Texas Heat

iTrader: (9)

Im an E4P with what should be around 590 promotion points. My cutoff score finally dropped from the 700's to 660, I stand no chance of making it.

NebWS6

iTrader: (4)

I feel your pain.... I chased a cutting score for three quarters only to find out I should have been promoted 8 months prior....

how does the army's promotion points system work? Is it a composite score like the MC has?

socmguy

iTrader: (18)

then reclass.

HarrisonTX

****, im CPL(P) and my points are at 798
Last month i had 561, now i have around 660's, and still not close
Just got home from airborne school and that ***** nearly 100 PTS.

Owned by the cutoff score

brad8266

iTrader: (23)

One of my friends has been an E5(P) for like 4 years, his points have ben 798 for a long time. Ill be a General by the time he makes E6, lol.

Reclass or do online schools like college or corrospondance courses.

bballr4567

iTrader: (5)

Yup. There are TONS of colleges that will take your military education and transfer it to college credit. One of my guys did that and he got almost 100 pts for civilian education.

Take ALL the correspondence courses you can. The more the better.

My MOS's points were at 798 for about 8 months last year and then one month dropped to 550 and went straight back up to 780.

Texas Heat

iTrader: (9)

Im maxxed on military education, it is my civilian ed where I am sucking wind. I need to get on that ****.

Unertl42

iTrader: (63)

go to Ranger school

99WS7

iTrader: (13)

So thats how you guys get points...I was always curious how the Army did there promotion. You have to do a board too right? I wish the AF did more of a systemt like that.

bballr4567

iTrader: (5)

Yup, you have to go to a board for E5 and 6 and then its a straight board for anything higher. For E5 and 6 you also have to make points. Which I hate. When an infantry guy (no offense to any grunts here) can make it to E5 with just a PT Test, range and board points its damn unfair that they dont have to do any extra education.

azredbird

iTrader: (6)

Unfair? I understand your frustration. Basically the Army uses low promotion scores as an incentive to keep soldiers in extremely dangerous Military Occupational Specialties (MOS). Also when do personnel serving in a combat related MOS have the opportunity to attend college courses? I was a Cavalry Scout and we rarely had an opportunity to attend college.

Look at it from a different perspective. When soldiers that served in a support MOS terminate service they usually have a skill (gained from their MOS training or the higher education they completed while serving) that more often than not directly translates to a decent to well paying civilian career. When soldiers that served in a combat arms MOS terminate service...well...not too many positions out there for tank drivers, forward observers, scouts, mortarmen, artillerymen etc.

I have a friend who served as X-Ray tech for three to four years and achieved the rank of Specialist (full bird private as we used to say) and suffered from high promotion scores as well. A local college evaluated his MOS training/experience and combined with the only two college courses he ever completed (English), awarded him an associates degree.

Unfair? I believe the infantry soldier would agree with you.

bballr4567

iTrader: (5)

It is unfair. So what if we get a skill coming out of the military. They didnt have to enlist as an infantryman. I didnt because I knew what I wanted out of the military.

It is unfair that some soldiers get to E6 with points in like 400s and other MOS's NEVER get a chance.

Do you think that the military should keep those "skilled" soldiers more than the infantry?

BTW, Im in an infantry battalion, not in the support battalion but actually IN if. So I get plenty of this every month.

Awake455

Yep, sitting at 798 myself. Haven't seen it waver in the past 18 months.

the_hunted

well mine have been all over the place just not lower than 680. I currently have 666. Not sure if that is going to be good luck or not.
Oh BTW my points rarely drop below 690 and My MOS offers nothing outside of the army. so making guys like me just want to get out.

brad8266

iTrader: (23)

Thats not why the points are low for some MOS's. The point system is designed as a way to keep the manpower for each MOS leveled out for each rank. They dont want or need too many NCO's so in order to keep that ratio they promote based on scores. It has nothing to do with retention. It may just be though that most combat arms junior NCO's get out or reclass after their first enlistment expires so they have to keep the score low in order to keep the junior nco ranks filled in those MOS's.

Daredevil_TA

iTrader: (6)

Brads right its all in the slots the Army needs to fill-if theres alot of slots to fill in your MOS then your points will be lower-if not, then they tend to be higher. I think some of the combat arms mos's tend to be lower because those jobs can be very stressful an soldiers do not tend to stay in because of that--so they usually have alot of NCO slots to fill-its just how it works. I see it alot an education is usually what will make or break you when it comes to promotion-im sitting at 684 right now an its mainly cuz i was able to max out my civilian education when i did school option. You could be the baddest **** when it comes to PT an weapons but if you dont have any civilian or military ed then its a pain in the *** trying to get promoted. Hoping i can make it here next month-last month i missed it by 7 points

bballr4567

iTrader: (5)

My MOS is one of the most under strength in the Army yet our points are always in the 700s for E5! E5!!!!

1064 eligible and 60 promoted. SWEET!

5150Z28

Back in 97 when I finally got promoted to Cpl (was a LCpl for 37 months) the cutting score was in the mid 1800's. I was in a very small field (probably around 100 of us in the Corps). I remember other Marines laughing when they saw the score for my field quickly followed by disbelief when I told them I had enough points to get promoted.

SgtZ28

iTrader: (1)

i was always a fan of having the points the exact same for every mos. but then again, the army might fold then. lol

Daredevil_TA

iTrader: (6)

Points are out today, good luck to you all.....I didnt make it