How the Paragraph Comprehension subtest works
Paragraph Comprehension is the fourth ASVAB subtest. On the CAT-ASVAB it has 10 scored questions in 27 minutes, about 2 minutes 40 seconds each. Each question comes with a passage, from two or three sentences to a full paragraph, and four options.
The official list of what is tested: identifying stated facts and the same facts reworded, working out a sequence of events, drawing conclusions, finding the main idea, judging the author’s purpose and tone, and recognising style and technique.
Like the other subtests it adapts to you and does not let you go back. Your verbal score is built from this subtest and Word Knowledge, with Paragraph Comprehension weighted at about two-thirds of Word Knowledge, and the AFQT counts the verbal score twice.
How to answer a Paragraph Comprehension question
A reading routine that suits every question type:
- Read the question first, so you know whether you are hunting for a detail, a conclusion or the main idea.
- Read the passage once, carefully. There is time: over two and a half minutes a question.
- Find the sentence that answers the question and match an option to it. Correct options often reword the passage rather than copy it.
- For a main idea question, choose the option that covers the whole passage, not one detail in it.
- Use only what the passage says or clearly implies. Outside knowledge that happens to be true is not what is being tested.
Worked example
Passage: “Before a convoy leaves, each driver checks fuel, oil, lights and the radio. Any fault is reported to the convoy leader, who decides whether the vehicle can be repaired in time. A vehicle that cannot be fixed before departure is replaced by a spare, and its driver takes the spare.”
Question: “The passage is mainly about” A. how convoys choose their routes, B. the checks and steps taken before a convoy departs, C. how to repair vehicles quickly, D. the duties of a convoy leader.
This is a main idea question, so look for the option that covers every sentence. The passage describes the drivers’ checks, how faults are reported and what happens to a vehicle that cannot be fixed: all steps before departure. B covers all of that. D is the trap, because the leader appears in one sentence but is not the subject. A and C are not discussed at all.
Tips for the real Paragraph Comprehension subtest
- At about 2 minutes 40 seconds a question, there is time to reread a passage before you commit. Use it.
- Be wary of options that use words straight from the passage but change their meaning. Matching words is not the same as matching ideas.
- Notice small words that change everything: however, unless, only, all, never.
- For a purpose or tone question, ask why the passage was written: to inform, persuade, warn or describe.
- Practise on short real-world texts such as instructions, notices and news items, summing up each one in a single sentence.
Practise Paragraph Comprehension on CogniPrep
Our Paragraph Comprehension game gives you 10 adaptive questions, each with its own passage, against the real 27-minute clock. It begins at medium difficulty and adapts to each answer, and any question still unanswered when time runs out counts as a random guess. At the end you see a standard score, where 50 is the average for US 18 to 23 year olds, and the AFQT you would reach if your other three AFQT subtests matched it. The passages and difficulty ratings are ours, so take the score as a guide.