Your FREE ASVAB Flashcards 2026 – 250+ Cards

To lessen or reduce in intensity (the storm abated).

Kind and generous; wishing to do good.

Honest and direct; frank and open.

To discourage or prevent someone from doing something.

Very happy or proud; in high spirits.

Careful and economical with money or resources; thrifty.

Sociable; fond of the company of others.

To slow down or get in the way of; to obstruct.

Fair and unbiased; not favoring one side.

Cheerful and friendly; full of good humor.

Sluggish; lacking energy or enthusiasm.

Showing great attention to detail; very careful.

A person new to an activity; a beginner.

Not clearly understood; vague or hidden.

Calm and peaceful; not easily upset.

To put an end to; to suppress or calm.

Able to recover quickly from difficulty; tough.

To examine closely and carefully.

Holding firmly; persistent and determined.

Keeping careful watch for danger or problems; alert.

Existing in large quantities; plentiful.

Giving a lot of information clearly and in few words; brief.

Showing care and steady effort in work.

Fluent and persuasive in speaking or writing.

Pointless; incapable of producing a useful result.

Unfriendly; showing strong opposition or aggression.

To introduce a new method or idea.

Clear and easy to understand; mentally clear.

Ordinary and dull; lacking excitement.

Acting with care and good judgment about the future.

Unwilling or hesitant to do something.

Thinly spread or scattered; not dense.

Of little value or importance; minor.

Able to adapt to many different functions or activities.

Cautious about possible danger or problems.

Open to more than one interpretation; unclear.

To force someone to do something using pressure or threats.

Temporarily inactive; sleeping or resting.

Unpredictable; not even or regular in pattern.

To hide or keep out of sight.

Means 'not' or 'opposite of' (unable, invisible, impossible).

Means 'again' or 'back' (rewrite, return, recall).

Means 'before' (preview, predict, prepare).

Means 'the study of' (biology, geology, psychology).

Means 'capable of' (readable, flexible, visible).

Means 'to carry' (transport, portable, export).

Means 'to look' (inspect, spectator, prospect).

Means 'to say or speak' (predict, dictate, contradict).

Means 'good' or 'well' (benefit, benevolent, beneficial).

Means 'bad' or 'wrong' (malfunction, malice, malformed).

Read the whole sentence and predict your own word before checking choices; pick the closest synonym that fits the meaning.

A real synonym can be wrong if its tone or sense doesn't fit the sentence — meaning beats the dictionary.

The computer-adaptive ASVAB at MEPS; it adjusts difficulty and is the current standard.

The ASVAB has 10 subtests (9 areas on paper, since Auto and Shop combine).

An opponent or enemy.

Quick and energetic; also cool and refreshing (a brisk pace).

To act in accordance with a rule or request; to obey.

To become progressively worse.

To approve or publicly support.

Possible to do easily or conveniently; practical.

Risky or dangerous.

To begin or start something.

Lawful, valid, or genuine.

Failing to take proper care; careless.

No longer in use; out of date.

To convince someone to do or believe something.

Stiff and unbending; strict and inflexible.

So delicate or precise as to be hard to notice.

To bring to an end.

The single overall point a passage makes — broader than any one detail, but never beyond what the text says.

A specific fact or example the passage states to back up the main idea.

A conclusion the passage implies but does not state directly; pick the choice the text most strongly supports.

Why the author wrote the passage — to inform, persuade, describe, or entertain.

Determine a word's meaning from how it's used in the passage, not just its dictionary definition.

The author's attitude toward the subject (e.g., neutral, critical, enthusiastic), shown through word choice.

The sentence — often first or last — that states the paragraph's main idea.

A fact can be verified; an opinion is a belief or judgment. Watch for opinion-signal words like 'best' or 'should'.

Paraphrase the passage before reading choices, so wording tricks don't fool you.

On Paragraph Comprehension, the right answer is supported by the passage — never by outside knowledge.

Identify the order of events using time-signal words: first, then, after, finally.

Find what made something happen (cause) and the result (effect); look for 'because', 'so', 'as a result'.

The paper-and-pencil ASVAB at MET sites; fixed questions, more items per subtest.

