A Study of Factors Related to Low General Technical Scores on the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery as Identified by Members of the Second Squadron, Seventeenth Cavalry, Fort Campbell, Kentucky

The study analyzed the perceptions of the members of the Second Squadron, Seventeenth Cavalry, stationed at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, for low General Technical (GT) scores on the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB). A survey questionnaire was developed and administered to 300 members of the Second Squadron, Seventeenth Cavalry. Objectives of the survey questionnaire were to gather data regarding the opinions and perceptions of soldiers concerning the test and the conditions under which the test was given, personal background data, and written comments or suggestions for improving the test. The individual follow-up interviews revealed a breakdown of communication between the test administrators, recruiters, test developers, and individual test-takers as to the importance of the test on an individual\u27s career while in the U. S. Army. Numerous conclusions could be drawn from this study. Some of the more pertinent inferences and conclusions are: more career information should be given prior to enlistment; a higher priority should be placed on basic skills in the school systems; additional forms of the ASVAB and/or GT test should be developed and a practice test with follow-up counseling should be given prior to taking the actual test