AFQT practice test: free questions for the four subtests that count
Your AFQT score comes from only four ASVAB subtests: Arithmetic Reasoning, Word Knowledge, Paragraph Comprehension and Mathematics Knowledge. This free practice test has 38 original questions in exactly those four, with answers and explanations, an optional timer at the real ASVAB pace, and results that show which subtest to study first.
We wrote every question ourselves. The test format, timing and scoring facts on this page come from the official ASVAB program at officialasvab.com, checked November 12, 2026.
AFQT practice questions: AR, WK, PC and MK
The set follows the order of the computer ASVAB: 10 Arithmetic Reasoning, 11 Word Knowledge, 7 Paragraph Comprehension (three short passages) and 10 Mathematics Knowledge questions. Work untimed first if you're just starting. Timed mode gives each subtest the same time per question as the real test, about 83 minutes for the whole set. Use scratch paper and no calculator.
AFQT practice test: 38 questions in the four AFQT subtests
Choose an answer to check it. As on the computer ASVAB, you can't change an answer once you pick it. Timed mode gives each subtest a clock at the real CAT-ASVAB pace; start it when you're ready for that subtest. Every answer and explanation is also under the question.
Arithmetic Reasoning (AR): 10 questions
Word problems. Use scratch paper and work each one by hand.
Word Knowledge (WK): 11 questions
Choose the word or phrase closest in meaning to the word in the question.
Paragraph Comprehension (PC): 7 questions
Read the passage, then answer from what it says.
Questions 22 to 24 are based on this passage
Breaking in new boots
Before a long road march, soldiers are often told to break in new boots over several weeks rather than wearing them for the first time on the march. New leather is stiff, and it rubs against the heel and toes until it softens and takes the shape of the foot. Blisters that form early in a march can force a soldier to slow down or drop out, and they can become infected if they are not cleaned and covered. Wearing the boots for short periods at first, and gradually lengthening the time, lets the leather soften without causing serious injury.
Questions 25 to 26 are based on this passage
The library roof
A town council voted to install solar panels on the roof of its public library. Supporters pointed out that the panels would cut the library's electricity bill by about a third. Critics did not dispute the savings, but they argued that the roof was more than twenty years old and would need replacing within a few years, which would mean removing and reinstalling the panels at extra cost. The council postponed the project until the roof could be replaced.
Questions 27 to 28 are based on this passage
Memo to all shift supervisors
Starting March 1, requests for time off must be submitted through the online scheduling system at least 14 days before the date requested. Paper forms will no longer be accepted. Requests for emergency leave are not covered by this rule and should still be made directly to a supervisor by phone. Supervisors must approve or deny each online request within three business days.
Mathematics Knowledge (MK): 10 questions
Algebra, geometry and number facts. Work each one by hand.
Your results and where your AFQT points come from
Answer questions above and your results appear here by subtest, next to the weight each subtest carries in the AFQT formula.
Last verified against officialasvab.com (What to Expect, Understanding ASVAB Scores, the ASVAB Fact Sheet, applicant FAQs and the 1997 score scale report): November 12, 2026. All 38 questions and passages are original and written by Test Ninjas.
Keep practicing the AFQT subtests A free Test Ninjas account gives you more ASVAB practice with an explanation for every answer.
The Armed Forces Qualification Test (AFQT) is not a separate exam. It is a score computed from four of the ASVAB's subtests and reported as a percentile from 1 to 99, and it's used to decide whether you can enlist in the Army, Navy, Air Force or Marine Corps (ASVAB Fact Sheet).
Three points trip people up:
It's a percentile, not a percent correct. An AFQT of 62 means you scored as well as or better than 62% of a national sample of 18 to 23 year olds who took the ASVAB in a 1997 norming study. It doesn't mean you answered 62% of the questions right, and it doesn't compare you with the people who tested on the same day.
It doesn't use all ten subtests. Science, electronics, auto, shop, mechanical and assembling objects scores don't enter the AFQT. They matter for which jobs you qualify for, through the services' line scores, but not for the AFQT itself.
It's built from standard scores. The official scores page says the AFQT is computed from the standard scores of the four subtests. On the computer ASVAB, which adapts to your answers, a standard score depends on which questions you got as well as how many you answered correctly.
