Navy nixes exams for 20 auto-advance ratings

Senior - it looks like it is only for those ratings where there is a rigorous schoolhouse training pipeline. Once they successfully pass the course, they are promoted. My only question is what about all the non-rate stuff (leadership/history) that is in the exams? Will that be added to the curriculum? Funny how 3/4 of the article is about what a CO can do after mast... Seems like it would have been better to write a second article on the Mast/taking away of rank implications... but that is just me...

We already or used to have that years ago and we called them push button 3rd Classes. I didn't agree with it then and I don't agree with it now. We are promoting Sailors who know how to operate and know nothing on how to trouble shoot and fix equipment. A well rounded Sailor should know both and then some!

SCPO David Lockwood - The only thing about a "push button 3rd class" is the amount of training. I guarantee that every individual who was an ET or went into Nuclear school would have already been either a E4 or E5 in the same amount of time that it took for them to get into school. I will use myself as an example. I finished my Junior year in college as an Accounting major. I enlisted due to having children and tested really high. I was talked into being an ET(which I hated). I wanted to be a Sea Bee or work in linguistics where my accounting would have helped. I know that by the time that I finished school I would have already been an E4 and testing for E5 in a much easier rate to advance. Your "push button 3rd class" is the first time that I have heard of this term and it takes away from how hard individuals work to get through school. My Basic Electronics school class had 20 students only 4 made it through Electronics Technician school. This is about the normal drop out rate. For being a SCPO you are VERY narrow minded. I was in 5 years due to getting full custody of my children. I did 3 full Med Cruises and I an a Desert Shield/desert Storm veteran. I earned my E4 and due to very rigorous testing standards I missed advancing to E5 3 x from 3 points to finally 1 point. I know that any other rate I would have advanced on the first test each time.

PO3 Grant Skiles - PO3 Stiles I thank you for your input but my experience has not been that bright in regards to the push button programs. Granted the training across the board has improved tremendously. The ones I saw come to the fleet were operators only. They didn't have the troubleshooting skills or maintenance experience needed to properly identify and fix issues quickly. I am a firm believer that the Sailor needs to be both an operator as well as the maintainer to be a well round and effective individual. If you don't agree with me that's fine. Everyone has opinions!