Do Soldiers in the Infantry have higher GT scores than all MOS's to exclude Military Intelligence?

2016-09-21T12:29:35-04:00

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 21 at 2016 12:35 PM

2016-09-21T12:35:00-04:00

I think you would be correct to say that the Infantry having some of the highest GT scores on average would be false. However it is true that many Infantrymen have have extremely high GT scores, far higher than what the stereotype suggests. GT scores in the 110s and 120s are very common.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 21 at 2016 12:38 PM

2016-09-21T12:38:52-04:00

idk but infantry is not just about squizing a trigger, there is a lot of things you have to know to survive. to me its a combination of all MOS's so I would say I kinda agree with it.

Response by SGT David T. made Sep 21 at 2016 12:39 PM

2016-09-21T12:39:06-04:00

Once upon a time I was 11B. The majority of people in both companies I was in had scores over 110. Mine was 120 lol. Just remember that GT does not measure common sense lol.

Response by SSG(P) Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 21 at 2016 12:43 PM

2016-09-21T12:43:16-04:00

Who told you that?

I am a CH-47D/F Mechanic. I don't usually brag, but my GT is 131. All my line scores are 130 or better.

What do you think now?

Response by SGT Dave Tracy made Sep 21 at 2016 12:44 PM

2016-09-21T12:44:06-04:00

I had heard the oppose. Mine was rather high, but based on what I had heard, my GT score would have been an outlier for a Grunt, but it's not like I talked to anyone who actually cared enough to prove it one way or another.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 21 at 2016 12:53 PM

2016-09-21T12:53:43-04:00

In order to qualify for Infantry you need a CO score of at least 90, so GT isn't really even the primary focus. There are some MOS that require a certain GT score such as Journalist (GT of 110 is the minimum) however most specialties use other criteria such as EL (Electronics) my old MOS 35E used to require a 110 EL score. Since there is no minimum GT score threshold for Infantry, and there are many other occupational specialties that do have a minimum GT score in the 110 range (not necessarily MI, they usually depend on ST score), it's extremely unlikely. http://www.military.com/join-armed-forces/asvab/asvab-and-army-jobs.html

ASVAB and Army Jobs

To find the jobs you qualify for, the Army breaks down your ASVAB subtest scores into groups known as line scores.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 21 at 2016 12:55 PM

2016-09-21T12:55:52-04:00

To say the Infantry Enlisted has the highest GT scores is a bold statement. I have met many different people from many MOS's with very high scores. Where could this be verified

Response by SFC J Fullerton made Sep 21 at 2016 1:13 PM

2016-09-21T13:13:11-04:00

No, I wouldn't say that is true. 11 Series being the largest CMF probably has an average GT Score close to the Army average which is probably around 108. The ASVAB has 10 different aptitude areas and GT is just one of them. Each MOS requires qualifying scores in one or more of these aptitude areas. Some of the high tech MOS's require high line scores in SC, EL, or ST, which inherently are going to also have a higher GT. There are MOS's that are high priority because there are fewer qualified applicants to fill them, taking into account test scores and TS Clearance eligibility. They are 'steered' towards these MOS's to fill critical vacancies. But they are much smaller CMF's than 11 series, so its not an accurate comparison. 11X is pretty much wide open to anyone who wants it, so there is a wider range of GT scores.

Response by SPC(P) Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 21 at 2016 3:08 PM

2016-09-21T15:08:11-04:00

Are you asking if as a whole the Infantry has a higher GT score than MI or are you asking if Infantry requires a GT score higher than any of the 35 series MOS'?

Response by SPC Erich Guenther made Sep 21 at 2016 6:28 PM

2016-09-21T18:28:49-04:00

My GT was 110 when I first enlisted in the ARNG and then 118 when I transferred to Active Duty. In my view like other MOS' cross section of society, full range on the enlisted and NCO side. In 1984 had two NCO's in my unit (Squad Leaders) in the BSEP program and they had problems with basic math. One of them later got booted. 1LT and CPT were usually smarter than most of the Infantry troops though and I think that had something to do with Branch Selection and RANGER school combined. So it was not hard to trust the Officers as 98% of them were smarter than most of the troops by 1LT. Some, only some of the 2LT needed a little work. I shared a room with a guy with 139 GT and he was an idiot in the common sense department (later Chaptered on Alchol abuse) so I would not give too much credence to GT score either.

Response by SGM Bill Johnson made Sep 21 at 2016 9:08 PM

2016-09-21T21:08:36-04:00

I enlisted in the Infantry with a GT Score of 135. It was not greatly appreciated by most of my superiors. Far too many questions and far too many suggestions on how to do things better/smarter. So I switched to MI and became a CI Agent. But I never left my Infantry attitude behind so that wasn't a great fit either. I will tell you though that GT score isn't everything. Many Soldiers I worked with had lower GT scores but were better Soldiers than I was (and I was pretty good)

Response by LCDR Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 21 at 2016 9:30 PM

2016-09-21T21:30:01-04:00

Nope. Seems like a circle-jerk post.

