Jobs in the Navy are called "Ratings". To find the rating you qualify for, the Navy looks at your the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) subtest scores - different subtests for different ratings. The ASVAB subtests are: General Science (GS); Arithmetic Reasoning (AR); Word Knowledge (WK); Paragraph Comprehension (PC); Numerical Operations (NO); Coding Speed (CS); Auto and Shop Information (AS); Mathematics Knowledge (MK); Mechanical Comprehension (MC); Electronics Information (EI); and Sum of Word Knowledge and Paragraph Comprehension (VE).

The ASVAB is a timed multi-aptitude test, which is given at over 14,000 schools and Military Entrance Processing Stations (MEPS) nationwide and is developed and maintained by the Department of Defense.

To join the Navy as an enlisted member, you usually must get a good score on the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) test. The maximum ASVAB score is 99. For enlistment into the Navy, you must get a minimum ASVAB score of 31, although in same cases a 26 is permitted.

Each Navy job is given a code known as a Navy Enlisted Classification (NEC). Every NEC has different ASVAB score requirements.

The ASVAB test actually consists of several different subject areas or subtests: general science (GS); arithmetic reasoning (AR); word knowledge (WK); paragraph comprehension (PC); mathematics knowledge (MK); electronics information (EI), auto and shop information (AS); mechanical comprehension; and assembling objects (AO).