Auto and Shop practice: ASVAB engine and tool questions
Ten questions in two sets of five on the four-stroke cycle, diesel ignition, alternators, exhaust, measuring and fastening tools, saws and sandpaper. Knowledge you can build even without a garage.
Correct answers
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0 of 5 answered: the explanations appear below as you go.
| Subtests covered | AS |
Practice items written by Radif Partners for this site, not real ASVAB questions. A share of correct answers does not convert into a standard score or an AFQT percentile.
Prepared by Radif Partners · Method · official sources read on October 22, 2026 · published formulas and tables
Auto and Shop Information (AS) covers how cars work and how common tools are used: engine cycles, ignition, charging, exhaust and emissions, plus hand tools, saws, fasteners and finishing. On the computer test it comes as two timed parts, Auto Information with 10 questions in 7 minutes and Shop Information with 10 questions in 6 minutes, about 42 and 36 seconds per item; the paper version has one subtest of 25 questions in 11 minutes, about 26 seconds each. AS is not in the AFQT. It matters for mechanical jobs: it is part of the Air Force Mechanical area (AR + MC + AS + 2VE) and the Marine Corps MM line score (AR + MC + EI + AS). For a candidate with MC 54 and AR 49, raising AS from 40 to 48 lifts the Mechanical percentile from 38 to 46 and the Marine MM from 95 to 99. The ten questions are written by Radif Partners, not real ASVAB items, and right answers here do not convert into a score.
What Auto and Shop covers
The ten questions on this page split evenly. Auto: the order of the four strokes of a gasoline engine, the job of the catalytic converter and of the alternator, what ignites the fuel in a diesel, and what blue-gray exhaust smoke means. Shop: the gauge used to set a spark plug gap, the saw made for curves in thin wood, the wrench that tightens to a measured force, the screwdriver for a cross-shaped recess and the sandpaper grit that leaves the finest finish. The Official ASVAB sample questions use the same direct style: one fact, four choices.
Two short parts on the computer
The Official ASVAB fact sheet lists Auto Information at 10 questions in 7 minutes and Shop Information at 10 questions in 6 minutes on the CAT-ASVAB, and a combined Auto and Shop subtest of 25 questions in 11 minutes on paper. At roughly 42, 36 and 26 seconds per item, there is no time to reason out how a part works: you either recognize it or you eliminate. Answer every item on the computer, since unfinished ones bring a penalty equal to random guessing.
Traps, with examples
- Smoke colors. Blue-gray smoke points to burning oil, black smoke to too much fuel, and thick white smoke to coolant entering the cylinders. The question gives one color and offers the others as distractors.
- Diesel versus gasoline. A diesel has no spark plugs: the air is compressed until it is hot enough to ignite the fuel. A choice mentioning the spark plug is the trap.
- Alternator, battery, starter. The starter turns the engine, the battery supplies the current to start it, and the alternator recharges the battery while the engine runs.
- Grit numbers. A higher grit number means finer abrasive: 220 grit is smoother than 60 grit. The reverse feels natural, which is why it is asked.
- Look-alike tools. A coping saw cuts curves, a hacksaw cuts metal, a crosscut saw cuts across the grain. A torque wrench measures tightening force; an impact wrench only delivers it.
Where AS counts
AS has no effect on the AFQT. It appears in 1 Air Force area, Mechanical, and 1 Marine Corps line score, MM, both defined in the 1997 score scale report. Take a future mechanic with AR 49, MC 54, EI 48 and VE 49; the AFQT is 42. With AS 40, the Mechanical percentile is 38 and the Marine MM 95. With AS 48, they become 46 and 99. The Army MM composite, an estimate here because it uses the 2004 weights, moves from 91 to 98. The line score calculator shows every composite, the Air Force page explains the Mechanical area and the Army page covers the Army line scores.
How to study Auto and Shop
Build two lists. For auto: the engine cycle, the ignition, fuel, cooling, lubrication, charging, braking, steering and exhaust systems, each with its main parts and one common failure symptom. For shop: hand tools grouped by job, measuring (tape, caliper, feeler gauge, level), cutting (saws, chisels, files), fastening (wrenches, screwdrivers, rivets) and finishing (sandpaper, planes). Quiz yourself on what each item does and what it would be confused with. If you can, open the hood of a family car with its owner’s manual in hand and find each part on your list: the battery, the alternator and its belt, the oil dipstick, the coolant reservoir, the air filter. Seeing them once makes the questions concrete. Mechanical Comprehension shares the Air Force Mechanical area and the Marine MM score with AS, so continue on the Mechanical Comprehension page, then compare all subtests with the practice test.