Frequently Asked Questions

DAHLGREN, Va. (Sept. 25, 2023) Surface Combat Systems Training Command AEGIS Training and Readiness Center’s Warfare Tactics Instructor Lt. Robert Joiner provides a training demonstration in the Reconfigurable Combat Information Center Trainer (RCT) to cadets from Stafford High School’s Navy Junior Reserve Officer's Training Corps during their visit to Naval Support Facility Dahlgren, Sept. 25. The RCT is part of the Director, Surface Warfare’s (OPNAV N96) program of record, Surface Training Advanced Virtual Environment-Combat Systems. These systems are the culmination of eight years of investment in training technologies, devices, and facilities to improve the effectiveness, efficiency, and availability of all surface training. (U.S. Navy photo by Michael Bova)

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The standard score (SS) is a reflection of how well candidates do compared to candidate peers
taking the same exam. The SS range is 20 to 80. SS changes from exam to exam since the
average computations are based on the peer group at the time the particular exam is given.

There are occurrences where the highest scoring candidate does not have a SS of 80 and the
lowest scoring candidate does not have a SS of 20. These occurrences are totally dependent on
the peer group taking the exam.

In general, an SS of 80 indicates a candidate scored higher than 99% of the candidates taking
the exact same exam (i.e. 99th percentile). A SS of 70 indicates candidate scored higher than
98% of all candidates, 60 indicates 84%, 50 indicates 50%, 40 indicates 16%, 30 indicates 2%,
and 20 indicates 1%. It is the SS, not the raw score (number of questions answered correctly)
that is a component of the Final Multiple Score (FMS). Lastly -- FMS is how a candidate is
advanced with the combination of all elements: exam SS, evaluations (PMA), awards,
education, PNA points and service-in-paygrade.

Awards computed in the E4/5/6 Final Multiple Score (FMS) must be approved or earned prior to
the day of the regularly scheduled examination. Awards with only a month/year date are
presumed to have an ending date on the last day of the respective month. The maximum award
points E4/5 candidates can earn is 10 points. There is a maximum of 12 points for an E6
candidates. Candidates who have served greater than 90 consecutive days in the
Congressionally Designated Combat Zones and Approved Contingency Operations Areas
mentioned below are authorized a two point increase to maximum award points authorized.
Always make sure your award points are correct on your exam worksheet AND your exam
answer sheet.

Current list of awards and their values –

10 Points = Medal of Honor
5 Points = Navy Cross
4 Points = Distinguished Service Medal or Cross, Silver Star Medal, Legion of Merit,
Distinguished Flying Cross
3 Points = Navy and Marine Corps Medal, Bronze Star Medal, Purple Heart, Defense
Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, Air Medal (Strike/Flight), Joint Service
Commendation Medal, Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal
2 Points = Executive Letter of Commendation (max 1), Joint Service Achievement Medal, Navy
and Marine Corps Achievement Medal, Combat Action Ribbon, Gold Life Saving Medal, Greater
than 90 consecutive days of service In Iraq, Afghanistan or the Horn of Africa, (Kuwait,
Guantanamo (GTMO), Joint Task Force, 515 (USPACOM) or the Joint Force Special Task
Force-Philippines (USPACOM) (Service after 24 October 2001)) (max 1)
1 Point = Letter of Commendation (Flag/Senior Executive Service) (max 2)

PNA (Passed Not Advanced) Points are added to your FMS (E4/5/6 only) if you pass the test,
demonstrate superior performance and/or superior rating knowledge, but are not advanced to
the next-higher paygrade.

PNA Points come from two sources, your Exam Standard Score (SS) and your Performance
Mark Average (PMA). You can receive up to 1.5 Points each for PMA and SS per advancement
cycle for a maximum of 3.0 per cycle. Only the PNA points from the most recent five of the last
six consecutive advancement cycles in the same paygrade are used, so the maximum PNA
point total can only reach 15.

PNA Points for PMA are based on how you rank among your peers. Your PMA must fall within
the top 25% of ranked performance mark averages to garner points. Similarly, PNA Points for
SS are based on all exam standard scores where your SS must fall in the top 25% in your
paygrade/rating to earn points when not advanced.

