Military & ASVAB Testing

Military & ASVAB Testing

For those of you interested in exploring military options, your CCN can help. Many of the same trades and career programs you are studying here at Poolesville are also available as career options in the military. Come to the College & Career Center to start exploring.

Military Links

www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/.../militarycareers - MCPS website with information about the military.

www.todaysmilitary.com/ 

• This site provides general information about serving in the military in general and each of the specific branches of the Armed Services. Explore & learn more about military careers. Useful information about eligibility requirements, the ASVAB test, enlisting in the military, and questions to ask a recruiter can be found at TODAYSMILITARY.COM under the JOINING & ELIGIBILITY tab.

www.careersinthemilitary.com

• Choosing GUIDED EXPLORATION, will provide students the opportunity to explore the types of military careers that match their career interest profile (RAISEC). Choosing ADVANCED SEARCH allows students to search military careers that match their aptitude strength (Math, Verbal, Science/Technology).

U.S. Military Academy Appointments - Contact your senator or congressperson during your junior year for application procedures to obtain a nomination. Required: letters of recommendation, a high school transcript through the 11th grade, and SAT I scores, preferably from the spring of your junior year. Click below to learn more about U.S. Military Academies.

• https://www.todaysmilitary.com/education-training/military-schools

U.S. Service Academy Summer Programs for Juniors

Juniors who have an interest in learning about opportunities to attend a U.S. Service Academy for college are encouraged to apply to participate in a summer program. Each Academy’s summer program provides a week-long immersion into the academic, military, and social life of that Academy.  The Academies are ranked among the top undergraduate public universities in the country. The U.S. Naval Academy also offers a Summer STEM Program for rising 9th-11th graders. 

What Is The ASVAB?

Your decision to enter college, technical school, vocational school, military service or the work world is a very important one. To help you make this decision, the ASVAB (Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery) Career Exploration Program provides you with more than just a simple test.

The ASVAB is a multi-aptitude test battery. It helps you identify your different skills and competencies. ASVAB scores allow you to compare your test performance to that of other students at your grade level. It consists of eight short individual tests covering General Science, Math Reasoning, Word Knowledge, Paragraph Comprehension, Math Knowledge, Electronics Information, Auto and Shop Information and Mechanical Comprehension. Not only do you receive scores on each of these individual tests, you also receive career exploration scores. These scores are the results of individual tests combined to yield three career exploration scores: Verbal Skills, Math Skills, and Science and Technical Skills.

How well you score matters as it provides a picture of your current knowledge and skills. A comparison will be made from your scores and the educational or job requirements for occupations of interest to you. Your scores can qualify you for certain jobs and training in the Armed Forces. No one “passes” or “fails” the ASVAB. You receive results that allow you to compare your scores to other students at your grade level. This is helpful information when exploring careers. Your scores will determine whether you qualify for different training opportunities within the military service also.

In measuring aptitude, this means a capability that you have developed through experience or education indicating your current readiness to become proficient in a particular type of activity, given the opportunity to do so. It could mean in reference to your capacity to learn a particular type of work, or your potential for general training. The ASVAB measures aptitudes that are related to success in different kinds of jobs.

Although the ASVAB is a requirement for entrance into the military, any students in grades 10-12 can take it for career identification purposes without obligation to the armed services. ASVAB results are released only to the student and not to the armed services. Should a student wish to use their ASVAB results as part of an enlistment conversation with a military recruiter, they must provide scores themselves.

Click to learn more:  www.officialasvab.com (official site with more information)

Who should take the ASVAB & How Can the Results Be Used? 

Any student who takes the ASVAB will use their test results when completing the online exercises in Exploring Careers: The ASVAB Career Exploration Guide. All students who test will receive a link to the Guide, along with other resources, which have a series of activities that will enable them to match interests and skills with over 400 civilian and military occupations. Students also use online resources such as The Occupational Outlook Handbook and Military Careers for job descriptions. 

College bound students, either 2 or 4 year, technical school students and those planning on becoming commissioned officers or entering the Reserves or National Guard all benefit from taking the ASVAB. The ASVAB Career Exploration Program provides Math, Verbal and Science and Technical career exploration scores which can help gauge readiness for college. These scores can help better identify academic strengths and weaknesses. This helps the college bound student improve before starting on a college search. The Interest-Finder results reveal career-related interests, which help in choosing possible course study and major course selections.

ASVAB results are released only to the student and not to the armed services. Should a student wish to use their ASVAB results as part of an enlistment conversation with a military recruiter, they must provide scores themselves. Juniors and seniors can use their ASVAB scores for military enlistment for up to 2 years after taking the test.