Air Force Officer Qualifying Test (AFOQT) and Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB): Analysis of Common Measurement Attributes

Abstract

Abstract : This investigation explores the relationship of the verbal and quantitative components of the Air Force Officer Qualifying Test (AFOQT) and the Armed services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB). Subjects were 516 airmen in Basic Military Training (BMT) who took the ASVAB prior to enlistment. They were administered the verbal and quantitative components of the AFOQT. A matrix of ASVAB subtests and AFOQT verbal and quantitative subtest correlations was computed. After correction for restriction in range, high correlations were found between AFOQT and ASVAB subtests of the same attributes. using the corrected matrix, the following analyses were performed. Regressions were conducted to predict AFOQT success using ASVAB subtests. All ASVAB subtests but Word Knowledge were significant (p less than .01) in the prediction equation. Principal components factor analyses were conducted to find the structure of the tests. Five factors best represented the data. Finally, canonical correlation results indicated three statistically significant (p less than .01) variates. Several conclusions may be drawn. The intercorrelations and factor analysis indicated that both tests measure similar attributes. The regression analyses showed that the ASVAB could be used to predict the AFOQT. Finally, canonical correlation results indicated strong convergent validity of the AFOQT and ASVAB. (emk)