Can You Join The Army With A GED?

Last Updated on April 14, 2024.

Many people ask us, “Can you join the Army with your GED Diploma?” Yes, the GED diploma is equivalent to a common high school diploma, so you can!

The Army had an enlistment program, especially for people who neither had a high school diploma nor a GED. This was called the “Army GED Plus Program.” Unfortunately, this Army educational program was discontinued in 2013.

However, keep in mind that The Army only allows about 15 percent of the total enlistments each year to have a GED®.

And now, the Army had tossed its requirement for potential recruits to hold a GED or high school diploma to enlist in the service, but that was reversed again. This move was because of the escalating recruiting crisis that hit the Defense Department.

According to most surveys, education is the number one reason given for joining the military. Then how does it come that so many service members are putting off their education goals until after they’ve left the military?

There are so many veterans that find more difficulty in pursuing education after they’ve gotten out, and they will end up missing out on so many educational benefits.

The truth, however, is that it’s rare to find an employer that’ll offer as many educational opportunities as the U.S. military. Usually, it’ll be much harder to get better educated as a civilian.

A career in the U.S. Army is unique from any other; it offers you the opportunity to travel, learn new skills, serve your country, and the ability to expand your horizons.

One of the best aspects of your Army career is your ability to make choices. Choices like your career field, promotion, accession, education, or changing your occupation, as Craig J. Boykin did, who went from GED to PhD later.

The key to getting the most out of your career is understanding your options. And this is particularly true for the armed services!

To get all set for the GED test, you can attend a physical class where you can study under the guidance of a teacher.

Today, however, many students prefer to follow an online course so they can decide when and where to learn for their GED diplomas.

You are welcome to benefit from this website’s online program of practice tests and online video lessons at no cost. There’s no need to register or submit an email address; just get started with your GED prep!

By using our free resources, generously provided by the accredited full GED prep course developed by Onsego, you have the chance to see if this studying method is right for you. If it is, you can easily register for the accredited GED prep course from Onsego Online GED Classes.

 GED Testing

The Army Continuing Education System will also provide general education development (GED) testing at no cost to servicemen and women. Then they can sign up for the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, or Air Force. It goes without saying that your background will be thoroughly checked.

The GED test gives adults who didn’t finish high school the opportunity to earn a high school credential that will get them into college (or even result in college credits) and lead to rewarding careers.

Recognized throughout the United States by employers and educators, the GED credential has increased employment and education options for millions of adult learners since 1942. The tests cover four academic areas—Language Arts (reading and writing combined, including an essay), Social Studies, Science, and Mathematics.

The GED exam is available to military personnel at no charge at authorized DANTES (Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Education Support) testing centers overseas.

In fact, 47 states are allowing GED testing for free at DANTES testing centers at Army Education Centers found at all major U.S. Army installations. If you have any questions about these programs, please contact a local U.S. Army Education Center.

In case an installation/post-Army Education Center does not offer GED testing, you can take the GED or the HiSET exam at authorized testing centers across all 50 states.

The tests are also available in Spanish and French editions and in Braille, large print, and audio cassette formats. To join the U.S. military forces in all of its branches, contact a military recruiting office, sign up, and work towards a decently paying and rewarding career and a better life overall.

Army High School Completion Program

Let’s look at the U.S. Army High School Completion Program (or HSCP). This is an off-duty Army education program that offers soldiers and their adult family members the chance to secure a high school or equivalent diploma. In the years 2006-2013, the U.S. National Guard offered the GED Plus Program for adults looking to join the armed forces.

And Tuition Assistance, or TA, is authorized for U.S. Soldiers and will cover up to 100% of the cost of programs and courses that lead to a high school or equivalent diploma.

Local Army Education Centers can provide lots of information regarding the availability of resident High School Completion Programs on base, in a local community, or through the Army’s DANTES (Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Education Support) program.

Tuition Assistance Overview/Eligibility

The TA (Tuition Assistance) program is providing financial assistance for off-duty voluntary education programs to support Soldiers with attaining personal and professional self-development objectives.