Response by MSG Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 22 at 2016 1:35 AM

2016-09-22T01:35:35-04:00

As a former Unit Readiness NCO, I had to review and process school applications. Among the QA/QC items was to check the relevant ASVAB scores was IAW 611-21. Many had scores in the high hundred-teens into the high hundred-twenties. Not all, but I can say well over 50 - 60% of them, definitely a majority of them.

Response by SGT Richard H. made Sep 23 at 2016 12:19 PM

2016-09-23T12:19:55-04:00

I don't know that a sweeping statement like that could really be made with any kind of veracity without doing some pretty broad research, but I'll tell you this: The days of having an Infantry largely comprised of people who are there because that's all they were qualified to do are long gone.
The vast majority of Infantrymen are there because that's what they chose to do...you might even say it's a calling for some. For me it was. My AFQT and Line scores qualified me for any MOS the Military (all four services) had to offer. I was Infantry by choice and if I were given a "do-over" I would make the same choice again.

Response by SPC Elijah J. Henry, MBA made Sep 24 at 2016 1:02 PM

2016-09-24T13:02:01-04:00

Well, I don't know if it's true, but my Drill Sergeant told me something along these lines. If it is true, it might be skewed by the numbers of 18X's who end up as 11B's.

Response by SSG Mark Franzen made Sep 24 at 2016 10:20 PM

2016-09-24T22:20:38-04:00

NO THATS NOT TRUE MY GT SCORE WAS 115 AND I WASN'T SMARTER THAN ANY ONE.

Response by 1SG David Lopez made Sep 26 at 2016 12:36 AM

2016-09-26T00:36:29-04:00

Hell Yes! Just sayin, no facts to prove it. But since you asked. Have a Beautiful Infantry Blue Day!

Response by SGT Matthew Schenkenfelder made Sep 27 at 2016 7:56 AM

2016-09-27T07:56:27-04:00

I wouldn't say that they have higher GT scores than all other MOS' in the army. Some infantry soldiers have high GT scores, but they're mostly combat rocks. I was an Automations and SATCOM NCO in an infantry battalion in the 82nd, and for the most part, commo soldiers have high GT scores. I had 3 soldiers with GT scores over 120, and 1 over 130. All except for the radio-tards. They're special. Really special. It don't take a lot of brains to fill a radio and assign channels and operate a radio.

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 27 at 2016 10:48 AM

2016-09-27T10:48:30-04:00

duhhh, uhmmmm, grunt - NO!

When I first enlisted I was told by my recruiter I could be anything I wanted except Infantry and Artillery. I asked why, wasn't my ASVAB score high enough? He snickered and said no son, you maxed seven of the categories and I ain't wasting those scores on no @)(#** infantry billet...

Response by COL Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 27 at 2016 11:25 AM

2016-09-27T11:25:52-04:00

Most people join the infantry because they want to go infantry. As a result the majority have higher GT scores than the minimum. You will find other MOSs were went for less admirable reason and more people in the MOS have lower GT scores.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 27 at 2016 11:57 AM

2016-09-27T11:57:58-04:00

I was told by my recruiter not to even try Infantry with my GT score, that I should look into MI or another field because I had a high score. Of course he wasn't happy when I choose MP either but that is what I wanted.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 27 at 2016 6:14 PM

2016-09-27T18:14:13-04:00

Grunts are cool but aviation leads the way!

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 27 at 2016 10:21 PM

2016-09-27T22:21:13-04:00

Not so. These days, every MOS likely has a good mix of higher and lower scores. Once upon a time, Soldiers were infantry and artillery because that's all they qualified for; now, it is more likely to find infantry Soldiers who WANT to be infantry, and thus, you have a lot of infantry soldiers with higher scores.

But are they higher than all MOSes, save for MI? Bahahahaha Uhm no. It is my professional opinion, based on the myriad ASVAB scores I've seen for the myriad different MOSes (an incidental condition of my job), that the infantry has average ASVAB scores, some higher, some lower, just like most of the more common MOSes.

Response by Mao Mao made Apr 7 at 2018 5:05 PM

2018-04-07T17:05:50-04:00

扬基人离开了互联网！

I chop you down

Response by SGM Bill Frazer made Apr 7 at 2018 8:10 PM

2018-04-07T20:10:14-04:00

I can't find the stone with my ASVAB scores on it- but I did have an IQ of 181 when I enlisted

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made May 15 at 2019 11:43 AM

2019-05-15T11:43:10-04:00

Maybe. No way to know though. If I placed my anecdotal evidence up against someone else's, I'd bet we would disagree.

I'm sure there are intelligent people who join infantry to reverse their image and prove their toughness. Then there are those who are truly rocks and joined because they couldn't qualify for anything else. Then there's those who are simply average folks who have nothing to prove, qualify for other jobs, but are called to Infantry work by other factors like family tradition and such.

The thing is, I'd bet every MOS has similar personalities and motivation types. We definitely get dummies in MI who are just trying to prove they are smart, but don't fit in at all. Like some folks who become 35L/35M, but have the social skills of a potato (sorry for insulting potatoes). Academic knowledge does not mean it can be applied in a way that fits the culture of the specific field, on the reverse the lack of academic knowledge does not mean the person can't thrive in an area they aren't statically qualified. Line scores are simply indicators, unless the person goes into a field that literally uses the exact types of problems from the ASVAB.