2021 / 2022 ASVAB For Dummies

Book Preface

If you’re reading this book, there’s a good chance that you want to join the United States mili-tary. Perhaps it’s been your lifelong dream to drive a tank, fire a machine gun, or blow things up (legally). Maybe you’ve always wanted to learn how to cook for 2,000 people at a time.

Possibly you were attracted to the military because of education and training opportunities, the chance to travel, or huge enlistment bonuses. In any event, by now you’ve discovered that you can’t just walk into a recruiter’s office and say, “Hey, I’m here. Sign me up!” These days, you have to pass the ASVAB.

The ASVAB (short for Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery) is unlike any test you’ve ever taken. It covers standard academic areas, such as math and English, but it also measures your knowledge of mechanics, electronics, science, and assembling objects.
The good news is that you need to do well on some of the subtests but not necessarily all of them. In this book, you find out what you need to know to do well on all the subtests. You also get the information you need to figure out which subtests require good scores for your dream job. I include charts and tables that tie together military jobs and test scores, information you may see on the test, and even practice questions in each area to help you determine how much you need to study to get the right scores for your personal goals.

About This Book

The computer enlistment version of the ASVAB has ten separate subtests that result in a total of nine scores, and the paper version of the test has nine subtests to provide you with those same nine scores (two of the subtests are combined). This book shows you what to expect on each sub-test, offers strategies for studying each subject area, gives you test-taking (and guessing) tips, and provides three full-length practice tests that help you determine your strengths and weak-nesses. These practice tests also help you prepare mentally for taking the real test — you can use them to get in the zone. I’ve thrown in two extra tests that cover the four most important subtests of the ASVAB that make up the AFQT (Armed Forces Qualification Test) score at no extra cost.
Although much of the material covered on the ASVAB is taught in practically every high school in the country, you may have slept through part of the info or performed a major brain-dump as soon as the ink was dry on your diploma. For that reason, you also get a basic review of the rel-evant subject areas to help refresh your memory, as well as some pointers on where to find more information if you need it.

You also get access to seven full-length online practice tests (six ASVAB and one AFQT) and hundreds of flashcards. To gain access to the online practice, all you have to do is register. Just follow these simple steps:

1. Register your book or ebook at Dummies.com to get your PIN. Go to www.dummies.com/go/getaccess.
2. Select your product from the drop-down list on that page.
3. Follow the prompts to validate your product, and then check your email for a confirma-tion message that includes your PIN and instructions for logging in.

If you do not receive this email within 2 hours, please check your spam folder before contacting us through our Technical Support website at http://support.wiley.com or by phone at 877-762-2974.
Now you’re ready to go! You can come back to the practice material as often as you want — simply log on with the username and password you created during your initial login. No need to enter the access code a second time.
Your registration is good for one year from the day you activate your PIN.
But wait! There’s more! This book also comes with some helpful online videos that cover all the topics that you need to study to do well on the ASVAB. Check them out at www.dummies.com/go/asvabvideos.

Where to Go from Here

You don’t have to read this book from cover to cover to score well. I suggest that you begin with Chapters 1 and 2. That way, you can get a feel for how the ASVAB is organized (along with the most up-to-date changes on the test) and which subtests may be important for the military ser-vice branch and job of your choice. This plan of attack helps you set up logical and effective goals to maximize your study efforts.
You may want to start by taking one of the practice tests in Part 6. By using this method, you can discover which subjects you’re strong in and which subjects you could spend a little more time reviewing. If you choose this technique, you can use the other practice tests to measure your progress after reading through and studying the subject chapters.
If you’re taking the ASVAB for the purpose of enlisting in the U.S. military, you may want to skip entire chapters, depending on your career goals. For example, if the military careers you’re interested in don’t require a great score on the Mechanical Comprehension subtest, you may want to spend less time studying that topic and concentrate your study time on chapters focusing on developing knowledge or skills that your dream job does require.
I wish you luck on taking this battery of tests, and if you want to join the military, I hope you have a tremendously successful journey!