The Best ASVAB Study Guides of 2024

Are you prepared to serve and defend your country? If so, then you should also be prepared to take the ASVAB. The Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) is a test developed and administered by the United States Department of Defense to assess a student’s aptitude for military training. In simple terms, it is used to determine whether or not a student is qualified to enlist in the Armed Forces. So if you want a career in armed services, then you better do well in the ASVAB.

Do you want to know how to pass the ASVAB? If so, there are plenty of ASVAB study guides that can help you get the job done. But if you really want to know how to study for the ASVAB or how to ace the ASVAB so that you can both enlist and get the armed services job you want, then you better use what we have reviewed as the best ASVAB study guides today.

If you want to just get back to studying, get our top choice for ASVAB study guides here.

Last update: 2024-04-19

Our Favorites for Best ASVAB Study Guides (the best out of the bunch)

ASVAB Prep Plus by Kaplan Test Prep

If you are looking to take the ASVAB and have no plans of re-taking it or of performing at a mediocre level, you have to give yourself the best tool possible. And for those who want to not only know how to pass the ASVAB but get a good score in it as well, your weapon of choice should be ASVAB Prep Plus by industry giant Kaplan.

It really is not a secret that Kaplan is in love with making books that tend to be so complete and comprehensive. ASVAB Prep Plus is not so different in that regard. It provides you with a content review that is so thorough and exhaustive that it is extremely helpful even for those who are several years out of high school and for those whose knowledge of the topics covered is no longer fresh. That is because it covers everything you need to do down to the last letter.

While its in-depth content review is indeed helpful, what makes this book stand out are the practice problems. ASVAB Prep Plus has tons of ASVAB practice test problems that are as close to the real thing as possible. With over 1,800 of these practice questions, the book makes sure that you get as much practice as needed. Moreover, the answer explanations are so detailed that they not only serve as mini content reviews but also pseudo-tutors for helping you improve on your mistakes.

That said, this book serves as your all-around ASVAB study guide in the sense that it stands out well on its own. You probably would not need any other book aside from this one. That means that ASVAB Prep Plus helps you save both time and money as you no longer have to get another ASVAB study guide.

What makes it unique:

• It is complete and comprehensive in every way possible.
• The thousands of ASVAB practice problems are close to the actual questions.

Why choose this book:

• You would not need any other book if you choose this study material.
• It provides you with everything you need to know and all the practice you require to prepare for the ASVAB.

Last update: 2024-04-19

---

ASVAB Study Guide by Test Prep Books Military Team

A product of a well-known player in the industry, Test Prep Books' ASVAB Study Guide is like the opposite of Kaplan’s ASVAB study material. While Kaplan focuses on a thorough review that goes through every detail word per word, ASVAB Study Guide is a quicker and shorter version that does not sacrifice quality. In a sense, it explains the concepts in a concise yet still comprehensive manner so as to help you save time.

Because ASVAB Study Guide’s content review is not very thorough but leans more towards being direct to the point, it works best as a review book in its strict meaning. Simply stated, it is a great refresher for you if you already have a good background of the topics covered by the ASVAB. It also adds a lot of information you may not have learned in high school.

Moreover, the way the material explains the concepts is very easy to understand. It is so simple to read and was written with the reader in mind as it has a way of explaining things in plain English. The contents of the book are also well-organized in the sense that it is not a pain to the eyes even after reading it for long periods of time.

The ASVAB practice tests are also quite relevant because of how they quiz you about the topics that will most likely come out. And if you are aiming for a good score in one of the subtests, you can find a way to improve your weaknesses by using the answer explanations to give yourself a sense of clarity and a way of knowing how to do better during the actual ASVAB itself.

Overall, there are a lot of things to like about this book. It is not too heavy on the budget and is likewise not a heavy book itself. It is concise and goes direct to the point without sacrificing useful information. In short, you can use this as your main reference material while supplementing it with ASVAB question banks or with other resources.

What makes it unique:

• This book delivers a content review that tends to be comprehensive yet concise.
• It is well-organized and is easy on the eyes.

Why choose this book:

• If you want an ASVAB study guide that refreshes your mind in a quicker and more efficient way, go for this as one of your top choices.
• Though quite concise, it still works well as your primary or only review material for the ASVAB.

Last update: 2024-04-18

---

The Runners-Up for Best ASVAB Exam Prep Books (still good but a little lacking)

 

by Angie Papple Johnston

Do not be afraid of using this book as you necessarily do not have to be an actual “dummy” to choose this as one of your references. There are plenty of ASVAB study guides out there on the market but there are no other books that can give you a different perspective of what to expect in the actual exam than ASVAB For Dummies.

As mentioned, this book can change the way you view the exam as it was written for figurative “dummies” to make studying for the ASVAB easier than it usually is. does that by comprehensively covering the topics well enough to help you recall and also understand the most important key points and concepts you need to get a high score in the ASVAB.

Another strength this book has comes in the form of its practice tests. The ASVAB practice tests ASVAB For Dummies comes with are quite challenging and will make you change your perspective of the actual test by giving you the impression that it is more difficult. But, in reality, the real ASVAB pales in comparison to the practice tests you will encounter in this book. So if you can answer its seven ASVAB practice tests, there is no reason why you cannot get a high score in the real exam.

