Chapter 21
AFQT Practice Exam 2
The Armed Forces Qualification Test (AFQT) consists of four of the nine subtests given on the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB). The four subtests used to determine your AFQT score are Arithmetic Reasoning, Word Knowledge, Paragraph Comprehension, and Mathematics Knowledge.
The AFQT score is very important. Although all the ASVAB subtests are used to determine which military jobs you may qualify for, the AFQT score determines whether you’re even qualified to join the military. All the military service branches have established minimum AFQT scores, according to their needs (see Chapter 2 for more information).
The AFQT is not a stand-alone test (it’s part of the ASVAB), but, in this chapter, I present the subtests applicable to the AFQT in the same order in which you’ll encounter them when you take the actual ASVAB.
After you complete the entire practice test, check your answers against the answer key in Chapter 22.
The test is scored by comparing your raw score to the scores of other people, which produces a scaled score. So just because you missed a total of 20 questions doesn’t mean that your score is 80. (That would be too simple.) Turn to Chapter 1 to find out how the AFQT score is derived from these four subtests.
Your goal in taking this practice test is to determine which areas you may still need to study. If you miss only one question on the Word Knowledge subtest, but you miss 15 questions on Arithmetic Reasoning, you probably want to devote some extra study time to developing your math skills before you take the ASVAB.
Answer Sheet for AFQT Practice Exam 2
Subtest 1: Arithmetic Reasoning
1. Mike has $5.25 in quarters and dimes. He has exactly 15 dimes. How many quarters does he have?
(A) 6
(B) 12
(C) 15
(D) 21
2. Kelly used to pay $500 a month for rent. Now she pays $525 a month for rent. By what percent did her rent increase?
(A) 0.5 percent
(B) 5 percent
(C) 10 percent
(D) 12.5 percent
3. A bag has 8 pennies, 5 dimes, and 7 nickels. A coin is randomly chosen from the bag. What is the probability that the coin chosen is a dime?
(A) 
(B) 
(C) 
(D) 
4. There are 2 pints in 1 quart and 4 quarts in a gallon. How many pints are in 2 gallons?
(A) 32 pints
(B) 16 pints
(C) 8 pints
(D) 4 pints
5. Paul invests $2,000 in an account that pays 4 percent annual interest. How much will he earn in interest in one year?
(A) $160
(B) $80
(C) $120
(D) $800
6. One mile is equal to 5,280 feet. Sergeant Jeffries walked 1.2 miles. How many feet did he walk?
(A) 7,392 ft
(B) 1,056 ft
(C) 5,780 ft
(D) 6,336 ft
7. A total of 200 people attended a conference. Use the chart to determine how many attendees were women.
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(A) 94
(B) 212
(C) 53
(D) 106
8. Suppose you have $88 in your checking account. You pay $22 for a sweater and $8 for lunch, and then you deposit a $38 check. What is the balance in your account?
(A) $58
(B) $96
(C) $20
(D) $156
9. There are 24 right-handed students in a class of 30. A student is chosen from the class at random. What is the probability that the student is left-handed?
(A) 
(B) 
(C) 
(D) 
10. At a Laundromat, it costs $1.75 to wash each load of laundry and $1.50 to dry each load of laundry. How much will you pay to wash and dry four loads of laundry?
(A) $2.25
(B) $20.00
(C) $20.25
(D) $13.00
11. Delia has been walking at a constant speed of 2.5 miles per hour for 12 minutes. How many miles has she walked?
(A) 0.2 miles
(B) 0.5 miles
(C) 2 miles
(D) 4.8 miles
12. A rectangular deck is 6 meters long and 8 meters wide. What is the distance from one corner of the deck to the opposite corner?
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(A) 10 m
(B) 12 m
(C) 14 m
(D) 15 m
13. Tom is going to hang three framed pictures side by side on a wall. How many different ways can he arrange the pictures?
(A) 9
(B) 5
(C) 6
(D) 27
14. A cleaning company charges by the square foot. The company charged $600 to clean 4,800 square feet of space. How much would the company charge to clean 12,000 square feet of space?
(A) $950
(B) $1,200
(C) $1,400
(D) $1,500
15. Kendra earns $12 an hour. Her employer pays 1.5 times her normal pay rate for overtime. Last week, she worked 40 hours plus 4 hours overtime. How much did she earn last week?
