Guides

The guides section answers the questions that come up around a Marine career but do not belong on a specific MOS profile page. These are the entry path, benefits, and test preparation topics that apply across occupational fields and affect every applicant and service member at some point.

Guide sections

Paths to Serve

Covers how to enter the Marine Corps across each available path: standard enlistment, officer commissioning through OCS and other programs, the warrant officer track, and the Marine Corps Reserve. This section also covers the enlisted-vs-officer comparison and the active-vs-reserve decision in concrete terms.

Benefits

Covers the financial picture of Marine service, including base pay, BAH, BAS, the Post-9/11 GI Bill, TRICARE health coverage, and the Blended Retirement System. All dollar figures come from current official sources including DFAS, the VA, and DoD allowance tables. Start here if your question is about compensation, housing allowance, education money, or what retirement actually looks like.

Test Prep

Covers the three tests that most directly affect access to competitive Marine paths: the ASVAB and its PiCAT prescreen for enlisted applicants, and the ASTB-E for officer aviation candidates. These guides explain how each test is scored, which Marine line scores matter for specific MOS fields, and what preparation resources are worth using.

Most-used guides

• How to Enlist
• How to Become an Officer
• Active vs. Reserve
• Marine Pay Guide
• Marine BAH Guide
• Marine GI Bill Guide
• ASVAB Guide
• PiCAT Guide
• ASTB-E Guide

How to use these guides

Start with the question that is most relevant to where you are in the process. If you are still comparing careers, the Careers section covers individual MOS fields before the guide questions become relevant. If you know the path you want and need to understand eligibility, pay, or test requirements, the guide sections pick up from there.