ASVAB Technical Bulletin No. 4 - P&P-ASVAB Forms 23-27 - Executive Summary and Battery, Item Development, Equating

Sep 18, 2026

ASVAB Technical Bulletin No. 4 (P&P-ASVAB Forms 23–27) outlines the structure and governance of the ASVAB testing program, including the overview, history, purposes, and major testing and oversight components. The bulletin explains the contents and scoring of the ASVAB battery, describing subtests, composite scores such as AFQT, and specific major changes. It further details item development and form assembly for Forms 23–26, followed by equating and associated studies for Forms 23–27 using methods such as OPCAL and overlap and scaling considerations.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryExam

FormatPDF

Pages87

Reading Time3 h 39 min

AccessFree to download

Executive Summary

Introduction

Overview

History and Background of ASVAB

Purposes of ASVAB

Testing Programs

Retesting

Advisory Groups

Program Oversight

Contents and Scoring of the ASVAB Battery

Subtests

Composites

Major Changes to the Battery

Item Development and Form Assembly (Forms 23–26)

Timeline for Fielding Forms 23–26

Item Development

Item Review

Item Tryouts

Final Form Assembly

Equating and Associated Studies (Forms 23–27)

ASVAB Equating/Scaling Overview

OPCAL

ASVAB Technical Bulletin No. 4 P&P-ASVAB Forms 23–27 Personnel Testing Division Defense Manpower Data Center March 2009 Revised May 2012 Table of Contents Executive Summary ................................................................................................................... vii 1. Introduction ............................................................................................................................... 1 1.1. Overview ............................................................................................................................... 1 1.2. History and Background of ASVAB.....................................................................................2 1.3. Purposes of ASVAB..............................................................................................................2 1.4. Testing Programs...................................................................................................................3 1.4.1. MEPCOM.......................................................................................................................3 1.4.2. ETP .................................................................................................................................3 1.4.3. STP/ASVAB CEP ..........................................................................................................4 1.5. Retesting ................................................................................................................................4 1.6. Advisory Groups ...................................................................................................................5 1.6.1. Defense Advisory Committee (DAC) on Military Personnel Testing ...........................5 1.6.2. Manpower Accession Policy Working Group (MAPWG) .............................................5 1.7. Program Oversight ................................................................................................................5 2. Contents and Scoring of the ASVAB Battery..........................................................................5 2.1. Subtests..................................................................................................................................5 2.2. Composites ............................................................................................................................6 2.2.1. AFQT Scores ..................................................................................................................6 2.2.2. Service Classification Composites .................................................................................8 2.2.3. STP Composites .............................................................................................................8 2.3. Major Changes to the Battery................................................................................................8 2.3.1. IRT Scoring for P&P-ASVAB .......................................................................................8 2.3.2. Deletion of NO and CS from the Battery .......................................................................9 2.3.3. Addition of AO to the Battery ......................................................................................10 2.3.4. Reordering the Subtests ................................................................................................ 11 3. Item Development and Form Assembly (Forms 23–26) .......................................................11 3.1. Timeline for Fielding Forms 23–26 ....................................................................................12 3.2. Item Development ............................................................................................................... 12 3.2.1. Sources of Items ...........................................................................................................

FAQs

What topics are covered in ASVAB Technical Bulletin No. 4 regarding Forms 23–27?

It covers executive summary, ASVAB program background and purposes, the battery’s contents and scoring, item development and form assembly for Forms 23–26, and equating and associated studies for Forms 23–27.

How does the bulletin describe scoring for the ASVAB battery?

It details subtests, composite score computations including AFQT and classification composites, and highlights major changes such as IRT scoring and adding or deleting specific components.

What process does the bulletin provide for assembling ASVAB test forms?

It explains item development sources and writing procedures, taxonomies, item review including editorial and sensitivity review, tryout development and administration, item analysis, and final form assembly.

Sep 18, 2026

Uploaded by Olivia Brown