These  requirements  may  change  from  time  to time, 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. but  usually  you  must: Have  a  certain  amount  of  time  in  pay grade. Demonstrate knowledge of the material in your mandatory rate training manuals by achieving  a  suitable  score  on  your  com- mand’s  locally  prepared  and  locally  admin- istered test, or by successfully completing the appropriate nonresident career course (NRCC), or in some cases, by successfully completing  instruction  in  an  appropriate Navy  school. Complete all Personnel Advancement Re- quirements   (PARS),   NAVPERS   1414/4. These   include   required   schools,   perfor- mance  tests,  occupational  standards,  and correspondence  courses  for  the  next  higher pay grade. Be   recommended   by   your   commanding officer. Demonstrate  knowledge  of  military  sub- jects.  This  is  demonstrated  by  passing  a  lo- cally   administered   Military   Leadership Examination  based  on  the  naval  standards (from  NAVPERS  18068  series).  Military leadership  examinations  are  applicable  for advancement  to  pay  grades  E-4  through E-7. Demonstrate  knowledge  of  the  technical aspects of your rate by passing a Navywide Advancement  Examination  based  on  the occupational standards applicable to your rate (from NAVPERS 18068 series, those standards  listed  at  and  below  your  rate level). Remember  that  the  occupational  standards can  change;  check  with  your  division  officer  or training officer to be sure that you know the most recent standards. If  you  meet  all  the  qualification  requirements, you  become  a  member  of  the  group  from  which selections  for  advancement  are  made. WHO  WILL  BE  ADVANCED? Advancement is not automatic. Meeting all of the requirements make you eligible, but does not guarantee  your  advancement.  Some  of  the  fac- tors that determine which persons, out of all those QUALIFIED,  will  actually  be  advanced  in  rate are  the  score  made  on  the  advancement  examina- tion, the length of time in service, the performance marks earned, and the number of vacancies be- ing filled in a given rate. If a number of vacancies in a given rate ex- ceeds  the  number  of  qualified  personnel,  then ALL  of  those  qualified  will  be  advanced.  More often, the number of qualified people exceeds the vacancies. When this happens, the Navy has de- vised  a  procedure  for  advancing  those  who  are BEST qualified. This procedure is based on com- bining three personnel evaluation systems: .    Merit  rating  system  (Annual  evaluation and   commanding   officer’s   recommen- dation) .    Personnel testing system (Advancement ex- amination   score—with   some   credit   for passing  previous  advancement  examina- tions) .    Longevity (seniority) system (Time in Rate) Simply, credit is given for how much the indi- vidual has achieved in the three areas of perfor- mance,  knowledge,  and  longevity.  A  composite, known  as  the  final  multiple  score,  is  generated from  these  three  factors.  All  of  the  candidates who have PASSED the examination from a given advancement population are then placed on one list. Based on the final multiple score, the person with the highest multiple score is ranked first, and so on, down to the person with the lowest multi- ple score. For candidates for E-4, E-5, and E-6, advancement   authorizations   are   then   issued, beginning at the top of the list, for the number of  persons  needed  to  fill  the  existing  vacancies. Candidates for E-7 whose final multiple scores are high enough will be designated PASSED SELBD ELIGIBLE (Pass Selection Board Eligible). This means that their names will be placed before the Chief  Petty  Officer  (CPO)  Selection  Board,  a Naval   Military   Personnel   Command   (NAV- MILPERSCOM) board charged with considering all so-designated eligible candidates for advance- ment  to  CPO.  Advancement  authorizations  for those being advanced to CPO are issued by this board. Who,  then,  are  the  individuals  who  are  ad- vanced? Basically, they are the ones who achieved the most in preparing for advancement. They were not  content  to  just  qualify;  they  went  the  extra mile in their training, and through that training and  their  work  experience,  they  developed  greater skills,   learned   more,   and   accepted   more responsibility. 1-4