ASVAB Study Guide

Dave Evangelisti

Use our ASVAB study guide below to prepare for your upcoming exam.

We review all the key concepts you will need to know to get a top score on
the exam.

Summary: Use our free ASVAB study guide below. You can also use our
ASVAB practice test to prepare.

Our team has listed study materials for the following 4 subjects:

1. Arithmetic Reasoning
2. Math Knowledge
3. Word Knowledge
4. Paragraph Comprehension

We are focusing on these 4 subjects as they are used for the AFQT score.
You can learn more about ASVAB scores with our complete guide.

Arithmetic Reasoning & Math Knowledge Study Guide

This section will challenge students on various concepts in math and their
ability to solve problems. Some problems will test many concepts while other
problems will only test you in one concept.

If you want some specific practice with these questions, take our practice
ASVAB test.

Concept #1 – Types of Numbers

You should be familiar with the following types of numbers when studying for
the ASVAB:

Even Numbers: -20, -18, -16, 20, 18, 16, etc…

Odd Numbers: -21, -19, -17, 21, 19, 17, etc…
Integers: -20, -19, -18, 20, 19, 18, etc… (Any whole number / number that
is not a fraction)
Prime Numbers: 2, 3, 4, 7, 11, 13, 17, 19, etc…. (A number greater than 1
that is not a product of 2 smaller numbers. 2 is the only even prime
number.)

Concept #2 – Percents

Make sure you are comfortable with percents when studying for the ASVAB:

Think of a percent as a number out of 100. 70% means 70/100. This can also
be expressed as .70 or 7/10.

Example 1: If the tax on a $80 item is $2.25, what is the tax rate?

$2.25 = x/100 x $80

X= 2.81%

Example 2: What number is 125% of 4?

x = 125 / 100 x 4

X= 5

Concept #3 – Working With Negative Numbers

Working with negative numbers may sound simple, but it is one of the more
important concepts on the exam.

Multiplication and Division:

Negative number x negative number = positive number

Positive number x positive number = positive number
Negative number x positive number = negative number

Concept #4 – Averages

You may be asked to work with various types of averages so it is important

that we cover them in our ASVAB study.

Arithmetic Mean – Add up all of the numbers and divide by the total
number of numbers. Example: Find the arithmetic mean of 3, 5, 6 and 8.
(3+5+6+8)/4 = 4.75
Median – List out the numbers and the number in the middle is the
median. Example: Find the median of 3, 5, 6, 8, and 9. The median
would be 6. If there are an even number of numbers, the median is the
mean of the 2 middle numbers.
Mode – List out the numbers and the number that occurs the most is the
mode. Example: Find the mode of 3, 5, 5, 6, and 9. The mode would be
5.

Concept #5 – Probability

Probability may come up on your exam. The easiest way to deal with
probability is by using the following:

Number of ways an outcome can occur / total number of possible outcomes.

Example: A class has 8 students wearing red shirts and 14 students wearing
green shirts. What is the probability that 1 student is selected and is wearing
a red shirt?

8 / (8+14) = .36 or 36%

Concept #6 – Area and Perimeter

Knowing how to work with area and perimeter can save you a ton of time on
the actual exam.

Circle:

Area = pi r ^2
Circumference = 2 pi r or pi d

Rectangle:

Area = length x width

Perimeter = 2 (length + width)

Triangles:

Area = ½ (base x height)

Perimeter = sum of lengths

Volume:

Volume of rectangle = length x width x heigh

Volume of cylinder = pi r^2 h

Recommended ASVAB Prep

If you are serious about getting a high score on your ASVAB, try our
recommended ASVAB Prep Course

Prepare Now

Word Knowledge Study Guide

This section will give students a sentence that has a bolded word. You will be
asked to choose which answer most closely means the same as the bolded
word. This is an important concept to include in your ASVAB study.

If you would like specific help with these types of questions, visit out ASVAB
practice test page.

Concept #1 – Prefixes and Suffixes

You can use prefixes and suffices to help you in this section. A prefix is the
part of the beginning of the word while a suffix is the part at the end of the
word.

Some common prefixes include:

Anti- against
Auto – self
De- reverse
Dus – remove
Down – reduce
Hyper – extreme
Il or Im – not
Mid – middle
Post – after
Pre – before
Pro – in favor of

Some common suffixes include:

Al – act or process of
Ance – state of
Ism – belief
Ist – one who
Ment – condition of
Ness – state of being
Able – capable of
Ful – notable for
Less – without
Y – characterized by

Concept #2 – Synonyms and Antonyms

You will be asked to identify the word that most closely matches the bolded
word. Understanding synonyms and antonyms can be very helpful.