Your percent correct on this page is not an AFQT score. No practice percentage converts reliably to an AFQT percentile. Use the results to decide what to study. If you already have standard scores from an official ASVAB, our AFQT score calculator converts them to a percentile.
The AFQT is the same score whichever branch you join; the minimum each service accepts is set by the service and changes over time. See ASVAB scores by branch for how those minimums work, and confirm the current number with a recruiter.
Which ASVAB subtests count toward the AFQT?
Four subtests count: Arithmetic Reasoning (AR), Word Knowledge (WK), Paragraph Comprehension (PC) and Mathematics Knowledge (MK). Two are math and two are verbal:
Arithmetic Reasoning: word problems. Rates, percents, ratios, averages, work problems, simple interest. The arithmetic itself is usually simple; the work is turning the words into the right steps.
Word Knowledge: vocabulary. Pick the word closest in meaning, either on its own or used in a sentence.
Paragraph Comprehension: short passages followed by questions on the main idea, details, inferences and word meaning in context.
Mathematics Knowledge: math facts and skills without the story. Algebra, exponents, roots, factoring, angles, area, the Pythagorean theorem.
Why verbal counts double in the AFQT
The AFQT composite is AR + MK + 2 × VE, where VE (Verbal Expression) is a combination of your Word Knowledge and Paragraph Comprehension standard scores (1997 ASVAB score scale report). Because VE is doubled, the verbal side carries half the formula and AR and MK a quarter each. The composite is then converted to the 1 to 99 percentile with an official table.
VE is not simply WK plus PC. On the current score scale, Paragraph Comprehension carries about 0.62 of Word Knowledge's weight inside VE. Work the formula through and you get the weight each subtest's standard score has in the composite:
Derived from the AFQT composite and VE definition in the 1997 score scale report, using the same VE weights as our AFQT calculator. The two verbal weights add to more than 2 because WK and PC are restandardized together.
Subtest
How it enters
Weight per standard-score point
Share of the weights
Arithmetic Reasoning (AR)
Added once
1.00
24%
Word Knowledge (WK)
Through VE, which is doubled
1.31
32%
Paragraph Comprehension (PC)
Through VE, which is doubled
0.81
20%
Mathematics Knowledge (MK)
Added once
1.00
24%
So, point for point on the standard-score scale, a Word Knowledge gain moves the composite about 1.3 times as much as the same gain in Arithmetic Reasoning or Mathematics Knowledge, and a Paragraph Comprehension gain about 0.8 times as much. That's why many people find vocabulary a good place to put study hours. It isn't a rule, though: a point is easier to gain in a subtest where you're weak, so the readout under the practice set combines the weights with your own misses to suggest where to start. Our guide to how the AFQT is calculated walks through a full worked example.
How much time you get per AFQT question
On the computer ASVAB (CAT-ASVAB), Word Knowledge is the fast one, about 36 seconds a question, while Arithmetic Reasoning allows about 3 minutes 40 seconds a question (What to Expect). Here are the official limits for the scored questions:
Source: officialasvab.com, What to Expect, checked November 12, 2026. Limits without tryout questions; each test taker gets unscored tryout questions, with longer limits, in 2 to 4 subtests.
Subtest
Scored questions
Time limit
Per question
Arithmetic Reasoning (AR)
15
55 min
3 minutes 40 seconds
Word Knowledge (WK)
15
9 min
36 seconds
Paragraph Comprehension (PC)
10
27 min
2 minutes 42 seconds
Mathematics Knowledge (MK)
15
31 min
2 minutes 4 seconds
Timed mode above applies those per-question averages to this set:
Clock = questions in this set × the official seconds per question, rounded to the second.
Subtest
Questions in this set
Timed-mode clock
Arithmetic Reasoning (AR)
10
36:40
Word Knowledge (WK)
11
6:36
Paragraph Comprehension (PC)
7
18:54
Mathematics Knowledge (MK)
10
20:40
Total
38
82:50
Two rules of the computer test shape your pacing. You can't review or change an answer once you submit it, and the fact sheet says the CAT-ASVAB has a penalty for guessing, so if time is running out, keep answering as well as you can instead of clicking at random. On the paper test you may review answers within a subtest, and there's no penalty for guessing (ASVAB Fact Sheet). Most people finish the computer test before the limits run out; see how long the ASVAB takes for the whole day.
