Military ‘carefully considering’ calculator use on entrance exam.
The Pentagon Considers Allowing Calculators on Military Entrance Exam
The Pentagon is exploring the possibility of allowing recruits to use calculators on the military entrance exam, known as the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB). This potential change could have a significant impact on the recruitment outlook for various service branches. While the exact timing of this decision remains uncertain, it is a development worth noting.
“The Department is carefully considering the use of calculators for the ASVAB. We are taking a systematic approach, which will assess the impact of calculator use, and we are developing a way forward for calculator inclusion based on best practices in test development and psychometric theory,” confirmed a defense official to the Washington Examiner.
Currently, there are hopeful recruits who do not score high enough to qualify for enlistment. Military.com, the first to report on the Pentagon’s consideration, highlights the potential benefits of permitting the use of calculators.
The Army, Navy, and Air Force are expected to fall short of their recruitment goals this year, while the Marine Corps and Space Force have faced fewer challenges due to their smaller size. The military is grappling with various factors that contribute to these recruitment woes as it seeks to attract Generation Z, the current 18-24 year-olds, to enlist.
A Pentagon study from last year revealed that 77% of young Americans would not qualify for military service without a waiver due to issues such as being overweight, drug use, or having mental and physical health concerns. Additionally, the percentage of eligible young adults has decreased compared to previous years, according to Pentagon data.
Service branches have implemented several changes to address these challenges. They have relaxed certain appearance standards and provided extra opportunities for applicants who fail a drug test or do not qualify on the aptitude test. Increased bonuses and other incentives have also been introduced to encourage enlistment. For instance, the Army launched the Future Soldier Preparatory Course, which offers a second chance for recruits who narrowly miss the service’s academic performance or body fat standards.
So far, the Army has successfully graduated 9,216 students from the Future Soldier Preparatory Course, with 7,045 going through the academic track and 2,171 passing the fitness course. During the academic portion, students were able to raise their military exam scores by an average of 18.5 points, as reported by Military.com.
Test Your Skills with Sample Questions
If you’re curious about how you would fare in the ASVAB entrance exam, you can challenge yourself with some sample questions here.
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