How to Ace ASVAB General Science

The General Science (GS) section of the ASVAB tests your knowledge in many areas of high school level science. Though it is not counted in your AFQT score, GS scores determine your eligibility for some of the most interesting military jobs.

Instructions

1. purchase an ASVAB study guide that has a comprehensive science review and learn the most commonly tested concepts. Although the ASVAB GS subtest covers a huge range of scientific topics--population & cell biology, chemistry, physics, human anatomy, earth sciences, etc--only a small portion of subtopics will ever appear on ASVAB questions.

   For example, you may see questions about human muscular and skeletal system, but never about the human reproductive system.

2. Review your notes from high school science classes. If you have not taken some courses, ask your friends for their notes. If you have been out of high school for a while, or have a GED, you should purchase a separate General Science review book.

3. Next, make a study schedule to learn a particular topic or topics every week. For example, if you are rusty on chemistry, make a plan to learn the elements one week, chemical reaction equations the next week, and acid/base properties the week after. Keeping an ASVAB study schedule will help you study more efficiently.

4. Study your weakest areas first, and then brush up on your good areas in the weeks before you take the ASVAB. You won't get much benefit from just studying topics you already know, instead, you should spend the bulk of your time learning new concepts, and improving on topics you struggle with. Only when your test date approaches should you focus more on your strong areas.

5. Make flash cards for scientific vocabulary words. Many ASVAB GS questions are straight vocabulary. Even if you completely understand a concept, you could get a question wrong simply for lack of knowing the right word.

6. Take timed practice tests. The exact timing depends on the version of the ASVAB you take, but try timing yourself at 1 minute per question. Many ASVAB General Science questions can be answered much more quickly.

7. Don't become overwhelmed by the sheer number of topics you need to learn or re-learn. You will be surprised that once you start studying consistencly, the forgotten high school science knowledge will return to you.