PNA points will be retained for Career Intermission Program (CIP) candidates through the CIP
period.

Sailors competing for advancement to paygrades E4 through E6 will be awarded two points for
an accredited associate's degree, and four points for an accredited baccalaureate degree or
above. Education points will be awarded for the highest degree held, and will increase the total
overall Final Multiple Score (FMS) points. Sailors must ensure transcripts with degree
information are forwarded directly from their academic institution to the Joint Service Transcript
(JST) Operations Center. Sailors should have their official transcripts sent to:

COMMANDING OFFICER
NETPDTC
JST Operations Center N615
6490 Saufley Field Road
Pensacola, FL 32509

JST Operations Center will validate the transcript and enter education data into the Navy
Campus Management Information System (NCMIS). NCMIS will update the JST and be used
to calculate the E4 through E6 FMS. Do not include degree points in calculating award points.

To allow sufficient time for the JST Operations Center to process all documents, transcripts for
Sailors competing for advancement to E4 through E6 MUST be received no later than the first
day of the month in which their advancement exam occurs. (i.e. Active Duty Cycle = 1 Mar and
1 Sep, SELRES Cycle = 1 Feb and 1 Aug).

The Final Multiple Score (FMS) is a "Whole Person Concept" approach that considers your
exam score along with other factors to ensure the right Sailors are advanced. The other factors
considered for E4/5/6 are Performance Mark Average (how well you perform in your job and as
a Sailor), Service in Paygrade (experience in your job), Awards (your accomplishments in your
job and as a Sailor), Education Points (self-improvement through education (accredited college
degrees), and PNA points (credit for doing great 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 exam score only.

OPNAV N132 provides advancement quotas for the Active Duty cycles and BUPERS-32
provides advancement quotas for the SELRES cycles. Some ratings in a paygrade have limited
quotas, so the Navy works hard to advance the most qualified Sailors using the Whole Person
Concept.

NAC uses the results from Navy-wide advancement examinations to assess knowledge at the
next-higher paygrade and compute an individual Sailor's Final Multiple Score (FMS). The FMS
is used to compare all Sailors in the same exam rate. NAC rank-orders Sailors - the highest
FMS score is the number one Sailor for advancement, second highest is number two, etc. - so
the most qualified candidates are advanced given the number of vacancies (quotas) in a
particular exam rate. The FMS is made up of different variables, but it's key to remember that
sustained superior performance is a primary factor for advancement.

Profile Sheets provide candidates with information on Navy-Wide Advancement Examination
(NWAE) performance as compared with other candidates who took the same NWAE.

For E4 through E6 candidates the profile sheets provide:

1. Final Multiple Score (FMS) factor breakdown
2. FMS
3. Minimum FMS Required for advancement
4. Average FMS factor breakdown of candidates (peers) who advanced
5. PNA (passed not advanced) points earned from past exam cycles—applied to the
candidate’s FMS for the current exam
6. PNA points earned from this exam, if listed - will apply to the candidate’s FMS for next exam
7. Exam section breakdown of candidate's raw scores and relative standings compared to all
other candidates who took this exam
8. Relative standing for the whole exam compared to all other candidates who took this exam
9. Examination cycle status

For E7 candidates the profile sheets provide:

1. FMS factor breakdown
2. Candidate’s FMS
3. Minimum FMS required candidates who were selection board eligible (SBE)
4. Average FMS factor breakdown of candidates (peers) who were SBE
5. Exam section breakdown of candidate's raw scores and relative standings compared to all
other candidates who took this exam
6. Relative standing for the whole exam compared to all other candidates who took this exam
7. Examination cycle status

NOTE: Some of the items above will not be shown on some Profile Sheets (e.g., for candidates
who are in a fail status, have a discrepancy, or have been invalidated).

Additionally, E7/8/9 profile sheets report selection board or advancement status.

Once exam results are published, profile sheets can be accessed on the Navy Advancement
Center's (NAC) link on MNP to view and print, or ESOs can access profile sheets on NEAS
Web (a CAC card log in is required at each site). Profile sheets are available on line for two
years.

Yes. The profile sheet tells you the number of questions in each examination section and the
number of questions you answered correctly in each section. It also gives you a percentile
which reflects how well you did in each examination section in relation to your peers who took
the exact same examination.

