Does anyone have any Promotion Board tips?

Confidence. Confidence. Confidence. I just went to the promotion board on 2JUN and can tell you that confidence goes a long way in regards to receiving a go. I found out that I was attending the board two weeks beforehand. I spent every single waking moment I could studying off an old MOI (wasn't given one and leadership wouldn't produce one) and memorizing the NCO creed to the point I could say it word for word.

When it came time to do the board I was thrown a huge curve ball. Not one single question was from the study guide that I had used. All of the questions were open ended and required an explanation. I wasn't prepared for this but had to adjust and think quickly on my feet so be ready for that.

Keep your bearing no matter what. The 1SG's on the board were trying to mess with me to see if they could break my bearing. Maintain eye contact with the person who asks the question and when you are doing your bio make eye contact with all of the board members. Also, study up on your AR's and FM's. I did minimal studying in that area and brain dumped when they asked questions in reference to that topic.

Have a couple NCO's check your ASU's in advance as well. Make sure all of your ribbons and badges reflect what is on your ERB. And make sure your ribbons are in the correct order. There was a soldier who was thrown out and received a no-go because his ribbons weren't in the correct order.

When speaking make sure you communicate in a voice loud enough for them to understand you and be articulate in your answers. If you get nervous, I found it beneficial to take a quick breath before speaking to steady myself. Like I said, confidence goes a long way and that's what they want to see. So study up as much as you can, ask others who have attended boards with your unit, do a few mock boards if possible to get a feel for the procedure.

I know boards vary from unit to unit, but I hope this helps and gives you a some what general idea of what you might be able to expect. Good luck.

Practice before understand how you answer tone, volume and confidence is key even if the answer is wrong. Mock boards are essential. Understand that the board members have been in your shoes. Lastly, Honesty if you don't know the answer let them know and worry about the next question. Don't dwell on things that have passed during the board.

Focus your attention on answering situational questions/scenarios. Be confident.