How we work

Every number on this site is computed or cited.

We're an independent editorial publication. No recruiter money. Every score floor, every line-score formula, every MOS requirement is verified against the branch's own site, dated, and re-checked every 90 days.

Military Entrance Exams is an independent educational publication. We are not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by the U.S. Department of Defense, any branch of the U.S. Armed Forces, or the ASVAB testing program (officialasvab.com). "ASVAB", "AFQT", "MEPS", and the names of the U.S. military branches are referenced descriptively as the names of real-world programs and institutions; all such marks are the property of their respective owners. For information about the ASVAB and military enlistment, please visit officialasvab.com and the site of your branch of interest.

This page documents AFQT, line-score, and job-eligibility calculations. AFQT raw = 2·VE + AR + MK, where VE = WK + PC, then converts to a 1-99 percentile. Branch formulas, minimum AFQT values, and per-job line scores cite branch sources with visible verification dates. Rows older than 120 days show warnings; rows older than 180 days are noindexed.

§1

The AFQT formula.

Verbal Expression (VE) = WK + PC. Raw composite = 2·VE + AR + MK. We convert the raw composite to a 1–99 percentile via the 1997 Profile of American Youth norm tables — a stable, publicly published mapping the DoD has used since the formula change.

§2

Branch line-score formulas.

Five branches define a fixed catalog of named composites. The Coast Guard does not: it publishes no names at all, and each rating lists its own combination of subtest scores instead. We record which model a branch uses in the data rather than assuming one, so a branch is never shown a catalog it does not have. Use the branch index to compare all six AFQT floors, composite systems, and job indexes from one canonical hub.

  • ArmyGT = VE + ARCL = VE + AR + MKCO = VE + AS + MCEL = GS + AR + MK + EIFA = AR + MK + MCGM = GS + AS + MK + EIMM = AS + MC + EIOF = VE + AS + MCSC = VE + AR + AS + MCST = VE + GS + MK + MC
  • NavyAFQT = 2×VE + AR + MKGT = VE + AREL = GS + AR + MK + EIBEE = GS + AR + 2×MKENG = AS + MKMEC = AR + AS + MCADM = VE + MKHM = VE + GS + MKNUC = VE + AR + MK + MC
  • MarinesGT = WK + PC + AR + MCEL = AR + MK + EI + GSMM = AR + EI + MC + ASCL = WK + PC + MK
  • Air ForceM = VE + AR + AS + MCA = VE + MKG = VE + ARE = AR + MK + EI + GS
  • Space ForceM = VE + AR + AS + MCA = VE + MKG = VE + ARE = AR + MK + EI + GS
  • Coast GuardNo named composites — combinations published per rating.VE+AR = VE + ARMK+EI+GS = MK + EI + GSVE+MC+AS = VE + MC + ASAR+MC+AS = AR + MC + ASVE+MK+GS+AR = VE + MK + GS + ARAR+MK+EI+GS = AR + MK + EI + GSAR+MC+AS+EI = AR + MC + AS + EI

§3

Freshness policy.

  • Every numeric claim shows a last verified date.
  • > 120 days = warning ribbon. > 180 days = page goes noindex pending re-verify.
  • Quarterly diff-watcher runs across all five branch sources; a human reviews every change before promotion.

The source manifest lists every cited primary URL and its latest verification date.

§4

Practice items and originality.

All practice items are self-authored against the published ASVAB content-area specs. We do not reproduce, paraphrase, or thin-rewrite copyrighted ASVAB items. An originality audit (cosine ≥0.85 dedupe + sample human spot-check) runs on every batch.

Explanations are pre-generated (one canonical + two alternatives) and stored as static text alongside the item — no runtime LLM call. AI-explained answers are labeled with the reviewer name once human review completes.

§5

Change log.

  • 2026-08-08 — initial methodology page; first 43-job sample published with branch profiles, composite formulas, and AFQT calculator. Remaining ~480 jobs and 5,000 items are queued for staged release.

Sources