Can You Retake the ASVAB? The 1-1-6 Rule Explained

Q: Does a new score replace my old one, or do they average?

A new score fully replaces the old one. There's no averaging and no "best score counts" rule. If your first test produced a 55 and a retest produces a 48, your official score of record is now 48, not the higher of the two. This makes retesting a real decision, not a free option, since a retest can move your score in either direction.

Q: How long is my ASVAB score valid once I have it?

Two years from the test date, for enlistment purposes, whether that score comes from an initial test or a retest. If you're not ready to enlist within that window, you'll need to retest regardless of how strong your original score was.

Q: What happens if I gain 20+ AFQT points on a retest?

That triggers a Critical AFQT Gain review, and you'll be required to take a Confirmation Test (C-Test) to verify the jump is legitimate rather than a fluke or an irregularity. Unlike a standard retest, the C-Test can happen immediately, with no one-month wait required. If you're a no-show for your scheduled C-Test, the standard six-month wait applies before you can return for a regular retest, counted from the date of the Critical Gain test. This rule exists specifically to catch unusual score jumps before they become the basis for an enlistment decision.

Yes, you can retake the ASVAB. The official waiting-period structure, sometimes called the “1-1-6 rule,” requires a one-calendar-month wait between your initial test and a first retest, another one-month wait before a second retest, and a six-month wait between every retest after that. There’s no lifetime cap on how many times you can retest, only the waiting periods themselves.

(ASVAB HQ is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or administered by the Department of Defense, officialasvab.com, or any branch of the U.S. Armed Forces.)

The rule applies identically whether your first test was through your high school’s Career Exploration Program or an actual enlistment test at a MEPS, which surprises some students who assume a school test doesn’t “count” toward the retest clock. It does.

What exactly is the 1-1-6 rule?

Retest number	Required wait
First retest	1 calendar month after the initial test
Second retest	1 more calendar month after the first retest
Third retest and beyond	6 calendar months after the previous retest

Source: officialasvab.com, “ASVAB Retest Policy”, page last modified 2024-11-04, accessed 2026-07-18. The site gives a concrete example: if a first retest happens March 20th, a second retest can happen on or after April 20th. Retests attempted before the required wait period are invalidated.

Does a new score replace my old one, or do they average?

A new score fully replaces the old one. There’s no averaging and no “best score counts” rule. If your first test produced a 55 and a retest produces a 48, your official score of record is now 48, not the higher of the two. This makes retesting a real decision, not a free option, since a retest can move your score in either direction.

How long is my ASVAB score valid once I have it?

Two years from the test date, for enlistment purposes, whether that score comes from an initial test or a retest. If you’re not ready to enlist within that window, you’ll need to retest regardless of how strong your original score was.

What happens if I gain 20+ AFQT points on a retest?

That triggers a Critical AFQT Gain review, and you’ll be required to take a Confirmation Test (C-Test) to verify the jump is legitimate rather than a fluke or an irregularity. Unlike a standard retest, the C-Test can happen immediately, with no one-month wait required. If you’re a no-show for your scheduled C-Test, the standard six-month wait applies before you can return for a regular retest, counted from the date of the Critical Gain test. This rule exists specifically to catch unusual score jumps before they become the basis for an enlistment decision.

The policy isn’t designed to penalize genuine improvement. A test-taker who studies seriously between an initial test and a retest, particularly on the four AFQT subtests, can absolutely produce a real 20-plus point jump. The C-Test simply exists as a short, separate check to confirm the gain reflects real ability rather than an anomaly like an unusually easy question set or an administrative irregularity. Passing the C-Test at a level consistent with the retest score locks in the higher score as valid.

Does the retest policy apply the same way if I’m switching branches?

Yes. The retest waiting-period rules are set at the ASVAB program level, not by individual branches, so switching your target service between attempts doesn’t reset or change the one-month, one-month, six-month schedule. Your existing score history and retest count carry over regardless of which branch you’re now considering.

What if my test gets invalidated?

It depends on why. If your initial or a retest was invalidated for an administrative reason (a fire drill, an equipment failure, something outside your control), it simply doesn’t count as an attempt, and you can retest without an extra penalty beyond the normal schedule. If a test was invalidated for cheating, you face a mandatory six-month wait before you’re allowed to retest at all, regardless of which attempt number it was.

Should I retest if I’m just short of my branch’s minimum?

Often, yes, provided you’ve identified which specific subtests dragged your score down rather than just hoping for a better result. Someone who scored a 33 while targeting the Navy’s 35 minimum is close enough that focused review on the four AFQT subtests (Arithmetic Reasoning, Math Knowledge, Word Knowledge, Paragraph Comprehension) over the mandatory one-month wait is a reasonable plan. Someone who scored well below any branch’s floor may need more than a month of review before a retest is worth scheduling. See our what counts as a good ASVAB score breakdown and our branch-specific minimums to check exactly how much of a gap you’re closing.

Run the free ASVAB HQ practice quiz during your waiting period to confirm you’ve actually closed the gap before you spend a retest attempt.

FAQ

How many times can I retake the ASVAB? There’s no lifetime limit. The only restriction is the waiting-period schedule: one month, then one more month, then six months between every subsequent retest.

Does retaking the ASVAB hurt my chances with a recruiter? Retesting itself isn’t penalized; it’s a built-in, expected part of the process. What matters to a recruiter is your final score of record, not how many attempts it took to get there.

Can I retake the ASVAB the same week I first took it? No. The minimum wait before any first retest is one full calendar month, regardless of how you scored.

What happens to my old score after I retest? It’s fully replaced by the new score. There’s no rule that lets you keep a higher earlier score if a retest comes in lower.

Does a school ASVAB test count toward the retest waiting-period rule? Yes. The retest policy applies identically whether your first test was a Career Exploration Program test in school or an actual enlistment test at a MEPS or MET site.

Can I choose which format I retest on? Generally you’ll take whichever format your MEPS or MET site administers, which is most commonly CAT-ASVAB. There’s no guaranteed right to request a specific format for a retest; availability depends on the testing site.

Do I need a new recruiter referral for every retest? Coordinate scheduling through your recruiter each time, since MEPS and MET testing slots are booked through that process rather than something you can arrange independently, even for a routine retest that’s well within the standard waiting period.

Bottom line: yes, you can retake the ASVAB, on a one-month, one-month, six-month waiting schedule with no lifetime cap, but every retest fully replaces your prior score, so use the mandatory waiting period to actually close a specific subtest gap rather than just trying again and hoping.