TA support is available for education courses that are offered by distance learning or in the classroom. The courses need to be offered by educational organizations that are registered in the GoArmyEd program and that are accredited by agencies recognized by the United States Department of Education.

In addition to academic degree programs, the TA program is also available to Soldiers to finish their high school diplomas or to complete certificate-granting programs.

However, TA is not approved to complete credentials at a lower or the same educational level, and TA is also not authorized to be used for programs that offer education and training beyond master’s degrees.

Eligible Soldiers need to request TA support through the GoArmyEd program. U.S. law requires officers to use TA support to incur service obligations.

Active Duty officers will be incurring a two-year Active Duty Service Obligation (ADSO), while Reserve Component officers are incurring a four-year Reserve Duty Service Obligation (RDSO). The ADSO/RDSO obligation will be calculated from the date the last course for which the TA was used is completed.

Non-Army U.S. service members need to obtain TA support through their specific branch of Service. This regulation and policy have been agreed upon mutually by all Services Departments.

If you want to learn more bout TA provisions, check out AR 621-5. To check if online learning is something for you, check out our free online GED classes provided by the accredited full GED course designed by Onsego GED Prep. If that’s the right way for you to go, just sign up for Onsego to earn your GED fast.

What is the ASVAB?

The Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery -ASVAB- is an entry-level computerized test developed for the identification of which jobs or positions in the U.S. armed forces (so-called Military Occupational Specialties) would suit you best.

The ASVAB  tests several skills and abilities and is used to predict how well you will do in specific functions in the armed forces.

Every year, the ASVAB is taken by over a million high school and post-secondary students who want to get a job in the military services. The ASVAB tests you in ten different areas, and the test is absolutely not an IQ test but is helping the Army assess which tasks you probably will perform best.

The United States Armed Forces applies high standards, also for applicants who want to enlist. Recruiters screen applicants to make sure they meet specific standards. Before recruiters will let you take the ASVAB, they want to know about your health, education, arrest record, marital status, or drug use.

You should answer all questions honestly and openly. Only when recruiters decide that you may qualify will you be able to take the battery of tests, and a physical examination is usually part of the procedure as well.

ASVAB Requirements

To be allowed into an ASVAB testing site, you are required to bring proper identification, and please show up on time. Late arrivals will not be accepted, and you’ll need to reschedule your test. Recruiters may take care of transportation to and from the testing site, but they are allowed inside the testing facility.

The test questions of the ASVAB have controlled test materials, and you are expected to give nor accept any information regarding testing questions to anyone. Test-takers who do not abide by these rules will face severe consequences and penalties.

What is an Aptitude Test?

ASVAB test is an aptitude test. Aptitude tests, in general, will reveal what kind of academic or professional assignments an individual is likely to perform best without measuring knowledge or skills that were accumulated in previous professional or academic environments.

In general, you may say that aptitude tests are capable of indicating a student’s weaknesses and strengths and that they are excellent indicators of a person’s future academic or professional achievement.

Students who want to continue with their academic education are not required to prepare or study for these tests because of the nature of aptitude tests.

They don’t measure knowledge, and there is no study material that may get them all set for these tests. There are, however, several ways in which applicants may get optimally prepared for the tests.

How to Pass the ASVAB

As the ASVAB tests cover an individual’s ability rather than what they may know or have learned, it won’t be helpful to study topics addressed in the tests, and memorizing dates and lists won’t help either.

To be successful on the ASVAB Test, applicants should get well prepared for the kind of questions they will be confronted with and the sort of information that will be referred to.

• ASVAB Study Guides Study Guides are usually developed over many years by research professionals, and these study guides will provide all sorts of useful information that would be hardly possible to find all by yourself. Study guides give you a wealth of useful tips and information in a structured format and are usually well worth the expense.
• ASVAB Practice Tests Practice tests are among the best ways to prepare for a quiz. The more practice tests you make, the better you will understand what to expect, and you will get better used to dealing with different sorts of questions used in quizzes.
• Set up a study plan You cannot start early enough to establish a study plan. Examine all the different types of questions used on quizzes, and find out what you should concentrate on most. Set up a study schedule and spend the most time practicing the sort of questions and information that cause the most difficulty.

