Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery or ASVAB is a multiple-choice test that was originally established in 1968 by the United States Military Entrance Processing Command to measure qualification of recruits for enlistment in the US Armed Forces. The ASVAB consists of 9 sections and takes 3 hours to accomplish. The test is typically administered in a computerized format at MEPS (Military Entrance Processing Stations) or in written format at MET (Military Entrance Test) sites. 

Depending on each branch of service such as Army, Marines, Coast Guard, Navy, and so on, aspiring candidates are asked to meet some fixed requirements regarding scores and ages. Thus, this paper will focus on the The Coast Guard ASVAB Score. Follow this paper and find useful information you need!

 

1. What Is The United States Coast Guard (USCG)?

coast guard
The United State Coast Guard forces.

The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is one of the eight federal uniformed services of the United States that ensure nautical security , search and rescue, and enforce marine law in both domestic and international waters. The multi-mission maritime force is regarded as the one of the most powerful coast guard in the world.

 

2. What Are Basic Mandatory Requirements For The Coast Guard Enlistment?  

Actually, joining the Coast Guard is more difficult than other military branches because a small quantity of raw recruits is accepted every year. Especially, all candidate must be meet the tough and strict enrollment requirements listed below to eligible for Coast Guard enlistment: 

coast guard asvab requirements
All candidates have to meet some coast guard ASVAB requirements.
  • Be between 17 and 39 years old. It should be noted that  17-year-old candidates need parental consent.
  • Be a U.S. citizen or legal, permanent resident.
  • Hold a high school diploma, GED with at least 15 college credits, or GED.
  • Take and pass the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB). 
  • Pass a Military Entrance Processing Station medical exam.
  • Don’t have any debt.
  • Pass a physical fitness test.
  • Have a willingness to serve on or around the water.

If you meet all of the requirements above, you are eligible to enter the Coast Guard Academy. 

 

3. What Is The ASVAB Test? 

The ASVAB – The Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery – is used to determine individuals’ qualification for enlistment and their type of military career through a battery of subtests including:  

  • Arithmetic Reasoning (AR)
  • Assembling Objects (AO)
  • Auto Information (AI)
  • General Science (GS)
  • Electronics Information (EI)
  • Mathematics Knowledge (MK)
  • Mechanical Comprehension (MC)
  • Paragraph Comprehension (PC)
  • Shop Information (SI)
  • Word Knowledge (WK)

 

4. What Is The Minimum Required Coast Guard ASVAB Scores? 

Compared to other military branches like the Navy, National Guard, and so on, the minimum Army Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) score is higher. Candidates are expected to earn an AFQT (Armed Forces Qualification Test) score of 40 or more if you are a high school diploma holder. If you have a high school equivalency credential such as GED, HiSet, TASC, the minimum AFQT score is 50. 

Like other branches, the highest achievable ASVAB test score is 99, which would place you in the 99th percentile. Furthermore, the ideal ASVAB score to join the Coast Guard might be 80th percentile. It’s important to take note that the Coast Guard offers an advanced enlistment rank of E-2 for 30 college-level credits, and E-3 for beyond 60 credits.

*Take note: Your AFQT score is a total score you get on your Arithmetic Reasoning (AR), Mathematics Knowledge (MK), Paragraph Comprehension (PC), and Word Knowledge (WK) subtests. It is calculated by a formula: AFQT score= AR + MK + 2x(PC + WK). After that your AFQT score is transformed into a percentile as AFQT Range by comparing it to scores from the representative sample group and is then categorized as follows:

AFQT Range

Category 

93 – 99

I 

65 – 92

II

50 – 64

III A 

31 – 49

III B 

21 – 30

IV A 

16 – 20

IV B 

10 – 15

IV C

1 – 9

V

However, bear in mind as I mentioned above passing the ASVAB exam is one of the admission requirements. Therefore, the minimum ASVAB score isn’t enough to guarantee your acceptance to the Coast Guard and make you stand out among other applicants. Let’s fulfill all of the compulsory admission requirements and get higher scores on the ASVAB 

Read more information about: GED Score

 

5. The Coast Guard ASVAB Scores And Coast Guard Jobs

Let’s see our following table to take an insight into the ASVAB score required for specific Coast Guard Jobs: 

COAST GUARD JOBS 

MINIMUM ASVAB SCORES

SCORING FORMULAS 

Aviation Maintenance Technician 

213 (Minimum AR of 52)

AR+MC+AS+EI

Aviation Survival Technician 

162 (Minimum AFQT score of 65)

VE+MC+AS 

Avionics Technician 

171 (Minimum AR of 52)

MK+EI+GS

Boatswain’s Mate 

101

VE+AR

Damage Controlman 

210

VE+MC+AS

Electrician’s Mate

152 (Minimum AR of 52)

MK+EI+GS

Electronics Technician 

171 (Minimum AR of 52) or AFQT of 66

MK+EI+GS

Food Service Specialist 

106

VE+AR

Health Services Technician 

154

VE+MK+GS

Gunner’s Mate 

208

AR+MK+EI+GS

Information Systems Technician 

171 (Minimum AR 52)

MK + EI + GS

Marine Science Technician 

115 (Minimum MK of 58)

VE+AR

Machinery Technician 

150 or VE+AR of 106

AR+MC+AS

Public Affairs Specialist 

110 (Minimum VE of 60)

VE+AR 

Port Security Specialist 

101

VE+AR

Storekeeper 

106 (Minimum VE of 52)

VE+AR

Yeoman 

106 and NO+CS of 101

VE+AR

*Take note: The data outlined above can vary due to up-to-date policies or military jobs you want to enlist. Thus, it  is only an example of how ASVAB scores are related to job selection for the Coast Guard and you should try your best to get higher scores than above data to guarantee your military position. 

 

To sum up, our blog has provided you with all of the information related to Coast Guard ASVAB Scores. If you are preparing for ASVAB to enlist in the Coast Guard services, let’s take our ASVAB Practice Test.