Joining the Navy (ASVAB/MEPS)?

Question

I'm looking to join the United States Navy as an Information Intelligence Systems Officer. I have taken the practice ASVAB, and I got a score of 88. I'd like to know exactly how I need to score in which sections. Also, when I go to MEPS, what all will be checked? Will the fact I have to wear glasses disqualify me or anything? Thanks. :)

Also, what books can I read to improve my Math knowledge and shop knowledge scores?

What does it mean as long as I can see without them? I can read most close stuff, but far off I can't.

Answer 1

If you get a real ASVAB (AFQT score of 87) Your already a Category 2 which is the basic qualification for Intelligance and Advanced Electronics.

Wearing glasses won't DQ you. What may limit your choices is do you have normal color perception ?

What all will be checked at MEPS ? Head to toe physically, mentally (afqt score) and morally (entaglements with the law).

There are several Jobs in the intelligence field. I was an Operations Specilist and that is only one of them.

The only one that can answer you question is the Detailer at MEPS once you've passed up to that point. What he/she will do is pass you the top 3 choices availible to you based on
1. afqt
2. Physical abilities
3. Moral Qualifications I.E. no police problems.
4. The needs of the NAVY.
5. Your desires.

Answer 2

All Navy Basic Training occurs in Great Lakes nowadays, yes, they closed down the Jacksonville and San Diego RTCs. If you are at the point of going to MEPS, then you should already have been discussing all these issues with your recruiter(s), and when you say "passed your ASVAB" you mean you got a good score on the practice test?

Answer 3

I'm USAF, not Navy, but MEPS and the ASVAB are similar for all of the services. In fact, its the same test but they look at the scores differently. Usually an ASVAB score above 55 or 60 will qualify you for just about anything you want as long as the category is correct. Information systems will probably use the "electronics" score.

Its been 20 years since I've processed MEPS, but your glasses will not be an issue as long as you can see with them. They will check your strength for some jobs, cursory drug check, and an overall health checkup (heart, lungs, hearing, duck walk, eyes, color vision, depth perception, etc.)

You should know some basic Algebra and Geometry. How gears and pullies move, etc.

Good luck,

SMSgt K. Jones

Answer 4

Officers do NOT take the ASVAB. there is a separate Test. Officers MUST have a 4 year degree from an accredited college or university. Additionally you must be eligible to receive a Top Secret or higher Clearance.

As for other Qual's: your eyes could be an issue. depends on your uncorrected vision as well as your corrected vision. corrected to 20/20 you should be okay, but if your uncorrected is worse than -8.0 diopters, you are DQ'd.

there is no such designator as Information Intelligence Systems Officer.
There is IWO: Information Warfare, which deals with collecting and transcribing SIGINT

There is INTEL: Intelligence, which deals with Analyzing HUMINT and SIGINT

and then there is IP: Information Professional: which deals with protecting the good guys computer networks from the bad guys hacking into them. THIS IS NOT OPEN for initial accessions at this time, you can only laterally transfer over once you have been in and obtained your qual's in your Community.

Answer 5

Are you sure you are going to be an "officer"? Sounds like you are heading for a Navy enlisted rating of "I.S." or Intelligence specialist. Glasses would certainly not disqualify you for I.S. Your recruiter should have told you what scores you need on the ASVAB. These required scores change often, so the recruiter should have the latest requirements. The one thing they will check is your background. They will do at least 2 major security clearance checks on people wishing to be an I.S. There are also ASVAB study books available at book stores and on amazon.com Your recruiter may be able to get you one for free.

Answer 6

you eye sight wont matter unless you want to be in spec war...i was at meps 6 months ago and they said i had to have perfect vision for my job...the navy will issue you glasses at boot camp...as for the scoring IDK at meps they do a indepth physical make sure your not smoking dope and take blood and you stand around for 14 hours...well at least i did

Answer 7

Don't worry about the tests. If you don't test into the job you want, then don't join. Don't let them talk you into joining as a fireman, seaman, or airman, and then striking for your rating. Don't forget to take a look at the Naval Nuclear Power Program. I did that for six years. I have mixed feelings about the military overall. The blunt truth is you are a paid slave. You are property of the US government and do not have freedom of speech. I was forced to get the anthrax vaccination even though it had not been fully studied. The government does not mind experimenting on the military, because you are a second class citizen.
With all of that being said, I did like the majority of the naval nuclear experience I gained. My biggest disappointment was that the math was all algebra based, not calculus based. I am really good at math and it's easier for me to memorize things if you show me the whole picture, not just give me a bunch of formulas and give me a rough idea of where they were derived from. Don't let the fact that things are classified put you in awe.

