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Restructuring of Enlisted Advancement Exams Begins September 2012

Navy News Service

Story Number: NNS110711-04
7/11/2011
image: Top News Story

By Tom Updike, Naval Education and Training Command Public Affairs

PENSACOLA, Fla. (NNS) -- The Navy announced the restructuring of advancement exams to give greater focus on technical rating knowledge, July 8, in NAVADMIN 197/11.

The restructured examinations decrease the number of questions from 200 to 175 and increases the emphasis on rating-specific technical questions. The first advancement examination cycle implementing the new change is Cycle 216 in September 2012. Advancement candidates who will take the September enlisted examinations include active duty, full time support, active guard and reserve, and canvass recruiters.

"The primary reason for the exam structure change is to improve exam validity. We define exam validity as the adequacy with which the test questions successfully represent the content to be measured," said Captain Katharine Reed, commanding officer of the Naval Education and Training Professional Development and Technology Center (NETPDTC).

More job-specific technical questions improve exam validity and the Navy's ability to rank-order Sailors by rating.

"If you know the technical aspects of your rating better than your shipmates, you'll like the change in exam structure," said Reed.

The restructured exams will consist of 25 Professional Military Knowledge (PMK) and 150 job-specific technical questions for each pay grade. The biggest change will be seen by E-6 advancement candidates taking the Chief Petty Officer (CPO) exam. Currently, the 200-question CPO exam contains 100 job-specific and 100 PMK questions. E-4 exams will have the same number of job-specific questions, and 25 rather than 50 PMK questions.

The exam changes will have no impact on the current Final Multiple Score (FMS). The FMS is a "Whole Person Concept" approach which considers exam score along with other factors to ensure the right Sailors are advanced. Other factors considered for E4/5/6 are performance mark average (how well one performs in their job and as a Sailor), service in pay grade (experience in the job), awards (accomplishments in the job and as a Sailor), education points (self improvement through education (accredited college degrees)), and pass/not advanced points (credit for doing well on previous exam cycles, but not enough quotas available). For those who are CPO board eligible, the FMS is computed using performance mark average and rating exam score only.

Enlisted exams are produced at NETPDTC's Navy Advancement Center (NAC) in Pensacola, Fla. Fleet Subject Matter Experts (FSME) for each enlisted rating gather at exam development conferences to review the job scope and associated tasks at each pay grade. The FSMEs also review their rating exam bank to ensure questions are up-to-date, accurate and meet the statistical requirements to accurately rank-order the most qualified advancement candidates. New exam questions are researched, developed and added at each exam development conference.

Study material will remain available to all Sailors preparing for upcoming exams. Exam bibliographies will reflect the new exam construction, and will be available for exam preparation six months prior to administration dates on the Navy Advancement Center's Web portal on NKO.