CYCLE 251 - MARCH 2021 ACTIVE-DUTY AND FULL-TIME SUPPORT E4 ~ E6 NAVY ADVANCEMENT EXAM

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SUBJ/MARCH 2021 (CYCLE 251) ACTIVE-DUTY AND FULL-TIME SUPPORT E-4 THROUGH E-6 
PETTY OFFICER NAVY-WIDE ADVANCEMENT EXAMINATIONS//

REF/A/DOC/BUPERS/19SEP18//
REF/B/MSG/SECNAV WASHINGTON DC/052044ZMAR13//
REF/C/MSG/CNO WASHINGTON DC/N1/201449ZDEC18//
REF/D/MSG/CNO WASHINGTON DC/N1/161157ZJUL20//
REF/E/MSG/CNO WASHINGTON DC/N1/272057ZDEC18//

NARR/REF A IS BUPERSINST 1430.16G, ADVANCEMENT MANUAL FOR ENLISTED PERSONNEL 
OF THE U.S. NAVY AND U.S. NAVY RESERVE.  
REF B IS ALNAV 015/13, PERSONNEL SECURITY INVESTIGATION SUBMISSION 
REQUIREMENTS.
REF C IS NAVADMIN 312/18, ADVANCEMENT POLICY UPDATE.  
REF D IS NAVADMIN 201/20, PROFESSIONAL MILITARY KNOWLEDGE ELIGIBILITY EXAM 
REVISED BUSINESS RULES.  
REF E IS NAVADMIN 316/18, ENLISTED ADVANCEMENT WORKSHEET.//

RMKS/1.  This NAVADMIN announces the guidance for the administration of the 
March 2021 (cycle 251) Navy-Wide Advancement Exam (NWAE) for advancement-in-
rate of Active Duty (AD) and Full-Time Support (FTS) Sailors to paygrades E-5 
and E-6 and the use of an alternative Final Multiple Score (FMS) rank-order 
method, without an exam, for E-4 advancement candidates.
    a.  As a continued safety measure due to the coronavirus 2019
(COVID-19) outbreak, E-4 advancement candidates will not participate in an 
exam, but will be given the opportunity for advancement using an alternative 
FMS rank-order method, without the inclusion of an exam score from a 
proctored exam.  E-5 and E-6 advancement candidates will be administered the 
NWAE utilizing testing windows vice single-day testing.  These expanded 
testing windows will allow for smaller groups of test takers to ensure 
adequate social distancing can be maintained between testers at testing 
facilities, while maintaining the high standards and continued culture of 
learning that drive our enlisted advancement system.  This is identical to 
the advancement policy used in the 2020 fall NWAE cycle, and is a change from 
reference (a).
    b.  In addition to the requirements in this NAVADMIN and chapter
6 of reference (a), educational services officers (ESO) must follow the pre-
exam preparation requirements in the exam verbatim, which can be found on the 
Navy Enlisted Advancement System (NEAS) website via MyNavy Portal (MNP) at 
https://www.mnp.navy.mil/group/navy-
advancement-center/my-eso.

2.  Timeline
    a.  1 February 2021:  Professional Military Knowledge - Eligibility Exam 
(PMK-EE) completion prior to this date.
    b.  1-15 March 2021:  E-6 exam administration. Enlisted Advancement 
Worksheets (EAW) will close one week after the exam date on the worksheet.
    c.  16-31 March 2021:  E-5 exam administration.  EAWs will close one week 
after the exam date on the worksheet.
    d.  31 March 2021:  E-4 exams are cancelled, but E-4 EAWs must still be 
completed by this date.