(A) $552
(B) $528
(C) $1,400
(D) $480
16. A hot tub is 75 percent full with 600 gallons of water. How many gallons of water are in the hot tub when it’s half full?
(A) 200 gallons
(B) 400 gallons
(C) 800 gallons
(D) 300 gallons
17. Angela has 15 quarters and dimes in the cash register. The total value of the quarters and dimes is $2.55. How many dimes are in the cash register?
(A) 8 dimes
(B) 7 dimes
(C) 3 dimes
(D) 10 dimes
18. A rectangular table top measures 48 inches long by 36 inches wide. A square game board that is 18 inches on each side is on the table top. Which amount of the table top’s area is not covered by the game board?
(A) 1,710 in.2
(B) 1,404 in.2
(C) 1,656 in.2
(D) 96 in.2
19. A map of Texas has a scale of 
The actual distance between Dallas and San Antonio is about 440 km. How far apart are the cities on the map?
(A) 11 cm
(B) 44 cm
(C) 40 cm
(D) 22 cm
20. Jake is four years older than Kenneth. Alicia is two years younger than Kenneth. The sum of Jake, Kenneth, and Alicia’s ages is 38. What is Kenneth’s age?
(A) 9
(B) 15
(C) 12
(D) 10
21. Mrs. Jacobs is making a large circular rug with a radius of 10 feet. Every square foot of material used to make the rug costs her $0.50. Approximately how much will the material for the entire rug cost?
(A) $157
(B) $167
(C) $628
(D) $314
22. John’s quiz scores in science class are 8, 6, 10, 7, 9, and 5. What is John’s average quiz score?
(A) 6
(B) 8
(C) 7.5
(D) 8.5
23. Robert charges a flat fee of $15 plus $20 per half-hour to repair computers. He started one job at 8:45 a.m. and worked until he finished. The total charge for that job was $75. What time did he finish the job?
(A) 12:15 p.m.
(B) 11:45 a.m.
(C) 10:15 a.m.
(D) 9:30 a.m.
24. The measure of angle P is 
Angle Q is 
less than half the measure of the supplement of angle P. What is the measure of angle Q?
(A) 
(B) 
(C) 
(D) 
25. Rose and Carla play on the same basketball team. During the last game, Rose scored 
of the team’s points. Carla scored 16 percent of the team’s points. What percentage of the team’s points were not scored by either Rose or Carla?
(A) 76 percent
(B) 66 percent
(C) 24 percent
(D) 34 percent
26. John and Garret are running in a marathon. John runs at a steady rate of 3.5 miles per hour, and Garret runs at a steady rate of 4.25 miles per hour. How far apart will they be 2 hours after the race starts?
(A) 0.75 miles
(B) 2.5 miles
(C) 1.5 miles
(D) 2.25 miles
27. Jim can repair a heating unit in 2 hours. Kyle can repair the same unit in 3 hours. How long will they take to repair the unit if they work together?
(A) 1 hour and 10 minutes
(B) 1 hour and 12 minutes
(C) 48 minutes
(D) 50 minutes
28. A square has an area of 121 cm2. What is the perimeter?
(A) 121 cm
(B) 22 cm
(C) 33 cm
(D) 44 cm
29. How many gallons of water should you add to 4 gallons of a juice that is 20 percent water so the final mixture is 50 percent water?
(A) 2.2 gallons
(B) 2 gallons
(C) 2.4 gallons
(D) 1.4 gallons
30. David is at a car dealership trying to decide between buying a truck or a sedan. The truck is available in three colors, and the sedan is available in four colors. Each vehicle also has both a 2-wheel-drive and a 4-wheel-drive option in all available colors. How many different choices does he have?
(A) 48
(B) 14
(C) 12
(D) 6
Subtest 2: Word Knowledge
1. Kindle most nearly means
(A) devise.
(B) ignite.
(C) boil.
(D) expire.
2. The word most opposite in meaning to burnout is
(A) successful.
(B) ruined.
(C) enthusiasm.
(D) fatigue.
3. Blatant most nearly means
(A) obvious.
(B) overdrawn.
(C) certain.
(D) hidden.
4. Hasten most nearly means
(A) delay.
(B) anxious.
(C) rush.
(D) stabilize.
5. Objective most nearly means
(A) massive.
(B) favored.
(C) neutral.
