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United States Coast Guard

Coast Guard — ASVAB requirements.

The Coast Guard sets a tier-1 AFQT floor of 32 for high-school-diploma applicants — the highest of any U.S. military branch (the other five accept 31). The Coast Guard lowered this floor from 36 under its current recruiting instruction (COMDTINST 1100.2). Above that floor it works differently from the other five: it publishes no named line-score composites at all, so there is no Coast Guard equivalent of an Army GT or a Navy BEE. Each rating instead lists its own combination of ASVAB subtest scores — VE + AR = 100 for Boatswain's Mate, MK + EI + GS = 172 for Electronics Technician — in Enclosure (3) of COMDTINST M1500.10C. With the smallest annual accessions of any branch, competition is keen and successful candidates routinely score well above the floor.

last verified 2026-08-02

The United States Coast Guard tier-1 minimum AFQT is 32. The Coast Guard publishes no named line-score composites. Each rating instead lists its own combination of ASVAB subtest scores, and these are the combinations in use: VE+AR, MK+EI+GS, VE+MC+AS, AR+MC+AS, VE+MK+GS+AR, AR+MK+EI+GS, AR+MC+AS+EI. Sources and verification dates appear beside each requirement. Last verified 2026-08-02.

Came here for one job in particular? Jump straight to the Coast Guard Aviation Survival Technician (Rescue Swimmer) ASVAB score, the Coast Guard Boatswain's Mate ASVAB score, the Coast Guard Maritime Enforcement Specialist ASVAB score, or the Coast Guard Information Systems Technician ASVAB score.

The formulas

Check the math, line by line.

Every composite is a weighted sum of ASVAB subtest standard scores. Sources verified per row.

The Coast Guard publishes no named line-score composites. Where the Army names a GT and the Navy a BEE, COMDTINST M1500.10C says Coast Guard members "must attain specific scores on two or more of the ten tests" and that "these individual test scores, in various combinations, are called composite scores and are listed in Enclosure (3) for each rating" — so a Coast Guard requirement is a subtest sum attached to one rating, not a branch-wide code. The rows below are every distinct sum published in that enclosure, with the ratings and minimums that use each one. Two limits worth knowing: Enclosure (3) of COMDTINST M1500.10C (August 2017, Change 3) is the last publicly published version of this table, and COMDTINST 1500.10D routes current Class "A" School requirements to an internal Coast Guard listing that is not published — so confirm a specific rating with a Coast Guard recruiter before acting on it.

Source: COMDTINST M1500.10C, Enclosure (3) — Rating Requirements · last verified 2026-08-02 · retrieved 2026-08-02.

SubtestsNameFormulaRatings that require itSource
VE+ARVerbal Expression + Arithmetic ReasoningVE + ARBM, ME, PS (100); FS, OS, SK, YN and the MK alternate path (105); IS, PA (109); MST (114)COMDTINST M1500.10C, Enclosure (3)
MK+EI+GSMath Knowledge + Electronics + General ScienceMK + EI + GSEM (153); AET, ET, IT (172)COMDTINST M1500.10C, Enclosure (3)
VE+MC+ASVerbal Expression + Mechanical + Auto and ShopVE + MC + ASDC (155); AST (162)COMDTINST M1500.10C, Enclosure (3)
AR+MC+ASArithmetic Reasoning + Mechanical + Auto and ShopAR + MC + ASMK (154)COMDTINST M1500.10C, Enclosure (3)
VE+MK+GS+ARVerbal Expression + Math Knowledge + General Science + Arithmetic ReasoningVE + MK + GS + ARHS (207, with a minimum AR of 50)COMDTINST M1500.10C, Enclosure (3)
AR+MK+EI+GSArithmetic Reasoning + Math Knowledge + Electronics + General ScienceAR + MK + EI + GSGM (209)COMDTINST M1500.10C, Enclosure (3)
AR+MC+AS+EIArithmetic Reasoning + Mechanical + Auto and Shop + ElectronicsAR + MC + AS + EIAMT (220)COMDTINST M1500.10C, Enclosure (3)

By the numbers

Which Coast Guard jobs need the highest scores.

Each bar is one job's minimum line score. Tap a job to open it. Bars compare minimums within the Coast Guard only — each branch scores jobs on its own composite scale.

