One In Four Military Applicants Fail Entry Exam

[Formaldehyde]

Like I said, its the ASVAB. Do you think the Army turns those folks away? Or do they simply re-test them so they can pass?

Of course they re-test them. The ASVAB is a test taken in high school and kids routinely poo-poo it off fully knowing its for the military. I know many of my friends did when we took it in high school, and my kids confirm the same thing is the case in their experience today.

They didn't include high school students as you continue to falsely allege. The article makes this perfectly clear.

Furthermore, the subject bar is perfectly accurate. That is why it was used by so many respectable news organizations. if you don't believe the statistics released by the US Army, I suggest you take it up with them. Or prove that all these news organizations somehow incorrectly reported the same facts.

 

[MobBoss]

They didn't include high school students as you continue to falsely allege. The article makes this perfectly clear.

Falsely allege? The very first sentence of the article says:

Nearly one-fourth of the students who try to join the U.S. Army fail its entrance exam, painting a grim picture of an education system that produces graduates who can't answer basic math, science and reading questions, according to a new study released Tuesday.

It says students. Are those:

a. Kindergarten students.
b. Elementary school students.
c. Middle school students.
d. High School students.
e. College students.

By all means help me out here in which students are failing the exam. I await your answer.

Furthermore, the subject bar is perfectly accurate. That is why it was used by so many respectable news organizations.

From the wiki on the ASVAB:

The Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) is a multiple choice test, administered by the United States Military Entrance Processing Command, used to determine qualification for enlistment in the United States armed forces. It is often offered to American high school students when they are in the 10th, 11th and 12th grade, though anyone eligible for enlistment may take it.

Like I said, a lot of people do take this test in High School and the results merely follow them if they later decide to join the military. And you can retake the test to improve your score. I am sure the majority mentioned in this article initially took it in high school.

 

[Flying Pig]

It says students. Are those:

a. Kindergarten students.
b. Elementary school students.
c. Middle school students.
d. High School students.
e. College students.

It says 'graduates', which in the UK would mean university students. Does an American 'graduate' from 'High School'? I would assume it means 'college'; whatever that means in your language. Furthermore, I doubt that pupils under 16 would take the test for the armed forces because a younger child would change massively in the result they would get between sitting the test at say 14 and sign-up age.

EDIT: From Nova's post, it's almost certainly 'high school' students

 

[NovaKart]

Yes we do say graduate from high school. College in the US is generally a synonym for university. I think Americans can sign up at 17 or even 16 for the military with parental permission but I'm not sure. I'm pretty sure there are more high school graduates who join the military than college/university graduates.

 

[wolfigor]

Falsely allege? The very first sentence of the article says:



It says students. Are those:

a. Kindergarten students.
b. Elementary school students.
c. Middle school students.
d. High School students.
e. College students.

By all means help me out here in which students are failing the exam. I await your answer.

According to the linked article, those who completed High School "recent high school graduates".

Let me quote a specific passage in from the OP article's:

The report by The Education Trust found that 23 percent of recent high school graduates don't get the minimum score needed on the enlistment test to join any branch of the military. Questions are often basic, such as: "If 2 plus x equals 4, what is the value of x?"

The military exam results are also worrisome because the test is given to a limited pool of people: Pentagon data shows that 75 percent of those aged 17 to 24 don't even qualify to take the test because they are physically unfit, have a criminal record or didn't graduate high school.

Educators expressed dismay that so many high school graduates are unable to pass a test of basic skills.

I think it's pretty clear about that a large percentage of high school graduates fail to reach the minimal score on a relatively easy test.

Example of ASVAB's questions: http://usmilitary.about.com/od/joiningthemilitary/l/blasvabsample.htm

and here if you want to take it all:
http://www.military.com/ASVAB

IMHO high school graduates should fly over those questions (if they take them seriously enough).
I assume that the people failing, in this case, took the test seriously because they were trying to enter the service (from the article "Nearly one-fourth of the students who try to join the U.S. Army fail its entrance exam").

