CAT-ASVAB vs Paper & Pen ASVAB
Two versions of the same exam. You do not choose between them, and the difference in pacing is large enough that practising the wrong one will leave you badly calibrated.
P&P ASVAB
MET site
9 sections · 225 questions · 149 minutes
Ninety more questions in forty-eight fewer minutes. A speed test.
CAT-ASVAB
MEPS
10 sections · 135 questions · 197 minutes
Ten sections — Auto and Shop are split apart. Answers are final.
Every difference that matters
The row to look at twice is the fourth one. Ninety more questions in forty-eight fewer minutes is what makes the paper form feel like a different exam.
| CAT-ASVAB | Paper & Pen ASVAB | |
|---|---|---|
| Where you sit it | MEPS | MET site |
| Questions | 135 | 225 |
| Testing time | 197 minutes | 149 minutes |
| Sections | 10 | 9 |
| Roughly per question | 88 seconds | 40 seconds |
| Auto and Shop | Two sections | One combined section |
| Adaptive | Yes | No |
| Skip and return | No | Yes, within a section |
| Calculator | Not allowed | Not allowed |
| AFQT sections | AR, MK, WK, PC | AR, MK, WK, PC |
| Our practice tests | Same rules, not adaptive | Same rules, same timing |
Section by section, both forms
CAT-ASVAB
| Section | Questions | Time |
|---|---|---|
| General Science | 15 | 12 min |
| Arithmetic Reasoning | 15 | 55 min |
| Word Knowledge | 15 | 9 min |
| Paragraph Comprehension | 10 | 27 min |
| Mathematics Knowledge | 15 | 31 min |
| Electronics Information | 15 | 10 min |
| Auto Information | 10 | 7 min |
| Shop Information | 10 | 6 min |
| Mechanical Comprehension | 15 | 22 min |
| Assembling Objects | 15 | 18 min |
Paper & Pen ASVAB
| Section | Questions | Time |
|---|---|---|
| General Science | 25 | 11 min |
| Arithmetic Reasoning | 30 | 36 min |
| Word Knowledge | 35 | 11 min |
| Paragraph Comprehension | 15 | 13 min |
| Mathematics Knowledge | 25 | 24 min |
| Electronics Information | 20 | 9 min |
| Auto and Shop Information | 25 | 11 min |
| Mechanical Comprehension | 25 | 19 min |
| Assembling Objects | 25 | 15 min |
What people ask
Which ASVAB will I take?
It depends on where you are sent. At a Military Entrance Processing Station you sit the computer adaptive version. At a Military Entrance Test site, which is usually a National Guard armory or a federal building nearer to you, you sit the paper form. Your recruiter books the appointment, so ask them which one it is.
Is the paper ASVAB harder than the CAT?
The questions are pitched the same. The pressure is not. The paper form gives you 225 questions in 149 minutes, which is about forty seconds each. The computer form gives you 135 questions in 197 minutes, which is closer to ninety seconds each. People who find the paper version harder are almost always running out of time rather than running out of knowledge.
Can I choose which version to take?
No. You sit whichever form is administered where your recruiter sends you.
Why does the computer version have ten sections and the paper one nine?
Auto and Shop Information is a single combined section on the paper form and two separate sections, Auto Information and Shop Information, on the computer form. The content is the same; it is scored differently.
Do both versions produce the same AFQT score?
Yes. Both are scored to the same scale and the same four sections produce the AFQT: Arithmetic Reasoning, Mathematics Knowledge, Word Knowledge and Paragraph Comprehension. A 62 from one is a 62 from the other.
Can I skip a question and come back to it?
On paper, yes, within the section you are working on. On the computer, no. The adaptive engine has already used your answer to choose the next question, so there is nothing to go back to.
Practise the form you will actually sit
Every test on ASVAB Test Lab is full length and properly timed, with a written explanation for every answer.