ASVAB for dummies [US Armed Forces Voc. Aptitude]

412 Pages·2011·5.19 MB·English

by  Rod Powers

Spine: 0.9189”
Study Aids/Test Prep/ASVAB
Making Everything Easier!™ 3rd Edition
3rd Edition
Ace the ASVAB by sharpening your
Open the book and find:
test-taking skills with this updated B
A
V
S
(cid:129) Tips for improving your A
and expanded bestselling guide
vocabulary
A
(cid:129) How to assemble objects
Are you ready to tackle the ASVAB and begin your military career?
(cid:129) Math terminology and
If so, this essential guide provides a comprehensive review of
operations you need to know
all nine subtest subjects covered on the paper enlistment and S
the CAT-ASVAB (computer adaptive test). You’ll get hands-on, (cid:129) Algebra and geometry reviews
easy-to-follow guidance on what to expect on all the subtests, (cid:129) The “real world” of math word V
cutting-edge strategies and tactics for studying, and test-taking tips problems
and advice. With help from ASVAB For Dummies, you’ll perform well (cid:129) Critical concepts in general
on the test and be on your way to beginning (or advancing) your science A
military career.
(cid:129) Auto & shop information
(cid:129) Decipher the ASVAB — get the 4-1-1 on every aspect of the ASVAB, from (cid:129) Ten tips for doing well on test
B
making sense of the subtests to understanding how it’s scored day
(cid:129) Be prepared — get ready for test day challenges (cid:129) Three sample tests and one
AFQT
(cid:129) Take your best shot — discover strategies for making the best guesstimate
when in doubt (cid:129) Questions throughout to help
reinforce learning
(cid:129) Multiply your math skills — grasp the math operations needed to score
your best — from working with fractions to solving algebra problems
(cid:129) Get technical — get a handle on the scientific, technical, electrical, and
Learn to:
mechanical knowledge covered on specific subtests
(cid:129) Land your dream job — find out which subtests are most important to (cid:129) Score higher to qualify for the military job
Go to Dummies.com
your specific military career goals ® you want
for videos, step-by-step photos,
(cid:129) Practice makes perfect — get acquainted with the different types of
how-to articles, or to shop! (cid:129) Build word knowledge and paragraph
problems before taking the actual practice tests
comprehension
(cid:129) Test your skills with practice problems
for each of the test’s nine subtests
(cid:129) Take three full-length practice tests plus
one AFQT
$18.00 US / $22.00 CN / £13.99 UK
ISBN 978-0-470-63760-9
Rod Powers is a recognized expert in all U.S. military matters and serves
as a military guide for About.com, where his page receives approximately
Rod Powers
1.5 million views per week. He is the author of ASVAB AFQT For Dummies
U.S. military expert and military guide
and Veterans Benefits For Dummies.
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ASVAB
FOR
DUMmIES
‰
3
RD EDITION
by Rod Powers
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ASVAB For Dummies®, 3rd Edition
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Wiley Publishing, Inc.
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Copyright © 2011 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana
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About the Author
Rod Powers joined the United States Air Force in 1975 intending to become a spy. He was
devastated to learn that he should’ve joined the CIA instead because the military doesn’t
have that particular enlisted job. Regardless, he fell in love with the military and made it
both a passion and a career, retiring with 23 years of service. Rod spent 11 of those years
as a first sergeant, helping to solve the problems of the enlisted corps.
Since his retirement from the military in 1998, Rod has become a world renowned military
careers expert. Through his highly popular U.S. Military Information Web site on About.com
(http://usmilitary.about.com), Rod has advised thousands of troops about all
aspects of U.S. Armed Forces career information.
Rod is the proud father of twin girls, both of whom enjoy successful careers in the United
States Air Force. Rod currently resides in Daytona Beach, Florida, where he attempts to
prove that there’s no such thing as too much sunshine. Even today, Powers tries to run his
life according to long-lived military ideals and standards, but he gets a bit confused about
why nobody will obey his orders anymore.
Dedication
To Jeanie and Chrissy — because everything is for you. Always.
Author’s Acknowledgments
I want to thank Leigh Richards for reviewing the manuscript for technical accuracy. I would
also like to thank Andrew Ellet, Ph.D., math teacher extraordinaire, for editing the math
chapters and reminding me how to solve for x.
