U.S. Coast Guard · Deck and Operations

BM Boatswain's Mate

As of July 21, 2026, the best public Coast Guard rating table lists Boatswain's Mate (BM) at AR+VE = 100, with normal color perception and normal hearing. The current COMDTINST 1500.10D moves the live rating-requirements list to the internal PSC EPM-2 site, so treat 100 as the documented public baseline and confirm the active contract number with a recruiter. BMs lead small-boat operations, navigation, seamanship, and deck work.

last verified 2026-07-21

BM (Boatswain's Mate) is in the Coast Guard and requires a minimum AFQT of 32 and VE+AR of at least 100. Last verified 2026-07-21 against U.S. Coast Guard COMDTINST M1500.10C Enclosure (3).

Quick check

Can I qualify for this job?

Enter the scores you already know. Leave a box blank if you do not have that score yet.

AFQT minimum 32Enter AFQT
VE+AR minimum 100Enter VE+AR

Plain requirement

What you need.

  • Min AFQT32
  • Training~14 weeks
  • VE+AR line score≥ 100

AFQT 32 is a percentile. The line score above is not — it is a Coast Guard composite, a weighted sum of your ASVAB subtest standard scores. Work yours out from your score sheet with the Coast Guard ASVAB line score calculator.

Source: U.S. Coast Guard COMDTINST M1500.10C Enclosure (3) · last verified 2026-07-21.

Role brief

About BM — Boatswain's Mate.

As of July 21, 2026, the best public Coast Guard rating table lists Boatswain's Mate (BM) at AR+VE = 100, with normal color perception and normal hearing. The current COMDTINST 1500.10D moves the live rating-requirements list to the internal PSC EPM-2 site, so treat 100 as the documented public baseline and confirm the active contract number with a recruiter. BMs lead small-boat operations, navigation, seamanship, and deck work.

Initial training

How BM training works.

FormatRating A-school
LocationCoast Guard Training Center Yorktown, Virginia
Length~14 weeks

The Coast Guard's Yorktown BM A-School page describes 14 weeks of training in marlinespike seamanship, navigation, practical exercises underway, Team Coordination Training, and first aid/CPR. Students must maintain boat-crew physical-fitness requirements and complete EPME-4 knowledge and performance requirements to advance to E-4 at graduation.

Source: U.S. Coast Guard Training Center Yorktown — Boatswain's Mate A-School · last verified 2026-07-21 · date retrieved 2026-07-21.

After training

Common BM follow-on schools and paths.

  • Coxswain qualificationThe Coast Guard BM career page says a qualified coxswain executes the mission and is responsible for the safety of the boat crew.
  • Advanced maritime navigationThe current BM career page lists advanced maritime navigation as follow-on training.
  • Tactical law enforcementThe Coast Guard says BMs may train for maritime boardings and receive tactical law-enforcement training.

Starting pay · 2026

What this job pays as a junior enlisted member.

Base pay is set by pay grade, not by job — every Coast Guard enlistee at the same grade earns the same monthly base pay. These are the 2026 active-duty rates (3.8% raise, effective 2026-01-01).

GradeRankMonthly base payService
E-1Seaman Recruit (SR)$2,407after 4 months of service
E-2Seaman Apprentice (SA)$2,698under 2 years
E-3Seaman (SN)$2,837under 2 years
E-4Petty Officer 3rd Class$3,142under 2 years
  • Plus food allowance (BAS)$460/moFlat enlisted rate, tax-free, paid on top of base pay.
  • Plus housing allowance (BAH)Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) is paid on top of base pay and is tax-free, but it varies by duty-station ZIP code, pay grade, and whether you have dependents — there is no single nationwide figure. Use the official DoD BAH calculator for your assignment location.DoD BAH rate lookup →

Source: DFAS 2026 active-duty basic pay tables (3.8% raise, effective Jan 1 2026) · last verified 2026-05-23 · date retrieved 2026-05-23.

Eligibility notes

What BM candidates should check.

