Military Entrance Processing Station

[Selino631]

I am scehdueld to go to MEPS this coming saturday. I am enlisting in the U.S. Army as a 19D Cavalry Scout (if all the slots are full i'm looking at 11X Infantry) For those that have already done this, can you give me some do's and don'ts so MEPS will go smoothly? (I heard the staff there will make it real difficult and i really dont want to have to go back again)

only thing i am really worried about is the ASVAB

[Dago]

Sing broadway show tunes if you get nervous.   

[Strip]

ASVAB is more of logic type test in my opinion especially the mechanical part. Dont worry about this too much because you only need a average score. About a 50th percentile score will let enter just about any area. I took the ASVAB and tested in the low 90th percentile and was a Class IA recruit. My recruiter said anything above 30th is acceptable and anything above 50th is over kill. I guess brains dont pay during enlistment lol. As for MEPS.......well......you heard right in my opinion and experience. For the most part times at ROTC (if any) and with your recruiter have been fairly easy moments. MEPS is your first real look into what boot camp would look like. A fun day at MEPS can and has (myself) turned people away from military life. I cant stand someone being a horses backside simply because they can. But thats a different story...

Best advice....

Keep your mouth closed.

Pay attention to directions and absolutely do not create any more work for the MEPS staff.

Stay out of the way.

Keep your mouth closed.

Follow that and you will have a good day. Congrats on joining the military and thanks for your service in the future.

<S> Strip

[TOMCAT21]

asvab is like any other test...dont sweat it..not an measure on intelligence...try to be relaxed.. nothing to be nervous about there..just follow instruction and if you dont understand anything , Ask ...

[rkanjl]

No matter how I type this, it sounds wrong but I don't mean to disparage anyone or imply I'm better than anyone, so here goes!  What helped me get through MEPS and Basic Training was that I looked around and found a few individuals in equal or worse shape than I (mentally and physically) and just told myself that if they could make it, I could make it.  They made it and guess what, so did I, and so will you.  The DI's job is to help you make it, not try to make you fail.  Yes, they need to weed out those who can't do the job but very few will be sent home.  If you are at least of average physical shape and intelligence they will give you the training and tools you need to do the job.  Don't worry, you'll be fine.  Best advice, get as far through training as you can without your DI learning your name, it's the showboats and know it alls that the DI's come down on.  Good luck.

rkanjl

[Rich46yo]

From now on, and for the next 3 years, dont ever touch pencil to paper until they tell you to. Dont fill out your name until they tell you to, dont do nothing until they tell you to. You'll be fine. And congratulations on your choice of service.

I rather liked military life actually.

I work an airport detail where I see a lot of young troops going thru, either on their way to basic , or home on leave. Im always impressed by the caliber of young American were still getting.

[texasmom]

Funny that anyone would advise you that MEPS staff would make things more difficult for you instead of warning you about Basic staff.    What the heck, you're young  ~ you'll be able to take whatever any of them dish out. Just enjoy the experience with the knowledge that it's all temporary. 

[gunnss]

The most important parts of the ASVAB are reading comprehension and the math. These two scores give you your "GT" which is used to sort aptitude for most MOSs (Radio tech needed a GT of 120, OCS needed a GT of 100). Get the reading right and do all the math you know then random guess the rest.  Right answers help and wrong ones don't count Against you.
As for the rest, keep your head down -->Don't Quit<-- and do exactly what you are told, and you will do fine.

[Sikboy]

Ok, when you're in Boot camp, remember: If you ask a question, there are two possibilities: 1. It's a very stupid question, and you're going to get screamed at. 2. It's a good question, and somebody else will ask it and get screamed at. The moral of the story? Pay attention and don't ask questions!

Anyhow, just pay attention at MEPS and you'll be fine.

-Sik

[Treize69]

I am scehdueld to go to MEPS this coming saturday. I am enlisting in the U.S. Army as a 19D Cavalry Scout (if all the slots are full i'm looking at 11X Infantry) For those that have already done this, can you give me some do's and don'ts so MEPS will go smoothly? (I heard the staff there will make it real difficult and i really dont want to have to go back again)

only thing i am really worried about is the ASVAB

Best advice I can give is the heck with 19D, you KNOW you want to be a 19K...

[68Hawk]

Don't fall asleep at MEPS.  You usually get one warning.  They'll get you up early and watch to see who has the discipline to stay up.  It's kind of a test.

The ASVAB isn't bad, but just run through a couple study guides first and you'll do fine.

As said above, don't write on anything until told to.  Don't do anything at all until told to.

Don't wear clothes with alcohol logos on them.

Do wear clean underwear.

Don't wear a thong, even if it is clean.

A fresh haircut and a shave go a long way.

Definitely check out all MOSs that you may be qualified for.  There are a lot of fun jobs out there, important ones too.  I jumped right into 11B because it would get me to airborne school.  Turns out the life of an 11B in garrison kinda sucks.  Maybe it's just my unit.  Point is, make sure you really look at all the options. 

Make sure to get a bonus if you're qualified for it.  Also, make sure to request a duty station if you can.  Make sure you don't request Ft. Polk, LA, trust me.

Start getting in shape now.  The better shape you're in when you get to basic, the better you'll be able to get through.

Good luck and have fun!

[eagl]

Remember, whatever pain/hassles you go through, it's temporary.  Why is it temporary?  Because the pain is to teach you to be able to handle the EVEN GREATER PAIN that comes next 

Seriously, the sucky parts end.  Not quite as soon as you would like, but they do end.  And if you get discouraged, remember that the suckers who go to the Academy get four full years of that nonsense, and pilots add on at least one more sucky year of 14 hour days at flight school   

Most troops who enter the military through other means are done with the really sucky parts in maybe 2 years.  So don't get discouraged, it gets better.  Trust me 

[Selino631]

Best advice I can give is the heck with 19D, you KNOW you want to be a 19K...

(Image removed from quote.)

The reason I want 19D is cause i have heard (from tankers) that it is very uncomfortable to be sitting in a tank for 8 hours. They said 19D is better cause you have the abilities of a tanker and Infantry.


What would happen if i score really well on the English and grammer, and the mechanical/electricity part of the ASVAB but do bad on the math? I was told that you can't use a calculator and in school EVERYTHING we do in math we use a calculator. So alot of this stuff i dotn know how to do by hand.

[Yenny]

Best advice I can give is the heck with 19D, you KNOW you want to be a 19K...

(Image removed from quote.)

I think both side of the house isn't too bad. I been on all 4 platform for us armor folks stryker, hummer, abram A2 and bradley A3. I gotta say stryker is most comfortable. Sure you do dismount most the time but damn it's a smooth ride. The cool thing about 19A is that you can command an infantry units and/or an armor units. Where 11A can only command infantry units.

[Treize69]

If I had a choice (and I did) between an M-16 and a 120mm cannon, between running at the enemy or running over the enemy...

But in all fairness, I should mention that you spend a lot more than 8 hours in the tank at a time. Like 8 days or so. But aside from the heat and smell, I'd much rather be surrounded by all that wonderful steel than a bdu shirt and a kevlar. Scouts do a lot of their work dismounted (at least they did in my day, back when the Bradley was still considered a deathtrap and the M1A1 was a new toy).