I'm considering joining the Army. Do you have any advice to make 27D?

Mike Chapman — Mon, 30 Apr 2018 17:50:57 -0400

I'm one semester away from graduating from my local community college with an Associate's degree in psychology. At this point, I'm considering joining the Army and hoping to become a Paralegal Specialist. I know I need a CL score of at least 105, which in and of itself i'm not too concerned about, as I think I can pull that off; but I've also heard that this position can be difficult to achieve. I was wondering if any current or former Paralegal Specialists might have some advice on what I could do (if anything) to better my odds of getting there, and/or good ways to study to get that 105 or better CL score.

Response by SGT David A. 'Cowboy' Groth made Apr 30 at 2018 5:56 PM

SGT David A. 'Cowboy' Groth — Mon, 30 Apr 2018 17:56:19 -0400

Best thing to do is just study like for an exam in college.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 30 at 2018 6:24 PM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 30 Apr 2018 18:24:07 -0400

It all depends on if the army needs a paralegal when you want to join you can always wait and try latter if they don't have it go to your local recruiter and they can help you with the process.

Response by SPC Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 30 at 2018 8:32 PM

SPC Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 30 Apr 2018 20:32:11 -0400

Well, it's paper work intensive and you can't have mistakes on documents that Commanders are going to be signing. So there's a lot of attention to detail. You'll get all kinds of cases for all kinds of reasons.

If you decide to enlist as a Paralegal after Basic Combat Training you will go to Advanced Individual Training at Fort Lee, Virginia and be assigned to Company J, 262d Quartermaster Battalion, 23d Quartermaster Brigade. Your Company Commander will be a Judge Advocate (Attorney & Commissioned Officer), your Executive Officer will be a Legal Administrator (Warrant Officer), and all of your Non-Commissioned Officers (Sergeants) will be Paralegals. This includes your Platoon Sergeant, AIT Instructor, and even your First Sergeant. Unlike some other MOS, everyone of your Cadre will be part of the JAG Corps.

Your course work will be on paper and computer and will require a lot of studying both in the classroom and in your off time. You will get two chances to pass your exams. If you fail a second time you will be recycled to another Class and if you fail again you will lose your MOS. If you get an Article 15 while in AIT you can lose your MOS and be reclassed per needs of the Army.

If you become a Paralegal you have to maintain the standard because you enforce the standard through the Commanders.

Response by Capt Gregory Prickett made Apr 30 at 2018 11:50 PM

Capt Gregory Prickett — Mon, 30 Apr 2018 23:50:48 -0400

If you can't go Army and are focused on being a paralegal, you may also consider the Air Force. After Basic, you would go to Maxwell AFB for a 35 day tech school.

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made May 1 at 2018 2:26 AM

SGT Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 01 May 2018 02:26:53 -0400

It depends if you are trying to go reserve or active .

Response by 1SG D S made May 11 at 2018 9:42 PM

1SG D S — Fri, 11 May 2018 21:42:51 -0400

Hi. To clarify the standards. I am an ex Army Recruiter. You are correct partially. You must have a clerical score of 105, Armed Forces Qualification Test score (AFQT) of 50 or higher. This test is also referred to as the Armed Forces Vocational Apptitude Battery (ASVAB) test. Most times if you score well enough the recruiter station commander can possibly reserve the job for you provided you meet the medical examination criteria. Be honest with the recruiter and let him help you. In my experience about 50% of the young people I assisted didn't want the initial jobs that they wanted. It's all about buying motives of the individual. Hope this help.

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made May 22 at 2018 6:34 PM

SGT Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 22 May 2018 18:34:24 -0400

If you want to improve your CL score you can.
1. Take the practice Asfab a few times to learn the test.
2. Practice using the critical reasoning and logic game apps on your phone to improve your attention to detail.
3. Practice with a math app on your phone to improve arithmetic.
4. Practice with some pressure test apps so that you can learn to think and act under time constraints.

Other than that it's pretty much a 9th grade test and if you did well in high school you should do well on the asfab.

Response by SPC Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 1 at 2018 1:33 PM

SPC Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 01 Jun 2018 13:33:08 -0400

You’ll have an easier time getting the position in the reserve or guard, the JAG corps is very small. It’s a great Corp to be a part of. If you’ve gone through school it will definitely help since our school is all mental. It’s a very rewarding MOS, “We are the standard”.