Book Preface

GETTING STARTED

1. Register your Kaplan online resources.

To obtain access to your Kaplan online resources, visit kaptest.com/moreonline. Create your account by choosing “ASVAB,” selecting your Kaplan ASVAB book, and answering the question or questions that appear.

Once you have created your username and password, log in to your resources at kaptest.com/login. Enter your username and password. Click on the title of your book to see your resources.

2. Take the diagnostic test in your Kaplan book.

Chapter 2 of this book offers a full-length diagnostic test. As a first step in your studies, set aside about three uninterrupted hours when you can take the diagnostic test. Work through the subject tests in the order they’re presented, with one break at most.

3. Review your performance and read through the explanations.

After you’ve taken the complete diagnostic test, check your answers using the explanations that appear immediately after the tests. When you check your answers, don’t just check whether you got the question right or not. Rather, read the explanations for all the questions. That’s because you can learn a great deal from reviewing questions you’ve already done, even if you got those questions right. As you review your performance on the diagnostic, really think about why the right answers are right, why the incorrect answers are incorrect, and what drew you to the answer you chose.

4. Contact a recruiter and do some research.

You’re going to want to set some goals regarding your ASVAB score, but different enlistees will have different priorities in studying for the ASVAB, depending on their career aspirations. For example, a test taker who wants to go into a technical career (such as equipment or computer technician) will likely need high scores in Word Knowledge, Paragraph Comprehension, Mathematics Knowledge, Arithmetic Reasoning, General Science, and Mechanical Comprehension. However, a test taker who wants to go into a career repairing structures or vehicles should likely emphasize Auto and Shop Information, Electronic Information, and Mechanical Comprehension over General Science.

Your recruiter is the best source of information about careers in the military and the scores you will need to earn to be competitive for those careers. Use information from your recruiter as well as information available on the various branches’ websites to inform your ASVAB score goals.

5. Learn, practice, review.

Once you have taken your diagnostic and established some goals regarding your ASVAB score, you’re ready to get down to serious studying. Effective studying has three phases: learn, practice, review.

Learn: Each subject test on the ASVAB has its own chapter in this book. Read these chapters carefully, paying particular attention to these features:

• Concepts are introduced with learning objectives. Use these learning objectives as a checklist of skills, to keep track of which you have mastered and which you need to work on more.
• Key terms you’ll need to understand are introduced in bold type.
• Important strategies, takeaways, and shortcuts are highlighted in gray boxes sprinkled throughout the book.
• Worked examples appear throughout the book: each one shows, step-by-step, how an expert test taker would approach ASVAB questions.

Practice: Practice items are sprinkled throughout each chapter. Do each one as you come to it and then carefully review the explanation that follows. Moreover, each chapter ends with a practice set. Don’t time yourself on these practice questions. It’s more important to really understand how the questions work; you can work on timing later.

When you do these practice sets, don’t just tally up how many you got right. Rather . . .

Review: Always review the explanation for every practice problem. Think about why the right answer is right and why the wrong answer is wrong. If you answered the question incorrectly, think carefully about where your thinking went astray and use that to inform your next steps. (For example, in an algebra problem, perhaps you understood the underlying concept but you made a simple addition error. In that case, the remedy would not be to study more algebra; rather, the remedy would be to practice adding and subtracting quickly while avoiding errors.) If you answered the question correctly, ask yourself whether you got it right for the right reasons and whether you could have arrived at the same answer more efficiently.

Repeat this process every time you take a full-length test. Review all the answers and explanations for every item in the test and think about how you performed overall.

6. Take full-length practice tests.

Once you have learned, practiced, and reviewed all of the test concepts, use the full-length tests available in your book and online resources. Taking a full-length test helps you in four ways:

• It reinforces the skills and strategies you’ve learned.
• It helps you work on timing.
• It gives you a sense of how you’re doing on the various topics and what you need to work on more.
• It helps you learn to cope with test fatigue.

Now, you’ll notice that one item not on that list is “It helps you learn concepts.” You don’t learn how to approach questions correctly by taking a full-length test: that learning should be done in an untimed fashion and accompanied by deep thinking, as described above. That’s why we don’t recommend that you start your studies by taking a bunch of full-length tests. However, the last few weeks before Test Day are a perfect time to take full-length tests.

In addition to the diagnostic test in chapter 2, your Kaplan book has two full-length practice tests in the back. These follow the ASVAB’s paper-and-pencil format. You also have three practice tests in your online resources. These are computer-based tests that will help you get used to testing using a computer under the time constraints used by the CAT-ASVAB. While the computer-based tests in your online account are not adaptive, their structure does allow you to prepare for the CAT-ASVAB’s format and content.

MANAGING STRESS

You have a lot riding on the ASVAB. However, you’re also doing the work you need to do to reach your goals. Unfortunately, though, simply knowing that you’re working hard won’t make your test anxiety go away. Thus, here are some stress management tips from our long experience of helping students prepare for standardized tests.

Clock in and out: Once you’ve set up a study schedule for yourself, treat it like a job. That is, imagine clocking yourself in and out of ASVAB studies according to that schedule. Do your best to stick to your schedule, and when you’re not “clocked in,” don’t let yourself think about the ASVAB. That will help you release your stress about the test in between study sessions.

