Enlistees take the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) to assess their mental capabilities and determine what kind of military jobs and training they will receive from the United States Armed Forces. Arithmetic Reasoning and Mathematics Knowledge are the two ASVAB math subtests. The Arithmetic Reasoning test asks you to solve real-world problems while also testing your reading comprehension. The Mathematics Knowledge test assesses your ability to answer basic math questions.
To do well on the ASVAB math test, you should find a quiet place to study and stick to a regular study schedule that allows you to prepare adequately. Then, look for study guides and online practice tests that focus on the ASVAB’s math sections. Reward yourself for completing sections of the study guide and sticking to your study schedule. To avoid interruptions and distractions, let friends and family know when you’ll be studying.
When taking practice tests, instead of focusing on getting the right answer every time, take note of the types of questions that appear most frequently, the skills that are being tested, and how the questions are phrased. Allow plenty of time to concentrate on your weak areas, which can be identified taking practice tests and analyzing your results. Games that require quick and logical thinking can also be beneficial. Learn to skip over the questions that stump you the most and return to them as time allows.
When taking the ASVAB math test, carefully read each question and possible answer, eliminating the obvious wrong answers first. Keep in mind that your grade is determined the number of correct answers you provide. Wrong answers do not affect your score, so try to answer all of the questions. When solving math word problems, learn to ignore the irrelevant details and words and concentrate on the information needed to solve the problem. When solving difficult equations, try plugging in all of the possible answers to find the correct one.
ASVAB math tests will benefit you if you have a number of specific math skills. Concentrate on memorizing the steps required to solve specific problems. When solving multi-step problems, start with the parentheses and then move on to the exponents. The following steps are multiplication and division, followed addition and subtraction. “Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally,” for example, is a simple mnemonic device that uses the first letter of each word to represent the operations in order: Parentheses, Exponents, Multiplication, Division, Addition, and Subtraction.
There are a few more pointers to help you prepare for the ASVAB math exam. It is critical to memorize the most common math formulas. The area, perimeter, and diagonal of squares and rectangles should all be calculated. Formulas for determining the diameter, circumference, area, and volume of various objects and geometric shapes are also important to remember.