The Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) is a test designed to help determine student’s strengths and find out where they would be most likely to succeed in the United States military.

Central originally planned to have students take the ASVAB on January 29. However, due to the status of online classes, the test was postponed to a later date. It is not clear whether the test will be able to be rescheduled during this school year, and this poses several problems for Central’s JROTC students who have yet to take the test.

“The ASVAB is timed and takes about [three and a half] hours to complete. It’s a good idea to practice in advance, to get familiar with the process and to find any areas you might need to improve before you take the real exam.” explained Major Spencer, one of Central’s JROTC-Army instructors.

Most students take the test for the first time during their sophomore year, but students usually take it multiple time during their junior and senior years in order to improve as much as they can.

The test measures the taker’s knowledge in eight areas: general science (which covers life, earth, space and physical sciences), arithmetic reasoning (the ability to solve basic math and word problems), word knowledge (the ability to grasp the meaning of words through synonyms), paragraph comprehension (the ability to understand written material), mathematics (which covers basic math concepts and applications), electronics (which covers electrical current, circuits, devices and electronic systems), auto and shop (covers car maintenance and repair, and wood and metal shop), mechanical (covers the principles of mechanical devices, structural support, and properties of materials).

“I personally don’t see why they canceled it; I feel like the ASVAB getting cancelled made the standards for the military very low, like anyone could just walk right in. Personally, I think the people who serve our country should be provided a way to prove that they at least know a little about what they are doing.” expressed sophomore JROTC student Tyson Dean when asked how he felt about the test being postponed.

Those looking to take the ASVAB can take the test at school, at one of the 14,000 Military Entrance Testing Stations (METS), or at a Military Entrance Processing Station (MEPS). If students are unable to take the ASVAB through Central, students can contact an area military recruiter to get potential dates to take the test outside of school.