general rating. That is called compressing. For example,
the two ratings Electrician’s Mate and Interior
C o m m u n i c a t i o n s E l e c t r i c i a n c o m p r e s s i n t o
Electrician’s Mate at the E-9 level.
Service Ratings
Some general ratings are subdivided into service
ratings to allow for special training or the assignments
of personnel who have received special training.
Service ratings indicate specialties within a general
rating; for example, Aviation Boatswain Mate is a
general rating, but Aviation Boatswain Mate is divided
into three service ratings: Catapults and Arresting
Gear Equipment (ABE), Handling (ABH), and Fuels
(ABF).
Service ratings may be established within a general
rating at any paygrade and may extend to any other
paygrade. For example, a general rating may have
service ratings at E-4 and E-5 but not at E-6 through
E-9.
Service ratings are not identified by special rating
badges. They use the rating badge of the general rating
to which they belong.
Designated Strikers
A designated striker is a person in paygrade E-1,
E-2, or E-3 who has been designated (appointed or
specified) as technically qualified for a particular rating.
Personnel in the general apprenticeships (E-1, E-2, and
E-3) are identified as strikers for ratings for which
they—
have demonstrated their technical qualifications
through on-the-job training (OJT) or
have received formal school training.
Commanding officers may designate personnel in
their commands as strikers if certain qualifications are
met. These qualifications are spelled out in the Navy’s
advancement manual. For more information on the
requirements to be a striker in a rating, go to your career
counselor or personnel office.
QUALIFICATIONS FOR ADVANCEMENT
Before you are advanced, you must fulfill (meet) the
qualifications for the paygrade you wish to be advanced
to. You must also fulfill other eligibility requirements,
and then you must be selected to be advanced.
How can you find out what is required of you for
you to be considered qualified for the next paygrade?
The Navy has created standards for every enlisted
paygrade and rate. These standards are of two types:
Naval Standards (NAVSTDs) and Occupational
Standards (OCCSTDs).
The NAVSTDs and OCCSTDs are published in the
Manual of Navy Enlisted Manpower and Personnel
C l a s s i fi c a t i o n s a n d O c c u p a t i o n a l S t a n d a rd s ,
NAVPERS 18068. This publication should be available
at your ESO or personnel office. Parts of this publication
are reprinted in booklet form. There are two different
types of booklets. One type lists the occupational
standards for a particular rating. The other booklet lists
the naval standards for all paygrades and the
occupational standards for AN, CN, FN, and SN. These
booklets are helpful when you are preparing for
advancement and are available at your educational
services office (ESO).
To h e l p y o u s t u d y a n d p r e p a r e f o r y o u r
advancement examination, refer to the Advancement
Handbook (AH) for your rate. Also, information about
advancement can be found in the Navy Enlisted
Advancement System (NEAS).
Navy Enlisted Advancement System (NEAS)
The NEAS contains general information about the
enlisted advancement system, exam study tips, how
exams are developed, final multiple computations, and
explanation of the tear sheet and the profile form, and
other information useful to all Navy enlisted
advancement candidates.
Advancement handbooks (AHs) provide the
occupational skills for a rating, the knowledge factors
that relate to those skills, and references to read to
understand the knowledge factors. Also, AHs contain a
section titled “Exam Expectations,” a narrative that
describes how knowledge factors could be tested.
16-4
Student Notes:
