ASVAB and DLAB Tips

This topic will apply mainly to military Jedi and among those maybe even just a few.

I would like to ask if anyone has any tips for taking both the ASVAB and the DLAB. I am enlisting in the Army National Guard and am currently attempting to fill one of two open positions; 35T MI Systems Maintainer/Integrator and 35P MI Cryptologic Linguist. MOS 35T requires 112 in area ST of the ASVAB and MOS 35P requires 91 in area ST of the ASVAB and 100 on the DLAB.

How nervous should I be? How difficult are these scores to obtain? How well have others done so as to offer comparison?

May the Force be with you,
Rai

Focus on only the AFQT- which consists of 4 areas on the ASVAB. If you can pick up a book on it, get AFQT for Dummies. I retook the ASVAB about two weeks ago- last time I took it was Dec 2002- I scored 26 percent higher on the AFQT (54, now 78), and 20 points higher on my GT (99, now 119- Army scores). I'm rather happy with my results. I did a refresher on my math, and walked in a lite nervous. But there really is no need to stress. . But that book on the AQFT is the one I suggest. The other sections do not count for too much, so just answer them as best you can. And don't leave any questions unanswered.

took it once in hs eons ago, on paper, dont know what i scored, and once after undergrad graduation, on a comp, got a 99. desk sergeant said 'damn, you missed one', so i dont think he saw that very often. i cheated tho cuz i took it after college and x amount of other standardized tests. i dont think its that different. if you are taking it at meps, it is almost certainly the computerized version, so i would run through a couple of practice versions of that wherever you may find them to become more familiar with the format.

i am tutoring a young man now on the asvab. like i said, like any standardized test, you can use the process of elimination and deuction and get rid of wrong answers and increase your probability of selecting the right ones. i also told him if he is almost out of time, start bubbling, as you have approx a 25% chance of getting it right anyway. is this right, other asvabers? always read the question carefully. it can mess you up to answer the wrong thing.

as far as your nervousness, here is your chance to exercise that jedi calm. nervousness here will not help you, you will spend time second guessing yoursefl and overthinking, when the test is timed. make your best decision and move on. there is rarely time to dilly dally. then if you have time at the end, go back and dilly dally. but make sure you got all those answwered that you could first. stay calm. its nothing millions of other dudes before you havent done. even if you dont get your requested MOS', there are others. whats the min for infantry now, 19 i think?

anything else?

My gratitude to both of you. I have an ASVAB for Dummies book and have been using that to study the AFQT and ST areas. I've been not focusing on the other areas as they don't affect the MOS I'm going for but I am making sure I know the basics. I'm generally good at tests so the test taking itself doesn't really concern me.

My bigger concern is really the DLAB. 35P is a great MOS and will provide me with many opportunities if I can secure it, but there isn't really much information to be found on the DLAB. Has anyone taken this and could you offer any insight into it?

May the Force be with you,
Rai

My husband has actually taken the DLAB. I just got home to ask him if he had tips. He said that there is no real way to prep for it, but if you fluently know more than one language you will have a bit of an advantage. He mentioned that he went in with about 50 people and 2 (which was himself and another person) passed the test. That was 2004.

My suggestion is to have a contingency plan in the event you don't pass- and if you don't do not let it get you down. The test is a made up language with made up rules which you get as soon as you walk in. It's an audible test with an answer sheet you fill out.

I will send you an IM.

The DLAB is more about putting sounds and letter together than actually knowing any languages. I would suggest looking at word structure over a few different languages, and brushing up on general sentence and word order/structure. Know how to sound things out in your head and you will be fine. It's more of a test of your potential to learn, than a test to see what you know - so go in open minded and with the idea that you know nothing about it, and you are here to show what you can 'figure out', etc.

The ASVAB...simply know your general subjects. There are plenty of guides for it out there, but it isn't hard at all.

For the ASVAB, try and pick up a book on it. For the DLAB, it's more about how well you can pick up a new language, or recognize it. I scored a 122, personally, when I was trying to re-class in the Air Force to be a Crypto-Linguist. Remember to listen to the details. They're going to give you four of the same-sounding words, but they will all be different depending on where the emphasis is placed in each of the syllables, like in Chinese. Good luck!

I took the ASVAB cold turkey without studying or knowing anything about it and the recruiter told me I could have any job I wanted.

The recruiter gave me a practice ASVAB and told me I had nothing to worry about and that I was pretty much guaranteed any position I wanted. My concern isn't really, "Will I do well?" it is more of, "Will I perform as well as I possibly can?" I want to make sure I give it my all so I can show the extent of my abilities and potential.

Thank you all and may the Force be with you,
Rai