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How Difficult is the ASVAB Test

The Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery test is a multiple choice test that must be taken when joining the military. This test is used to help determine what occupations you will qualify for and be assigned to when enlisting in the military. Like a number of other tests, the ASVAB has a certain amount of difficulty that people must keep in mind. With the ASVAB test, you will be tested on things such as paragraph comprehension, word knowledge, arithmetic reasoning, mathematics knowledge, mechanics, and electronics. Depending on your current knowledge, each part of the test will vary in difficulty. 

Since this is a multiple choice exam, you will be given a number of options to choose from when answering a question. As a result of being a multiple choice exam, it will be much easier than other types of tests. However, the difficulty of the test can be considerable if you don’t possess much knowledge of the content. Therefore, this test can be quite difficult if you are not familiar with concepts in things such as mechanics and engineering. On the other hand, the test will likely be easy for those who have a good amount of knowledge in all of the different test areas. 

Some parts of the test are much easier than others. For instance, the subtests such as word knowledge and paragraph comprehension are among the least challenging. As long as you have a decent knowledge of basic vocabulary and read paragraphs carefully, you will likely score high on these sections. 

Depending on your aptitude and knowledge of mathematics, this section will vary in difficulty. If you are someone who has forgotten certain concepts or has difficulty understanding them, this section will be quite difficult. The arithmetic reasoning section is quite simple if you read over the questions carefully and make proper calculations.

The general science section tests your knowledge on basic concepts in biology, chemistry, physics and geology. If you currently attend high school and are taking science courses, then this section will likely be easy. However, if you have not taken any science courses in a while, then this section might be a little challenging. Overall, this is one of the easiest subtests of the ASVAB. 

Like all other tests, there are some common difficulties that test takers may face. First, there is the section of mechanics. On this subtest, you will be asked questions about things such as wheels, vehicles and the function of their parts. Those who are not very knowledgeable of mechanics will likely have difficulty scoring well on this subtest. Another common difficulty of this test is the electronics subtest. On this particular test, you will be asked questions about things that are operated by electricity. Again, if you are not familiar with how electronics work, then this part of the test will be quite difficult. 

Anyone who takes the ASVAB will need to keep in mind that they will have a certain amount of time to complete a subtest. Therefore, test takers will need to finish a subtest quickly. Due to this factor, the test can be difficult because test takers may not have time to double check their work and think questions over long enough.