For example: A percentile of 80% indicates that you scored higher than 80% of the candidates
answering questions in the section. Percentile is not the same as percent. Percentile reflects
relative standing in a peer group. Percent just gives what proportion of the items was answered
correctly.

DISC means there is a Discrepancy with your advancement information and your Final Multiple
Score cannot be calculated until this error is corrected through your ESO and the Navy
Advancement Center (NAC) with supporting documentation. An uncleared discrepancy can
keep an otherwise qualified Sailor from being advanced.

The most common discrepancies are –

Performance Mark Error - this means that your Performance Mark Average is missing from your
exam answer sheet or is out of range. This is the number one discrepancy.
Insufficient Time-in-Rate - this means that your time-in-rate (TIR) is less than the required
needed for the next paygrade or you have not been identified properly for Early Promote TIR
waiver.

Unmatched Name/SSN - this means that your Name/SSN translated from the DOD ID Number
does not match the Enlisted Master File (EMF) created from the Navy Enlisted System (NES) or
the Inactive Manpower and Personnel Management Information System (IMAPMIS).

Wrong Path of Advancement - this means that you participated in an Navy-wide advancement
examination outside your normal path of advancement.. (i.e. - a BM3 took a MA2 exam)

The number one discrepancy for advancement eligible Reservists is a Performance Mark
Average calculation error; your ESO should be able to correctly calculate for each exam cycle.
Also, the NAC sees DOD ID and name errors on exam sheets - this error falls directly on the
member for correction when filling out the answer sheets. Finally, some Reservists get a WPA
error - Wrong Path of Advancement. Why is that?

When a Reserve member is on Active Duty, information is often taken out of NSIPS/IMAPMIS.
This can easily be corrected without any action required by the NAC, but commands must make
the NSIPS/IMAPMIS correction locally.

Check with your ESO to make sure your information is up to date!

All advancement-eligible Chiefs and Senior Chiefs should check their Profile Sheets on the
Navy Advancement Center's (NAC) link on MNP or contact your ESO who accesses your
information from NEAS Web - https://prod.neas.netc.navy.mil/. After you verify your eligibility
you should ensure your record is up to date by using the Web Enabled Record Review (WERR)
on BOL. WERR allows you to view documents that have been submitted, reviewed and
accepted as a part of your official military personnel file.

Much of the information included on the NAC's MNP portal includes Personally Identifiable
Information (PII). DoD policy clearly states CAC login is required when systems contain PII.
Profile sheets are developed, maintained and linked to the Navy Enlisted Advancement System,
and contain PII on individual Sailors.

Once NAC receives your late Navy-wide advancement examination answer sheet from your
command, it is scanned and scored. A profile sheet with your results is created and posted
on NEAS Web for the command's view, and on the NAC link on MNP for the individual
sailor's view.

Not a bit. Exam writers test the major subject matter of their ratings. Major subject matter
(shown as sections on the profile forms) will reappear. But not the same questions! Use past
profile information as just another piece of information to help you organize your study plan. But
don’t get trapped into thinking the profile form provides the questions or answers. It doesn't

After a Navy-wide Advancement Examinations (NWAEs) are received at the commands, there
are seven primary steps that lead to NWAE results.

Below is a basic snapshot of the process from NWAE administration to release of results:

1. NWAEs are administered.
2. Fleet and shore commands mail NWAE answer sheets to NETPDTC - historically, this
process step takes six to seven weeks due to mailing locations.
3. When approximately 95% of the NWAE answer sheets have return for an advancement
cycle, NAC generates NWAE scores as well as Final Multiple Scores (FMSs).
4. NAC then sends a list of NWAE passer counts for each examination rate/competitive group
to OPNAV N132 for the Active Duty cycles and BUPERS-32 for the SELRES cycles.
5. Enlisted Community Managers (ECMs) and manpower authorities determine vacancies and
funding available.
6. Advancement quotas are approved and forwarded to NAC.
7. FMS cut lines are set based on the quotas. Results in the form of profile sheets are created
and posted on NEAS Web for the command's view, and on the NAC link on MNP for
the individual sailor's view.

