Air Force Jobs by ASVAB Score: The MAGE Composites

Q: Which composite opens the widest range of jobs?

General (G), since it's built from the same broad verbal-and-reasoning subtests (VE and AR) that also carry the most weight on your AFQT, and it's checked by career fields ranging from Security Forces (G33) to intelligence and cyber fields in the G60-72 range. A G-score in the high 50s or above keeps a large share of General-track AFSCs within reach, though the most selective intelligence and language-analyst fields, commonly listed around G72, sit at the top of that scale.

Air Force jobs, called AFSCs, qualify on four composite scores known by the shorthand MAGE: Mechanical (M), Administrative (A), General (G), and Electrical (E). Each AFSC lists its own minimum on whichever composite (or combination) predicts success in that career field. A Cyber Warfare Operations AFSC checks General; an aircraft maintenance AFSC checks Mechanical; a missile and space systems electronics AFSC checks Electrical at a high threshold. All four composites are separate from your AFQT.

(ASVAB HQ is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or administered by the Department of Defense, officialasvab.com, or the U.S. Air Force.)

Because the Air Force sets the highest AFQT floor of the five branches, applicants sometimes assume a strong AFQT alone opens most doors. It doesn’t. AFSC eligibility runs on MAGE, and a technical AFSC’s Electrical or Mechanical requirement can sit well out of reach even for someone with an excellent AFQT, if their subtest strengths lie elsewhere.

What are the four MAGE composites?

Composite	Name	Formula
G	General	Verbal Expression (WK+PC) + Arithmetic Reasoning (AR)
M	Mechanical	Mechanical Comprehension (MC) + General Science (GS) + 2x Auto & Shop Information (AS)
A	Administrative	Numerical Operations + Coding Speed (legacy subtests) + Verbal Expression
E	Electrical	Arithmetic Reasoning + Math Knowledge + Electronics Information + General Science

Source: military.com, “ASVAB Scores and Air Force Jobs,” fetched live 2026-07-19. Note that the Administrative (A) formula still references two legacy subtests (Numerical Operations, Coding Speed) from earlier ASVAB versions; some current AFSC listings may compute Administrative differently. Confirm your target AFSC’s exact current formula with a recruiter.

Example AFSCs and their published MAGE minimums

AFSC	Job title	Minimum composite score
1B4X1	Cyber Warfare Operations	G64
1C2X1	Combat Control	M55 & G55
1T2X1	Pararescue	G44
2A3X3	Tactical Aircraft Maintenance	M47
2W2X1	Nuclear Weapons	M60
3D0X2	Cyber Systems Operations	G64
3E8X1	Explosive Ordnance Disposal	M60 & G64
3P0X1	Security Forces	G33
4A2X1	Biomedical Equipment	E70 & M60
2M0X1	Missile and Space Systems Electronics Maintenance	E70

Source: military.com, “ASVAB Scores and Air Force Jobs,” fetched live 2026-07-19, from a published table covering 100-plus AFSCs. Treat every number as a documented example current as of this research pass, not a guarantee, since AFSC requirements shift with Air Force staffing needs. Our Mechanical Comprehension and Electronics Information breakdowns cover original practice for the two subtests that carry the most weight in the M and E composites respectively.

Which composite opens the widest range of jobs?

General (G), since it’s built from the same broad verbal-and-reasoning subtests (VE and AR) that also carry the most weight on your AFQT, and it’s checked by career fields ranging from Security Forces (G33) to intelligence and cyber fields in the G60-72 range. A G-score in the high 50s or above keeps a large share of General-track AFSCs within reach, though the most selective intelligence and language-analyst fields, commonly listed around G72, sit at the top of that scale.

Electrical (E) gates the most technically demanding fields: avionics, precision measurement, missile and space systems electronics, and similar AFSCs frequently list E70 as a threshold, one of the highest bars among any published MAGE cutoff.

Mechanical (M) scales with the physical demands of the specific maintenance job: general aircraft maintenance AFSCs cluster around M47, while EOD and nuclear weapons handling list the steepest Mechanical thresholds at M60.

Why do some AFSCs list two composite minimums instead of one?

Because some jobs draw on more than one skill cluster at once. Explosive Ordnance Disposal (3E8X1), for example, lists M60 & G64, reflecting both the physical/mechanical demands of the work and the reasoning and technical-knowledge demands of the job’s analytical side. Biomedical Equipment (4A2X1) lists E70 & M60, since the work spans both electronics repair and mechanical equipment handling. When an AFSC lists two thresholds, both apply; falling short on either one means the AFSC isn’t open yet, even with a strong score on the other.

How does MAGE relate to the AFQT?

They’re calculated from different combinations of the same 10 subtests. Your AFQT decides whether you can enlist in the Air Force at all (the roughly 36 floor covered in our Air Force score requirements breakdown); MAGE decides which specific AFSC you’re eligible for once you’re in. A strong AFQT doesn’t guarantee a strong G, M, A, or E score, since MAGE pulls in subtests like General Science, Electronics Information, and Auto & Shop Information that the AFQT never touches at all.

Run the free ASVAB HQ practice quiz to get projected standard scores per subtest, which is the fastest way to estimate your own G, M, A, and E composites before you sit down with a recruiter about a specific AFSC.

FAQ

What does MAGE stand for? Mechanical, Administrative, General, Electrical, the four composite scores the Air Force uses to determine AFSC eligibility, separate from the AFQT.

Which MAGE composite is most important? It depends entirely on your target AFSC. General (G) applies to the widest range of career fields; Electrical (E) and Mechanical (M) apply specifically to technical and maintenance-heavy fields.

Can I have a high AFQT and a low MAGE score? Yes. They’re built from different subtest combinations. A strong AFQT (built from AR, MK, WK, PC) doesn’t guarantee strong MAGE composites, which also pull in General Science, Electronics Information, Auto & Shop Information, and Mechanical Comprehension.

Do all Air Force jobs require a minimum on every MAGE composite? No. Most AFSCs list a minimum on just one or two of the four composites, whichever best predicts success in that specific career field.

How do I find my target AFSC’s exact MAGE requirement? Ask your recruiter for the current, official figure, since published tables (including this one) are documented snapshots that can shift with Air Force staffing needs, not guaranteed-current requirements.

Bottom line: Air Force job qualification runs on four MAGE composites, not your AFQT, so identifying which composite your target AFSC checks, and studying the specific subtests that build it, matters more for getting the job you actually want than pushing your overall AFQT past the enlistment floor.