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WildBill wrote:

bronco78 wrote:

WildBill wrote:Unless your nephew was really under the weather or off his game, a retest will give him approximately the same score. This isn't a test that you can study for like a history test. I guess it couldn't hurt, but don't count on it being high enough to make a difference.

I respectfully disagree.

In most all cases, and that would be literally hundreds of my soldiers over the years... my Soldiers scores improved after some focused skills practice, ether using a course at our on post ED center, or using one of the self-help study guides. http://www.amazon.com/s?ie=UTF8&keyword ... y%20guides" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
The self-help study guides worked when the person is educated and understood the meterial when taught and just needs refresher. The class room worked better when the Soldier never did understand the material.

Bronco78 - Thanks for your input and I appreciate your disagreement. In your experience how much did they increase in test scores?

As much as the uncle wants his nephew to do better, either method requires a great deal of motivation from the prospective test taker. In this case, C-dub seems to be leading the charge so it remains to be seen if his nephew will rise to the challenge.

It was a few points to significant.

People do poorly on the ASFAB for a number of reasons.. Fail to understand what the instructions of a section are asking you to do,, Once they practice, they can do the problems and get the correct answers.. These folks ASFAB scores go up a lot. (this is for like the coding, the mechanical aptitude kind of stuff)

Same with the guy that never understood an English class he took in HS, or Math.... Once they learn that, the ASFAB test is easy... their scores go up a lot.

The pones that do not see a large increase, are the ones that understood it all, in schools, in life experience, but have been away from that and just saw it all a bit fuzzy.. They got some questions right, some wrong.. Refresh the skills and they get a few more right. Score goes up a bit.

8 Tested areas
■General Science
■Arithmetic Reasoning
■Word Knowledge
■Paragraph Comprehension
■Mathematics Knowledge
■Electronics Information
■Auto and Shop Information
■Mechanical Comprehension

And then we have the truly stupid folks, not ignorance, but, well just dumb.... their scores go down, or up, or stay the same... The pretest normally gives a good indication... and if the pretest looked bad, I advised um to not take the retest.. As it's what you get on the last test that stays in your records,, even if you score lower.

ASVAB Test Sample Questions

http://www.todaysmilitary.com/before-se ... uestions#1" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Here is one sample question from each test area of the ASVAB and a brief explanation of that test’s methodology:
■General Science
■Arithmetic Reasoning
■Word Knowledge
■Paragraph Comprehension
■Mathematics Knowledge
■Electronics Information
■Auto and Shop Information
■Mechanical Comprehension

General Science

General Science tests the ability to answer questions on a variety of science topics drawn from courses taught in most high schools. The life science items cover botany, zoology, anatomy and physiology and ecology. The earth and space science items are based on astronomy, geology, meteorology and oceanography. The physical science items measure force and motion mechanics, energy, fluids, atomic structure and chemistry.

Sample test question:

1. An eclipse of the sun throws the shadow of the

A. moon on the sun
B. moon on the earth
C. earth on the sun
D. earth on the moon

View answers
Top

Arithmetic Reasoning

Arithmetic Reasoning tests the ability to solve basic arithmetic problems encountered in everyday life. One-step and multistep word problems require addition, subtraction, multiplication, division and choosing the correct order of operations when more than one step is necessary. The items include operations with whole numbers, operations with rational numbers, ratio and proportion, interest, percentage and measurement. Arithmetic Reasoning is one factor that helps characterize mathematics comprehension, and it also assesses logical thinking.

Sample test question:

2. How many 36-passenger buses will it take to carry 144 people?

A. 3
B. 4
C. 5
D. 6

View answers
Top

Word Knowledge

Word Knowledge tests the ability to understand the meaning of words through synonyms – words having the same or nearly the same meaning as other words. The test is a measure of one component of reading comprehension since vocabulary is one of many factors that characterize reading comprehension.

Sample test question:

3. The wind is variable today.

A. mild
B. steady
C. shifting
D. chilling

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Top

Paragraph Comprehension

Paragraph Comprehension tests the ability to obtain information from written material. Students read different types of passages of varying lengths and respond to questions based on information presented in each passage. Concepts include identifying stated and reworded facts, determining a sequence of events, drawing conclusions, identifying main ideas, determining the author’s purpose and tone and identifying style and technique.

Sample question:

4. Twenty-five percent of all household burglaries can be attributed to unlocked windows or doors. Crime is the result of opportunity plus desire. To prevent crime, it is each individual’s responsibility to:

A. provide the desire
B. provide the opportunity
C. prevent the desire
D. prevent the opportunity

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Top

Mathematics Knowledge

Mathematics Knowledge tests the ability to solve problems by applying knowledge of mathematical concepts and applications. The problems focus on concepts and algorithms, and involve number theory, numeration, algebraic operations and equations, geometry, measurement and probability. Mathematics knowledge is one factor that characterizes mathematics comprehension; it also assesses logical thinking.

Sample test question:

5. If X + 6 = 7, then X is equal to

A. -1
B. 0
C. 1
D. 7/6

View answers
Top

Electronics Information

Electronics Information tests understanding of electrical current, circuits, devices and systems. Electronics Information topics include electrical circuits, electrical and electronic systems, electrical currents, electrical tools, symbols, devices and materials.

Sample test question:

6. Which of the following has the least resistance?

A. wood
B. iron
C. rubber
D. silver

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Top

Auto and Shop Information

Auto and Shop Information tests aptitude for automotive maintenance and repair, and wood and metal shop practices. The test covers several areas commonly included in most high school auto and shop courses, such as automotive components, automotive systems, automotive tools, troubleshooting and repair, shop tools, building materials and building and construction procedures.

