The complete PiCAT guide
The PiCAT is the unproctored version of the CAT-ASVAB. It is not a practice test and not a separate test. Once a PiCAT score is verified, it becomes the applicant’s official ASVAB score of record.
Start the free 135-item simulator form. It covers all ten subtests, is untimed, and needs only a free account — no card. Its length follows the published CAT-ASVAB scored-item count; the Department of Defense says only that the PiCAT has a similar number of questions.
How to get access
PiCAT access is recruiter-gated. An applicant must contact a military recruiter for an access code. Only recruiters and Site Security Managers can register someone. High schools may not administer it.
The PiCAT may be taken at home, in a library, or in a recruiter’s office.
Four differences from the proctored CAT-ASVAB
- There are no time limits on the individual PiCAT subtests.
- The PiCAT has no tryout items.
- The PiCAT has no proctor.
- The PiCAT has an early-stop rule that the proctored test does not have. If the AFQT score is too low after five subtests, the test ends and the remaining five are not administered.
The Department of Defense publishes no numeric threshold for that early stop.
The three PiCAT clocks
| Clock | Window | If missed |
|---|---|---|
| Access code | 30 days from issue | An unused code costs nothing; the recruiter re-registers the applicant. |
| Completion | 48 hours from first entering the code | Take the full ASVAB at a testing location, or wait two years. There are no exceptions. |
| Verification Test | 45 days from taking the PiCAT | The Verification Test must be completed inside this window. |
The ten subtests
The PiCAT administers ten subtests in this order:
- GS — General Science
- AR — Arithmetic Reasoning
- WK — Word Knowledge
- PC — Paragraph Comprehension
- MK — Mathematics Knowledge
- EI — Electronics Information
- AI — Auto Information
- SI — Shop Information
- MC — Mechanical Comprehension
- AO — Assembling Objects
AI and SI are administered separately but reported as one combined AS score: ten subtests administered, nine scores reported.
The four AFQT subtests come first
Only AR, MK, WK, and PC decide whether an applicant may enlist. They form the AFQT.
The formula is AFQT = 2·VE + AR + MK, where VE is built from WK and PC. The result is a percentile from 1 to 99 against a reference group of 18-to-23-year-olds who took the ASVAB in a 1997 norming study.
The other six subtests affect job qualification only, through branch composites. That makes the four AFQT subtests the first study priority.
Minimum AFQT figures
| Branch | Minimum | Required caveat |
|---|---|---|
| Army | 31 | Army applicants scoring 21–30 may enter the Future Soldier Preparatory Course academic track. This is a pathway, not a lowered minimum. |
| Air Force | 31 | 50 with a GED. |
| Marine Corps | 31 | 50 with a GED. |
| Navy | 31 | Not published by the service — reported figure. |
| Coast Guard | 32 | The Coast Guard’s own June 2025 recruiting manual does not mention the PiCAT, so whether it accepts one is unknown. |
| Space Force | — | The Space Force publishes no minimum AFQT; ask your recruiter. |
Scores and the Verification Test
Scores are not shown at the end of the PiCAT. The applicant contacts the recruiter who registered them; only that recruiter can view the scores. Scores may be used for enlistment for up to two years.
The Verification Test is proctored at a MEPS or MET site, must be taken within 45 days, and typically lasts 25 to 30 minutes. It requires a PiCAT AFQT of at least 10 and returns no score to the applicant. Its stated purpose is “to assess consistency of test performance across two occasions.”
Candidates report about 30 questions; the Department of Defense does not publish a number. The Department of Defense also does not publish which subtests it covers, whether it is adaptive, or its numeric pass line.
If verification succeeds, the PiCAT scores become the official ASVAB scores of record. If it does not succeed, a follow-on full ASVAB is administered and becomes the score of record instead.
Read the complete Verification Test guide.
Materials and devices
Calculators are not allowed. Scratch paper and a pen or pencil are expected. Take the PiCAT without any assistance.
The administrator’s public page permits tablets with a screen at least 7 inches. The DoD administrator guide your recruiter may be working from says not to use tablets at all. If it matters, use a laptop.
How many times can someone take it?
Two current official sources conflict. The administrator’s public page says the PiCAT can be taken only once. The DoD administrator guide says once every two years and describes a registration gate that blocks anyone who has taken the PiCAT or ASVAB in the last two years.
Recruiters split along these same two lines. PicatDrill does not resolve the conflict; ask the recruiter who will register you.
About PicatDrill practice
PicatDrill items are original and written to the published ASVAB subtest definitions. They do not come from live or recalled test content.
The simulator is untimed and adaptive. Forward-only — you cannot return to an earlier item. It reports raw performance, per-subtest counts, branch qualifying lines, and an AFQT-equivalent estimate produced by the published PicatDrill method. That estimate is from performance on PicatDrill items; the official AFQT is scaled differently and will differ.
See what to study first or compare the PiCAT with the ASVAB.