This is actually a good alternative to the other main materials on this list because of how it explains the topics and concepts a little more differently. So, depending on your own learning curve and preferences, this book can be a better option for you if the other books on this list do not seem to fit your needs.

What makes it unique:

• It gives you a different perspective about the ASVAB by explaining the concepts in a new light.
• Its practice tests are more challenging than the real ASVAB.

Why choose this book:

• This is a book that helps you understand the topics in a different way.
• If you want to challenge yourself with practice tests that are quite difficult, this is the perfect choice for you.

No products found.

---

ASVAB Math Workbook by Reza Nazari, Ava Ross

The ASVAB is composed of different subtopics. Performing well in one or more of those topics will help you in your chosen career path in armed services. As such, if you want to qualify for jobs that require you to perform well in math, you have to use a dedicated ASVAB math study guide. A highly recommended book for that is ASVAB Math Workbook.

As the name suggests, ASVAB Math Workbook is an ASVAB study guide specifically made to help you work on your math skills. It has over two thousand ASVAB practice test questions designed to drill you to be ready enough for the actual test’s math subsection.

The good thing about it is that it is not monotonous. Instead of giving you ASVAB sample math questions that have the exact same tone and style, the book has interactive and fun activities that make your learning and studying seem more interesting. In some cases, using this book can actually feel fun and exciting without sacrificing its goal of helping you prepare for the math subsection.

As such, ASVAB Math Workbook actually has questions and activities that are a bit more challenging than the actual ASVAB. The good thing is that you would not even notice how difficult those questions and activities are because of how interesting the book can be from time to time. It also does not lack in variety as it makes sure it covers every math topic you need to practice for.

That said, this ASVAB study guide is a handy material to have by your side especially if you want to focus on getting a high score in the math subsection. It will indeed prepare you for the ASVAB and will make you more than ready to take on the math questions you will encounter in the test.

What makes it unique:

• It is dedicated to helping you improve in the ASVAB math subsection.
• The book focuses only on activities and ASVAB practice questions.

Why choose this book:

• Use this book if you are solely focused on getting a high score in the ASVAB math subsection because you are aiming for an armed services job related to math.
• Math is hardly ever fun or interactive but this book has made practicing for the ASVAB math subsection a lot more interesting.

Last update: 2024-04-19

---

The Best Value for Your Money for a ASVAB Study Guide (good and affordable)

CliffsNotes ASVAB AFQT Cram Plan by Carolyn Wheater, Jane Burstein

Cramming for any exam is never an ideal gameplan but there are times when you just cannot avoid cramming because of one reason or another. If you do not have enough time to prepare for the ASVAB in the ideal and conventional way, then you can go for CliffsNotes ASVAB AFQT Cram Plan instead.

Not entirely made for crammers, CliffsNotes ASVAB AFQT Cram Plan is something solid you can use regardless of whether you have one month or one week to prepare for the ASVAB. It has different plans you can follow depending on how much time you have left to study for the ASVAB. And the plans are actually quite effective in helping you “cram” for the test because there are different types of pacing styles you can use to prepare for the ASVAB.

What also makes this a good budget choice (other than the fact that it is affordable) is that the subject review portion can be used for both a steady-paced comprehensive review or for a quick refresher in case you are short on time or if you have already used the more exhaustive ASVAB study guides in your arsenal. In that regard, you can use this material during the final leg of your review or if you want to focus or target certain subsections covered by the ASVAB.

What makes it unique:

• The book is quick, concise, and straight to the point.
• It allows you to use different approaches depending on how long you are going to cram for the ASVAB.

Why choose this book:

• It is a great option for you if you are looking to cram for the ASVAB because you no longer have time to study the more thorough and comprehensive study guides
• If you are looking for a book that allows you to zero in and focus on certain topics a few days before the ASVAB, this study material helps you “cram”.

Last update: 2024-04-18

---

Summary of the Best ASVAB Study Guides

Putting everything together, in this guide we reviewed the following:

Last update: 2024-04-19

As mentioned, the main goal of the ASVAB is to assess whether or not you are ready to take on service in the Armed Forces. Because of that, you need to get a passing score of at least 31 to qualify for a career in the armed services. But passing is not the only factor you should consider when taking the ASVAB.

When you take the ASVAB, you already have a certain job in the armed services you want to pursue. As such, passing the ASVAB should not be your only focus because your choice of career also plays a big role. Different job choices require you to score a certain mark in one or more of the ASVAB’s subtest. That means that you should also consider getting a high score in the subtests related to the field of your chosen armed services career.

But, if you want a complete approach for your ASVAB review, using the study guides we recommended can help make sure that you do not only pass the test but also get good scores in all or most of the subtests.

Did you find this helpful? If you’re studying for the AFOQT or FSOT, we went over the best AFOQT review guides and best FSOT study guides too. All of our armed services reviews of study guides can be found here.

If you’re wondering about the difference between ASVAB and AFOQT, check out our comparison post here.