YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan -- For the first time, students from Yokota High School were administered the web-based Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery Career Exploration Program test, Nov. 9.
A Pacific region record-breaking 154 students took the test at YHS, assessing their skills and interests, providing them with an opportunity to explore a wide range of career and post-secondary options, including various college majors and career pathways.
“The new ASVAB does a great job guiding students to careers and occupations that may be a good fit for them,” said Colleen McDougall, YHS information specialist. “We offer this opportunity because students get so much information out of it.”
The web-based version of the ASVAB CEP gives students instant results upon completion, which are then used to guide career exploration using embedded career planning tools.
“This matches the standardized testing that students receive with tests like the SAT or ACT,” said Maj. (Ret.) Mark Sideno, YHS Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps instructor. “The web-based version is also adaptive, meaning the better a student does, the more difficult the questions get.”
The web-based ASVAB CEP still tests on nine subjects; however, the digital and adaptive format aims to give students a more accurate depiction of their skills and interests.
“This is now a career planning tool that is also a useful part of military recruitment,” said Sideno. “It’s now more applicable and helpful to high school kids everywhere.”
According to the U.S. Military Entrance Processing Command, the ASVAB CEP stands out as the sole career planning tool enabling students to investigate diverse avenues to success. These pathways include college, certificates, apprenticeships, licensure programs, or military service–all within a single resource.
“Anything we can do to contribute to our students’ success is a worthwhile endeavor,” said Sideno.