Separate subtests on the computer (AI, SI) that combine into one AS score.

Stated information is written directly; implied information must be inferred from clues.

Nearby words and sentences that help you figure out a word or idea's meaning.

Stating the passage's key points briefly in your own words.

However, but, although, on the other hand — they flag a shift in idea.

Also, furthermore, in addition, moreover — they add to a point.

Combine stated facts to reach a logical end point the passage supports.

Wrong choices that are true in real life but not supported by the passage.

Knowing what's asked helps you read the passage with a purpose.

AFQT = 2 × VE + AR + MK, where VE (Verbal Expression) = Word Knowledge + Paragraph Comprehension. Reported as a 1–99 percentile.

Distance = rate × time. Also rate = distance ÷ time, time = distance ÷ rate.

Part = percent × whole. 20% of 80 = 0.20 × 80 = 16.

(New − old) ÷ old × 100. From 80 to 100: 20 ÷ 80 = 25% increase.

Set equal fractions a/b = c/d and cross-multiply to solve.

Interest = principal × rate × time (I = Prt).

Sum of the values ÷ how many values there are.

Add per-hour rates: if one does 1/4 per hour and another 1/6, together they do 1/4 + 1/6 per hour.

Total cost ÷ number of units; lets you compare which option is cheaper per item.

Drop the % sign and divide by 100: 35% = 0.35.

Markup adds to the price; discount subtracts. A 20% discount means you pay 80% of the price.

Track the amount of each component separately, then combine totals.

Round numbers to sanity-check an answer; a wildly off result signals an error.

Identify exactly what is asked before computing — solving for the wrong quantity is the top trap.

Profit = revenue − cost. A loss is a negative profit.

Favorable outcomes ÷ total outcomes, a number from 0 to 1.

WK + PC combined into one verbal score; the AFQT counts VE twice.

Whether you can enlist; it's a percentile from 1 to 99 based on 4 subtests.

Arithmetic Reasoning, Mathematics Knowledge, Word Knowledge, and Paragraph Comprehension.

Most branches require about 31+ with a high-school diploma; competitive jobs want 50+.

To solve a/b = c/d, multiply a×d = b×c, then solve for the unknown.

Pay (100% − discount%) of the original: 25% off means pay 75%.

Total = price + (price × tax rate).

Total distance ÷ total time (not the average of the speeds).

A percent of an amount: 15% tip on $40 = 0.15 × 40 = $6.

Use a proportion: map distance / real distance is constant.

Apply each change to the running total, not the original twice.

60 seconds = 1 minute; 60 minutes = 1 hour; 24 hours = 1 day.

5 or more rounds up; 4 or less rounds down.

Round to check that your computed answer is reasonable.

Area = length × width.

Area = ½ × base × height.

Area = πr², where r is the radius.

Circumference = 2πr (or πd, where d is the diameter).

Volume = length × width × height.

Perimeter = 2 × (length + width).

For a right triangle, a² + b² = c², where c is the hypotenuse.

Slope m = rise ÷ run = (y₂ − y₁) ÷ (x₂ − x₁).

y = mx + b, where m is the slope and b is the y-intercept.

Parentheses, Exponents, Multiply/Divide (left→right), Add/Subtract (left→right).

xᵐ × xⁿ = xᵐ⁺ⁿ (add exponents when multiplying like bases).

(xᵐ)ⁿ = xᵐⁿ (multiply exponents).

x⁻ⁿ = 1 ÷ xⁿ.

√x is the number that, multiplied by itself, gives x. √25 = 5.

A whole number greater than 1 divisible only by 1 and itself (2, 3, 5, 7, 11).

A number that divides evenly into another. Factors of 12: 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 12.

Mean = average; median = middle value in order; mode = most frequent value.

Isolate the variable by doing the same operation to both sides.

a × (b + c) = a×b + a×c.

The three interior angles of any triangle add up to 180°.

Divide the numerator by the denominator: 3/4 = 0.75.

The distance of a number from zero, always non-negative: |−7| = 7.

A subtest score scaled to mean 50, standard deviation 10; 50 is average.

A combination of subtest standard scores that qualifies you for specific jobs.