Advancement to E7 requires selection board action. In order to qualify for selection board
consideration, candidates must meet eligibility requirements in Chapter 2 of BUPERSINST
1430.16F.

PO1s who are eligible to advance to Chief Petty Officer are rank-ordered against peers with
only two Final Multiple Score (FMS) elements: 1) the candidate's performance mark average,
and 2) their exam standard score (SS). Each candidate's FMS is rank-ordered against all other
E7 advancement-eligible candidates in the examination rate/competitive group. The
advancement-eligible candidates who have an FMS that falls in the top 60 percent will be
selection board eligible (SBE). The records of all candidates who have an FMS that falls in the
bottom 40 percent (in each rating) will not be forwarded to the board for consideration.

Under the new FMS formula outlined in NAVADMIN 114/14, the performance metric
(evaluations) are 60% of the E7 FMS, and the exam SS is 40%.

The Navy Advancement Center (NAC) posts the two years or more of advancement results
for Active Duty and SELRES cycles on the Navy Advancement Center's (NAC) link on MNP
under Exam Statistics By Rate.

For E4/5/6, the data is displayed with the following fields:

ERATE - Examination Rate
GRP - Competitive Group
TOTAL - Number of candidates in examination rate/competitive group
ADV - Number of candidates advanced
ADV % - Percentage of candidates advanced
PNA - Number of candidates that passed the exam, but did not advance
ADV PNA % - Percentage of candidates that passed the exam, but did not advance
FAIL - Number of candidates that failed the exam
FAIL % - Percentage of candidates that failed the exam
DISC - Number of discrepant candidates
DISC % - Percentage of discrepant candidates
ADV SS - The average exam standard score of candidates who advanced

For Active Duty cycles, OPNAV N132 provides monthly pay increment quotas. These quotas
are loaded into the Navy Enlisted Advancement System (NEAS) monthly and spread across all
examination rate/competitive groups by pay grade. For E4/5/6, selectees are advanced by Final
Multiple Score, not exam Standard Score (SS). For E7/8/9, selectees are advanced by
Selection Board seniority ranking. For SELRES cycles, BUPERS-32 provides pay increment
quotas. These quotas are loaded into NEAS and pay determination is established for all
increments at the same time.

Monthly increments are generated by the first of the month. Once your pay date is determined,
your Profile Sheet will be updated with the actual date of advancement.

The pay increments for each exam cycle are as follows –
JAN (Active Duty) and FEB (SELRES) E7 has 12 pay increments - Sep (current year) through
Aug (following year)
FEB (SELRES) and MAR (Active Duty) E4/5/6 has 6 increments - Jul (current year) through Dec
(current year)
AUG (SELRES) and SEP (Active Duty) E4/5/6 has 6 increments - Jan (following year) through
Jun (following year)
NOV (Active and SELRES) E8/9 has 12 increments - Jul (current year) through Jun (following
year)

Typically for Active Duty cycles, the majority of Sailors will advance in the final month of the
advancement cycle. Typically for SELRES cycles, advancement is spread evenly for each
increment

Since E4/5/6 Navy-wide advancement exams are administered twice a year, there are six
monthly increments. Since E7/8/9 selection boards are held once a year, there are 12 monthly
increments.

If you missed the Navy-wide advancement examination while you were in an IA
(Congressionally Designated Combat Zones and Approved Contingency Operations Area)
status, the first thing you need to do is contact your ESO and take the next available
examination. When your ESO sends the examination answer sheet to be scored, they will also
send in an Advancement-in-Rate or Change of Rating worksheet for the exam missed that
includes what your PMA, awards and SIPG would have been if you had taken that exam. Your
FMS from the exam taken is not used to compare with the Final Multiple required of the exam
missed. To recalculate your FMS for the missed exam, the Navy Advancement Center (NAC)
takes the standard score of the exam you took, the PMA, awards and SIPG from the missed
examination worksheet and recalculates your FMS for the examination missed. If that FMS
equals or exceeds the Final Multiple required for the examination missed, you will be advanced
off that exam. If not, you may receive PNA points. A new profile sheet will be created for the
examination missed for you to view and print at the Navy Advancement Center's (NAC) link on
MNP.

Refer to BUPERSINST 1430.16F for further directions.