(D) dependent.
6. No one could convince the headstrong teen that he was wrong.
(A) cruel
(B) stubborn
(C) friendly
(D) unaffected
7. The thought of dissecting the frog made me cringe in disgust.
(A) recoil
(B) volunteer
(C) wail
(D) rally
8. Despite her wild past, Bobbi prefers to live a more domestic lifestyle these days.
(A) native
(B) homebound
(C) foreign
(D) elaborate
9. Grandma always taught us to be frugal and grateful for what we had.
(A) careless
(B) excessive
(C) cheap
(D) thrifty
10. I wanted to curtail the date because of Bob’s cat obsession.
(A) develop
(B) shorten
(C) postpone
(D) continue
11. The captain received many accolades for her bravery during the battle.
(A) honors
(B) criticisms
(C) presents
(D) promotions
12. Covert most nearly means
(A) tiresome.
(B) popular.
(C) secret.
(D) unruly.
13. Abhor most nearly means
(A) commence.
(B) embrace.
(C) remove.
(D) dislike.
14. The mandate to report at exactly 9 a.m. the next day was written on my boss’s personal stationery.
(A) invitation
(B) greeting
(C) command
(D) permission
15. The word most opposite in meaning to assortment is
(A) variety.
(B) difference.
(C) mixture.
(D) consistency.
16. Credible most nearly means
(A) cynical.
(B) rehearsed.
(C) genuine.
(D) vague.
17. Reprieve most nearly means
(A) on hold.
(B) complete.
(C) final.
(D) justice.
18. Tedious most nearly means
(A) fresh.
(B) dreary.
(C) difficult.
(D) annoying.
19. Jackson’s music was so loud he was oblivious to the honking car behind him.
(A) cognizant
(B) superfluous
(C) ignorant
(D) perceptive
20. The coach knew how to bolster the team’s morale in the final moments.
(A) recruit
(B) demean
(C) allude
(D) encourage
21. The word most opposite in meaning to abstract is
(A) exclusive.
(B) realistic.
(C) imaginative.
(D) far-fetched.
22. The rain hampered the runner’s ability to break the record.
(A) facilitated
(B) eased
(C) forced
(D) hindered
23. Cower most nearly means
(A) attack.
(B) celebrate.
(C) cringe.
(D) sublime.
24. Tangent most nearly means
(A) detour.
(B) angular.
(C) focus.
(D) perfect.
25. Nullify most nearly means
(A) suggest.
(B) cancel.
(C) perform.
(D) promote.
26. Tangible most nearly means
(A) theoretical.
(B) fragile.
(C) possessive.
(D) physical.
27. Absolution most nearly means
(A) condemnation.
(B) owing a debt.
(C) assurance.
(D) forgiveness.
28. Abrogate most nearly means
(A) materialize.
(B) terminate.
(C) embark.
(D) constitute.
29. I wanted to temper the dinner conversation so Grandpa wouldn’t walk out.
(A) ignore
(B) irritate
(C) soothe
(D) anger
30. Plethora most nearly means
(A) scarcity.
(B) infection.
(C) unique.
(D) abundance.
31. Mary was tentative about buying the more expensive car.
(A) unhappy
(B) optimistic
(C) hesitant
(D) certain
32. The word most opposite in meaning to retaliation is
(A) vengeance.
(B) forgiveness.
(C) recognition.
(D) payback.
33. Jennifer tried to admonish me about asking Mr. Michelson questions because of his long-winded nature.
(A) encourage
(B) punish
(C) spurn
(D) warn
34. The memo was more like a diatribe of all the things Kathy hated about work.
(A) novel
(B) tirade
(C) compliment
(D) dispute
35. The word most opposite in meaning to memento is
(A) rubbish.
(B) souvenir.
(C) jewel.
(D) prize.
Subtest 3: Paragraph Comprehension
Terry always wanted to move back to Chicago, the city of her birth, because of fond childhood memories. After convincing her husband, Jim, to leave sunny California, her dream was coming true. They moved in the fall, just in time to catch the leaves changing. However, the worst winter in the city’s history was too much for their beach bum mentality, and Terry soon regretted her decision. Her dream wasn’t the same as reality, and she realized you can’t always go back.
1. Why does Terry feel like “you can’t always go back?”
(A) Chicago is too far.
(B) She is no longer a child.
