How ASVAB scores work

The AFQT and its categories

Your AFQT is built from four subtests: Arithmetic Reasoning, Mathematics Knowledge, Word Knowledge and Paragraph Comprehension. The reference group is a national sample of 18 to 23 year olds from a 1997 study. A score of 62 means you did as well as or better than 62% of that group.

The scores are grouped into categories. An 85, a 70 or a 65 all land in Category II. A 50 or a 55 is Category IIIA, and a 31 to 49 is Category IIIB.

Highest, lowest and average scores

The highest AFQT is 99 and the lowest is 1. Because it’s a percentile, a 50 is the middle of the reference group. The subtest scores work the same way: about half of people score 50 or higher, and about 16% score 60 or higher.

As of October 2026, none of the official sites we checked publish an average score for recruits or for each branch. They also don’t convert ASVAB scores into an IQ score. The official site says the scores are used to decide who can enlist, to match people to military jobs and to help students explore careers.

A “good” score depends on what you want. 31 meets the minimum for the Army, Air Force and Marine Corps with a diploma. Many jobs need more, through their line scores.

Standard scores and line scores

Each subtest gets a standard score, which compares you with the same national sample. On the computer test, the questions you get depend on how you’re doing, and questions you leave unfinished are scored as if you guessed at random.

The branches then add subtest scores together into line scores, or composites, such as the Army’s General Technical or the Air Force’s MAGE areas. Each job sets its own minimums. Our line scores page explains them branch by branch.

Getting your scores, and how long they last

• Computer test at MEPS or a MET site: your scores are ready right after the session.
• Paper test: the answer sheets go to MEPS for scoring. It usually takes a few days, and your recruiter is told when the scores are ready.
• PiCAT at home: you don’t see a score straight away. Contact the recruiter who signed you up.
• Your scores can be used to enlist for up to two years from the test date.
• The official pages we read don’t describe any online lookup for enlistment scores. Your recruiter is the person to ask, including for an older score.

Computer, paper and the calculator

The computer test can feel harder if you’re doing well, because it keeps giving you harder questions. But all versions and forms are equated, so a score means the same thing whichever one you take.

Calculators aren’t allowed on the computer test, the paper test or the at-home PiCAT. The official site explains that the ASVAB measures the math you can do unaided, the way some jobs need it.