At first, I had NO idea what the PiCAT was. Luckily, I found out before I had to goto MEPS and take the ASVAB (Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery) Test. My youngest brother enlisted into the Marine Corps last year around the same time and he had mentioned to me that I should ask my recruiter about the PiCAT, which is what he took. PiCAT stands for “Pre-screening, internet-delivered Computer Adaptive Test”.
The PiCAT is an un-timed, un-proctored version of the ASVAB. You take the test at home on a computer and the results get sent to your recruiter when you complete the test. The best part about taking the PiCAT is that it counts as your ASVAB and you can keep your score when you goto MEPS so long as you pass the verification test. This means when you goto MEPS instead of taking the ASVAB, you will complete a short (maybe 30 minute long) test to verify you were the one who took the PiCAT (you didn’t cheat, etc). Most of the questions on the verification test, if not all of them, are the SAME exact questions from the PiCAT you took at home. If you fail the verification test, you will have to take the full ASVAB as soon as the verification test concludes. Don’t get too excited- there is a catch that your recruiter probably WILL NOT tell you. There is a SMALL percentage of people that are selected at random to take the full ASVAB regardless if they successfully passed their verification test as part of a study. Luckily I did not get selected to take the full ASVAB after I passed the verification test. I did get worried when the verification test was over and the screen said something along the lines of “You have completed part 1/8 of the ASVAB” and made me think it was about to roll over into the full test. When I hit the next button it then said I was finished (THANK SWEET BABY JESUS). I personally recommend taking the PiCAT versus the ASVAB. If anything it is a great practice test before you go take the ASVAB. So if you look at it that way, it can come in handy as a useful study tool as you can see which areas you really need to study in. I chose to take the PiCAT because I am a terrible test taker, a nervous wreck when taking tests. Being able to take it in the comfort of my own home without worrying about the time was great. It was a risk I was willing to take, going to MEPS not knowing if I was going to have to take the full ASVAB even if I passed the verification test. But I passed and it did not roll over. Reminder: Even though the PiCAT is taken at home, you still are NOT allowed to use a calculator. If you cheat, you are only cheating yourself. The test is designed to match you with jobs you would be successful at based on your knowledge. You will only be allowed a pencil and scratch paper at MEPS so stick to that at home if you take the PiCAT. If you have any questions drop a comment below!
Hi! Thanks for the comforting information. What did you use to study? Any Picat specific sites or books?
Hi Wesley! I apologize for the extremely late response (I was at BMT!) I used a lot of practice tests I found off of google. I also bought an ASVAB for Dummies book that had tons of good info. Good luck!
Hey. Thank you for the information! My graduation from highschool is next week and I’m trying to study for the asvab and it’s pretty hard for me to understand the math. I’m not great at certain parts of math like algebra. I even forgotten how to round to the nearest hundredths. What were some things you’ve study for like basic math? I get anxious and I get very frustrated easily. It’s pretty hard for me so I feel as if I’m going to fail the first try. I’ve never done the asvab test so yeah.
Hi Lashona! When I took it last year, I hadn’t been in high school for seven years! So if I can do it I promise you can! One resource that really helped me was the “ASVAB for dummies” book. I bought it off amazon and it helped me relearn the basics. I struggle with math also, even when I was still in school. There’s also a website called khan academy that offers various free classes including math. Try not to stress too much and good luck!
Hey thanks for the info! You said most of the questions were the same. Do you remember about how many weren’t?
Hi Mia! I apologize for the late response- I’d say maybe 5-10 I did not recognize.
Hi can you please help me study
Hello! Unfortunately I do not offer any tutoring services. A couple good resources for studying are the book “ASVAB for Dummies” and also by downloading the free app Quizlet and searching for ASVAB. Good luck!
Hey somebody told me that if you get a higher score than ur verification test would be different is that true?
Hi there! As far as I know and from my experience, the verification test is solely administered to those who take the PiCAT. When you goto MEPS, you will sit in a room full of computers like everyone else and take the test. Most of the people in there will be taking the full ASVAB. The verification test is administered to ensure that the person who took the PiCAT was indeed you. It’s ultimately to make sure that you didn’t cheat or have someone else take it for you. I’m not sure it is possible for you to obtain a higher score on your verification test, as you are just taking it to verify you were in fact the one who took the PiCAT. If you successfully pass the verification test, you will keep the scores you received on the PiCAT test. Hope this helps/answers your question!
Hi! How similar the question of picat to asvab
Hi! Based off of my experience, they were very similar. Some were the same questions.
What is considered a good score on the PICAT?
Hi! The PiCAT scoring is the same as the ASVAB scoring- it is best explained here: https://www.mometrix.com/blog/what-is-the-highest-asvab-score/
Hey!! So I wrote all my questions down (only because I thought at the end of the PICAT it would give me right and wrong answers but it didn’t) I’ve been going over my questions and just trying to study as much as I can. I know you said the questions are similar and the same… would It be best to just go over all the questions they have on quizlet and just write them all on notecards?? I got a 96 on my PICAT so I’m really trying to stay above waters. (And I didn’t cheat!! But my luck I’ll get some harder questions in my verification test lol)
Hi!! In my experience, most of the questions were the same questions from the PiCAT BUT I would definitely study ALL of the topics in the event that you are chosen to do the whole ASVAB exam- a small percentage of people have their PiCAT verification test roll over into the full ASVAB exam. Luckily, this did not happen to me but I’ve known people who have had this happen and they end up doing very poorly because they only studied certain questions. Good luck!!