  • COMDTINST M1500.10C Enclosure (3) lists BM as AR+VE = 100 with normal color perception and normal hearing. This is the clearest rating-specific score row in a public Coast Guard table.
  • AR+VE is a job composite, not the AFQT percentile. Arithmetic Reasoning (AR) is added to Verbal Expression (VE), which is derived from Word Knowledge and Paragraph Comprehension.
  • Why public pages disagree: the Coast Guard announced in 2021 that non-diver A-school composite requirements were adjusted while keeping their component subtests, but it did not publish a replacement row-by-row public table. COMDTINST 1500.10D now says the current score and medical prerequisites are in the internal PSC EPM-2 listing. That makes an uncaveated 100 or 101 claim incomplete; confirm the live BM number and any waiver with a recruiter.
  • For active-duty non-rated members, COMDTINST 1500.10D generally requires four months at the first permanent duty station before applying for A-School unless the Coast Guard waives that wait for a critical rating. It also requires at least 24 months of service remaining after A-School graduation.
  • The current Yorktown BM A-School page describes 14 weeks of seamanship and navigation training, practical exercises underway, Team Coordination Training, first aid/CPR, and boat-crew physical-fitness requirements.
  • The Coast Guard career page describes BMs as small-boat and navigation specialists with unusually broad command-leadership opportunities. A BM serving as coxswain is responsible for executing the mission and the safety of the crew.

What ASVAB score do you need for Coast Guard Boatswain's Mate (BM)?

The best public Coast Guard rating table, COMDTINST M1500.10C, lists BM at AR + VE = 100, with normal color perception and normal hearing. The current live rating list is internal under PSC EPM-2, so use 100 as the documented public baseline and confirm the active contract number with a recruiter. Last reviewed July 21, 2026.

Is the Coast Guard BM ASVAB score 100 or 101?

The public Coast Guard M1500.10C table says AR + VE = 100. Search results that say 101 do not match that public primary-source row. A 2021 Coast Guard policy changed non-diver A-school composites without publishing a complete replacement table, and the current EPM-2 list is internal, so neither 100 nor 101 should be presented as an uncaveated live guarantee.

How is the Coast Guard BM ASVAB score calculated?

The public BM formula is Arithmetic Reasoning (AR) plus Verbal Expression (VE). VE comes from Word Knowledge and Paragraph Comprehension, so BM-focused preparation should cover AR, WK, and PC. The AR+VE composite is separate from your overall AFQT percentile.

How long is Coast Guard BM training?

The current Coast Guard Yorktown page describes 14 weeks of BM A-School. The curriculum includes marlinespike seamanship, navigation, practical exercises underway, Team Coordination Training, first aid/CPR, and boat-crew physical fitness.

Can you go straight from Coast Guard boot camp to BM A-School?

Not as the general active-duty rule. COMDTINST 1500.10D says non-rated active-duty members normally serve four months at their first permanent duty station before applying, unless a critical-rating waiver applies. Reserve accessions usually receive an A-School reservation and must attend within 24 months of enlistment.

What are the non-score requirements for Coast Guard BM A-School?

The public BM row lists normal color perception and normal hearing. Yorktown also requires students to maintain boat-crew physical-fitness standards and complete EPME-4 knowledge and performance requirements to advance to E-4 at graduation.

What does a Coast Guard Boatswain's Mate do?

BMs work in navigation, seamanship, deck maintenance, small-boat operations, and crew leadership. The Coast Guard career page says BMs may qualify as coxswains responsible for the mission and crew safety and may train for maritime law-enforcement boardings.

Source: U.S. Coast Guard COMDTINST M1500.10C Enclosure (3) · last verified 2026-07-21 · date retrieved 2026-07-21.

Nearby targets

Related Coast Guard score targets.

Related

Practice AFQT plus BM line-score subtests.

AFQT + VE+AR practice targets

Independent test-prep — not affiliated with DoD or the ASVAB program. See officialasvab.com for the test program.

Sources