AFQT Predictor Test (APT): What the ASVAB Pre-Test Is and How It's Used

What the APT is

The official ASVAB site describes the AFQT Predictor Test (APT) as a test that helps predict the AFQT score you'd get if you took the ASVAB. It isn't the ASVAB itself. According to that page:

• It covers only the four subtests used to compute the AFQT: Arithmetic Reasoning, Mathematics Knowledge, Word Knowledge, and Paragraph Comprehension.
• It has 20 items in total and generally takes 20 to 30 minutes.
• It's adaptive, like the computer ASVAB: items are chosen to match your ability level.
• It's unproctored and online, so you can take it anywhere with an internet connection.

Other official pages mention short pre-tests without naming the APT, so they may or may not mean it. The official FAQ mentions "a short pre-screening test" that some recruiters use to estimate how you'd do on the AFQT portion. GoArmy suggests requesting "the pre-ASVAB test," and the Coast Guard's get-started page says a practice test can predict how you'll score. The testing program's CAT-ASVAB page names the APT as an example of a screening test. If your recruiter offers a short online test before scheduling the ASVAB, ask whether it's the APT.

APT, PiCAT, and the proctored ASVAB side by side

The table draws on the official APT, PiCAT, and What to Expect pages. The PiCAT guide covers the at-home ASVAB and its verification test in detail.

How to take the APT

1. Get the code from a recruiter. The official page says it expires 30 days after it's issued.
2. Start only when you can finish. Once you begin, you have 48 hours to complete it, though the test itself usually takes 20 to 30 minutes.
3. Use a supported device. The page lists Microsoft Edge, Google Chrome, Apple Safari, Firefox, and Samsung Internet. It recommends a screen at least 7 inches diagonally and says tablets such as an iPad, Samsung Galaxy, or Microsoft Surface are permissible.
4. Set up the way the testing program asks. Its tips are meant to make the prediction more accurate: get plenty of rest, use stable high-speed internet, test somewhere quiet and free of interruptions, try to finish without stopping, and keep scratch paper and a pencil or pen nearby.
5. Take it alone. The page says to take it without any assistance: no asking someone for help, no looking up or posting information online, and no calculator.

What your recruiter does with the score

You receive a single score, but you can't see it. The official page says only the recruiter who registered you can view it, and that it serves as a prediction of your AFQT on the full-length ASVAB.

It also says the prediction isn't certain: the APT is described as well designed and reliable, but there will likely be random errors in predictions like these. What follows depends on the result:

• If the APT suggests you may be eligible, the recruiter can schedule you for the ASVAB at a Military Entrance Processing Station (MEPS) or Military Entrance Test (MET) site, or give you a code for the at-home PiCAT.
• If it doesn't, the official FAQ says a recruiter may decide, based on pre-screening results, not to spend time and resources sending you for full ASVAB testing. The FAQ adds that the only way to know for sure is to ask your recruiter.

An APT score isn't an AFQT, a subtest standard score, or a line score. The scores guide explains what those official numbers mean.

Does the APT count as an ASVAB attempt?

Read together, the official pages suggest it doesn't:

• The APT page says there's no limit to the number of times you can take the APT. The retest policy, by contrast, sets waits between ASVAB tests: one calendar month, another month, then six months.
• The same APT page lists the PiCAT as a possible next step after the APT, and the PiCAT is available only to people who have never taken the ASVAB.

Neither page spells out how an APT is recorded, so confirm with your recruiter before you plan dates around it. A school ASVAB is a different case: the retest policy says its waits apply whether your first test was a student test or an enlistment test. The retake guide has the details.

How to prepare for a 20-item APT

The APT uses only the four AFQT subtests, so they're the whole job:

• Arithmetic Reasoning: word problems, worked by hand (word problems guide)
• Mathematics Knowledge: algebra, geometry, and number rules (math guide)
• Word Knowledge: synonyms and words in context (vocabulary guide)
• Paragraph Comprehension: finding what a passage actually says (reading guide)

With only 20 items, each one carries weight. Because the code expires 30 days after it's issued, a practical approach is to study first and ask for the code when you're ready. You can warm up on all four AFQT tests in full ASVAB prep, where every answer has an explanation.

Practice without a calculator, since the APT page tells you not to use one. The free ASVAB practice questions give you a quick first read. A count out of 20 on that set isn't an AFQT, and neither is an APT score.

Take the APT itself on your own, too. The testing program says its tips make the APT a more accurate predictor of your AFQT, and the score that counts later comes from a proctored test at a MEPS or MET site, or from a PiCAT verified there.

If one subject keeps lagging, let full ASVAB prep track your accuracy test by test, the AFQT tests included, and name the one to work on next.

What to ask before you start the APT

• Is this the AFQT Predictor Test, or a different screening test?
• On what date does my access code expire?
• What result would lead you to schedule the ASVAB or issue a PiCAT code?
• If I go on to test, will it be at a MEPS, a MET site, or through the PiCAT?
• Which AFQT minimum and which job composite should I aim for?

Then plan the weeks before you ask for the code with the free ASVAB study planner. For a last check under a clock before the real ASVAB, time yourself on a 40-question mock exam in full ASVAB prep, and read the test-taking strategies guide for the guessing and pacing rules of the timed computer test.