Navy Enlisted Promotion System Point Calculation

In the Navy, promotions to the paygrades of E-4 through E-7 are competitive. That means sailors compete against other sailors within their same rating (job) for available promotion slots. In order to determine who gets promoted, the Navy, like the other services, use promotion points.

Basically, there are limited promotion vacancies within each pay grade for each job. When determining who gets promoted, those with the most promotion points are the ones who get the stripes.

What Are Navy Eval EP Points?

Navy enlisted promotion (EP) points determine how likely an enlisted sailor is to get a promotion when compared to other sailors who are also seeking a promotion. A sailor earns EP points through exemplary performance and conduct as determined by a supervisor that evaluates the sailor. A positive written evaluation can mean the difference between earning the promotion and seeing it go to someone else.

Service-Wide Promotion Test Standard Score

Chief petty officers (E-7 to E-9) from each Navy rating develop advancement examinations. The examinations consist of 150 questions. Generally, 135 questions pertain to the rating (job) and 15 questions pertain to general military subjects. Examinations are administered to most candidates worldwide on the same day. Examinations are given according to a set schedule at locations and times that are announced in advance.

The standard score is a reflection of how well you did compared with your peers taking the same test. The Navy first averages all the scores to get the "arithmetic mean," and then average how far each score is from the mean. Your score is a direct reflection of any relative difference.

Say, for example, you not only scored higher than anyone else but scored way above the next highest candidate. Your score would reflect that and be relatively higher. On the other hand, if you had the highest score in a huge group of high scorers, you would still have the highest standard score, but it would be only slightly higher than the next highest score.

In general, you can interpret the scores as follows:

• 20: No one scored lower than you.
• 30: Only 2 percent scored lower.
• 40: About 15 percent scored lower.
• 50: This is the average score.
• 60: About 15 percent scored higher.
• 70: Only 2 percent scored higher.
• 80: This the highest possible score on Navy

Performance Evaluations

Sailors are rated periodically on their duty, conduct, and performance, by their supervisor(s) using written performance evaluations. These written evaluations include numerical promotion recommendations, as follows:

• Early Promote = 4.0
• Must Promote = 3.8
• Promotable = 3.6
• Progressing = 3.4
• Significant Problems = 2.0

To calculate the Performance Evaluation Promotion Points or PMA (performance mark average), used in the chart below, one simply uses the average of the ratings received while in the current paygrade. Add up the marks received in the current paygrade, then divide by the total number of evaluations. Carry to three decimal places and round up or down (less than five, round down; five and up, round up).

Time in Grade (TIG)

As used in the chart below, TIG is in years, and fractions of years. For example, three years and six months TIG would be 3.5. Decimal conversions for fractions of months are as follows:

• 1 month = .083
• 2 months = .166
• 3 months = .25
• 4 months = .333
• 5 months = .417
• 6 months = .5
• 7 months = .583
• 8 months = .666
• 9 months = .75
• 10 months = .833
• 11 months = .916

Past Not Advanced (PNA) Points

PNA points are awarded to E-4 through E-6 candidates who achieve a relatively high score on previous Navy-wide advancement examination/have relatively high-performance mark averages during an examination cycle in which the candidate competed for advancement but was not advanced because of quota limitations. PNA points are comprised of written examination standard score and performance mark average. PNA points are only creditable from the most recent five exam cycles in that pay grade.

PNA points are only awarded to the top 25 percent of sailors not advanced; 1.5 PNA points go to the top 25 percent of sailors by test; and 1.5 go to the top 25 percent by performance mark average. Total PNA points are determined from a sailor's last five advancement cycles, capping at a maximum of 15 possible points.

Only PNA points from the last five promotion cycles can be carried over to the current cycle, and the maximum number of points (after they are multiplied by two, according to the below chart) is 30.

For promotion to E-7, the above factors are just the first step and are used to determine which E-6s meet the promotion board. Those E-6s who score (total points determined above) within the top 60 percent of each rating (job) go on to have their records evaluated by a Navy-wide promotion board. It's the promotion board who then determines who actually gets promoted depending on the number of available promotion vacancies.

Promotion Point Calculation

Navy Enlisted Promotion Point Calculation for E-4 through E-7 Promotions

FACTOR	PAYGRADE	COMPUTATION	MAX POINTS	% MAX SCORE
Performance Mark Average (PMA)	E-4 / E-5	(PMA*80) - 256	64	36%
	E-6	(PMA*80) - 206	114	50%
	E-7	(PMA*50) - 80	120	60%
Standard Score (SS)	E-4 / E-5	EXAM SCORE	80	45%
	E-6	EXAM SCORE	80	35%
	E-7	EXAM SCORE	80	40%
Awards	E-4 / E-5	BUPERSINST 1430.16F, Advancement Manual & NAVADMIN 114/14	10	6%
	E-6	BUPERSINST 1430.16F, Advancement Manual & NAVADMIN 114/14	12	5%
Individual Augmentee	E-4 / E-5	Individual Augmentee Points	2	1%
	E-6	Individual Augmentee Points	2	1%
Passed Not Advanced (PNA)	E-4 / E-5	PTS for top 25% SS and PMA for last 5 exam cycles	15	9%
	E-6	PTS for top 25% SS and PMA for last 5 exam cycles	15	6%
Service in Paygrade (SIPG)	E-4 / E-5	SIPG / 4	2	1%
	E-6	SIPG / 4	3	1%
Education	E-4 / E-5	2 PTS Associate; 4 PTS Bachelor or higher	4	2%
	E-6	2 PTS Associate; 4 PTS Bachelor or higher

E-4 / E-5 maximum total promotion points are 177.

E-6 maximum total promotion points are 230.

E-7 maximum total promotion points are 200.