Special thanks goes out to Tracy Boggier, my Acquisitions Editor; Chad R. Sievers, my won-
derful Project Editor; and my top-notch Copy Editor, Danielle Voirol, who dotted my i’s and
crossed my t’s. A big thanks goes to Autumn Lindsey, who was my right-hand assistant with
all the artwork and text revisions and reviews.
Finally, I send more special thanks to the recruiting commands of the United States
Army, Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard for providing invaluable resource
information.
01_637609-ffirs.indd iii01_637609-ffirs.indd iii 10/11/10 12:52 PM10/11/10 12:52 PM
Publisher’s Acknowledgments
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please contact our Customer Care Department within the U.S. at 877-762-2974, outside the U.S. at 317-572-3993, or
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Some of the people who helped bring this book to market include the following:
Acquisitions, Editorial, and Media Development Composition Services
Senior Project Editor: Chad R. Sievers Project Coordinator: Kristie Rees
(Previous Edition: Kristin DeMint) Layout and Graphics: Carrie A. Cesavice,
Joyce Haughey
Acquisitions Editor: Tracy Boggier
Special Art: Autumn Lindsey
Senior Copy Editor: Danielle Voirol
Proofreader: Susan Hobbs
(Previous Edition: Carrie Burchfield)
Indexer: Sherry Massey
Assistant Editor: David Lutton
Special Help
Technical Editors: Leigh Richards,
Kaitlin McGlone
Andrew Ellet, Ph.D.
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Publishing and Editorial for Consumer Dummies
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Kristin Ferguson-Wagstaffe, Product Development Director, Consumer Dummies
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Kelly Regan, Editorial Director, Travel
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Composition Services
Debbie Stailey, Director of Composition Services
01_637609-ffirs.indd iv01_637609-ffirs.indd iv 10/11/10 12:52 PM10/11/10 12:52 PM
Contents at a Glance
Introduction ................................................................................1
Part I: Making Sense of the ASVAB...............................................5
Chapter 1: Putting the ASVAB Under a Microscope ................................................................................7
Chapter 2: Knowing What It Takes to Get Your Dream Job .................................................................17
Chapter 3: Getting Acquainted with Test-Taking and Study Techniques ..........................................23
Part II: Words to Live By: Communication Skills ..........................31
Chapter 4: Word Knowledge.....................................................................................................................33
Chapter 5: Paragraph Comprehension....................................................................................................43
Chapter 6: All’s Well That Tests Well: Communication Practice Questions ......................................55
Part III: Making the Most of Math: Arithmetic Skills ....................63
Chapter 7: Mathematics Knowledge and Operations............................................................................65
Chapter 8: Reasoning with Arithmetic: Math Word Problems .............................................................91
Chapter 9: Brother, Can You Spare an Equation? Arithmetic Practice Questions ............................97
Part IV: The Whole Ball of Facts: Technical Skills ......................105
Chapter 10: General Science ...................................................................................................................107
Chapter 11: Auto and Shop Information ...............................................................................................127
Chapter 12: Mechanical Comprehension ..............................................................................................141
Chapter 13: Electronics Information .....................................................................................................157
Chapter 14: Assembling Objects ............................................................................................................171
Chapter 15: Facing the Facts: Technical Skills Practice Questions ...................................................179
Part V: Practice ASVAB Exams .................................................189
Chapter 16: Practice Exam 1 ...................................................................................................................191
Chapter 17: Practice Exam 1: Answers and Explanations ..................................................................221
Chapter 18: Practice Exam 2 ...................................................................................................................233
Chapter 19: Practice Exam 2: Answers and Explanations ..................................................................265
Chapter 20: Practice Exam 3 ...................................................................................................................277
Chapter 21: Practice Exam 3: Answers and Explanations ..................................................................309
Chapter 22: Practice AFQT Exam ...........................................................................................................321
Chapter 23: Practice AFQT Exam: Answers and Explanations ...........................................................337
Part VI: The Part of Tens ..........................................................343
Chapter 24: Ten Surefire Ways to Fail the ASVAB ...............................................................................345
Chapter 25: Ten Tips for Doing Well on the AFQT ..............................................................................349
Chapter 26: Ten Ways to Boost Your Math and English Skills ..........................................................353
Appendix: Matching ASVAB Scores to Military Jobs ...................357
Index ......................................................................................375
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Table of Contents
Introduction .................................................................................1
About This Book ........................................................................................................................1
Conventions Used in This Book ...............................................................................................2
What You’re Not to Read ..........................................................................................................2
Foolish Assumptions .................................................................................................................2
How This Book Is Organized ....................................................................................................2
Part I: Making Sense of the ASVAB ................................................................................3
Part II: Words to Live By: Communication Skills .........................................................3
Part III: Making the Most of Math: Arithmetic Skills ....................................................3
Part IV: The Whole Ball of Facts: Technical Skills .......................................................3