I did the exact same thing I wrote some of the questions that were in the Quizlet app and I wrote down 152 questions when I took the picat only 65 questions were on the picat, got a 60% score on the picat tomorrow is my confirmation test hope it’s the same questions
Hi Kevin,
I would not rely on the PiCAT questions as a sole method of studying- and I say this only because there is a small chance that your test can roll over into the full ASVAB exam even if you successfully pass your verification test. In that case, you would have to take the whole entire ASVAB with randomized questions. This did not personally happen to me (Thank God) but I have heard from people that this did happen to. Be as prepared as possible!
UPDATED: I just realized you said you were taking your verification test on the 28th, I hope it went well for you!
Kevin, Can share with us your verification test experience ?
Hello,
I am taking my picat v-test soon. The question is, should I answer wrong again to the questions I answered wrong? I found out some of my answers were wrong after I got home and did some researches.
Hi!
I will be honest, I’m not completely sure how that affects your verification test. I know the main point of taking the test is to make sure you were, in fact, the person who took the PiCat. Your best bet would be to ask your recruiter this question! If it was me personally, I would try to answer the questions exactly how you did on your PiCat.
If use a calculator how would they know just out of curiosity?
Hi Sean, they won’t be able to know when it comes to your PiCAT however when you go for the verification test, they will know especially if you get the answers wrong. There are some questions that aren’t from your PiCAT.
what kind of environment do you take the verification test in? like are you in a closed room or with a bunch of other people?
Hi Charli- sorry for the late response, I haven’t been getting notifications for comments! You are basically in a closed, very quiet room with other people. It can be a lot of people or only a few depending on how many people are at MEPS that day. You shouldn’t be sat close to another person because they keep it as private as possible for each person.
will it always be the same questions on the verification test and on the PiCAt
Hi Ella! There will be a lot of the same questions from your PiCAT on your verification test but not all of them will be the same. In my experience, they sprinkle a few that were not on the PiCAT.
What happens if you don’t get a 31 or above?
Hi Jess! If you don’t achieve the minimum score required for your branch, in some cases you may be able to get a waiver for your score as long as your line scores qualify you for a specific job and you are willing to take that specific job. Here’s a link that may help explain how to read your scores: https://www.dummies.com/test-prep/asvab-test/deciphering-asvab-scores/
I’ve been getting mixed answers and it’s really bothering me, so I got a 91 and I’m worried because I guessed on some of the math. Can you tell me VERY ACCURATELY how many questions each section has since it’s only 30 questions and could you tell me what it was that mostly stayed the same on the Verification . Example: Were the math the exact same questions with different numbers and the paragraph comp, science, and word knowledges the exact same questions from the picat at home.
BASICALLY IM ASKING what should I focus on more? The math? Is it the math that has the new questions ?
Hi Destinee! To be honest, I cannot remember how many questions there were for each section. Also, I believe that the verification test is a mix so nobody has the same amount of questions from each section, they are picked randomly from your PiCAT for you to verify on the verification test. As I’ve mentioned in previous responses, from my experience many of the questions were the same on the verification test as they were on the PiCAT. To answer your question about what to focus on, I would say your best bet is to focus on areas you feel you aren’t as confident in. For example, if math is something you struggle with, focus on that. There is no way to tell what section the new questions come from. Im almost 100% sure that they are all selected at random. I hope this makes sense and I hope this helps!!
Okay Your response helped so much.
One last question.. So basically all they do is shuffle up your picat from home and pick random ones to put on the verification test..with like 5 new questions. Also is it true that the higher you score the harder it will be . Because I scored a 91 and also heard I’m most likely going to be taken into the ASVAB since I received a high score. Any tips you can give to help me avoid being put into the 3 hour ASVAB?
No that is not true- 95% of the people who pass the verification test get to keep their scores. The other 5% rolls over into the full ASVAB at random. Because it’s completely random, there’s no way to avoid being a part of the unlucky 5%. My best advice is to study and be prepared for the worst case scenario just in case. Good luck and let me know how it goes!
Is the PICAT verification timed?
I believe the max time is 45 minutes but most people finish between 25 and 30 minutes.
Can I change my branch at Meps?
Hi there, That is something you would want to talk with your recruiter about- they will be able to assist you with the process.
I’ve taken the picat once and i was wondering if you take the picat once already would the picat be different questions from the first time I’ve taken it ?
Hi Maddie! Sorry for the delay in my response. I am not 100% sure but I don’t think that you can take the PiCAT more than once. The ASVAB you can take more than once I know for sure, I have heard that you cannot take the PiCAT more than once. If you can, I would assume that the questions will be different just like the ASVAB is.