AFQT Subtest

ASVAB Word Knowledge (WK)

WK tests vocabulary — knowing word meanings and selecting synonyms. It is the largest contributor to your VE and AFQT scores.

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35

Questions

11 min

Time

Yes

Affects AFQT?

What WK Measures

Vocabulary breadth and the ability to determine word meaning from context. Feeds into the Verbal Expression (VE) composite.

Common Question Types

Direct Synonym

"X most nearly means ___"

Context Clue

"In this sentence, X means ___"

Antonym Elimination

Eliminate opposites to find the synonym

Root/Prefix/Suffix

Use word parts to determine meaning

5 Example Questions

Try these — tap any question to reveal the answer.

Q1"Resilient" most nearly means:

A) Fragile

B) Flexible

C) Rigid

D) Recoverable

Q2"The soldier showed great fortitude under fire." Fortitude means:

A) Fear

B) Courage

C) Speed

D) Anger

Q3"Benevolent" most nearly means:

A) Hostile

B) Kind

C) Neutral

D) Cautious

Q4"Obsolete" most nearly means:

A) Modern

B) Outdated

C) Useful

D) Portable

Q5"The plan was deemed untenable." Untenable means:

A) Defensible

B) Impractical

C) Creative

D) Complete

Study Tips for WK

1Learn common Latin and Greek roots (bene = good, mal = bad, etc.).
2Read daily — news articles, books, anything. Exposure builds vocabulary fastest.
3When stuck, eliminate answers you know are wrong before guessing.

Line Scores That Use WK

Your WK score feeds into these composite scores, which determine job eligibility:

AFQT (via VE)GT (Army)CL (Marines)All verbal composites

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Free ASVAB Study Cheat Sheet

Key formulas, line score composites, and score benchmarks in one printable PDF.

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