Multiply two binomials: First, Outer, Inner, Last terms.

An equation of the form ax² + bx + c = 0; its graph is a parabola.

Flip a fraction: the reciprocal of 3/4 is 4/3; a number times its reciprocal = 1.

The largest number that divides two numbers evenly.

The smallest number both numbers divide into evenly.

Two angles that add to 180°.

Two angles that add to 90°.

Volume = πr² × height.

A whole number, positive, negative, or zero (no fractions).

Any nonzero number to the power 0 equals 1.

An object stays at rest or in motion unless an unbalanced force acts on it (inertia).

Force = mass × acceleration (F = ma).

For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.

Speed is how fast (distance ÷ time); velocity is speed with a direction.

The rate at which velocity changes over time.

Plants use sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide to make glucose and release oxygen.

The 'powerhouse' of the cell — they produce most of the cell's energy (ATP).

The cell's control center; it contains the DNA.

Protons (positive) and neutrons (neutral) sit in the nucleus; electrons (negative) orbit it.

H₂O — two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom.

Solid, liquid, and gas (plus plasma); adding heat moves matter toward gas.

Organizes elements by atomic number; rows are periods, columns are groups.

The heart pumps blood through the body; it has four chambers.

Exchange oxygen into the blood and carbon dioxide out of it (respiration).

The molecule that carries genetic information; shaped like a double helix.

Energy flows from producers (plants) to consumers to decomposers.

The force that attracts objects toward each other; on Earth it pulls things down at about 9.8 m/s².

Kinetic energy is motion; potential energy is stored (e.g., a raised weight).

Evaporation, condensation, and precipitation move water through the environment.

A star at the center of our solar system; the source of Earth's light and heat.

Caused by the changing angle of sunlight on the Moon as it orbits Earth.

The rise and fall of sea level caused mainly by the Moon's gravitational pull.

The three ways heat transfers: through contact, through fluid motion, and through waves.

Mass divided by volume; objects denser than water sink.

Carbon dioxide + water + sunlight → glucose + oxygen.

Vertebrates have a backbone; invertebrates do not.

An element is one kind of atom; a compound is two or more elements bonded together.

Mass is the amount of matter; weight is the force of gravity on that mass.

Light travels about 300,000 km per second in a vacuum.

Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune.

Measures acidity 0–14; below 7 is acidic, 7 is neutral, above 7 is basic.

Water boils at 100°C (212°F) and freezes at 0°C (32°F).

Voltage = current × resistance (V = I × R).

The flow of electric charge, measured in amperes (A).

The electrical 'pressure' that pushes current, measured in volts (V).

Opposition to current flow, measured in ohms (Ω).

Components in one loop; resistances add and current is the same throughout.

Components on separate branches; total resistance is less than the smallest resistor.

A material that lets current flow easily, like copper or aluminum.

A material that resists current flow, like rubber, glass, or plastic.

Alternating current reverses direction (wall outlets); direct current flows one way (batteries).

Power = voltage × current (P = V × I), measured in watts.

A component that limits current in a circuit.

A component that stores electric charge.

A safety device that opens the circuit if current gets too high.

Changes AC voltage up or down using two coils.

A safe path for current to return to earth, protecting people and equipment.

The number of AC cycles per second, measured in hertz (Hz); US power is 60 Hz.

A component that allows current to flow in only one direction.

I = V ÷ R and R = V ÷ I.

The unit of electrical power; 1 watt = 1 volt × 1 amp.

A source of DC voltage that pushes current through a circuit.

A closed circuit has a complete path so current flows; an open circuit is broken.

An unintended low-resistance path that lets dangerously high current flow.

A material (like silicon) between a conductor and insulator, used in chips and diodes.

Produces the spark that ignites the fuel-air mixture in the engine.

Water pump, radiator, and thermostat keep the engine from overheating.

Regulates coolant flow to keep the engine at its proper operating temperature.

Oil reduces friction and wear between moving engine parts.

Intake, compression, power, and exhaust — the four strokes of a piston engine.

Transfers engine power to the wheels and changes gear ratios.

Convert the vehicle's motion into heat through friction to slow it down.

Stores electrical energy to start the engine and run accessories.