Part V: Practice ASVAB Exams .......................................................................................3
Part VI: The Part of Tens .................................................................................................3
Appendix ...........................................................................................................................3
Icons Used in This Book ...........................................................................................................4
Where to Go from Here .............................................................................................................4
Part I: Making Sense of the ASVAB ...............................................5
Chapter 1: Putting the ASVAB Under a Microscope ........................................................7
Knowing Which Version You’re Taking ..................................................................................7
Mapping Out the ASVAB Subtests ...........................................................................................8
Deciphering ASVAB Scores ....................................................................................................10
Defining all the scores ...................................................................................................10
Understanding the big four: Your AFQT scores.........................................................12
Do-Over: Retaking the ASVAB ................................................................................................14
U.S. Army retest policy..................................................................................................15
U.S. Air Force retest policy ...........................................................................................15
U.S. Navy retest policy ..................................................................................................15
U.S. Marine Corps retest policy ...................................................................................16
U.S. Coast Guard retest policy .....................................................................................16
Chapter 2: Knowing What It Takes to Get Your Dream Job ..........................................17
Eyeing How ASVAB Scores Determine Military Training Programs and Jobs .................17
Understanding How Each Branch Computes Line Scores ..................................................18
Line scores and the Army .............................................................................................19
Line scores and the Navy and Coast Guard ...............................................................19
Line scores and the Marine Corps ...............................................................................20
Line scores and the Air Force ......................................................................................21
Chapter 3: Getting Acquainted with Test-Taking and Study Techniques ..................23
Taking the Test: Paper or Computerized? ............................................................................23
Writing on hard copy: The advantages and disadvantages
of the paper version ...................................................................................................24
Going paperless: The pros and cons of the computerized test ...............................24
Tackling Multiple-Choice Questions .....................................................................................25
When You Don’t Know an Answer: Guessing Smart ...........................................................27
Studying and Practicing for the ASVAB ................................................................................28
Making Last-Minute Preparations: 24 Hours and Counting ................................................29
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vii
Table of Contents
Part II: Words to Live By: Communication Skills ...........................31
Chapter 4: Word Knowledge ..............................................................................................33
Grasping the Importance of Word Knowledge ....................................................................33
Checking Out the Word Knowledge Question Format ........................................................34
Building Words from Scratch: Strategies to Help You Decipher Word Meanings ..........35
From beginning to end: Knowing prefixes and suffixes ............................................35
Determining the root of the problem ..........................................................................37
Word families: Finding related words .........................................................................38
Ying and Yang: Understanding Synonyms and Antonyms .................................................39
You Are What You Speak: Improving Your Vocabulary, Improving Yourself .................39
Reading your way to a larger vocabulary ...................................................................40
Keeping a list and checking it twice ............................................................................40
Crosswords: Making vocabulary fun ...........................................................................41
Sounding off by sounding it out ...................................................................................41
Chapter 5: Paragraph Comprehension ..............................................................................43
The Importance of Paragraph Comprehension for Military Jobs .....................................43
Eyeing the Physique of the Paragraph Comprehension Subtest .......................................44
Trying the Four Flavors of Comprehension Questions ......................................................44
Treasure hunt: Finding specific information ..............................................................45
Cutting to the chase: Recognizing the main idea .......................................................45
If the shoe fits: Determining word meaning in context .............................................46
Reading between the lines: Understanding implications .........................................46
Do You Get My Point? .............................................................................................................48
What’s the big idea? Determining the main idea in a paragraph .............................48
Extra, extra! Identifying subpoints...............................................................................49
Analyzing What You’ve Read: Guessing at What the Writer Really Means ......................50
Faster than a Speeding Turtle: Tips for Slow Readers ........................................................51
Read more, watch less ..................................................................................................51
Become a lean, mean word machine ...........................................................................51
Build your confidence ...................................................................................................51
Test-Taking Tips for Reading and Gleaning .........................................................................52
Chapter 6: All’s Well That Tests Well: Communication Practice Questions ............55
Word Knowledge Practice Questions ...................................................................................55
