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Home/Historical IQ Tests/ASVAB
1968 · US DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE · 9 SOURCES

It started in high schools. The services came later.

The first ASVAB, in 1968, was a paper-and-pencil test in the Department of Defense's Student Testing Program. The branches adopted it one at a time. In January 1976 it became the single test for enlistment and job assignment, and within months a scoring error surfaced.5,8

See how the error let people in →Cite this page
1968
Student Testing Program
1973
Air Force
1974
Marine Corps
1973–75
Navy & Army: own batteries
Jan 1976
All services: the single DoD test
Adoption by the services, as given on the official ASVAB site5,8

One screening test, then a different battery for every branch

After the 1948 Selective Service Act, the Department of Defense built one screening test for all services, the Armed Forces Qualification Test (AFQT). Assigning recruits to jobs was still left to each service's own battery.3,5

SCREENING · ALL SERVICESAFQT100 multiple-choice questions on vocabulary, arithmetic, spatial relations and mechanical ability. Given to recruits from 1950 to the mid-1970s.3
CLASSIFICATION · ARMYArmy Classification BatteryRead our page →
CLASSIFICATION · NAVYNavy Basic Test Battery
CLASSIFICATION · AIR FORCEAirman Qualification Examination

Each service also brought in its own tests as the military became more technical.1 The draft ended in 1973, and from then on every recruit was a volunteer.3

Four facts the sources disagree on

Popular histories of the ASVAB contradict each other on some basics. We follow the official ASVAB site and the 1981 Department of Defense report where they speak, and flag the rest.

QUESTIONONE SOURCE SAYSANOTHER SAYSOUR READING
First service to adopt itThe Air Force, in 19681The Air Force, in 197351973 (official site)Number of original subtests12 subtests6Nine subtests in the student version9UnresolvedWhere it was first givenOnly at MEPS locations6In high schools, through the Student Testing Program5High schools (official site)When it went computer-adaptiveIn 19767The CAT-ASVAB, in the 1990s91990s; 1976 is unlikely
EXPLORE · THE 1976 NORMING ERROR

A generous percentile table opens the door

Norming is the conversion of raw scores to percentiles. When the ASVAB's conversion turned out to be wrong, many people had been enlisted who would have been ineligible under correctly calibrated scoring.8 Adjust how much the table inflates low scores, and where the entry cut-off sits.

Applicants let in who should have been turned away9.7%of all applicants: those whose true percentile is between 11.3 and 21

A simplified model with made-up numbers, not the actual 1976 tables or cut-offs, which our sources don't give.

↑ Reported percentile (0–60)True percentile (0–60) →
Correct tableInflated tableWrongly admitted
WHAT HAPPENED NEXTA 1981 study followed non-prior-service men enlisted into the Navy because of the error. They did worse than correctly qualified recruits on staying on active duty, completing A-School and reaching pay grade E4 or higher.8

1980: the Profile of American Youth

With the Department of Labor, the Department of Defense gave the ASVAB to 11,914 people aged 16 to 23 between July and October 1980. That sample became the basis for percentile scores.3

One school district's guide notes those 1980 norms were still in use 24 years later.3 Wikipedia records a major revision in 2002 and further changes in 2004.2

11,914people tested
16–23age range
Jul–Oct1980 testing window
24 yrsnorms still in use

Paper, then computer, and still in schools

Student testingOften offered to students in grades 10, 11 and 12, though anyone eligible to enlist can take it.2
Career Exploration ProgramGives students a career-exploration tool while giving the services a pool of qualified candidates.6
CAT-ASVABThe first large-scale adaptive test battery used in a high-stakes setting.5
Paper still livesThe paper-and-pencil ASVAB continues at small satellite sites called Military Entrance Test sites.5

References

  1. [1]Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB). EBSCO Research Starters: History.ebsco.com
  2. [2]Wikipedia contributors. Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (accessed 30 Sept 2026).en.wikipedia.org
  3. [3]History of the ASVAB. Assessments page, Whiting Community School District.whitingcsd.org
  4. [4]When did ASVAB start? A look at its history and evolution. UCMJ.us.ucmj.us
  5. [5]History of military testing. Official site of the ASVAB (Department of Defense).officialasvab.com
  6. [6]History of the ASVAB: complete guide. ASVABMilitaryTest.com.asvabmilitarytest.com
  7. [7]When was the ASVAB first used? A historical overview. UCMJ.us.ucmj.us
  8. [8]Performance of Navy recruits enlisted because of the ASVAB misnorming (1981). Defense Technical Information Center, ADA102370 (PDF).apps.dtic.mil
  9. [9]Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery. Grokipedia (2026).grokipedia.com
HOW TO CITE THIS PAGE
What's Your IQ. (2026). ASVAB (1968): Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery. In Historical IQ Tests Archive. Retrieved September 30, 2026, from /en/historical-iq-tests/asvab-1968
EDITORIAL RECORD
First published2026
Last reviewed30 September 2026
Sources9, all from visible search results
Open questionsOriginal subtest count; size of the misnorming effect; what changed in 2004
Canonical URLwhats-your-iq.com/en/historical-iq-tests/asvab-1968

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A screening test criticised in 1991 for its old norms. The ASVAB's 1980 norms were likewise still in use more than two decades later.

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Part of the Historical IQ Tests Archive. Editorial content under CC BY-SA 4.0. No ASVAB items are reproduced; this page is not affiliated with the Department of Defense.
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Contemporary norms (mean 100, SD 15) and a four-domain breakdown, in about 30 minutes.

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