ASVAB practice questions, and which four subtests make your AFQT

ASVAB at a glance, with the source for every line

Every row below is quoted from a document published by DoD and carries the date we checked it. Where DoD publishes nothing, the row says so instead of quoting a number from somewhere else.

Sections

Ten tests: General Science (GS), Arithmetic Reasoning (AR), Word Knowledge (WK), Paragraph Comprehension (PC), Mathematics Knowledge (MK), Electronics Information (EI), Auto Information (AI), Shop Information (SI), Mechanical Comprehension (MC) and Assembling Objects (AO). AI and SI are separate on the CAT-ASVAB but reported as one combined AS score.Source: Official ASVAB (U.S. Department of Defense), verified 7 August 2026

Questions

CAT-ASVAB: 135 questions total, made up of GS 15, AR 15, WK 15, PC 10, MK 15, EI 15, AI 10, SI 10, MC 15, AO 15. The paper-and-pencil ASVAB has 225 questions.Source: Official ASVAB (U.S. Department of Defense), verified 7 August 2026

Time limit

CAT-ASVAB: 197 minutes total, made up of GS 12, AR 55, WK 9, PC 27, MK 31, EI 10, AI 7, SI 6, MC 22, AO 18. The paper-and-pencil ASVAB runs 149 minutes. Most examinees finish the CAT-ASVAB in about an hour and a half.Source: Official ASVAB (U.S. Department of Defense), verified 7 August 2026

What makes up the AFQT

The AFQT is computed from four of the ten tests (Word Knowledge, Paragraph Comprehension, Arithmetic Reasoning and Mathematics Knowledge), and it is the score used to determine enlistment eligibility.Source: Official ASVAB (U.S. Department of Defense), verified 7 August 2026

Score scale

AFQT scores are reported as percentiles from 1 to 99 against a national norming sample of 18- to 23-year-olds tested in 1997. A score of 62 means you did as well as or better than 62 percent of that reference group.Source: Official ASVAB (U.S. Department of Defense), verified 7 August 2026

Computer versus paper

Reported scores are statistically linked across the two methods of administration, so you would be expected to receive a similar score whether you take the CAT-ASVAB or the P&P-ASVAB.Source: U.S. Department of Defense, ASVAB Fact Sheet, verified 7 August 2026

Retake policy

After your initial ASVAB you must wait one calendar month to retake it, another calendar month to retest a second time, and six calendar months for any attempt after that.Source: Official ASVAB (U.S. Department of Defense), verified 7 August 2026

How long scores last

ASVAB scores may be used for enlistment for up to two years from the date of testing.Source: Official ASVAB (U.S. Department of Defense), verified 7 August 2026

Guessing

The CAT-ASVAB carries a penalty for guessing, and answers cannot be reviewed or changed once submitted. The paper-and-pencil ASVAB has no guessing penalty and does allow review within a section.Source: Official ASVAB (U.S. Department of Defense), verified 7 August 2026

Passing score

Not published by DoD. There is no single ASVAB pass mark. Each branch sets its own minimum AFQT for enlistment, and job qualification uses composite scores that differ by branch and by role. Ask a recruiter for the current minimum for the branch and job you want; these change.

Fee

Not published by DoD. Applicants do not pay to take the ASVAB. It is administered through Military Entrance Processing Stations and Military Entrance Test sites.

Passrate

Not published by DoD. We do not publish ASVAB score distributions.

Ask a recruiter: each branch sets its own minimum AFQT score and its own job composites, and those change. We will not quote a number. Official test details are at officialasvab.com.

What our ASVAB question bank covers

Scroll the table sideways to see every column.

What actually trips people up on the ASVAB

Studying all ten tests equally when only four decide eligibility

Word Knowledge, Paragraph Comprehension, Arithmetic Reasoning and Mathematics Knowledge are the AFQT. If your problem is qualifying to enlist at all, time spent on Shop Information is time spent on the wrong thing.

The CAT-ASVAB clock is distributed very unevenly

Arithmetic Reasoning gets 55 of the 197 minutes for 15 questions, by far the most generous ratio on the battery, because the items are multi-step word problems the test expects you to work out. Word Knowledge gets 9 minutes for the same 15 questions, 36 seconds each, because it is pure recognition. Rushing the first and lingering on the second is the most common pacing mistake, and both halves cost you marks you had already earned.

Gear and pulley ratios inverted

Mechanical Comprehension items ask for the speed of a driven gear. Speed is inversely proportional to tooth count, so a larger driven gear turns slower. Multiplying instead of dividing is the error every distractor set includes.

Guessing habits carried over from other tests

The CAT-ASVAB penalizes guessing and locks each answer once submitted. Strategies learned on tests that reward filling in every bubble actively hurt you here.

