Posted on Nov 6, 2020
Ray Werenthal
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Hello everyone. I recently took the ASVAB at MEPS the other week and didn't do as well as I know I can. I've been out of school for a while and I'm a GED holder, looking to enlist active duty Army in the military intelligence field. Didn't study prior to the test, or take the PICAT. Spoke to both my recruiter and station commander, who both said I can't re-take it, because my AQFT score qualifies me for enlistment and the score is set for 2 years.
Is there any way I can possibly get the Army to waiver me, so I can re-test in a month? My recruiter and station chief both kept using the term "get your foot in the door" as far as picking a job and taking FAST classes to boost my scores at the end of my enlistment.

I'm not willing to do that, because this is going to be two to three years of my life I'm giving to the Army, I don't want to enlist on a whim just to get my scores up after X years of service doing a job I'm not entirely committed to. I would appreciate any advice or answers this community can give.
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Responses: 13
SFC Retention Operations Nco
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I think you're putting the cart before the horse here. For starters, you're a GED applicant, you're lucky to be getting offered a job at all. I was a GED applicant with a 98 on my ASVAB and I was offered Infantry, Artillery, Cook, Rigger, and COMSEC repair. As for other services, even the Marines don't want GEDs. The other services, when they do accept GEDs, have a limit on how many GEDs they'll accept a year and are limited to what they can do. I was turned away from the Marines be of my GED and enlisted as a Cook and went straight to Ranger Regiment

Your goals for language and signal repair are not compatible. There are two language MOS for you in the Army, and neither is a repair job. The score for 35T which is what you're describing is a 112 ST score. If you haven't already scored high enough for MI you're going to need more than a few weeks of study to jump your ST score what would probably be 20-30 points.

As everyone will tell you, anything can be waivered. However, exceptions to policy are for exceptional people or exceptional circumstances. Your recruiting station commander has to ask the General who approves these requests, to approve your waiver. When the General asks what about you or your situation is exceptional "he didn't study and he doesn't like his choices" does not qualify as exceptional. Maybe if your mom had just died, or you were recovering from COVID, you could claim those as exceptional circumstances. If you had a letter of recommendation from a senator or a masters degree that might be an example of an exceptional person. In this case, you were just ill-prepared and exactly the type of situation this policy was made for.

Nobody cares if you're entirely committed to your job or not. 80% of the people who walk into my office initially ask about reclassing because they're not sold on their job. When you got your first entry level job no one expected you to be committed to that. People beginning a new career aren't expected to be committed to their first employer. But it's a job, it makes money and gets you experience along the way.

Reclassing you once you're in the Army would not be very difficult. That's not to say you'll get the job you want, but you're not going to get it waiting around to retest either. There are limited class seats for jobs and there's no way to predict when class seats for the job you want will be available. You could be totally qualified for the MOS you want and there might be no available class seats for the next year for that job. Same thing for reclass once you're on Active Duty.

There is no recruiter in the world gate keeping you from joining the Army. They have the toughest job in the Army and they just want to put you in. They aren't salesmen selling you a car, you can't bluff them and they aren't bluffing you. If they could close the deal by getting you retested they would do it. They're more like your real estate agent helping you pick your next house based on what you cna afford. At this juncture, they've told you what your line scores can buy you. They don't care what you pick, they don't care what you score, their only job is to help you get what you are qualified for. If you're not willing to give up two to three years in the Army doing a job you aren't committed to, then go back to the career you were committed to before you considered joining. FYI, it's not a 2-3 year commitment for the job you want, it's more like 4-5
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SPC Joseph Kenny
SPC Joseph Kenny
>1 y
"...even the Marines don't want GEDs." ROFLMAO. AATW! RLTW!
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SGT Mechanic
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Freaking facts !!! Lol
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SSG Intelligence Analyst
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if you didn't score high enough for the military intelligence field, you should look elsewhere. it takes attention to detail and commitment which you clearly lack
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SGM Bill Frazer
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1. Waiver for entrance exams are like unicorns- folks talk about them, but you never see one. 2. You can opt out and come back in 6 months- God only knows what will be open then., or you can take their advice. 3. If you aren't willing to commit your life, liberty, and 110% the you are wrong for us and we don't need you.
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Ray Werenthal
Ray Werenthal
>1 y
I'm not in the Delayed Entry Program or anything like that, just a civilian exploring his options so how exactly would I opt-out and come back in 6 months? The station commander told me the test scores are valid for 2 years.
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SGM Bill Frazer
SGM Bill Frazer
>1 y
Use to be that if you hadn't signed a contract, you could walk away, and down the road you could try again fresh. Anyway keep in mind what they offer is for like 2-4 weeks and then it changes and may noy re appear for a years or until the Next fiscal year.
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Ray Werenthal
Ray Werenthal
>1 y
SGM Bill Frazer - Yeah I haven't signed a contract or anything yet, still a civilian
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