Sample test question:

7. A car uses too much oil when which of the following parts are worn?

A. pistons
B. piston rings
C. main bearings
D. connecting rods

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Top

Mechanical Comprehension

Mechanical Comprehension tests understanding of principles of mechanical devices, structural support and properties of materials. Mechanical comprehension topics include simple machines, compound machines, mechanical motion and fluid dynamics.

Sample test question:

8. Which post holds up a greater part of the load?




A. post a
B. post b
C. both equal
D. not clear

View answers
Top





Sample Question Answers:
■General Science B
■Arithmetic Reasoning B
■Word Knowledge C
■Paragraph Comprehension D
■Mathematics Knowledge C
■Electronics Information D
■Auto and Shop Information B
■Mechanical Comprehension A

Bronco78 - Thanks for the examples and your input.

Many high school students, especially those who didn't go on to a four-year college, aren't good at taking tests so this is probably good training and practice.

It was long time ago, but I did pretty well on my SATs. I would have done well on this test, except for the Automotive and Shop section.

That's why I hire a mechanic to work on my car. And have an A/C technician, an electrician and a plumber work on my house.

I only suggested that he retake the test to get a better score if his current score isn't good enough for what he would like to do. The problem right now is that has no idea what he wants to do. None of us had previously even suggested the military to him. Apparently,the recruiter hasn't even given him a list of the jobs that he can do with a 35 or the 46 he got in the recruiters office. He doesn't know how he did on the various sections to know if he did well in an area that interests him.

My nephew is a fairly smart kid when he wants to be. The problem here is that he tends to shut down under pressure, which really makes me skeptical why he wants to go in the military at all. He says he wants to be able to take college courses during or after the service, but also doesn't know in which direction there either. I'm all for him getting an education if that's what he really wants. However, I'm all too aware of some folks that join the military to get an education and whine like stuck pig when they sent somewhere to earn their pay. I don't know if he would do that, but I'm more worried about him getting through boot.

My grandson decided to join the Marine Corps right out of high school. His scores weren't all that good and I told him he was making a mistake. Well, he busted out of boot camp I never have seen his release/discharge papers but I think it was a combination of him being a walking accident and a little short on book smarts. He managed to get injured three times before halfway through boot camp and that was too many for the USMC.

I hope your nephew has better luck if he decides to enlist.

I have no first hand experience but my younger brother just retired from army with 27 years? Maybe 25... But anyway... To the point. He was in recruiting during his last five or so years and his job was to run around the country rating recruiting stations. He is in Ohio now. Just last week I made a comment to him about how the military was probably getting a lot of recruits due to economy. He said it was so easy to recruit these days that the allotments for recruits are usually met within the first half of the year. He told me there was a waiting list of sorts. I don't think the army is still taking the dredges like the old days. They don't have to. On the drug topic, marijuana is not accepted any more then any other illegal drug. I am not sure why anyone would think "a little weed" would be considered no problem for the military.

Again... Just so no misunderstandings occure from my post. Everything I posted was from a casual conversation to pass the time as we cursed about Obama and watched Fox News so I may not have my facts exact. My main point was that it is not "easy" to join the military. That would not be the place for someone to go to fix their attitude. You better have your attitude right when you show up at the door.

I think some kids can improve their scores quite a bit from the ones they take in high school. I talked to some of my young airmen when I was a sergeant, and many of them just didn't care about the test when they took it in high school. SOME managed to get good scores anyway. Some of those who didn't, but then decided to join, retook it and paid attention the second time around...and it made a big difference to them. I'm not saying it is true in all cases, but being doing it because they WANT TO can make a difference.

Texas Dan Mosby wrote:If he wants to fight, tell him to go Army, go Airborne Infantry, and get in a jump unit. The Army has better resources than the corp, and soldiers don't get stuck on boats for extended periods like Marines. Jump units are volunteer units, and the quality of the troops is better over all, as they tend to be more motivated, more fit, and better lead. If he's really motivated, he could volunteer for the Ranger Regiment before he enlists, or in jump school, which will get his foot in the door for other SOCOM organizations if he opts to make it a career. SOCOM is the best place to be, but if you can't hang, you will be booted to the conventional force.

If he doesn't want to fight, look into the Air Force IMO. They've got two jobs that are pretty high speed and would be pretty exciting for a young lad. 1.) Combat controller and 2.) Pararescue / Jumper. The combat controller controls close air support (fire missions!) for ground units, and also sets up runways and controls aircraft arrival and departure in the field. They can be both static line, and free fall parachute qualified, and can work with a WIDE variety of organizations throughout the DOD. Pararescue / Jumpers are like SUPER medics, trained at a high level in medical tasks, and also a wide variety of insertion techniques (static and free fall parachutists, combat divers), they, too, can work with a wide variety of organizations throughout DOD.

An often overlooked service, IMO, is the Coast Guard. I don't know much about them, however, unlike most of DOD, they actually DO their jobs 24/7 as opposed to train, train, train, GO TO WAR, come back, train, train, train. IMO, the Coast Guard would be a very satisfying job because they are out there all the time, saving somebodies butt, or actively interdicting bad things that are trying to be snuck into the country.

When my kids come of age, if they express interest in service, the Coast Guard is the branch I'm going to push, and I'm a 3rd generation career Army muldoon...well, kind of.

Best of luck to him.

I have a cousin who is a Commander in the CG. He graduated from the CG Academy in 91 and is currently on the Captain's List. I know he likes it.