ASVAB: Item and Factor Analyses for Military Aptitude Test Forms 8, 9, and 10

Item and factor analyses for Forms 8, 9, and 10 of the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB). The data was collected from a large sample of military enlistment applicants at 20 geographically dispersed Armed Forces Examining and Entrance Stations. The study was authored by Malcolm James Ree and analyzes item difficulty, internal consistency, reliability, and factor structure.

Use Cases

• Analyzing item difficulty and test information curves based on item response theory analyses described in the abstract.
• Studying the factor structure of aptitude tests based on the four identified factors: Verbal, Mathematical, Vocational Information, and Clerical Speed.
• Assessing test reliability and internal consistency based on reported high item-test biserial correlations and subtest reliability.
• Comparing the psychometric properties of different test forms based on the analysis of Forms 8, 9, and 10.

Strengths

• Data was collected from a large sample of military enlistment applicants, suggesting a substantial sample size.
• Analyses were conducted on samples equated in ability using an external reference test (AFQT-7a).
• Item-test biserial correlations are reported to be quite high (about .60), indicating strong subtest internal consistency.
• Factor analyses show the six forms analyzed are reported to be quite similar to each other and to previous ASVAB forms.

Limitations

• Row count, column names, and sample data are unknown, which limits suitability assessment.
• The license is closed, restricting access and reuse of the underlying data.
• The last update date is unknown; freshness is unverified.

Provenance

Source

Malcolm James Ree

Collection Method

Data collected from applicants at 20 geographically dispersed Armed Forces Examining and Entrance Stations (AFEES).

Geography

United States (inferred from data collection at U.S. Armed Forces Examining and Entrance Stations)