Prospective Petty Officers take their shot at the exams

The March advancement examinations were administered to all eligible E-3 candidates on board Independence yesterday. Three hundred eighty six Sailors in 46 ratings mustered in the aft mess decks for the exam.

"I feel pretty good about being advanced," said Photographer’s Mate Airman Chris Howell from Seattle, Wash. "I’ve gained a lot of experience on the job that helped me on the test and I also studied my rate training manuals."

The advancement exam is just one part of the advancement process. Enlisted ratings are broken down into three Career Reenlistment Objective (CREO) groups. The CREO groups help the Navy determine how many personnel are required in each specific rating. Ratings in CREO group one are undermanned, CREO group two is manned at a desired level, and CREO group three is overmanned.

Therefore, even if the Navywide advancement average for E-4 is high, Sailors serving in ratings in CREO group three may not have the success that Sailor serving in ratings in CREO group one.

Evaluations and award points are other important factors considered in the equation that determines whether a Sailor gets promoted or not. Sustained superior performance by a hard charging Sailor who knows his job well should yield good evals for advancement. Awards include letters of commendation (signed by a flag officer), Navy/Marine Corps Achievement Medal, and various other medals. Points are also awarded for college degrees and warfare designations.

The Educational Services Office (ESO) will mail all the exams to Pensacola, Fla., where they will be graded. Results for the exam will be out in May and new petty officers should be frocked in June.

Caption: Yesterday, 386 E-3s participated in the advancement exam.