I remember that when I did take the entry exam for navy academy in Italy (I got the needed score) the main problem was not the level of complexity of the test but the very limited time to complete it.
You can get very nervous about it (especially because we were not allowed any watch), high schools in Italy do not use that type of tests, you have only one shot at it, and there are very little places available compared to the number of applicants per year.

Anyway, just for fun, I will give a try to the ASVAB that is online... I wonder of rusty I am after many years after school.

 

[ParadigmShifter]

I'll take the test... someone give me a zip code.

EDIT: Nevermind, 123456 works

 

[aimeeandbeatles]

If the U.S. ever annexes Canada and tries to do conscription, most likely Ill be safe because Im dumb and will probably fail the test.

 

[ParadigmShifter]

Yikes I took the long test

Biology questions first as well... my worst subject.

And I'm doing the maths questions without a calculator or writing anything down, and I'm pissed.

Guesses on my final score chaps... (On beer 6 at the mo).

EDIT: A security guard walks the equivalent of six city blocks when he makes a circuit around the building. If he walks at a pace of eight city blocks every 30 minutes, how long will it take him to complete a circuit around the building, assuming he doesn’t run into any thieves?

LOL why bring up thieves in this question

 

[Formaldehyde]

Falsely allege?

That's right. This article and all the others are quite clear about this point. Still haven't found any proof that the US Army is actually wrong, or that all these news organizations interpreted their press release in exactly the same way?

I think it's pretty clear about that a large percentage of high school graduates fail to reach the minimal score on a relatively easy test.

Indeed. (Emphasis mine.)

 

[ParadigmShifter]

Do you really need to know how many ounces are in a ton?

Still soldiering on...

EDIT: LOL email spammed by the US military already They didn't have a checkbox for "pacifist".

EDIT2: LOL trick questions

 

[aimeeandbeatles]

What sort of trick questions?

 

[ParadigmShifter]

More info than you need to answer the question, to put you off.

I really should have used a calculator or a pen

At least it's vocab questions now... so quicker.

 

[Dachs]

If the U.S. ever annexes Canada and tries to do conscription, most likely Ill be safe because Im dumb and will probably fail the test.

If we were conscripting people, we wouldn't use the ASVAB. Conscription hasn't been done since the seventies.

 

[aimeeandbeatles]

Like the "assuming he doesn't run into thieves"?

EDIT:

If we were conscripting people, we wouldn't use the ASVAB. Conscription hasn't been done since the seventies.

Well Im still too dumb anyways. Id probably end up shooting myself by mistake.

 

[ParadigmShifter]

Yeah that, and they also gave more info than was needed for some of the maths tests.

EDIT: It's actually quite a hard test.

EDIT2: Maths again, woohoo!

 

[Formaldehyde]

If we were conscripting people, we wouldn't use the ASVAB. Conscription hasn't been done since the seventies.

A version of this test existed back then. And I don't remember being so simplistic.

 

[ParadigmShifter]

LOLWUT? Auto repair questions? I'm gonna suck at this.

 

[Dachs]

A version of this test existed back then. And I don't remember being so simplistic.

Yeah, but weren't different tests given to volunteers and draftees?

 

[aimeeandbeatles]

LOLWUT? Auto repair questions? I'm gonna suck at this.

Well it wouldnt be too good if your military vehicle broke down in the middle of a dangerous area and nobody knew how to make it go.

 

[NovaKart]

Do you really need to know how many ounces are in a ton?

Still soldiering on...

EDIT: LOL email spammed by the US military already They didn't have a checkbox for "pacifist".

EDIT2: LOL trick questions

This is why I'm reluctant to do the test. I don't want to constantly get spammed by recruiters. Too bad they don't have a box for race (assuming they don't) since I doubt they would want to recruit fungi.