Paragraph Comprehension Practice Questions ..................................................................58
Part III: Making the Most of Math: Arithmetic Skills ....................63
Chapter 7: Mathematics Knowledge and Operations ....................................................65
Just When You Thought You Were Done
with Vocab: Math Terminology ..........................................................................................66
Operations: What You Do to Numbers .................................................................................67
First things first: Following the order of operations .................................................67
Completing a number sequence ..................................................................................68
Working on Both Sides of the Line: Fractions ......................................................................69
Common denominators: Preparing to add and subtract fractions .........................70
Multiplying and reducing fractions .............................................................................71
Dividing fractions ...........................................................................................................72
Converting improper fractions to mixed numbers . . . and back again ..................72
Expressing a fraction in other forms: Decimals and percents .................................73
Showing comparisons with ratios ...............................................................................76
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viii
ASVAB For Dummies, 3rd Edition
A Powerful Shorthand: Writing in Scientific Notation ........................................................77
Getting to the Root of the Problem .......................................................................................77
Perfect squares ..............................................................................................................78
Irrational numbers .........................................................................................................78
Other roots .....................................................................................................................78
An Unknown Quantity: Reviewing Algebra ...........................................................................79
Solving for x ....................................................................................................................79
When all things are equal: Keeping an algebra equation balanced .........................79
Explaining exponents in algebra ..................................................................................81
A step back: Factoring algebra expressions to find original numbers....................82
Making alphabet soup: Solving the quadratic equation ...........................................83
All math isn’t created equal: Solving inequalities......................................................84
Looking at Math from a Different Angle: Geometry Review ...............................................84
Outlining angles .............................................................................................................85
Pointing out triangle types ...........................................................................................85
Back to square one: Quadrilaterals .............................................................................86
Going around in circles .................................................................................................87
Filling ’er up: Calculating volume.................................................................................88
Test-Taking Techniques for Your Mathematical Journey ..................................................88
Knowing what the question is asking ..........................................................................88
Figuring out what you’re solving for ...........................................................................89
Solving what you can and guessing the rest ..............................................................89
Using the process of elimination .................................................................................90
Chapter 8: Reasoning with Arithmetic: Math Word Problems .....................................91
Tackling the Real World of Word Problems .........................................................................92
Reading the entire problem ..........................................................................................92
As plain as the nose on a fly: Figuring out what the question is asking .................92
Digging for the facts .......................................................................................................93
Setting up the problem and working your way to the answer .................................93
Reviewing your answer .................................................................................................94
The Guessing Game: Putting Reason in Your Guessing Strategy ......................................95
Using the process of elimination .................................................................................95
Solving what you can and guessing the rest ..............................................................95
Making use of the answer choices ...............................................................................96
Chapter 9: Brother, Can You Spare an Equation?
Arithmetic Practice Questions ..........................................................................................97
Arithmetic Reasoning (Math Word Problems) Practice Questions ..................................97
Math Knowledge Practice Questions ..................................................................................101
Part IV: The Whole Ball of Facts: Technical Skills .......................105
Chapter 10: General Science ............................................................................................107
There’s a Scientific Method to the Madness ......................................................................107
Understanding Forms of Measurement ..............................................................................108
Doing the metric thing ................................................................................................108
Figuring temperature conversions ............................................................................109
Another Day, Another Science: Scientific Disciplines You Should Know .......................110
Uncovering Biology, from Big to Small ...............................................................................111
Relating to your world through ecology ...................................................................112
Categorizing Mother Nature .......................................................................................112
Perusing the human body systems ...........................................................................114
Thinking small: A look at cells....................................................................................115
Swimming in the gene pool: Genetics........................................................................116
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