Are you seriously thinking about joining the army? If you are, then you may already be in the market for the best ASVAB study guide books. Believe me, there are plenty to choose from, which does have its advantages because it gives you a lot of options to choose from. But the downside is that it’s hard to find the genuinely good ones versus the ones that are just trying to make a buck or two. To make thing easier for you, I’ve put together a list of what I think are the best ASVAB study guide books out there, just so you don’t have a hard time steering clear of the duds. I’ve used the books that I’ve listed below myself, and while not all of them are a good fit for every studying situation, each of these books does have its uses. I’ve included the pros and cons so that you know the strengths of each book, to help you make the best educated choice possible.
1 – ASVAB 2017-2018 Strategies, Practice & Review with 4 Practice Tests
PROS
The ASVAB Kaplan Test Prep is a good study guide if you are looking for a basic, refresher study guide that will help you review the lessons from the ground up. It is an all-in-one comprehensive study guide which means that it is written to cover each of the topics that are covered in the ASVAB. It also means that the Kaplan Test Prep comes with comprehensive practice tests, one that is online and three in the book, along with test taking strategies, tips, and techniques.
If you are only beginning to study for the ASVAB, this study guide will be a good choice, especially since it covers all the bases. You can use this study guide to get you started and to get you updated on the subjects that will be included in the test.
CONS
The ASVAB Kaplan Test Prep is basically a refresher course for the subjects that you will be tested on. This means that it assumes that the reader already knows the course work and only needs to be updated on those topics and on test taking, especially if you have been out of school for a while. Also, even though it comes with explanations for the answers to the practice tests, it is not as in-depth as some study guides are, mostly because it is a comprehensive prep guide so it tends to cover the broad strokes.
If you are looking to improve on a specific subject or to study the topics from scratch and do more than just review, the ASVAB Kaplan Test Prep may not be the best choice for you.
2 – ASVAB Premier 2017-2018 with 6 Practice Tests (Kaplan Test Prep)
PROS
The ASVAB Kaplan Test Prep is a more basic take on studying and reviewing for the ASVAB, the ASVAB Kaplan Premier is a more in-depth take on studying for the test. While the Kaplan Prep Test is more of a review and assumes that the reader only needs a refresher course about information that they already know, the ASVAB Kaplan Premier covers the subjects more thoroughly and offers more detailed explanations for the answers. While they are both comprehensive study guides for the ASVAB complete with techniques and strategies, the Premier version is a better choice if you haven’t studied the subjects in the test for quite a while and if test taking has become a dim memory.
In terms of content, the ASVAB Kaplan Premier also has an advantage, with six full-length practice tests instead of four, with subtests along with the full-length tests, flash cards for study guides, and an online quiz bank. The online quiz bank is particularly useful, since you can put together quizzes that help you cover specific subjects that you want to study for.
CONS
This ASVAB study guide book weighs a ton which should not be surprising, considering the length and breadth of the content that it holds. But a lot of readers have stated that the Kaplan Premier Test Prep has way more content than what they actually used to study for the ASVAB. If you don’t plan on taking all of the tests and going through all of the content, you may be better off with a shorter, lighter version.
3 – 2016 / 2017 ASVAB For Dummies
PROS
Like most of the ‘For Dummies’ series, the ASVAB for Dummies test prep book is written in a friendly and easy to comprehend way. It is written in a lighter and less intimidating tone which a lot of its readers will appreciate. Because it is written as a comprehensive ASVAB study guide, it also comes complete with strategies and tips for test taking as well as complete practice tests for all the subjects covered in the ASVAB.
The value of this ASVAB study guide book is in its accessible and friendly content. There’s no point in investing in a prep guide book if you find it too tedious to read.
CONS
A lot of the readers of ASVAB for Dummies felt that while it was a great study guide book for refreshing their knowledge on the subjects covered by ASVAB, the practice tests found in the book were a lot easier than the actual test. This may be due to the fact that the practice tests tried to cover even the most basic of knowledge, leading to questions that were relatively simple.
If you are going to buy this ASVAB study guide book, make sure to supplement it with a separate book for practice tests with more realistic test questions.
4 – McGraw-Hill’s ASVAB, 3rd Edition
PROS
Another comprehensive ASVAB study guide book on this list, the McGraw-Hill ASVAB prep book also offers a more in-depth take on the different subtests of the ASVAB. This prep book has the advantage of being categorically well-made. The layouts are well designed to facilitate learning, it is well-written in the sense that it conveys what it means very well, and the introduction to the ASVAB is also thorough but concise.
CONS
I would say that the main downside of this ASVAB study guide book is that it is limited to a general take of the different subtests of the ASVAB because it is a comprehensive, all-in-one study guide. You may want to supplement this book with another study guide that covers specific subjects if you want to improve on particular topics of the test.
5 – Barron’s ASVAB, 11th Edition
PROS
As comprehensive study guide books go, Barron’s ASVAB succeeds in being very detail-oriented, even if it covers all the subtests of the ASVAB. This is the book that you want to buy if you want more than just a refresher course to the different subjects, and if you’re looking for more in-depth explanations with the answers. I would particularly recommend this prep book if you are a beginner in studying for the ASVAB or if you’re starting from step one because it comes with a diagnostic test that determines your strengths and weaknesses. That way, you will have an idea of which subjects will need more work right from the beginning.
Barron’s ASVAB also goes for understanding rather than just settling for rote memorization. It gives context to the questions asked, relating the answers to the different military functions and fields. This makes it the best prep guide book if you are the type to need context for information to retain it, as opposed to just memorizing.
Barron’s ASVAB comes with four full-length practice tests plus two bonus tests online via a CDROM that comes with the study guide book.
CONS
While Barron’s ASVAB is a very effective comprehensive study guide book and offers a thorough take on the topics covered by the ASVAB, it could use more additional or bonus content, like visual aids and flashcards to facilitate studying.
6 – Spire Study System: ASVAB Study Guide 2016-2017
PROS
The strength of the Spire Study System for ASVAB is in the strategies. More than offering strategies and techniques for taking the ASVAB, it takes the next step by managing and planning the way that you study for the test. Like the other books on this list, it is also a comprehensive study guide book but it also comes with a study and test taking schedule.
If you are the type who needs a kick in the butt to get started or if you need a strict study structure to get things done, then the Spire Study System may be the best ASVAB study guide for you. It has proven very effective for readers who bought this study guide for these specific features.
CONS
The selling point of the Spire Study System is really the structured approach to studying that it offers as well as its pre-planned study schedule and test taking schedule. The downside is that it is not as in-depth as some of the other ASVAB study guide books that we have here.
7 – ASVAB Study Guide 2016-2017 By Accepted, Inc.
PROS
If you are looking for an easy-to-read and user friendly ASVAB study guide book, then Accepted, Inc.’s ASVAB may be the best comprehensive prep book for you. Readers who have used this study guide have noted that it is written in a way that is easy to comprehend and succeeds in explaining complicated topics in simple terms.
With just one full length test, this prep book banks more on helping readers understand how the test works and what to expect from each of its subtests. It also focuses on making the structure of studying for the ASVAB more efficient and effective, saving time by creating a concept-driven structure for studying as opposed to rote memorization.
CONS
Accepted, Inc.’s ASVAB succeeds in streamlining the study process for the ASVAB but if you want more practice for test taking, then you will need to supplement this study guide book with other books that contain more full-length practice tests. Note that the ASVAB is a computer-based test which means that you will also need a computer-based practice test to more realistically simulate the actual ASVAB.