Indexed Coast Guard jobs ranked by their minimum line-score requirement. Source: gocoastguard.com (Get Started).
  1. HS · Health Services Technicianminimum VE+MK+GS+AR 207
  2. AET · Avionics Electrical Technician (AET)minimum MK+EI+GS 172
  3. AST · Aviation Survival Technician (Rescue Swimmer)minimum VE+MC+AS 162
  4. IT · Information Systems Technicianminimum MK+EI+GS 162
  5. MK · Machinery Technician (MK)minimum AR+MC+AS 154
  6. OS · Operations Specialistminimum VE+AR 105
  7. BM · Boatswain's Mateminimum VE+AR 100
  8. ME · Maritime Enforcement Specialistminimum VE+AR 100
View as data table
#CodeJobCompositeMin score
1HSHealth Services TechnicianVE+MK+GS+AR207
2AETAvionics Electrical Technician (AET)MK+EI+GS172
3ASTAviation Survival Technician (Rescue Swimmer)VE+MC+AS162
4ITInformation Systems TechnicianMK+EI+GS162
5MKMachinery Technician (MK)AR+MC+AS154
6OSOperations SpecialistVE+AR105
7BMBoatswain's MateVE+AR100
8MEMaritime Enforcement SpecialistVE+AR100

Most searched

Popular Coast Guard MOS codes.

The Coast Guard jobs people look up most by ASVAB score. Each page shows the AFQT floor, line-score requirement, training path, and starting pay.

Coast Guard jobs · 8 verified

Pick a Coast Guard job next.

Each job page shows the AFQT minimum, line-score requirements, training length, and the source URL.

Aviation Maintenance

Aviation and Rescue

Cyber and Communications

Deck and Operations

Maritime Law Enforcement

Mechanical Maintenance

Medical

Operations and Communications

Common questions

Coast Guard ASVAB questions, answered.

What is the minimum AFQT to enlist in the Coast Guard?

The Coast Guard requires a minimum AFQT of 32 for tier-1 candidates (with a high-school diploma) as of 2026-07-25, per gocoastguard.com (Get Started).

What ASVAB line-score composites does the Coast Guard use?

None — the Coast Guard does not publish named composites the way the Army publishes a GT or the Navy a BEE. Each rating carries its own subtest sum: VE + AR (BM, ME, PS (100); FS, OS, SK, YN and the MK alternate path (105); IS, PA (109); MST (114)); MK + EI + GS (EM (153); AET, ET, IT (172)); VE + MC + AS (DC (155); AST (162)); AR + MC + AS (MK (154)); VE + MK + GS + AR (HS (207, with a minimum AR of 50)); AR + MK + EI + GS (GM (209)); AR + MC + AS + EI (AMT (220)). Verified 2026-08-02 against COMDTINST M1500.10C, Enclosure (3) — Rating Requirements.

What is a passing ASVAB score for the Coast Guard?

The ASVAB has no pass/fail mark — the AFQT is a 1–99 percentile, and each branch sets its own floor. For the United States Coast Guard that floor is AFQT 32 for a tier-1 applicant (high-school diploma), verified 2026-07-25 against gocoastguard.com (Get Started). Clearing it makes you eligible to enlist; it does not by itself open any specific job, because jobs gate on line-score composites (VE+AR, MK+EI+GS, VE+MC+AS, AR+MC+AS, VE+MK+GS+AR, AR+MK+EI+GS, AR+MC+AS+EI) as well.

Can you join the Coast Guard with a GED?

Yes, but the bar is higher. Tier-2 applicants (GED or an alternative credential rather than a high-school diploma) need AFQT 50 for the United States Coast Guard, versus 32 for tier-1 — a 18-point gap. Tier-2 accession slots are also limited in number. Verified 2026-07-25 against gocoastguard.com (Get Started).

What ASVAB score do you need for Coast Guard jobs?

Across the 8 Coast Guard jobs cited on this page, the AFQT floor ranges from 32 to 65. AFQT is only the entry gate, though: the number that actually decides a job is the line-score composite. The highest line-score requirement listed here is HS (Health Services Technician) at VE+MK+GS+AR 207. Each job page shows its own minimum and the source URL it came from.

Sources

Officer or aviation path

Aiming for a Navy, Marine Corps or Coast Guard commission or flight training? That takes the OAR / ASTB-E.

The Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard select pilot and flight officer candidates with the ASTB-E; its first three subtests form the Officer Aptitude Rating (OAR) used for programs like Navy OCS.

Free OAR / ASTB-E diagnosticOAR / ASTB-E guide

Side by side

Comparing the Coast Guard to another branch?