Pay the most attention to the AFQT score. It represents the percentile of your test score, relative to other 18- to 23-year-olds who took the test. An AFQT score of 95, for example, means you scored higher than 95 percent of other people who took the test. AFQT minimums range from 26 for the Marines to 65 for Air Force recruits with a general equivalency diploma, or GED.
Understand the relevant acronyms for each section. You'll see abbreviations such as "AR" for arithmetic reasoning or "WK" for word knowledge, for example. Other acronyms include "MC" for mechanical comprehension; "SI" for shop information; "AI" for automotive information; "EI" for electronics information; "MK" for mathematics knowledge; "GS" for general science; "PC" for paragraph comprehension; "AO" for assembling objects; and "VE" for verbal expression.
Determine how your ASVAB category score correlates to your desired military specialty. Someone interested in the Navy's nuclear program, for example, will want to look at the composite score of the arithmetic reasoning, mechanical comprehension, mathematical knowledge and verbal expression elements of the test and make sure they scored higher than 252. Ask your recruiter for the minimum scores for the specialty that interests you.