General Science practice: ASVAB science questions
Ten science questions in two sets of five: cells and blood, chemical symbols and pH, planets and the atmosphere, force and sound. Short items that reward recall more than reasoning.
Correct answers
0 / 5
0 of 5 answered: the explanations appear below as you go.
| Subtests covered | GS |
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
General Science (GS) is the ASVAB subtest of school science facts: life science, chemistry, earth and space science, and basic physics. Questions are short and most can be answered in seconds if you know the fact. The computer version gives 15 questions in 12 minutes, about 48 seconds each, and the paper version 25 questions in 11 minutes, about 26 seconds each. GS is not part of the AFQT, so it does not decide whether you can enlist. It counts for jobs: it is part of the Air Force Electrical area (GS + AR + MK + EI) and the Marine Corps EL line score (GS + AR + MK + EI). For a candidate with AR 54, MK 52 and EI 50, raising GS from 44 to 52 lifts the Electrical percentile from 50 to 59 and the Marine EL from 100 to 105, with no change to the AFQT. The ten questions are written by Radif Partners, not taken from the ASVAB, and a share of right answers is not a standard score.
What General Science covers
The ten questions on this page sample the four areas of the subtest. Life science: the organelle that releases energy in cells, the vessels that carry blood away from the heart, photosynthesis. Chemistry: the symbol for sodium and the meaning of a pH of 3. Earth and space science: the planet nearest the Sun, the layer that holds most of the ozone, the gas that makes up most of the air. Physics: the force on an accelerating cart and the material in which sound travels fastest. The real subtest stays within school science, as the Official ASVAB sample questions show.
A fast subtest
The Official ASVAB fact sheet gives 15 GS questions in 12 minutes on the computer test and 25 in 11 minutes on paper: about 48 and 26 seconds per item. That pace rules out working a problem from first principles. Even the one physics calculation on this page, force equals mass times acceleration, takes a single multiplication once you know the formula: a 10 kilogram cart at 3 meters per second squared feels 30 newtons. The time goes to recall, so short daily review beats long sessions.
Traps and memory hooks
- Arteries and veins. Arteries carry blood Away from the heart; both words start with A. Veins bring it back. Capillaries join the two.
- Symbols from Latin. Sodium is Na (natrium), potassium K, iron Fe, gold Au, silver Ag, lead Pb. S is sulfur, not sodium. These are classic wrong choices.
- The pH direction. Below 7 is acidic, 7 neutral, above 7 basic. Lower means more acidic, which feels backwards to many readers.
- Atmosphere layers. Weather happens in the troposphere, the lowest layer; most ozone sits above it in the stratosphere.
- Sound and light. Sound needs a medium and travels faster in solids such as steel than in water or air; light travels fastest in a vacuum. Choices mix the two on purpose.
- Mass and weight. Mass is in kilograms and does not change on the Moon; weight is a force, in newtons, and does.
Which scores GS moves
GS enters 1 of the four Air Force areas, Electrical, and 1 Marine Corps line score, EL, both built from the formulas of the 1997 score scale report. Take a candidate who wants an electronics job, with AR 54, MK 52, EI 50 and VE 51: the AFQT is 56, comfortably above the floors. With GS 44, the Electrical percentile is 50 and the Marine EL 100. With GS 52, they become 59 and 105, while the AFQT stays at 56. A standard score of 60 places you in the top 16% or so of the 1997 youth sample, and a few points of GS can be the difference for a technical specialty. The Air Force job finder shows which careers ask for an Electrical minimum, and the line score calculator shows every composite at once.
How to study General Science
Use a high school science review book or free school materials and make one sheet per area: the organ systems and what each does, the first twenty elements with their symbols, the planets in order and the layers of the atmosphere, and the basic physics formulas for force, work, speed and density. Turn each sheet into questions and answer them aloud. If you studied science long ago, start with the area you remember least: a weak area costs more points than polishing a strong one. Ten minutes of flash cards a day is enough to keep the facts fresh in the weeks before the test. Since GS and Electronics Information share the Electrical area, continue with the Electronics Information page, and check the other subtests with the practice test.