(C) California had changed her.
(D) Winter was her favorite season.
Questions 2 and 3 refer to the following passage.
A new study shows that since the 1970s, the number of households with pets has almost tripled. Yet despite this increased pet ownership, the number of animals euthanized at shelters each year is still between 2.5 and 3 million. In fact, according to the Humane Society of the United States, in 2012, only 30 percent of the 62 percent of households with pets got the animals from shelters or rescue organizations. Furthermore, many of the euthanized animals are healthy, and 25 percent of the dogs euthanized are purebred. There is still a lot of work to do to spread the word about rescue pets to ensure healthy animals don’t meet this fate.
2. What is the main point of the passage?
(A) Americans have more pets than ever before.
(B) More households should adopt rescue animals.
(C) More cats are adopted than dogs.
(D) Shelters house only sick or hurt dogs.
3. Of the households that had pets in 2012, how many of them got their pets from a shelter or rescue organization?
(A) 62 percent
(B) 25 percent
(C) 3 percent
(D) 30 percent
Christo and Jeanne-Claude were an artistic couple known for their elaborate and grandiose projects. Their projects involved giant sheets of nylon wrapped or hanging in an unlikely environment. They achieved notoriety for their artistic installations, such as Valley Curtain, which displayed a 200,200-square-foot curtain hanging between two Colorado mountains. Although their unconventional penchant for wrapping monuments and buildings wasn’t understood by everyone, no one can dispute that their work was respected nonetheless.
4. In this passage, penchant means
(A) inclination
(B) disinterest
(C) incompetence
(D) experience
Despite having used her new shoes for only three months during her frequent marathon training, Tara was having pains in her feet while running. All the articles she read said that running shoes should last at least six months if used an average of two to three times a week. Tara decided she had bought the wrong shoes.
5. Based on the passage, what other reason could Tara’s shoes be worn out sooner than six months?
(A) She runs with bad form.
(B) The shoes are cheap.
(C) She runs more than average.
(D) She damaged her shoes on rough terrain.
Robert De Niro may never have won his first Academy Award if he had gotten the role he wanted as Michael Corleone in The Godfather. In 1975, he received his first nomination and win for his role as young Vito Corleone in The Godfather: Part II. By 2013, he’d scored six more nominations (including another win in 1981).
6. According to the passage, how many Academy Awards has Robert De Niro been nominated for?
(A) 3
(B) 6
(C) 7
(D) 0
Questions 7 and 8 refer to the following passage.
Tiffany often wished her family lived closer to another airport. It seemed like her flights were always either canceled or delayed due to weather. In fact, she missed Christmas one year because of a blizzard, and her flight home from her grandma’s birthday celebration was postponed for five hours because of a thunderstorm. But she couldn’t do anything about it. The region just had terrible weather sometimes.
7. What is the main point of the passage?
(A) Tiffany doesn’t like visiting her family.
(B) The region’s weather is unpredictable.
(C) Tiffany’s local airport is terrible.
(D) Tiffany has bad luck.
8. In this passage, postponed means
(A) ruined
(B) over
(C) expedited
(D) delayed
Historical battle reenactments date back to the Middle Ages, when actors would perform scenes from Ancient Rome to entertain a public audience. The most famous reenactments, of course, are those pertaining to the American Civil War, which became popular during the war’s centennial celebration in 1961. Almost 50,000 people gathered to commemorate the beginning of the Civil War, which started on April 12, 1861. These days, anywhere from 500 to 20,000 people will congregate to reenact a famous battle from the war. Both the Confederate and Union armies are equally represented.
9. How many years does a centennial celebration recognize?
(A) 20,000
(B) 100
(C) 500
(D) 1,861
Questions 10 and 11 refer to the following passage.
When you’re driving in snow, a few bits of knowledge can be the difference between a safe trip and an accident. Never slam on the brakes in the snow. Tapping the brakes helps you slow down without skidding. If you are skidding, turn into the direction of the skid, not away from it. This approach will help you gain control of the vehicle.
10. The author wrote this passage to
(A) convince the reader to drive in the snow
(B) provide driving tips for snowy conditions
(C) make sure your brakes are tuned
(D) scare the reader about driving in the snow
11. Driving safely in snowy conditions means
(A) understanding the results of your actions
(B) avoiding braking
(C) avoiding busy roads
(D) relinquishing control
The crowd at the store was growing quickly. Children reached for their favorite-colored backpack. Notebooks flew off the shelves, and pencils of different shapes and sizes were running low in stock. Back-to-school shopping had definitely begun.
