February 7, 2012

Recruiting for the Air Force

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Recruiting for the Air Force

The Air Force is one of the hardest services for you to join, tied with the Coast Guard. There are approximately 27,800 recruits that are enlisted every single year, which is a big difference in comparison to the Army, which recruits an average of 80,000 brand new recruits every single year. In the 2009 fiscal year, the Air Force decided to increase their goal as a means of making up for downsizing in previous years, and so they raised their goal to 31,980 new recruits. In the 2010 fiscal year the goal for active duty recruiting became 31,750.

In the past several years, more people have volunteered for the Air Force than the service really has room for. They have actually met if not exceeded all of their recruitment goals for the last ten years. What this means is that the Air Force is a service that can be a little pickier about who they do and do not let in since there are so many exceptionally qualified applicants trying to join.

The Air Force has a minimum ASVAB score requirement which is 36 in order to enlist. If you score at a 50 or higher then you are going to have a better chance of getting in, especially considering how competitive it is. The Air Force seems to like to bring in new recruits that score at a 75 or higher, with the maximum score being 100. Testing well on the ASVAB can play a very important role in helping you to get recruited to the air force when this is the service that you definitely want to work for.

The number of prior service applications that the Air Force accepts on an annual basis is generally very low. Typically in order to enlist in the air force, a prior service applicant should already be pre qualified for an Air Force job that is considered to be critically undermanned at current, or they must otherwise qualify for a special operations job and agree to enlist in that job in order to be recruited.

The Test That Decides everything

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Armed Forces Vocational-Aptitude Battery-Test (ASVAB) is a multiple choice exam consisting of 9 individual exams administered by US Military Entrance processing Command. The subjects range from general science to vocabulary. AFVAB assesses the trainability of the candidate.
Armed Forces Vocational-Aptitude Battery-Test was introduced in 1968 and in 1976 all services began using it as the official entry test. Previously Armed Forces Qualification Test was developed for screening purposes. It was a 100 Multiple choice question test focusing on area like Math, vocabulary, Mechanical ability etc.
Armed Forces Vocational-Aptitude Battery-Test since its inception on 1976 remained almost the same until 2002, when it went through a major revision and the format was computerized. Armed Forces Qualification Test scores include, the standard scores obtained in various areas of mental reasoning such as grammar, mathematics, reasoning and other areas.
The Armed Forces Vocational-Aptitude Battery-Test scores are declared in percentile formats and are categorized into 8 categories based on the percentile range:
• Category I – Between ranges 93-99
• Category II – Between ranges 65-92
• Category III – Between ranges 50-64
• Category III B – Between ranges 31-49
• Category IV A – Between ranges 21-30
• Category IV B – Between ranges 16-20
• Category IV C – Between ranges 10-15
• Category V – Between ranges 0-9

Each branch of the armed forces will be having a requirement of specific scores out of other subtests of Armed Forces Vocational-Aptitude Battery-Test.
If a candidate fails to score high enough to enlist into the service branch of his choice, due to low score because of lagging in one of the 4 core areas, he can apply for a retest 30 days after the initial Armed Forces Vocational-Aptitude Battery-Test test the next attempt should be after 6 months. Each service will be having its own sets of rules concerning the retest.So get yourselves ready to face them and ace them.

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What You Need to Know to Join the Navy

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Deciding to enlist in the military is a big decision that will affect your life forever. If you have thought about joining the military and feel like the Navy would be a good fit for you, knowing the qualifications and requirements will help you prepare:

Basic Qualifications
To join the Navy, you must be at least 18 years old and no older than 34. 17-year-olds are permitted to enlist, but they must have signed permission from their parents. If you want to be an officer in the Navy, you must be between the ages of 19 and 35 and have a Bachelor’s degree. You also must be a US citizen or a permanent immigrant with a green card.

Physical Requirements
Those who want to join the Navy must fall within a certain body fat percentage for their height. The Navy has charts that help you determine if your weight puts you in the acceptable category. You will also need to pass a medical test to ensure you don’t have any illnesses or issues that would put you or your fellow soldiers in danger, as well as a physical fitness test that involves running, push-ups, and other basic exercises.

Educational Requirements
The Navy requires you at least have a GED or high school diploma to graduate. Anyone wanting to join any branch of the military must also pass the ASVAB (Armed Forces Vocational Aptitude Battery), which is an entrance test. It includes nine categories, including science, math, mechanical comprehension, and paragraph comprehension. There are many ASVAB study guides and practice tests that will help you prepare.

While a recruiter is the best person to talk with to find out specific requirements for joining the Navy, these are the basics you must know. Joining the Navy is physically and mentally demanding, and these qualifications help make sure the Navy is a good fit for you.

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