Home › Free questions › ASVAB
Free · no account, no card

Free ASVAB Practice Test: 10 AFQT Questions

The four AFQT subtests decide whether you can enlist at all, so this sample draws from those: paragraph comprehension, word knowledge, arithmetic reasoning and math knowledge.

Take these as an interactive quiz The full ASVAB exams

Read this, then answer the questions about it.

A preventive maintenance schedule replaces parts on a fixed interval, whether or not they show wear. This costs more in parts than waiting for a failure. It costs far less in everything else. An unplanned failure stops the line, and the cost of a stopped line is measured in hours of lost output, not in the price of the component that broke.

The difficulty is that the saving never appears in any record. A failure that was prevented leaves no trace. A manager reviewing the accounts sees only the parts bill, which has risen, and the downtime figure, which has fallen for reasons no single line item explains.

Question 1

According to the passage, preventive maintenance costs more in
  1. A. labor hours
  2. B. parts
  3. C. downtime
  4. D. training
Show the answer

The answer is B. The passage states directly that the approach costs more in parts and far less in everything else.

  • A is wrong: Labor is not identified as the higher cost; the passage names parts.
  • C is wrong: Downtime is described as falling under preventive maintenance.
  • D is wrong: Training is not mentioned anywhere in the passage.

Question 2

The passage suggests that the benefit of preventive maintenance is hard to see because
  1. A. a prevented failure leaves no record
  2. B. it takes several years to appear
  3. C. managers rarely read the accounts
  4. D. parts suppliers conceal their prices
Show the answer

The answer is A. The passage says a failure that was prevented leaves no trace, so the saving never appears in any record.

  • B is wrong: No period of time is given for the benefit to appear.
  • C is wrong: The passage describes a manager reviewing the accounts, not neglecting them.
  • D is wrong: Suppliers and their pricing are never discussed.

Question 3

The cost of a stopped line is measured chiefly in
  1. A. hours of lost output
  2. B. the price of the broken component
  3. C. overtime paid to repair crews
  4. D. the age of the equipment
Show the answer

The answer is A. The passage contrasts the two directly, saying the cost is measured in hours of lost output rather than the price of the component.

  • B is wrong: This is precisely what the passage says the cost is not measured in.
  • C is wrong: Repair crews and overtime are not mentioned.
  • D is wrong: Equipment age plays no part in the passage.

Question 4

Abate most nearly means
  1. A. begin
  2. B. lessen
  3. C. confuse
  4. D. punish
Show the answer

The answer is B. To abate is to grow less or die down, as a storm or a pain abates.

  • A is wrong: This is the opposite; abating is a decrease, not a start.
  • C is wrong: Confusion is unrelated; abate describes the size of something, not its clarity.
  • D is wrong: Punishment is a separate idea; abate carries no sense of penalty.

Question 5

The mechanic gave a candid assessment of the repair. Candid most nearly means
  1. A. frank
  2. B. hopeful
  3. C. technical
  4. D. hurried
Show the answer

The answer is A. Candid means open and honest, saying the unwelcome part as well as the welcome one.

  • B is wrong: A candid assessment is often the opposite of hopeful, because it withholds nothing.
  • C is wrong: A mechanic's assessment may be technical, but that is the subject, not the manner.
  • D is wrong: Speed is not implied; a candid answer can be slow and considered.

Question 6

Deter most nearly means
  1. A. discourage
  2. B. delay
  3. C. decide
  4. D. depend
Show the answer

The answer is A. To deter is to put someone off an action by making it seem unwise or costly.

  • B is wrong: Delay concerns timing; deterrence stops the act rather than postponing it.
  • C is wrong: Deciding is the actor's own choice, while deterring is pressure applied from outside.
  • D is wrong: Depend describes reliance and shares only the opening syllable.

Question 7

A truck uses 4 gallons of fuel to travel 68 miles. At the same rate, how many gallons are needed for 255 miles?
  1. A. 15
  2. B. 17
  3. C. 19
  4. D. 21
Show the answer

The answer is A. 68 ÷ 4 = 17 miles per gallon, so 255 ÷ 17 = 15 gallons.

  • B is wrong: This is the miles per gallon, not the gallons the trip needs.
  • C is wrong: This adds 4 to the 15 gallons required rather than using the rate.
  • D is wrong: This divides 255 by 12 instead of by the true rate of 17.

Question 8

A crew of 6 paints a wall in 8 hours. Working at the same rate, how long would 4 workers take?
  1. A. 12 hours
  2. B. 6 hours
  3. C. 5 hours
  4. D. 16 hours
Show the answer

The answer is A. The job is 6 × 8 = 48 worker-hours. Divided among 4 workers, 48 ÷ 4 = 12 hours.

  • B is wrong: This subtracts 2 hours for the 2 missing workers, but the relationship is not additive.
  • C is wrong: Fewer workers must take longer, so the answer cannot be less than 8 hours.
  • D is wrong: This multiplies 8 by 2, which would be right only if the crew halved to 3.

Question 9

If 3x − 7 = 20, what is x?
  1. A. 7
  2. B. 13
  3. C. 11
  4. D. 9
Show the answer

The answer is D. Add 7 to both sides to get 3x = 27, so x = 9.

  • A is wrong: This solves 3x = 21, subtracting 7 instead of adding it.
  • B is wrong: This adds 20 and 7 and ignores the coefficient of 3.
  • C is wrong: This solves 3x = 33, adding 13.

Question 10

What is the area of a circle with radius 6? (Use π ≈ 3.14)
  1. A. 113.04
  2. B. 37.68
  3. C. 18.84
  4. D. 452.16
Show the answer

The answer is A. Area is πr² = 3.14 × 36 = 113.04.

  • B is wrong: This is the circumference, 2πr.
  • C is wrong: This is the circumference formula with the radius, πd halved incorrectly.
  • D is wrong: This uses a radius of 12, the diameter, rather than 6.
Before the real one

Read next

The ASVAB practice exams See what an exam costs