3.  Eligibility requirements are found in chapter 2 of reference (a).  The 
following information is specific only to cycle 251:
    a.  The terminal eligibility date used to compute time-in-rate
(TIR) is 1 July 2021.
    b.  The minimum TIR date must be on or before:
        E-6 - 1 July 2018
        E-5 - 1 July 2020
        E-4 - 1 January 2021
    c.  E-6 candidate TIR requirements for early promote Sailors can be 
waived by one year with the commanding officer (CO)/officer-in- charge (OIC) 
approval, in line with paragraph 214.e. of reference (a).
    d.  High-year tenure (HYT) date must be effective 1 July 2021 or later.  
All HYT waivers must be approved prior to 1 March 2021.
    e.  Candidates in a rating requiring a security clearance must have a 
favorable investigation adjudication by the Department of Defense Central 
Adjudication Facility reflected properly in the Joint Personnel Adjudication 
System (JPAS) prior to 1 March 2021.
If the CO of the candidate grants an interim clearance, it must be entered in 
JPAS prior to 1 March 2021.  Candidates must maintain security clearance 
eligibility throughout the advancement cycle to be eligible for advancement.  
If, for any reason, a clearance is denied, revoked, or not reflected in JPAS, 
an exam is not authorized and commands will not allow candidates to take the 
exam until the discrepancy is corrected or a new clearance is granted and is 
properly reflected in the EAW of the candidate.  Ratings requiring a security 
clearance are AC, AE, AG, AO, ATI, ATO, AWF, AWO, AWR, AWS, AWV, AZ, CTI, 
CTM, CTN, CTR, CTT, EOD, ET, FC, FCA, GM, HT, IC, IS, IT, LN, MA, MC, MN, ND, 
OS, QM, SB, SO, STG, YN and all nuclear and submarine ratings.  Refer to 
references (a) and (b) for additional guidance.
    f.  Candidates for advancement to E-4 and E-5 must compute performance 
mark average (PMA) using all applicable evaluations in the current pay grade 
of the candidate with an ending date that falls within the following time 
periods:
        E-4 - 1 June 2020 to 28 February 2021
        E-5 - 1 December 2019 to 28 February 2021
    g.  Candidates for advancement to E-6 must compute the reporting senior 
cumulative average (RSCA) PMA, as outlined in reference (c), using all 
evaluations in the current pay grade of the candidate with the ending date 
that falls within the time period:
        E-6 - 1 March 2018 to 28 February 2021
    h.  Refer to paragraph 308.b. of reference (a) for additional guidance on 
PMA, including guidance on establishing PMA for new accessions that have 
graduated from *A* school and do not have a current evaluation.
    i.  PMK-EE is mandatory for participation in the cycle 251 advancement 
cycle, even if no exam is being administered, and must be successfully 
completed once for the administration paygrade, in accordance with reference 
(d).  The completion deadline is prior to
1 February 2021 and no Sailor should be permitted to participate in the 
advancement cycle without having a completed PMK-EE captured in EAW.
    j.  For guidance on establishing EAW user roles and completing 
worksheets, refer to reference (e).  EAW is mandatory for cycle 251 and will 
be the authority for PMA, RSCA PMA, and awards.
    k.  Commands must accurately validate, complete and finalize all
E-4 EAWs in the Navy Standard Integrated Personnel System in a timely manner.  
EAW accuracy is critical since NEAS will be reprogrammed to use finalized 
EAWs rather than the candidate exam answer sheets to create E-4 candidate 
records.  The success of this process will be dependent upon the accurate 
completion of E-4 EAWs to establish advancement cycle participation.  Cycle 
251 E-4 EAWs must be completed by 31 March 2021.

4.  Exam Ordering.  Order exams in line with chapter 4 of reference (a).
    a.  Deploying commands and candidates departing to Congressionally-
Designated Combat Zones and Approved Contingency Operations Areas (CDCZ/ACOA) 
can order exams up to 6 months prior to the scheduled exam date.  For 
additional guidance, refer to chapter
4 and paragraph 614 of reference (a).
    b.  Regular Exams:
        (1) Sensitive Compartmented Information (SCI) Exams.
Cryptologic-Technician Interpretive (CTI)/Cryptologic-Technician Network 
(CTN)/Cryptologic Technician-Collection (CTR) SCI exam ordering dates can be 
found on the NEAS website via MNP at https://www.mnp.navy.mil/group/navy-
advancement-center/my-eso.  ESOs must verify initial Active TIR eligibility 
lists on the NEAS website for exam ordering.  Supplemental TIR SCI exams are 
ordered via preferred message formatted e-mail to 
sfly_cryptologic.products(at)navy.mil or naval message following the 
guidelines in chapter 4 of reference (a).  The deadline for ordering 
additional TIR SCI exams is 30 December 2020.
        (2) Non-SCI Exams.  ESOs must verify TIR eligibility lists on the 
NEAS website during the following time periods:
            (a) Initial TIR lists will be available:
                E-6 - 27 November 2020 to 20 December 2020
                E-5 - 27 November 2020 to 10 January 2021
            (b) Supplemental TIR lists will be available:
                E-6 - 21 December 2020 to 25 January 2021
                E-5 - 11 January 2021 to 7 February 2021
        (3) Exams ordered after the TIR lists have closed shall be ordered 
using preferred message formatted e-mail to sfly_N321_exam_order(at)navy.mil 
or naval message following guidelines in chapter 4 of reference (a).  Ensure 
a point of contact is included in the submitted e-mail or message.  Orders 
submitted after supplemental TIR list closure will result in a substitute 
exam being sent.
    c.  Substitute Exams:
        (1) The deadline for ordering both SCI and non-SCI substitute exams 
is 31 March 2021.
        (2) Naval Education and Training Professional Development Center 
(NETPDC (N321)) is the approval authority for all substitute exams.
        (3) Recent graduates of the Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program training 
pipeline, who are on transfer leave in route to their first at-sea assignment 
during the E-5 examination dates, will have substitute examinations ordered 
for them by their ultimate duty station, if dates permit exam ordering before 
the published deadline.
        (4) Substitute examinations may be administered with regular exam 
administration or in line with paragraph 606 of reference (a).
    d.  ESOs must verify examination orders at the *View Previous Exam 
Orders* link via the NEAS website within seven to 10 days of placing the 
order.  If exam order discrepancies are noted, contact the Fleet Services 
Branch NETPDC (N321) as listed on the NEAS website on the NETPDC (N321) point 
of contact table.
    e.  Exceptions to policy for exam orders will continue to be submitted in 
line with reference (a) and must include endorsement by the immediate 
superior in command of the command.
    f.  Candidates in the following ratings are separated into the following 
competitive groups:
        (1) CTI
            Group 1  Middle East/North Africa
            Group 2  East/Far East
            Group 3  Latin/South America
            Group 4  Eastern Europe
        (2) EMN, ETN, and MMN
            Group 1  Submarine
            Group 2  Surface
            Group 3  Training