If you are taking the ASVAB, then you are going to be an enlisted member, not a true officer. There are two classes of people in the military, the enlisted and the officers. Enlisted people can not eat in the same place as officers, must salute them, and on larger ships can't use the same quarterdeck (entrance/exit) to board the ship. If your entering as an officer, you must have a college degree and then you will go to OCS (in Pensacola or Mayport, FL can't remember for sure). If your entering as naval enlisted, then you will go to Recruit training (boot camp) in Great Lakes, IL. If you have any college you can enter as an E-2 or E-3 or if you enter certain special programs such as Naval Nuclear Power Program, then you will enter as an E-3. Otherwise, you will enter as an E-1. All persons regardless of rank are called a Seaman Recruit in bootcamp, regardless of what rank they are being paid. You will still go through the ceremony at the end of boot camp called "Pass and Review" wearing your actual rank though, but as long as your at boot camp you will be called Seaman Recruit.

The main uniform you wear in the navy is the dungarees. They have a new form of them now, but they're still very similar, except now the pants are more of a dressy fabric than the old jean fabric, so they feel dirty sooner. I thought it was bs that the Navy had me wear that uniform so much when I wasn't allowed to wear it in public. You have to wear a dress uniform or "working" whites/blues, in public or regular clothes (civilian clothes), but they are not "working" in the sense that the dungarees are. Rather they are just the less dressy of the two types of dress uniforms. You basically look like an auto mechanic in the dungarees. The Navy is obsessed with its image, and if you join you will be sick of that by the time you get out. I especially enjoyed changing once I got onboard before morning quarters, while the officers and chiefs could simply get dressed at home and show up ready for quarters, thus not wasting their personal time. And time off at all, unless it was leave was called liberty and we were constantly reminded that liberty is a priviledge not a right. You get 30 days of leave a year, but they charge you for weekends and holidays when your on leave, and you can only check in or out onto or off of leave during normal working hours. So a week of leave ends up costing you nine days if you leave friday at the end of the work day and come back the monday a week later at the beginning of the work day like a normal human being would if they had a week off. You also get shady quality food, that is not the same grade of meat as would be required by law if you were eating at a non-military establishment. They often use liberties in the law intended to ease requirements on them when deployed at home, where the only thing gained is saving money. They like to hoard all the money on buying officers better food and senior admirals and generals like to spend all the money on their special projects and give as little as they can get by with to the operating fleet. You also don't get treated like a customer at restaurants like McDonald's and Subway on base. So when I wanted a sub, I always went off base where I got courteous service with a smile, not this crabby woman that whined about me ordering multiple subs for my shipmates "coworkers." It wasn't isolated, all places on the base in Norfolk, VA treated naval enlisted like they were less of a person (we called ourselves blue shirts, and the more scarcastic ones among us called ourselves blue shirt scum, because of how unfairly we were often treated and regarded).

Overall, I am glad of the technical foundation I gained in the navy, but I still wish officers and chiefs didn't abuse their power over us as much as they did. The navy is designed to take advantage of people during their first enlistment, then a lot (not all) sit back and take advantage of those below them. I was an E-5 when I got out, but due to the nature of my job, didn't have anyone below me. I am glad to have my freedom back, and not out to sea all the time anymore. They expect you to be onboard over 40 hours a week in port and obviously constantly when at sea. They could have cut us some slack in port, but our master (my analogy for our officers and chiefs) didn't care about being fair to us.

By the way, to add to the medical screenings one guy was describing, the doctor also warns you that he's going to be touching your testicles. He tells you to turn your head to the side and cough, and he literally cups his hand around your sack and feels for a hernia when you cough.....no joke! The color blindness test is two parts. The one part is looking into a box that shows different primary colors (red, green, and blue) and you tell them what you see. The other one is cool. It's a book with round blobs in one color, and a number in another slightly different color. They give you a popsicle stick and tell you to trace the number you see, or just say the number.

Answer 8

I tried to join the navy years ago but when I told them my parents were married they said I had to go to the Air Force........#######