Best ASVAB Scores for Navy Aviation Ratings: What Each Composite Opens Up

Aviation is one of the largest rating communities in the Navy. It also has one of the widest spreads in composite thresholds. The lowest-bar aviation rating needs a VE + AR composite of 102. The most demanding aviation ratings need composites above 210. This guide ranks Navy aviation ratings by ASVAB line score threshold so you can see what each prep level opens up.

All composite numbers below come from the Navy ASVAB requirements reference table. Requirements can change. Confirm current minimums with a recruiter before you commit.

How Aviation Ratings Are Organized

The Navy splits aviation work across two broad rating groups:

• Aviation maintenance and support ratings. These keep aircraft flying. They include the Aviation Boatswain’s Mates (ABE, ABF, ABH), maintenance ratings (AD, AE, AM, AME, AT, AS, AO, AZ), and the lead-in administrative rating AZ.
• Naval Aircrewmen. These actually fly on aircraft. They include AWF, AWO, AWR, AWS, and AWV. AWS in particular includes the rescue swimmer path.

The line score composites span a wide range. Lower-bar ratings are mostly administrative or boatswain’s mate work. Higher-bar ratings are technical maintenance or aircrew positions.

Aviation Ratings Ranked by Composite Threshold

The table groups aviation ratings by their lowest qualifying composite, from easiest to hardest. Composite alternates exist for most ratings, so check the full formula on the rating page.

Note: The Aviation Boatswain’s Mates (ABE, ABF, ABH) show a composite of 61 in the official table. That number reflects a different scoring scale than the 200-plus composites used by most other aviation ratings. In practice, ABE, ABF, and ABH are among the lower-threshold aviation entries.

What Each Composite Tier Opens Up

Here is what your line score range opens up in the aviation community.

Composite tier 1: VE + AR around 100

At this tier, your only aviation option is AZ (Aviation Maintenance Administrationman). AZ handles the paperwork and records side of aviation maintenance. It is a real rating with a real career path, but it does not put you on the flight line or in an aircraft.

Composite tier 2: VE + AR + MK + AS around 60 to 100

This opens up the Aviation Boatswain’s Mates. ABE runs catapults and arresting gear on carriers. ABF handles aviation fuels. ABH directs aircraft on the flight deck. These are physical, high-tempo jobs on aircraft carriers and amphibious assault ships.

Composite tier 3: VE + MK + GS around 150, or VE + AR + MK + AS around 170

This tier opens up AD (Aviation Machinist’s Mate) and AO (Aviation Ordnanceman). AD works on aircraft engines and propulsion systems. AO handles aviation ordnance, including bombs, missiles, and gun systems.

Composite tier 4: Composites around 200

This tier is where the bulk of aviation maintenance ratings open up. AM (airframe and structural work) and AS (ground support equipment) both fall here.

Composite tier 5: Composites at 210

This is the top of the aviation rating ladder. AE, AT, AME, and the Naval Aircrewman ratings (AWF, AWO, AWR, AWS, AWV) all cluster here. AT (electronics technician) and AE (electrician’s mate) are technical maintenance with long A and C school pipelines. The AW ratings put you on aircrew, which means you actually fly on the missions.

If you want any of the aircrew ratings or AT, plan to clear VE + AR + MK + MC = 210 or VE + AR + MK + AS = 210, depending on the rating.

How to Prep for Aviation Composites

Aviation composites cluster around two formula families. Most maintenance and aircrew ratings use either VE + AR + MK + AS = 210 or VE + AR + MK + MC = 210. That means the subtests you should focus on are:

• Word Knowledge and Paragraph Comprehension (feed VE)
• Arithmetic Reasoning (AR)
• Mathematics Knowledge (MK)
• Mechanical Comprehension (MC)
• Auto and Shop Information (AS)

If you can push all five into the 60-plus range, you have access to nearly every aviation rating except the very top of the ordnance and electrician’s mate pipelines, which use AO and EI alternates.

The ASVAB study guide walks through this sequencing in more detail. For prep targeting, see how to raise your Navy ASVAB line scores.

What Hitting a Higher Composite Actually Gets You

In the rating selection process, the Navy gives you a list of ratings you qualify for based on your scores. The detailer works from that list. Hitting a higher composite gives you more options on that list, which gives you more room to negotiate your contract.

Two practical examples:

• A recruit with VE + AR + MK + AS = 180 qualifies for ABE, ABF, ABH, and AO. The detailer has four aviation ratings to offer.
• A recruit with VE + AR + MK + AS = 215 qualifies for all of the above plus AM and AME. With strong MC, they also qualify for AT, AE, AS, and the AW ratings. The detailer has eleven or more aviation ratings to offer.

The second recruit can hold out for the rating they actually want. The first takes whatever the Navy has open.

This is also why hitting a high composite the first time matters. Raising your composite after enlistment is possible through the Armed Forces Classification Test (AFCT), but the easiest path is to walk into MEPS with composites that already qualify you for the rating you want.

Other Tests for Aviation Programs

A few aviation programs use additional testing beyond the ASVAB:

• Officer aviation candidates use the ASTB-E (Aviation Selection Test Battery). This is for the officer aviation pipeline, not enlisted aviation ratings.
• AWS candidates go through the Rescue Swimmer screening pipeline in addition to meeting the AWS composite. Physical standards matter as much as the line score.

For enlisted aviation ratings, the ASVAB composite is the primary screen. Physical and security clearance requirements layer on top.

Bottom Line

Navy aviation ratings span a wide composite range. Hitting VE + AR + MK + (MC or AS) at 210 or higher opens up most of the aviation community, including the aircrew ratings. Lower composites still get you into aviation, but the rating mix narrows.

Map your composites against the Navy ASVAB requirements table before you commit to a study plan. Then prep the subtests that move the composites for the aviation ratings you actually want.