What is ASVAB standard for enlistment?
Certification: Test Prep ASVAB - Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery
In order to understand the standards for enlistment for ASVAB, we need to have a short brief introduction to its nature. ASVAB stands for Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery which is a multiple choice test used to determine qualification for enlistment in the United States Armed Forces. ASVAB is not to check the IQ level of candidates rather it is to understand the abilities and skill of candidates and to get an idea that which specific armed services job matches with the skills of the candidate. There are five armed services in USA namely Air Force, Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guards having different standards for ASVAB. Before going into details there are few terms that need to be explained as they will be frequently used in the explanation of the standards of ASVAB. Among them is GED, GED is actually the way to obtain a certificate equivalent of high school diploma which is called a GED certificate (or credential). The certificate can be earned by passing the GED Test offered by GED Testing Service. Another term is college credit, college credit is amount of hours required by American colleges for a specific subject which are also known as credit hours. It is different from semester hours as semester hours is number of hours for a specific class of a subject but college credit is a unit provided to each subject. It can be assumed that semester hours of a subject combine to make its college credit. Certain amount of college credits is necessary to satisfy the curriculum in order to obtain the degree.
The standards of ASVAB are based on above mentioned division of Armed Services. The ASVAB standards thus can be divided into two sets:
- The standards which are same and common for each branch of armed services.
- The standards which are different for different branches of armed services.
Let us discuss each of them separately.
1. The standards which are same and common for each branch of armed services.
Mostly all of the services require a high school degree. A GED can be useful but not in every branch. Some of the qualifications which are necessary for all of the above mentioned five services are as follows:
- U.S. citizenship is necessary for enlistment. (Resident aliens are also eligible)
- The minimum age requirement for eligibility is 17 years (parental consent is necessary for 17 years old applicants). The maximum age limit is change for each service.
- The candidate must hold a high school diploma. (There are few exceptions to this).
- The candidate must pass a physical medical exam.
2. The standards which are different for different branches of armed services.
The standards for ASVAB which are different for each branch of armed services are discussed under their respective headings. The varying age limits are based on prior service, reserve or active duty.
1. Air Force:
The age of candidate must be between 17 to 27 years and can have maximum two dependents. High school diploma holder and GED-holder, both are eligible but a GED-holder has to fulfill strict requirements like higher score in ASVAB. The Air Force also allows a higher enlistment rank with college credit.( Subject to certain requirements a candidate must have completed 20 semester hours or 30 quarter hours for E-2 rank while the requirement is 45 semester hours or 67 quarter hours of college credit for E-3 rank)
2. Army:
The age of candidate must be between 17 to 34 years and can have maximum two dependents. Like Air Force, Army also accepts high school diploma as well GED. An interesting aspect for enlisting in army is that Army has a special program for individuals who have no have school diploma or GED. It is known as Army Prep School. Army also offers a higher enlistment rank for recruits with college credit. (Subject to certain requirements the candidate must have completed 24 semester hours or 36 quarter hours for E-2 rank while the requirement is 48 semester hours or 72 quarter hours for E-3 rank).
3. Marine Corps
The candidates for Marine Corps must meet specific physical, mental and moral standard and must age between 17 to 29 years. Women can also enlist in all of the Marine Corps fields except combat arms specialties, infantry, tank and amphibian tractor crew members. The Marine Corps limits GED holders to five percent per year and high school diploma holders are given priority. Marine Corps also offer advanced enlistment rank for college credit. (Subject to certain requirements the candidate must have completed 12 semester hours or 18 quarter hours for E-2 rank)
4. Navy:
The Candidates must age between 17 to 34 years. Women are also eligible to enlist in all fields except Navy Seals or submarines. Navy also has a strict criterion for GED holders and high school diploma holders are given priorities. In addition to this the candidate must not be drug user and free from any police involvement other than minor traffic offences. Also the candidate must have minimum three references from significant community members like police, judiciary, teacher etc). Navy also offers advanced enlistment rank for college.( Candidates with 24 completed semester hours or 36 quarter hours are eligible for enlistment for E-2 rank while the requirement becomes 48 completed semester hours or 72 quarter hours for E-3 rank).
5. Coast Guard:
The candidate must age between 17 to 39 years and can have maximum two dependents. The candidate must be eager to perform duties on and around water as it is demand of the service. Coast Guard also has a strict criterion for GED-holder and high school diploma holders are preferred. Coast Guard also offers advanced enlistment rank for college credits. (The E-2 rank is offered for 30 college credits while E-3 is offered for 60 college credits.)