Sitting the first ASVAB to see what it is like

The retake ladder is unforgiving next to almost every other test on this site: one calendar month before your first retest, another calendar month before the second, and six calendar months for every attempt after that. Scores are usable for enlistment for up to two years, so a casual first sitting can shape which jobs are open to you for most of that window. Treat the first attempt as the real one.

How long should you study for the ASVAB?

Eight weeks: the four AFQT tests first, then the composites for the job you actually want. Scores last two years for enlistment purposes, and the retake ladder is one month, then another month, then six months. Plan the first sitting as though it counts.

Weeks 1–3 · The four AFQT tests only

Arithmetic Reasoning, Mathematics Knowledge, Word Knowledge and Paragraph Comprehension. Our ASVAB bank carries 265 AR, 273 MK, 265 WK and 198 PC questions out of 2,287, enough to work these four alone for weeks.

Week 4 · Talk to a recruiter before going further

Ask which composite scores the job you want uses, and what the current minimum is. That answer decides everything you study next, and it is free.

Weeks 5–7 · The composites your job needs

Topic Drill only the tests that feed your target composite: General Science, Electronics Information, Auto and Shop, Mechanical Comprehension or Assembling Objects. Ignore the rest without guilt.

Week 8 · Format rehearsal

If you are sitting the CAT-ASVAB, practice committing to an answer and moving on, because you cannot go back. If you are sitting paper, practice flagging and returning, because you can.

Is the ASVAB hard?

The ASVAB is broad rather than deep, and how hard it is depends entirely on what you need from it. If your goal is to enlist, only four of the ten subtests matter: Word Knowledge, Paragraph Comprehension, Arithmetic Reasoning and Mathematics Knowledge make up the AFQT, and the other six are irrelevant to eligibility. If your goal is a specific job, the technical subtests suddenly matter a great deal. Almost no prep material makes that distinction, and it is the single most useful thing to know before you start studying.

The timing is unevenly distributed in a way that rewards planning. On the CAT-ASVAB, Arithmetic Reasoning gets 55 minutes for 15 questions while Word Knowledge gets 9 minutes for the same number, 36 seconds each. The computer version also penalizes guessing and locks each answer once submitted, so habits learned on tests that reward filling in every bubble actively hurt here. Our ASVAB bank of 2,287 questions runs 274 at our easiest level and 1,340 at the top two, and the four AFQT subtests alone carry 265 arithmetic reasoning, 273 mathematics knowledge, 265 word knowledge and 198 paragraph comprehension questions.

How the ASVAB differs from the exams beside it

The ASVAB is the only exam here that produces two entirely different kinds of result from one sitting. Four of the ten tests feed the AFQT, which decides whether you can enlist at all. The other six feed composite scores that decide which jobs you qualify for. That means a candidate with a clear job in mind and a candidate who just wants to get in should study differently, and almost no prep material says so. The second unusual feature is that the computer version penalizes guessing and will not let you change a submitted answer, while the paper version does neither. Which format you sit changes the correct test-day strategy.

Questions people actually ask about the ASVAB

How many questions are on the ASVAB?

The computer version (CAT-ASVAB) has 135 questions across ten tests with a 197-minute cap. The paper-and-pencil version has 225 questions in 149 minutes.

What is the AFQT and how is it calculated?

The AFQT is drawn from four ASVAB tests: Word Knowledge, Paragraph Comprehension, Arithmetic Reasoning and Mathematics Knowledge, and it determines enlistment eligibility. The other six tests feed job-qualification composites.

What AFQT score do you need to enlist?

It depends on the branch, and the minimums change. Each service sets its own, so ask a recruiter for the current figure rather than trusting a number on a prep site.

How is the AFQT score reported?

As a percentile from 1 to 99, benchmarked against a national sample of 18- to 23-year-olds who took the ASVAB in a 1997 norming study. A 62 means you scored as well as or better than 62 percent of that group.

How soon can you retake the ASVAB?

One calendar month after your first test, another calendar month before a second retest, and six calendar months for every attempt after that.

How long are ASVAB scores good for?

Up to two years from the date of testing, for enlistment purposes.

How does the computer ASVAB differ from the paper version?

The CAT-ASVAB adapts to your ability, so it can feel harder, though the Department of Defense states the two formats are statistically linked. The practical difference is guessing: the CAT penalizes it and will not let you change a submitted answer, while the paper version has no guessing penalty, so answer everything there.

Are these real ASVAB questions from the actual exam?

No. Reproducing live items would violate U.S. Department of Defense’s test security rules. These are original questions written to the same blueprint, format and difficulty as the real ASVAB, each with the explanation we ship inside the app.