And most important, show up in good spirits, sleep well the night before test day, and make sure you arrive on time.

Those are the most important elements in getting ready for the ASVAB. Usually, the ASVAB is given at schools by federal government test administrators, and the schools decide when and where the tests will be available.

What is a Good Score on the ASVAB?

The ASVAB covers the following subject areas: word knowledge, paragraph comprehension, arithmetic reasoning, numerical operations, mathematics knowledge, general science, assembling objects, mechanical comprehension, auto and shop information, and electronics information.

If you want to be considered to qualify for the Army, you will have to score no less than 31 points on the ASVAB.

Your test scores will show on your ASVAB Student Results Sheet, and you will receive some extra information to be able to understand your scoring.

How Long is the ASVAB?

The ASVAB test comes with time limits on each sub-test question, but practically all test-takers complete the questions before the allotted time is over. The computer indicates the remaining time and number of items. The average time that applicants require to complete the computer-based ASVAB is around 1.5 hours.

How Many Times Can I Take the ASVAB?

If you failed your ASVAB, you need to wait for at least 1 full month before you are allowed to take the test again, and to re-test for the second time, you are required to wait again for a full calendar month.

If you still didn’t pass, you will need to wait for at least half a year to be allowed to retake the ASVAB. Your test scores can be used for Enlistment for the duration of two years.

Where Can I Take the ASVAB?

ASVAB Testing is usually conducted at MEPS (Military Entrance Processing Stations) that include both military and civilian staff.

All across the U.S., you can find 65 MEPS, and in case you don’t live close to one of these locations, the ASVAB test may also be taken at a satellite location, a so-called MET site (Military Entrance Test). These MET sites are usually located in a National Guard Armory at Federal government buildings or at a National Reserve Center.

At MEPS, you are required to take the ASVAB on a computer (the CAT-ASVAB), while at most MET facilities, you must take the test in a paper-and-pencil format. The computer-based ASVAB, the CAT-ASVAB, is an adaptive examination, meaning the test will adapt to the test taker’s ability and knowledge level.

Therefore, this way of testing may be shorter than the paper and pencil way of testing. View here some army career fields.

List of Army Officer Career Fields

The following is a list of available Army Officer Career Fields:
• Acquisition
• Adjutant General
• Air Defense
• Armor
• Army Medical Specialist Corps
• Army Nurse Corps
• Aviation
• Chemical Corps
• Dental Corps
• Corps of Engineers
• Field Artillery
• Finance Corps
• Infantry
• Medical Corps
• Medical Service Corps
• Military Intelligence Corps
• Military Police Corps
• Ordnance Corps
• Quartermaster Corps
• Signal Corps
• Special Forces
• Transportation
• Veterinary Corps
• Warrant Officer
• Foreign Area Officer
• Information Operations Career Fields
• Institutional Support Career Fields

Special Duty Assignments are duties that are unrelated to any specific career field at this time. They do not provide normal career progression patterns. A Special Duty Assignment can offer Army service members the chance to gain new experience, learn new useful skills, and usually increase their paycheck by getting SDA pay.

The Special Duty assignment screening process requires the member to meet standard minimum qualifications, submit an application with command endorsement, be reviewed by the rating and special duty assignment officers and the command or program manager, and be selected for the specific special duties desired.

Army Enlisted to Officer Commissioning Programs

The U.S. Army offers recruits and enlisted soldiers several ways to earn a commission and join the Officer Corps. The following are descriptions of each of the Army Enlisted to Officer Programs:

• USMA Westpoint
• Officer Candidate School (OCS)
• Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC)
• Warrant Officer

The GED subtests are scored on a 100-200 scale. The passing score on each module (subtest) is 145, and averaging is not possible. Scores must be at least 145 in all four subtests.

College-ready scores (165-174) and college-ready scores (175-200) may qualify test-takers from having to take a college entrance test such as SAT, ACT, PERT (in Florida), or the TSI Assessment (in Texas), to mention a few.