Military IQ and the ASVAB

Is the ASVAB an IQ test? Not officially—but it correlates 0.8–0.9 with real IQ tests and measures the same reasoning skills. Discover how the military uses the ASVAB as a practical IQ test for enlistment and job placement.

Dr. Russell T. WarneChief Scientist

During World War I, psychologists administered early intelligence tests to American military recruits. Since then, military leaders have recognized the value in using IQ tests to identify which recruits can learn military skills and perform complex duties. Cognitive testing provides an efficient and objective means of evaluating learning potential and decision-making capacity on a large scale.

Early Military Assessments

The Army Alpha and Beta tests, introduced during World War I, were the first group-administered intelligence exams. They measured verbal and nonverbal reasoning and allowed rapid assessment of large numbers of recruits. These tests demonstrated that cognitive ability predicted training performance and adaptability, establishing psychometric testing as a central component of military selection. Their success also influenced educational and occupational testing in civilian life.

In 1968, the U.S. Department of Defense developed the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) to replace earlier assessments. The ASVAB evaluates arithmetic reasoning, vocabulary, reading comprehension, technical knowledge, and other skills relevant to military training. Its primary function is to determine qualification for enlistment and assign recruits to occupational specialties. From four of its most academic subtests, the Armed Forces Qualification Test (AFQT) score is derived, providing an index of general cognitive ability that is similar to scores from academic tests like the SAT.

Relationship Between IQ and the ASVAB

Although the U.S. military does not call it that, ASVAB functions as an IQ test. Professional intelligence researchers AFQT scores correlate highly with IQ, typically between .80 and .90, with traditional intelligence measures.

This relationship shows that both tests assess general reasoning ability, though the ASVAB also includes specific information (like mechanical knowledge) that does not appear on most IQ tests. Still, the ASVAB serves as a practical substitute for IQ testing within the armed forces because it predicts training outcomes and performance across all job classifications.

Predictive Value of Cognitive Ability

Extensive research confirms that higher AFQT scores correspond to greater success in training, leadership, and technical proficiency. Cognitive ability predicts how quickly recruits acquire skills and how effectively they perform under pressure. These findings align with results from civilian employment studies, where reasoning ability is one of the strongest predictors of job performance.

The ASVAB is especially important for the military because many of its recruits are young and have little work experience -- especially in jobs that are unique to the military. Without the ASVAB, there would be almost no way for the military to efficiently match up new recruits to the hundreds of jobs in the military. More than 50 years of research has honed the ASVAB into a finely tuned test that solves the problem of selecting and allocating recruits while minimizing errors. No wonder many other countries have adopted similar tests in their militaries.

Maintaining Fairness and Accuracy

The ASVAB undergoes continual evaluation to maintain reliability and fairness. It is standardized on representative national samples and reviewed using the testing standards of the American Educational Research Association (AERA), the American Psychological Association (APA), and the National Council on Measurement in Education (NCME). These reviews ensure that the test measures reasoning accurately and operates equivalently across demographic groups.

Watch “What Does an IQ Test Measure?” with Dr. Russell T. Warne on the Riot IQ YouTube channel to see how the ASVAB compares to traditional measures of intelligence.