How do ASVAB scores affect access to military jobs?

I'm prepping for the ASVAB and curious about how my scores could impact the types of jobs available to me in the military. Are certain scores required for more specialized positions?

Your ASVAB scores will indeed play a significant role in determining the jobs or Military Occupational Specialties (MOS) you can pursue in the military. The test is designed to measure your aptitude in several areas such as Arithmetic Reasoning, Word Knowledge, Paragraph Comprehension, and Mathematics Knowledge, and these scores are combined to create composite scores.

For instance, the Army and the Marine Corps use Line Scores, grouped into various categories like clerical or mechanical maintenance, while the Navy, Air Force, and Coast Guard look at composite scores known as Qualification Scores. These scores are combined in different ways, depending on the branch of the military, to determine aptitude for specific roles.

Therefore, higher scores in certain areas would open up opportunities in more specialized positions. For instance, to work in an electronics-related job in the Navy, you might be required to achieve a certain Electronics (EL) score, which is computed based on your Arithmetic Reasoning (AR), Mathematics Knowledge (MK), Electronics Information (EI), and General Science (GS) scores.

While it's important to study and perform well across all areas of the ASVAB, you might want to focus on particular subjects, depending on the type of military career you're interested in. Researching the required scores for the jobs you're considering can help you create a targeted study plan.