5.  Exam Administration and Answer Sheet Returns
    a.  Administration windows for AD and FTS E-5 and E-6 exams.
These exams will be administered utilizing testing windows in the month of 
March 2021.  E-6 exams will take place from 1 through 15 March 2021 and E-5 
exams will take place from 16 through 31 March 2021.  Every effort should be 
made to spread the administration of the exams evenly throughout the exam 
administration period, in order to minimize the number of exam-takers at any 
one administration to ensure maximum social distancing.  Administration for 
all substitute exams will follow guidelines in references (a) and (c).
    b.  All commands should develop a plan to meet COVID-19 mitigations.  
Every effort should be made to ensure appropriate
COVID-19 mitigation measures are in place, to include, but not limited to, 
face coverings, adequate social distancing, available hand sanitizer, medical 
(questionnaire) screenings and temperature checks.
    c.  To the maximum extent practicable, exams for the same ratings should 
be administered on the same day.  Sailors are directed not to discuss exam 
content after taking an exam to ensure no advancement candidate is 
disadvantaged in the advancement process.  Unauthorized disclosure of exam 
content may result in administrative and/or disciplinary action.
    d.  Following the administration of exams, it is critical that ESOs 
expeditiously mail in E-5 and E-6 answer sheet packages to NETPDC (N321).  Do 
not hold exams until the end of the testing window.  Prompt return of answer 
sheets will help ensure results are released in a timely manner.
    e.  For exam administration and answer sheet return instructions refer to 
chapter 6 of reference (a).
    f.  ESOs must check the exam tote board on the NEAS website often to 
ensure answer sheets have been received and processed.  The tote board can be 
accessed via MNP at https://www.mnp.navy.mil/group/navy-advancement-
center/my-eso.
Answer sheets that are in error will not be counted until they are processed 
successfully.

6.  Discrepancy correction
    a.  A detailed discrepancy list can be found at the NEAS website via MNP.  
For guidance on discrepancy correction requirements, refer to chapters 3 and 
7 of reference (a).
    b.  Post-exam administration discrepancy correction correspondence with 
NETPDC (N321) is to be submitted using the EAW post-exam administration 
comments (PAC) function, refer to reference (e).  All corrections must have 
CO/OIC letter and supporting documentation included as attachments.  
Education point corrections require a submission of the Joint Service 
Transcript indicating the degree type and date of completion.
     c.  For guidance on E-4 through E-6 candidates with missed exams due to 
assignment in CDCZ/ACOA, refer to chapter 6 of reference (a).

7.  Examination Results.  Refer to chapter 7 of reference (a).

8.  Any additional information regarding this cycle will be posted on the 
NEAS website.

9.  Points of Contact.
    a.  MyNavy Career Center (MNCC) is available 24/7 by phone at 1- 833-330-
MNCC (1-833-330-6622) or via e-mail at askmncc(at)navy.mil.
    b.  SCI exam questions and orders can be reached at (850) 473- 5867/DSN 
753 or via e-mail at sfly_cryptologic.products(at)navy.mil.
    c.  Non-SCI exam questions and orders can be reached at (850)473-6148/DSN 
753 or via e-mail at sfly_N321_exam_order(at)navy.mil.
    d.  NWAE records and discrepancies can be reached at (850) 473- 6148/DSN 
753 or via the EAW PAC function.

10.  For further NEAS information, to include exam verbatim and other related 
documents, visit MNP at https://www.mnp.navy.mil/group/navy-advancement-
center/my-eso.

11.  This NAVADMIN will remain in effect until superseded or canceled, 
whichever occurs first.

12.  Released by Vice Admiral John B. Nowell, Jr, N1.//

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