12. What is the author telling the reader in the passage?
(A) that school supplies are scarce
(B) that the store isn’t prepared
(C) that parents spend too much money on supplies
(D) that the beginning of school is approaching
Questions 13 and 14 refer to the following passage.
The 70-year career of Frank Lloyd Wright is one of the most remarkable and renowned in the architecture world. He designed 1,141 buildings, and 532 of those designs were actually developed. The 409 that remain are considered individual works of art. His name is as famous as Bruce Springsteen’s in modern-day society.
13. How many buildings were constructed from Frank Lloyd Wright’s designs?
(A) 532
(B) 1,141
(C) 70
(D) 409
14. In this passage, renowned means
(A) common
(B) popular
(C) misunderstood
(D) famous
Sailors don’t like to share the water with motorboaters because of the massive wake left by the high-speed boats. The waves disrupt the easy flow of the sailboats, causing them to twist and turn in the wind. The sentiment between sailors and speedboaters is similar to that between skiers and snowboarders.
15. How do skiers feel about snowboarders?
(A) They think snowboarders are a great addition to the slopes.
(B) They hate snowboarders.
(C) They don’t like to share the mountain with snowboarders.
(D) They think snowboarders lack a high level of skill.
Subtest 4: Mathematics Knowledge
1. 
(A) –125
(B) –15
(C) 15
(D) 125
2. If 
which is true about the value of x?
(A) x is less than 21.
(B) x is greater than 21.
(C) x is less than or equal to 21.
(D) x is greater than or equal to 21.
3. 
(A) 710
(B) 620
(C) 720
(D) 711
4. In the decimal 45.21, which digit is in the tenths place?
(A) 4
(B) 5
(C) 2
(D) 1
5. What are the coordinates of point P?
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(A) (–3, –2)
(B) (3, –2)
(C) (–3, 2)
(D) (2, –3)
6. Express 
as a decimal.
(A) 2.25
(B) 2.5
(C) 2.75
(D) 3.25
7. If 
, then 
(A) –10
(B) –6
(C) 6
(D) 10
8. A circle has a circumference of 9.24 centimeters. What is the diameter of the circle?
(A) 1.5 cm
(B) 3 cm
(C) 3.14 cm
(D) 6 cm
9. What is 28 percent of 40?
(A) 9.4
(B) 10.2
(C) 11.2
(D) 12.5
10. Which is equal to 
?
(A) 10
(B) 100
(C) 0.1
(D) 0.01
11. Simplify: 
(A) 
(B) 
(C) 
(D) 
12. What is the value of x?
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(A) 
(B) 
(C) 
(D) 
13. 
(A) 118
(B) 12
(C) 6
(D) 3
14. 
(A) 
(B) 
(C) 
(D) 
15. How many factors does the number 51 have?
(A) Four
(B) Three
(C) Two
(D) One
16. The number 0.405 is what percent of 0.9?
(A) 4.5 percent
(B) 45 percent
(C) 25 percent
(D) 50 percent
17. The measure of angle P is 
. What is the measure of the complement of angle P?
(A) 
(B) 
(C) 
(D) 
18. What is the length b in the right triangle?
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(A) 4 cm
(B) 5 cm
(C) 6 cm
(D) 7 cm
19. Translate the following sentence into an equation: “x decreased by 11 is twice x.”
(A) 
(B) 
(C) 
(D) 
20. The mean of 5, 7, 8, 10, 4, and x is 7.5. What is the value of x?
(A) 7
(B) 8
(C) 10
(D) 11
21. 
(A) 10
(B) 145
(C) 8
(D) 143
22. Simplify: 
(A) 
(B) 
(C) 
(D) 
23. The height, h, of a cylinder is twice the radius r. What is the volume of the cylinder?
(A) 
(B) 
(C) 
(D) 
24. Find the area of the entire region shown.
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(A) 85 cm2
(B) 89 cm2
(C) 125 cm2
(D) 719 cm2
25. Of 260 students at a local elementary school, 140 are boys. Express the ratio of girls to boys as a simplified fraction.
(A) 
(B) 
(C) 
(D) 