The Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) is required for all of those who intend to enlist in the United States armed forces such as The Army, The National Guard, Navy, Coast Guard, Air Force, or Marine Corps. 

The General Science (GS) Test – a subtest of the ASVAB – gauges your understanding of a wide variety of topics consisting of Life Science, Earth Science, Space Science and Physical Science and the ability to solve basic science problems. Hence, to ace this test, you need to arm yourself with a broad knowledge of Biology, Geology, Meteorology, Astronomy, Chemistry, and Physics.

Let’s read thoroughly our article to get to know more about ASVAB General Science Study Guide.

 

1. How much time is required to complete the ASVAB General Science Test? 

 

The general science test will be accomplished fairly quickly. Depending on what kind of test delivery method you register, the amount of allotted time will be allowed to answer all of the questions: 

  • The CAT – ASVAB: You will have 8 minutes to answer 16 questions
  • The Paper and Pencil – ASVAB: You will have 11 minutes to finish 25 questions. 

When you take the real General Science subtest of the ASVAB, make sure you work on your memory, recall in preparation for this section and keep well track of time.

 

2. What subjects are covered on the ASVAB General Science Test? 

 

Typically,  varied fields of science will be included on the ASVAB General Science Test as follows: 

  • Life science
  • Earth science
  • Space science
  • Physical science

It should be noted, to some extent, the test difficulty level will be no higher than high school level science classes so if you achieve a high school diploma or GED certificate, you might encounter most of these scientific fields. Bear in mind that instead of spending too much time on each of the aforementioned fields, you only need to arm yourself with fundamental understanding and knowledge of them. Don’t panic because we will categorize each scientific branch in further detail.  

Learn more >> ASVAB Auto And Shop Information Study Guide 

 

3. What score is needed to pass the ASVAB General Science Test

 

Although there is no fixed minimum score asked and the result of the General Science test is not used to count toward the AFQT (Armed Forces Qualifying Tests), you should perform well so as to achieve a good mark on this subtest to definitely qualify for some science-related jobs. 

Ask your recruiter for some advice involving the minimum ASVAB General Science score you should aim for on this test according to your personal career ambitions. Unless you have a specific field in mind right now, you should still well prepare for this subtest and there is no need to worry about the minimum score at all. 

Learn more >> ASVAB Electronics Information Study Guide

 

4. What are basic scientific concepts included? 

 

Typically, we find there are 4 scientific fields always tested on the ASVAB General Science Exam. Hence, we synthesize and tabulate them in our study guideline below indicating the focus points that you should take in account to boost your score on the GS Actual Test. Let’s check it and take time to study each branch seriously afterwards.

general-science-asvab
There are 4 scientific fields always tested on the ASVAB General Science Exam.
Scientific Branches Topics Testing – focused points
I. Life Science
  • Health and Nutrition
  • Macronutrients (Carbohydrates, Lipids, Protein)
  • Micronutrients (Vitamins, Minerals)
  • Water
  • Fiber
  • Nutrition – related diseases ( Diabetes, Hypertension, Scurvy, and Iron deficiency anemia)
  • The Human Body
  • Human anatomy
  • Skeleton and muscles (skeletal and muscular system) 
  • Respiration (Oxygen, carbon dioxide, water vapor, nose, nasal cavity, Pharynx, Epiglottis, Trachea, Bronchi,Lungs, Bronchioles, Alveolus, Capillaries, Diaphragm) 
  • Blood and Circulation
  • Blood types (A, B, AB, and O) 
  • Heart Disease
  • Digestion and Excretion (bile, liver, Pancreas, Pepsin, Gastric Acids, Salivary Amylase, etc.) 
  • The Nervous System 
  • Reproduction (sexual and asexual reproduction) 
  • Genetics
  • Gregor Mendel
  • Gametes
  • Diploid
  • Haploid
  • Genetic Code
  • Nucleotides
  • Double Helix
  • Cells 
  • Cell Respiration
  • Cell Division
  • Ecology
  • Biosphere
  • Biome
  • Ecosystem
  • Community
  • Population
  • Ecology Classification (producers, decomposers, Scavengers, Consumers) 
  • Consumer Hierarchy and a Food Web
  • Living Thing Classification
  • Domains (Eukaryota, Bacteria and Archaea)
  • Kingdoms
  • Phyla
  • Classes
  • Orders
  • Families
  • Genera
  • Species
II. Earth Science
  • Geology
  • Mineral Formations
  • Natural formations (rock, mountains, plains, plateaus, and canyons)
  • Seismic Shifts
  • Earth Structure
  • Inner Core
  • Outer Core
  • Mantle
  • Crust
  • Plates
  • The process of plates formation
  • Volcanoes
  • Earthquakes 
  • Rocks
  • Igneous rock
  • Sedimentary rock
  • Metamorphic rock.
  • Cycles
  • The atmospheric cycle
  • Carbon cycle
  • Nitrogen cycle
  • Rock cycle
  • Water cycle 
III. Space Science 
  • Meteorology
  • Air temperature
  • Wind speed
  • Air pressure
  • Humidity
  • Astronomy and the Solar System
  • Solar system (stars, moons, planets)
  • Effects of the Earth’s Position (Lunar eclipse, Solar eclipse) 
IV. Physical Science
  • Measurement
  • Time (seconds)
  • Distance (meters)
  • Weight (kilograms)
  • Force (newtons)
  • Charge (coulombs)
  • Measuring Instruments (rulers, microscopes, and thermometer)
  • Physics
  • Mass and Weight
  • Motion (Velocity, Displacement)
  • Energy
  • Forces
  • Newton’s Laws of Motion
  • Sound
  • Electromagnetic Ideas
  • Optics
  • Heat (Thermodynamics, Methods of Heat Transfer) 
  • Magnetism
  • Chemistry
  • The Periodic Table
  • Atomic Structure
  • Compounds
  • Acids and Bases
  • Physical Change (Solid, Liquid, Gas, Plasma)
  • Chemical Change

Based on the learning guideline tabulated above, you will identify what you should learn right now instead of being bombarded by a lot of information and don’t know how to begin with. Please read it carefully so as not to miss out any important information!

 

5. What is the best ASVAB General Science study guide? 

 

how to study for general science asvab
Follow our best ASVAB General Science Study Guide to get high scores!

 

5.1. Review and Recall your already learned knowledge 

 

Although the ASVAB General Science questions are designed based on what you have learned in high school subjects like Biology and Physics, scientific knowledge is easy to forget unless you use them on a regular basis in your job. Therefore, you will benefit from reviewing these subjects and learning core concepts you might encounter on this test.

 

5.2. Grasp the fundamental scientific concepts 

 

Bear in mind that you had better learn only basic knowledge of each scientific field to prepare for the real test instead of studying in-depth or complicated concepts in various branches of science.

 

5.3. Take practice test

 

It is common that if you practice as much as possible, you can get well-prepared for the actual test and perfect your understanding. Thus, take our practice test, in which a series of up-to-date questions represent the main concepts to become familiar with the testing format right now. 

In conclusion, you will almost arm yourself with basic scientific knowledge and may choose the correct answer if you follow our ASVAB General Science Study Guide. What’s more, start to take our ASVAB General Science Practice Test in order to earn the ASVAB score you need.