise at 270 rpm
Answer B. Meshed gears turn opposite ways, and three times the teeth means a third of the speed.
Assembling Objects (AO)
The first box holds a right triangle with point A on its longest side, a pentagon with point B at one corner, and a line labelled A at one end and B at the other. Which option shows how they touch when the letters are matched?
- A.The line runs from the middle of the triangle’s longest side to that corner of the pentagon
- B.The line meets the wrong corner of the pentagon
- C.The pentagon is mirrored
- D.The line runs to the centre of the pentagon
Answer A. Each lettered end meets its matching point, and pieces turn but never flip.
What our practice reproduces, and what it cannot
The method is the real one. Each subtest starts at average difficulty, updates its estimate after every answer, scores unfinished questions as random guesses, and converts your result with the published standard-score, verbal, Auto and Shop and AFQT formulas and the published percentile table. The full battery adds the Army GT score and the Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force composites.
The questions and their difficulty are ours. The military never publishes its item calibration, so our difficulty levels are our own estimates. Our 15-question estimates are also coarser than the real test’s best-measured subtests, so a single run can sit a few points either side of where you would land. Treat your standard scores and AFQT as a guide, not a prediction.
What we leave out. The real test opens each subtest with a practice question and mixes in unscored trial questions; we go straight to scored ones. Real Auto and Shop questions often show the part or tool; ours are written in words. And the official site warns against anyone claiming to sell real ASVAB questions. We never claim to have them.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many questions are on the ASVAB, and how long is it?
The computer version, the CAT-ASVAB, has 135 scored questions across ten subtests with 197 minutes of limits, and most people finish in about 1.5 to 2 hours. Some subtests can include up to 15 unscored trial questions with extra time. The paper version has 225 questions in 149 minutes.
How is the AFQT calculated?
From four subtests: Arithmetic Reasoning, Mathematics Knowledge, and a verbal score built from Word Knowledge and Paragraph Comprehension that counts twice. The sum of those standard scores is converted to a percentile from 1 to 99 against a national sample of 18 to 23 year olds.
What AFQT score do I need?
The Army and the Air Force publish 31 for high school graduates. The Air Force asks GED holders for 50, and the Coast Guard publishes 32. The Navy and Space Force do not publish a single number, and the Marine Corps’ public order dates from 2011. Jobs set their own line-score minimums.
Can I go back and change an answer?
Not on the computer version. Once you move to the next question the answer is final. On paper you can review answers within the subtest you are working on, but not go back to an earlier one.
Is there a penalty for guessing?
On the computer version, questions you leave unfinished when time runs out are scored as if you had guessed at random, and several wrong answers at the end of a subtest are heavily penalised, so work steadily rather than rushing. On paper there is no deduction, so guess rather than leave a blank.
Can I use a calculator?
No, on any version, including the AFQT Predictor Test. Scratch paper is provided at the test centre.
How soon can I retake the ASVAB?
After one month, then another month, then six months between each later attempt. A jump of 20 or more AFQT points within six months triggers a supervised confirmation test. Scores stay valid for two years.
What is the PiCAT?
An unproctored version of the computer ASVAB taken at home with a code from a recruiter, with no subtest time limits. It can be taken once, and only if you have never taken the ASVAB. It counts only after a supervised Verification Test of 25 to 30 minutes within 45 days.
Are these real ASVAB questions?
No. The official ASVAB site warns against anyone selling “real” ASVAB questions, and real items are controlled testing materials. Every question here is our own, written to the official topic lists and formats.
Guides and Tips
Read up before you practise: what the tests reward, what catches candidates out, and why shortcuts do not work.
Can You Cheat the ASVAB? Scores Are Re-Checked
Every unsupervised score is checked again in person, and a sudden 20-point jump is re-tested by rule. Why a PiCAT shortcut lasts only until the Vtest.
What Your AFQT Score Really Is: From Four ASVAB Subtests to a Percentile
The AFQT is not a raw score or an average. It is four standard scores, with the verbal one counted twice, turned into a percentile by a published table. Step by step, with the worked examples behind the numbers recruiters quote.
Practice by Test Type
Compare the same format across every provider that uses it, and see what each one is really measuring.
Numerical Reasoning Test Practice
Tables, charts, percentages and ratios against the clock. The most common screening test on graduate schemes and analyst roles.
Verbal Reasoning Test Practice
Short dense passages and true, false or cannot say answers. Judged on what the text supports, never on what you already know.
Logical Reasoning Test Practice
Shapes, sequences and flowcharts instead of words or numbers. Inductive, deductive, abstract, diagrammatic and spatial in one place.
About CogniPrep ASVAB Practice
CogniPrep provides independent practice for the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery, the Department of Defense’s enlistment test for all six US services, in the computer adaptive form most applicants sit. CogniPrep is not affiliated with the Department of Defense or any of the services, and our questions are our own.
- 11 practice tests: AFQT Predictor Test (APT), CAT-ASVAB Full Battery, General Science (GS), Arithmetic Reasoning (AR), Word Knowledge (WK), Paragraph Comprehension (PC), Mathematics Knowledge (MK), Electronics Information (EI), Auto and Shop Information (AI and SI), Mechanical Comprehension (MC), Assembling Objects (AO)
- The real CAT-ASVAB: ten subtests, 135 scored questions, 197 minutes of limits
- AFQT = AR + MK + 2VE, converted to a percentile from 1 to 99
- Published minimums: Army 31, Air Force 31 (50 with a GED), Coast Guard 32
- No calculator, no going back, and unfinished questions scored as random guesses
- Scores valid for two years; retests after one month, one month, then six months
Sources: officialasvab.com, what to expect; ASVAB scores (applicants); ASVAB scores (researchers); DMDC report on the 1997 score scale; Composites by service; Retest policy; PiCAT; AFQT Predictor Test; goarmy.com; airforce.com; gocoastguard.com.
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