You can immediately look for antonyms when solving these problems.
Antonyms are words that have the opposite meaning. These words can be
crossed off as answer choices.

You should then be left with a couple of possible answer choices. There may
be instances where there is not a synonym (word or phrase that means
exactly or nearly the same as another word). You will need to choose the best
option from the answer choices given to you.

Crossing off clearly wrong choices will help a ton in this section.

Concept #3 – Positive and Negative Words

You can use the nature of the word to help you determine the proper answer
choice in this section. If the word has a positive meaning, you should look for
the answer choices that are also positive in nature.

If the word has a negative meaning, you should look for the answer choice
that are also negative in nature.

Concept #4 – Type of Word

You can narrow down your answer choices by determining the type of word
that is bolded. If the bolded word is an adjective, you should be looking for
other adjectives.

If the bolded word is a verb, you should be looking for other types of verbs.

Concept #5 – Utilize Your Answer Choices

Since the ASVAB gives you complete sentences, you can substitute in the
answer choices to see if the make sense. This is a great strategy to use to
easily eliminate answer choices right away.

Students need to use every advantage they can. With the ASVAB giving
complete sentences, this is a major benefit for students.

Paragraph Comprehension Study Guide

This section will assess a student’s ability to understand various passages.

Each passage is followed by a series of questions about the passage.

You will be pressed for time on this section so it is important to apply the
following ASVAB study concepts.

Concept #1 – Creating a Summary of the Passage

Some individuals recommend reading the questions first so you know what
to look for. We recommend the opposite. You should briefly skim the reading
passage and try to create a general summary of what is going on in the
passage.

This general summary does NOT need to be written down of in-depth. You
just need to have a general idea of what is going on in the passage. This
general summary will then allow you to quickly find information within the
passage when you start answering the questions.

Concept #2 – Utilize Opening and Closing Sentences

A lot of important information is at the beginning and ending of these

passages. You can learn a lot by just reading the opening and closing of
these passages.

You can also learn a lot by reading the first and last lines of paragraphs. This
is also where key information is stored.

Concept #3 – Ask General Questions

You can ask yourself the following general questions throughout the passage
to help you break it down:

What is the main idea of this passage?

What is the author’s point?
What is the most important takeaway from this passage?

Asking yourself these general questions can help you get a better
understanding of the passage as a whole.

Other ASVAB Study Guides

Our team put together a list of some of our favorite ASVAB study resources.
You can sift through the table below to find which resources works best for
your learning style.

Resource Provider

ASVAB Prep Course JobTestPrep

ASVAB Core Review LearningExpress

ASVAB for Dummies Dummies

Kaplan ASVAB Prep Kaplan

ASVAB Prep Accepted

Official ASVAB Preparation Guide ASVAB

What Do I Need to Study for the ASVAB?

There are plenty of things students should focus on when studying for the
ASVAB. It can become somewhat overwhelming if you think about all the
concepts and things you should study for the ASVAB.

It is best to break it down by topic. You should study and prepare for the
following topics when putting together your ASVAB study resources:

1. General Science
2. Arithmetic Reasoning
3. Word Knowledge
4. Paragraph Comprehension
5. Math Knowledge
6. Electronics Information
7. Auto Information
8. Shop Information
9. Mechanical Comprehension
10. Assembling Objects

You can use our study guide for the ASVAB which is listed above or you can
use our ASVAB test questions to study. For more information on the exam,
read our ASVAB overview article.

ASVAB Study Guide FAQs

Is there a study guide for the ASVAB?

There are plenty of study guides for the ASVAB. With that being said, there is
not an official study guide out there.

You can find plenty of free and paid ASVAB resources out there to help you
succeed. Our free ASVAB study guide listed above is a great place to start.
We also linked to some of our favorite resources offered by other providers to
help you get a top score.

Should I use an ASVAB study guide or a practice exam?

You should utilize both a study guide and a practice exam. It is recommended
that you take a practice exam before studying so you can get a baseline
score. This will also help you narrow down your studies and pinpoint the
areas you need the most help with.

You can then use a study guide to learn key concepts. Once you spend some
time studying, take another practice exam and see if your scores improved.