How many times can you take the ASVAB?
The official retest policy sets waiting periods, not a maximum number of tests. After your first ASVAB you wait one calendar month for the first retest, one more month for the second, and then six months between every retest after that. A retest taken too early is invalidated.
In more detail
The Department of Defense retest policy works in three steps: one month after the initial test, one more month after the first retest, then six months between all later tests. Your scores can be used for enlistment for up to two years from the date you tested.
One exception speeds things up. If your AFQT score jumps 20 or more points within six months, you may be asked to take a confirmation test, called a C-Test, which has no one-month wait. After a C-Test, your next standard retest is six months later. A test invalidated for cheating also means a six-month wait.
These are the baseline rules. Your recruiter or service branch may have its own rules about when to book you, so ask before you build a study plan around a date.
ASVAB retest waiting periods
| Test | Earliest you can take it |
|---|---|
| Initial test | Any time |
| First retest | One calendar month after the initial test |
| Second retest | One calendar month after the first retest |
| Third retest and every one after | Six months after the previous test |
| Confirmation test (C-Test) after a gain of 20 or more AFQT points in six months | Right away, no one-month wait |
| Test invalidated for cheating | Six months later |
Step by step
- 1
Write down the date of your last test and count one calendar month, or six months once you are past the second retest.
- 2
Find out which of the four AFQT subtests held your score down: Word Knowledge, Paragraph Comprehension, Arithmetic Reasoning or Mathematics Knowledge.
- 3
Spend the waiting time on those subtests with timed practice, not on rereading.
- 4
Ask your recruiter or test site to book the retest for the first day you are allowed.
How StudyPDF helps
Upload your ASVAB study guide, class notes or photos of practice pages and StudyPDF builds flashcards and timed practice questions from them, each answer linked to the page it came from. Your mastery per concept shows whether word knowledge or math is holding your AFQT back, so the weeks before a retest go where they count.
See also
More questions
Can you retake the ASVAB the next day?
No. The first retest needs a one-month wait after the initial test. A retest given earlier than the policy allows is invalidated, so the attempt is wasted.
How long are ASVAB scores good for?
Scores can be used for enlistment for up to two years from the date you tested, as long as they can be verified as yours.
Do it on your own course
Upload your lectures and ask Bo. Cited answers, plus flashcards, exams, and more built from your material.