What Are Good ASVAB Scores?

The Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery, or ASVAB, scores are a part of what determines your ability to enlist in the Army, Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps or Coast Guard. Your ASVAB score includes your Armed Forces Qualification Test (AFQT) score. For high school graduates, the required score is usually in the lower 30s, while those with a GED are usually required to score at least a 50. A "good" score for those who have graduated high school is considered to be a 35. However, each branch has its own minimum score necessary for enlistment, and the higher you score, the more jobs you will be qualified for in your branch of service.

In the Army Now

The minimum AFQT score for enlistment in the Army is 31, regardless of whether you have a high school diploma or a GED. Waivers can be used to lower the minimum score enlistment score to 26, if the current recruiting requirements allow. If you want to qualify for incentive programs like the Army College Fund, college loan repayment and monetary enlistment bonuses, you typically need a minimum score of 50.

Flying High With the Air Force

To enlist in the Air Force, which is considered the most restrictive branch of the military when it comes to AFQT scores, you must have a minimum AFQT score of 36 if you have a high school school diploma. If you have a GED, you must score a minimum of 65. Less than1 percent of people who enlist in the Air Force each year have a GED instead of a high school diploma. In rare cases, the Air Force will accept a minimum score of 31, if an applicant has a special skill that the Air Force deems necessary, such as speaking a particular foreign language. Again, like in any branch of the military, your score not only determines your ability to enlist, it also determines your qualification of the various jobs within that branch.

Sailing the Seas in the Navy

The Navy tends to be more restrictive than the Army for people enlisting with a GED instead of a high school diploma. The minimum AFQT score for enlistment in the Navy is 31 if you have a high school diploma, and 50 if you have a GED. In addition to scoring a 50, those with a GED must be at least 19 years old and must be able to prove their work history. GED recruits comprise only 5 to 10 percent of each year's Navy class. When the Navy receives too many female applicants, the minimum AFQT requirement for females is raised to 50, because on-ship housing for females is limited. A minimum score of 50 is also required by any applicant who wishes to qualify for the Navy College Fund or college loan repayment program.

Moving With the Marine Corps

The Marine Corps requires a minimum AFQT score of 32 for those with a high school diploma and a minimum score of 50 for applicants with a GED. As with the Navy, only 5 to 10 percent of each year's Marine Corps recruitment class has a GED. Like the Navy and Army, a minimum score of 50 is required to qualify for incentive programs, including enlistment bonuses, the Marine Corps College Fund and the Geographic Area of Choice Program.

Cresting the Waves in the Coast Guard

For applicants with a high school diploma, the minimum required AFQT score to enlist in the Coast Guard is 40, while GED applicants must score a 50. GED recruits make up only 5 percent of each year's Coast Guard class. If an applicant's ASVAB subtest scores qualify for a specific job that is in demand, use of a waiver is possible if the applicant agrees to enlist for that job.