AFQT Score: How It Is Calculated and What It Means
5 min read · Updated
Your AFQT (Armed Forces Qualification Test) score comes from four of the nine ASVAB sections: Arithmetic Reasoning, Mathematics Knowledge, Word Knowledge and Paragraph Comprehension. Word Knowledge and Paragraph Comprehension are first combined into one verbal score (VE). The standard scores are then added as Arithmetic Reasoning + Mathematics Knowledge + twice the verbal score, and that total is converted to a percentile from 1 to 99. That percentile is your AFQT, and it decides whether you can enlist.
The AFQT formula
AFQT composite = AR + MK + 2 × VE
- AR is your Arithmetic Reasoning standard score.
- MK is your Mathematics Knowledge standard score.
- VE is the verbal expression score, built from Word Knowledge and Paragraph Comprehension. Because it is doubled, the two verbal sections carry as much weight as the two maths sections together.
The composite is not your AFQT. It is converted to a percentile by comparing it with a nationally representative sample of 18 to 23 year olds from a norming study conducted in 1997. The conversion tables are not published in full, which is why any AFQT worked out away from an official score report, including the estimate our tests give, is an estimate rather than an official figure.
An AFQT is a percentile, not a percentage
An AFQT of 50 means you scored better than half of that reference group. It does not mean you answered half the questions correctly. Students who think it is a percentage tend to panic at a score in the 60s, which is in fact comfortably above every branch's minimum.
AFQT categories
| Category | AFQT percentile | What it means in practice |
|---|---|---|
| I | 93–99 | The top band. Open to almost any job the line scores allow |
| II | 65–92 | Competitive for most technical roles |
| IIIA | 50–64 | Above the line for most enlistment incentives |
| IIIB | 31–49 | Meets the published diploma minimum for most branches |
| IVA | 21–30 | Below the published diploma minimums |
| IVB | 16–20 | Below the published diploma minimums |
| IVC | 10–15 | Below the published diploma minimums |
| V | 1–9 | Not eligible to enlist |
The GT score is not the AFQT
The GT (General Technical) score is a line score, used by the Army and the Marine Corps to decide which jobs you qualify for. The Army's GT is your verbal score plus Arithmetic Reasoning: VE + AR. It leaves out Mathematics Knowledge, which the AFQT includes, so the two can move differently. A strong AFQT with a weak Arithmetic Reasoning score can still leave your GT short of a job you want.
How to raise your AFQT
- Spend the most time on Word Knowledge and Paragraph Comprehension. They count double through the verbal score.
- Learn to set up Arithmetic Reasoning word problems quickly. No calculator is allowed, so the setup is the skill being tested.
- Revise algebra, fractions and geometry formulas for Mathematics Knowledge until they are automatic.
- Ignore the other five sections only if you do not care about your job. They do not affect the AFQT, but they feed the line scores.
Two AFQT practice questions
Mathematics Knowledge: If 2x − 5 = 11, what is x?
- A3
- B6
- C8
- D16
Explanation
Add 5 to both sides to get 2x = 16, then divide by 2: x = 8. The trap is 16, which is 2x rather than x.
Word Knowledge: Prudent most nearly means
- Acareless
- Bsensible
- Cproud
- Dhurried
Explanation
Prudent means acting with care and good judgement, so 'sensible' is closest. 'Proud' is the trap, because it looks similar.
See your estimated AFQT
Every full-length test here, CAT or paper, ends with an estimated AFQT built from these four sections, so you can see which of them is holding your score back.