Don’t punish yourself: If you get tired or overwhelmed or discouraged when studying, don’t respond by pushing yourself harder. Rather, step away and engage in a relaxing activity like going for a walk, watching a movie, or playing with your cat or dog. Then, when you’re ready, return to your studies with fresh eyes.

Breathe: Remember to breathe into your stomach. That forces some of the muscles that tense up when you’re stressed to relax.

Set small, manageable goals: Each week, set manageable goals related to your ASVAB progress and reward yourself when you’ve achieved them. Examples of small goals might be:

• This week, memorize and practice the Kaplan Method for Assembling Objects questions until I no longer have to think about what the steps of the method are.
• This week, try 40 math questions and practice choosing a strategy for solving each (such as Backsolving, Picking Numbers, estimating, straight-up math).
• This week, review all Paragraph Comprehension question types until I can identify each question’s type and the appropriate strategy.

Keep yourself healthy: Poor health, fatigue, and isolation make it harder to cope with stress and anxiety. Get on a regular sleep schedule as much as possible during your studies, eat well, continue to exercise, and spend time with those you care about. Also, don’t fuel your studies with caffeine and sugar. Those substances may make you feel alert, but they can also damage focus.

Keep the right mindset: Most importantly, keep telling yourself that you can do this. Don’t fall into the trap of thinking that you’re not “allowed” to feel confident yet. That’s a self-punishing attitude that will only hurt you. Rather, remember that confidence breeds success. So let yourself be confident about your abilities. You’re obviously ambitious and intelligent, so walk into the ASVAB knowing that about yourself.

If you get discouraged, make a list: If you ever start to wonder if you’ll ever reach your ASVAB goals, stop what you’re doing and make a list of everything you’re good at. List every specific skill that you are bringing to the ASVAB. Examples of specific skills might include:

• researching a detail in a paragraph
• using suffixes to tell whether a vocabulary word is a noun, verb, or adjective
• identifying what a math question is asking for
• factoring a quadratic equation
• identifying whether a circuit is built in series or in parallel
• identifying types of hammers

Post that list of things you’re good at somewhere you’ll see it every day, then add to it as you continue to study. We at Kaplan recommend this because many people focus too heavily on their weaknesses while preparing for a standardized test. But if you only focus on your weaknesses, you aren’t seeing an objective picture. There are ASVAB skills you’re good at. Keep that in mind and focus on building on those strengths.

FINAL PREPARATIONS FOR TEST DAY

In the last few weeks before Test Day, do a comprehensive review of all ASVAB topics. Pay particular attention to the subject tests that are most important to your preferred career(s) and to the four subject tests that are most important for enlistment. (Those are Mathematics Knowledge, Arithmetic Reasoning, Paragraph Comprehension, and Word Knowledge; see chapter 1 for more information.) Take a full-length test once or twice a week and use the results of those practice tests to inform your review.

Be sure to contact your recruiter to find out more about what to expect from Test Day—what you should bring with you, when you can expect your scores (if you’re taking the paper version of the ASVAB), and other specifics.

In the Week before Test Day

Your activities in the last week before Test Day should include:

Rest: Make sure you’re on a regular sleep schedule.

Rehearse: Find out where your testing center is located and consider doing a “dry run.” That is, drive or commute to the testing center around the same time of day as your testing appointment. You don’t want to be surprised by traffic or road construction on Test Day.

Review: Do a very brief, high-level review. In other words, flip through the lessons and rework a few practice problems here and there to reinforce all of the good habits you’ve developed in your preparation. (Redoing practice problems you’ve already done is fine: you can actually learn a lot that way about how to approach those types of questions more efficiently in the future.)

Stop: Two days before the test, stop studying. No studying at all: you’re not likely to learn anything new in those two days, and you’ll get a lot more out of walking into the test feeling rested.

Relax: The evening before the test, do something fun but not crazy or tiring. Maybe you could have a nice dinner (without alcohol), watch a movie, or do something else relaxing.

Go to bed at your usual time the night before the exam.

On Test Day Itself

On the day of the test, be sure to follow the guidance below:

Warm up: Before you take the test, do an ASVAB warm-up. This can help your brain get ready to function at its best. You probably can’t take any practice materials into the testing center, but you can do a few easy practice problems at home or in the car before you go into the testing center.

Don’t let nerves derail you: If you feel nervous while taking the test, remember to breathe deeply into your stomach. Take a few deep breaths and focus your eyes on something other than the computer screen or test booklet for a moment.

Keep moving: Don’t let yourself get bogged down on any one question. If you’re taking the paper version, you can come back to questions that you weren’t sure about, so skip questions whenever they threaten to slow you down or to steal time from the other questions. If you’re taking the CAT-ASVAB, you can’t return to previous questions, so you will have to decide to make a guess whenever a question is threatening to take too much time.

Don’t assess yourself: This is very important. As you’re testing, don’t let yourself stop and think about how you feel you’re doing. Taking a standardized test hardly ever feels good. Your own impressions of how it’s going are totally unreliable. So, instead of focusing on that, remind yourself that you’re prepared and that you are going to succeed, even if you feel discouraged as the test is underway.

After the test, celebrate!

You’ve prepared, practiced, and performed like a champion. Now that the test is over, it’s time to congratulate yourself on a job well done. Celebrate responsibly with friends and family, and enjoy the rest of your day, knowing that you just took an important step toward reaching your goals.

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