Arithmetic Reasoning Practice Test: What ASVAB AR Covers

Arithmetic Reasoning (AR) is the ASVAB section people underestimate. The math is not advanced — the official description is simply the "ability to solve arithmetic word problems." What makes it hard is the reading: you have to turn a paragraph of English into the right calculation, without a calculator, before the clock runs out. Here's what the section is, how it's timed, and how to practice for it.

Why AR matters more than its size

AR is one of only four subtests that make up your AFQT, the score that decides whether you can enlist. The other three are Mathematics Knowledge, Word Knowledge and Paragraph Comprehension.

It also shows up again in job scores. In the Army, the General Technical (GT) line score is AR + VE (VE is the verbal score built from Word Knowledge and Paragraph Comprehension). goarmy.com also lists Arithmetic Reasoning among the subjects that matter for the Clerical, Electronics, Field Artillery, and Surveillance & Communication line scores.

So AR counts twice: once to get in, and again for which jobs open up.

How AR is timed

It depends on which version you take. Most people take the computer version (CAT-ASVAB) at a MEPS or testing site; the paper version is given at only a handful of sites.

("Questions" are the ones that count toward your score, plus any tryouts. "Per question" is the time limit divided by the number of questions.)

Tryout questions are new questions being tested for future use; they don't count toward your score. The official site says each examinee gets them in 2 to 4 subtests, mixed in randomly, with extra time added. You won't know which questions are tryouts, so treat every question as if it counts.

AR is the second subtest, right after General Science.

What the computer version changes

On the CAT-ASVAB, the test adapts to you. Everyone starts with a question of medium difficulty; get it right and the next one is harder, get it wrong and the next one is easier. Two practical consequences:

• You can't go back. Once you move to the next question, you can't change your answer.
• Don't leave questions unfinished. If time runs out, the official site says unfinished items are scored as though they were answered at random — in other words, as if you'd guessed. In practice, the time is generous enough that almost everyone finishes.

What AR problems look like

Every AR question is a word problem. The official site doesn't publish a topic list, but word problems at this level are built from a familiar set of situations. Our Arithmetic Reasoning module, for example, is organized around these:

• reading the English of word problems (what "of," "per," "more than" and "less than" turn into)
• direct and inverse proportions
• discounts, taxes and percents
• simple interest
• distance, rate and time
• shared work
• averages, remainders and comparisons
• sequences and patterns
• reading charts and graphs
• mixtures
• ages

Remember the official rule: no calculator, on any version.

A worked example (our own, not from the test)

A jacket costs $80. It's on sale for 25% off, and then 8% sales tax is added to the sale price. How much do you pay?

The tempting shortcut is to combine the percents: 25% off minus 8% tax is "17% off," so 83% of $80 = $66.40. That's wrong — and it's exactly the kind of answer a multiple-choice test can include as an option.

The right way follows the order of the story:

1. Sale price: 25% off means you pay 75%. 75% of $80 = $60.
2. Tax: 8% of $60 = $4.80.
3. Total: $60 + $4.80 = $64.80.

The percents don't combine because they apply to different amounts: the discount to $80, the tax to $60. Most AR mistakes are like this one — not a math error, but a reading error.

How to practice AR

1. Practice without a calculator from day one. The test doesn't allow one, so your practice shouldn't either.
2. Write the setup before you calculate. Translate the sentence into a calculation first; then do the arithmetic.
3. Study your wrong answers, not just your score. For each miss, name the mistake: misread the question, wrong operation, or arithmetic slip. The fix is different for each.
4. Practice under the clock. About 3.7 minutes per question on the computer version is generous, but only if you don't stall on one problem.
5. Use the official strategy for guesses. The official preparation page advises ruling out as many wrong choices as you can and then making an educated guess.

Take an AR practice test

Our free practice test includes Arithmetic Reasoning with the computer version's numbers — 15 questions in 55 minutes in the full version — along with the other three AFQT sections, and ends with an AFQT estimate (a practice estimate, not an official score). Our questions are written by us, in the style of the test; they are not official ASVAB questions.

For three timesaving techniques you can use on test day, read 3 Arithmetic Reasoning Shortcuts That Save Real Minutes.

Quick answers

How many questions are on ASVAB Arithmetic Reasoning?

On the computer version, 15 questions count toward your score, with a 55-minute limit (more time if tryout questions are added). On the paper version, 30 questions in 36 minutes.

Can you use a calculator on the ASVAB?

No. The official ASVAB program does not allow calculators on any version of the test.

Does Arithmetic Reasoning count toward the AFQT?

Yes. AR is one of the four subtests that make up the AFQT, along with Mathematics Knowledge, Word Knowledge and Paragraph Comprehension.

What's the difference between AR and MK?

AR is word problems — reading a situation and choosing the calculation. MK, Mathematics Knowledge, tests high school math principles directly, like equations and geometry.

Sources

• What to Expect When You Take the ASVAB — officialasvab.com
• The CAT-ASVAB — officialasvab.com
• Sample Questions — officialasvab.com
• Preparing for the ASVAB — officialasvab.com
• Military Jobs (composite scores) — officialasvab.com
• ASVAB — goarmy.com