Overview
Enlisted sailors in the US Navy compete for advancement to the next paygrade partly through the Navy-wide Advancement Examination (NWAE). The Navy Advancement Center (NAC) writes and scores the exams. Each exam tests knowledge of the sailor's own rating (job specialty) at the next higher paygrade, and its result feeds into a Final Multiple Score (FMS) that ranks sailors against others in the same exam rate.
Advancement is an advance-to-vacancy system: the number of sailors advanced in each rate depends on quotas set from manning needs, so passing the exam does not by itself guarantee advancement.
Who can apply
There is no open application. To sit an NWAE you must:
meet all eligibility requirements for the next higher paygrade, as set out in Chapter 2 of BUPERSINST 1430.16 (series)
meet the time-in-rate requirement (or hold an early-promote time-in-rate waiver)
have your commanding officer's or officer-in-charge's recommendation for promotion
have an up-to-date security clearance if your rating needs one, since missing clearances invalidate many exams
Active Duty and Training and Readiness of the Reserves (TAR) sailors take exams in Active Duty cycles. Selected Reserve (SELRES) and Canvasser Recruiter personnel take exams in SELRES cycles.
Levels or stages
E4, E5 and E6
Exams for advancement to E4, E5 and E6 are held twice a year. Sailors are then advanced in order of their Final Multiple Score until the quota for their rate is filled.
E7
The E7 exam is held once a year. It does not advance you directly: candidates whose FMS falls within the top 60% cut for their rate or competitive group become selection board eligible, and a selection board decides who is advanced. E8 and E9 advancement is also by selection board.
Exam pattern
The NWAE is a 175-question multiple-choice exam on your rating's subject matter, organised into sections that reflect the major topics of the rating. Questions are drawn from the references listed in the official NAC bibliography for your exam, and each bibliography is specific to one exam and cycle. Active Duty and SELRES exams have similar content and are scored the same way.
Marking and results
Pass mark. A raw-score cut decides whether you pass. For a 175-item exam with no deleted questions, the cuts given in the NAC FAQ are 49 correct answers for E4, 55 for E5, and 61 for E6 and E7. Below the cut, you fail and drop out of that cycle.
Standard score. Raw scores are converted to a standard score (SS) from 20 to 80, with 50 at the middle of the peer group taking the same exam. Roughly, 60 means you beat 84% of candidates and 70 means you beat 98%. The standard score, not the raw score, goes into the FMS.
Final Multiple Score. For E4 to E6, the FMS combines:
| Factor | What it reflects |
|---|---|
| Exam standard score | Rating knowledge |
| Performance Mark Average (PMA) or RSCA PMA | Evaluation results in the current paygrade |
| Service in paygrade | Experience |
| Awards | Up to 10 points for E4 and E5 candidates, up to 12 for E6 |
| Education | 2 points for an accredited associate degree, 4 for a bachelor's degree or higher |
| Pass but Not Advanced (PNA) points | Strong results in recent cycles where you passed but were not advanced |
For E7, the FMS uses only the exam standard score and RSCA PMA.
PNA points. If you pass but are not advanced, you can earn up to 1.5 points for a performance mark in the top 25% of your group, and (for E5 and E6) up to 1.5 points for a standard score in the top 25%. Only the last three consecutive cycles in the same paygrade count, giving a maximum of 9.0 points for E5 and E6 and 4.5 for E4.
Results appear as profile sheets on the NAC section of MyNavy Portal (Common Access Card login required). A profile sheet shows your standard score, each FMS factor, the minimum multiple needed to advance, and the number of questions and your percentile for each exam section. Sheets stay online for two years.
Important dates
Per the NAC FAQ, Active Duty E4 to E6 exams are held in March and September, with SELRES exams in February and August. E7 exams are in January (Active Duty) and February (SELRES). The exact dates for each cycle are set in a NAVADMIN message. Results take time: answer sheets are mailed in, which historically takes six to seven weeks, and scoring starts once about 95% have arrived.
After the exam
Sailors selected for E4 to E6 are advanced across six monthly pay increments (for example, the March Active Duty cycle covers July to December of that year), and those selected for E7 to E9 across twelve. Degrees must appear on your Joint Services Transcript by the first day of the exam month to earn education points, and awards must be approved before the exam date to count.
Preparation tips
Download the bibliography for the exact exam and cycle you will take and study the listed references. Use your last profile sheet to see which sections were weak, since the same major subject areas come back, though not the same questions. Check your Enlisted Advancement Worksheet carefully with your Educational Services Officer before the exam: errors in performance marks or time in rate are the most common reasons a score is held as a discrepancy.
How many questions are on the Navy advancement exam?
The Navy-wide Advancement Examination has 175 multiple-choice questions on your rating.
If I pass the exam, will I be advanced?
Not necessarily. Advancement depends on your Final Multiple Score and the number of vacancies in your rate. Sailors who pass but are not advanced can earn PNA points for later cycles.
How is the E7 exam different?
It is held once a year, and its result makes you eligible for the Chief Petty Officer selection board rather than advancing you directly. The E7 Final Multiple Score uses only the exam standard score and RSCA PMA.