How to study for each AFQT subtest
Study the four subtests differently: drill word problems for AR, build vocabulary daily for WK, practice finding evidence for PC, and review rules and formulas for MK.
Arithmetic Reasoning
Most AR misses are setup errors, not arithmetic errors. Before calculating, write what the question asks for and its unit. Learn the handful of patterns that repeat: totals for averages (question 4: work with sums, not the averages), combined rates for work problems (question 8: add the fractions of the job per hour), and percent of the remainder (question 10 asks for men, not women). With nearly four minutes per question, you have time to check an answer against the question. Our Arithmetic Reasoning guide has more worked problems.
Word Knowledge
WK rewards steady vocabulary work over weeks, not cramming. Learn 10 to 15 words a day, say each in a sentence of your own, and review old words every few days. Watch for traps that look or sound like the target word: candid and candied, or reluctant (unwilling) versus unable. In context questions such as 4, 7 and 11, the sentence often hints at the meaning. At about 36 seconds a question, you either know the word or make a quick best choice. See our Word Knowledge guide and ASVAB vocabulary list.
Paragraph Comprehension
Answer from the passage, not from what you know or assume. For each question, find the sentence that supports your choice. The common wrong answers say more than the passage does (question 5: postponing a project is not rejecting it) or come from the wrong part of the text (question 6: the 14-day rule doesn't apply to emergencies). Main-idea questions want the point every sentence supports, not one detail. More practice is in our Paragraph Comprehension guide.
Mathematics Knowledge
MK is the most learnable subtest because it tests a fixed set of rules. Make a one-page sheet of what you keep forgetting: exponent rules (question 3 adds exponents), the order of operations with negatives (question 9: square −2 before multiplying), area and circumference of a circle, angle facts and the Pythagorean theorem. Re-solve every miss from scratch a day later. Our Mathematics Knowledge guide and ASVAB math formulas cover the rest.
You can retake the ASVAB one calendar month after your first test and again one calendar month after that; after a second retest, you must wait six calendar months (applicant FAQs). Scores can be used for enlistment for up to two years from the date of testing. Talk to your recruiter about which result will be used and how a retest is scheduled; our ASVAB retake guide covers the details. Use the wait to work on your weakest AFQT subtest, and check your progress with fresh questions rather than ones you've already seen.
Frequently asked questions
No. There is only one exam, the ASVAB. Your scores on four of its subtests, Arithmetic Reasoning, Word Knowledge, Paragraph Comprehension and Mathematics Knowledge, are combined into the Armed Forces Qualification Test (AFQT) score. You can't sign up for the AFQT on its own; you take the full ASVAB and the AFQT is computed from part of it.
No. Test Ninjas wrote every question and passage on this page to match the style and content of the four AFQT subtests. None is copied from an official ASVAB. The official ASVAB program publishes its own sample questions on officialasvab.com.
No. A percent correct on a practice set is not an AFQT percentile. The real AFQT is calculated from standard scores on an adaptive test and compared with a national reference group of 18 to 23 year olds, so no practice percentage converts to it reliably. Use your results here to decide what to study. Once you have standard scores from an official ASVAB, our AFQT score calculator turns them into a percentile.
The test and the AFQT score are the same for every branch. What differs is the minimum AFQT each service accepts for enlistment, which the services set themselves and can change. Check the current numbers with a recruiter; our guide to ASVAB scores by branch explains how the minimums work.
On the computer ASVAB, Arithmetic Reasoning gives you 55 minutes for 15 questions (about 3 minutes 40 seconds each), Word Knowledge 9 minutes for 15 (36 seconds each), Paragraph Comprehension 27 minutes for 10 (2 minutes 42 seconds each) and Mathematics Knowledge 31 minutes for 15 (about 2 minutes 4 seconds each). These are the limits without unscored tryout questions.
You can print this page. The print layout drops the site header and footer, and every answer and explanation sits in a collapsed box under its question, so you can work on paper and check yourself afterward.
On the computer ASVAB, the official fact sheet says there is a penalty for guessing, so if you are running out of time, keep answering as best you can rather than filling in random answers. On the paper ASVAB there is no penalty for guessing, so fill in every remaining answer before time is called.
After your first ASVAB you must wait one calendar month to retest, then another calendar month for a second retest, and six calendar months before any retest after that. Scores can be used for enlistment for up to two years from the test date.