Recharges the battery and powers electrical systems while the engine runs.

Delivers the electric spark that ignites the air-fuel mixture.

Reduces harmful exhaust emissions.

Mixes air and fuel for combustion (injectors are the modern method).

Releases engine heat to the air via coolant flowing through it.

Connects and disconnects the engine from the transmission in a manual car.

Lets the drive wheels turn at different speeds when cornering.

Carries burned gases away from the engine and reduces noise (muffler).

Springs and shock absorbers that smooth the ride and keep tires on the road.

Removes contaminants from engine oil to protect moving parts.

Fluid that prevents the engine from overheating or freezing.

Drives cross-head screws; the X-tip is less likely to slip than a flat-head.

Drives slotted screws with a single straight slot.

Drives and pulls nails; the claw end removes nails.

Tightens a fastener to a specific, measured tightness.

Turns nuts and bolts quickly with interchangeable sockets.

Checks whether a surface is perfectly horizontal or vertical.

Measures length; a caliper gives precise small measurements.

Grip, bend, and cut wire; needle-nose pliers reach tight spaces.

Cuts or shapes wood, stone, or metal when struck with a hammer.

Smooths or shapes metal and wood by abrasion.

A fine-toothed saw for cutting metal.

The cutting tool a drill spins to make holes.

Holds a workpiece firmly in place while you work on it.

Crosscut/rip saws cut wood; hacksaws and bandsaws cut metal.

Lower grit numbers are coarser; higher numbers are finer for smoothing.

A bolt passes through parts and a nut threads onto it to fasten them.

A flat ring that spreads a fastener's load and prevents loosening.

An L-shaped tool that drives hex-socket (Allen) screws.

An open-end wrench with a movable jaw for different bolt sizes.

Checks and marks right angles (90°) on a workpiece.

Shaves thin layers off wood to smooth or flatten it.

How much a machine multiplies force = effort arm ÷ load arm (for a lever).

A bar that pivots on a fulcrum; longer effort arm = more force multiplied.

The fixed pivot point a lever turns on.

Fulcrum between the effort and the load (a seesaw, a crowbar).

A wheel with a rope that changes the direction of force; multiple pulleys multiply force.

Compares teeth of two gears; a larger driven gear turns slower but with more torque.

A ramp that reduces the force needed to raise a load over a longer distance.

Two inclined planes back to back; splits or lifts (an axe, a doorstop).

An inclined plane wrapped around a cylinder; converts rotation into linear force.

A large wheel turning a small axle multiplies force or speed.

Work = force × distance; a machine can trade force for distance but not create energy.

A force that opposes motion between surfaces in contact; produces heat.

A twisting force that causes rotation = force × distance from the pivot.

Use confined fluid to transmit and multiply force (Pascal's principle).

The point where an object's weight is balanced; a low one is more stable.

Store energy when compressed or stretched and release it when freed.

Balance depends on force × distance from the fulcrum, not weight alone.

Force per unit area; the same force over a smaller area gives higher pressure.

Load between the fulcrum and the effort (a wheelbarrow).

Effort between the fulcrum and the load (tweezers, the human forearm).

A pulley system that multiplies force to lift heavy loads.

A belt links two pulleys to transfer rotation between shafts.

The upward force a fluid exerts on a submerged object.

A spatial-visualization subtest with two question types: connectors and puzzles.

Match labeled points on shapes to the picture that connects them correctly.

Pick the choice that shows scattered pieces assembled into a complete shape.

Many wrong answers are flipped (mirrored) versions of the correct arrangement.

Eliminate choices that have an extra or missing piece.

Rotate shapes mentally; a piece must keep its size and proportions.

For connectors, the line must touch the same labeled points on each shape.

Assembling Objects does NOT affect your AFQT; it feeds some technical job line scores.

The skill of picturing how 2-D shapes rotate and fit together in your mind.

Rule out clearly wrong choices (wrong size, mirrored, extra part) to narrow the answer.

Rotation turns a shape; reflection flips it to a mirror image — they're different.

Discard choices with the wrong number, size, or orientation of pieces.

A connector line attaches at the exact labeled point shown, not a nearby one.