How to Take Your ExamAdvancement Examination Day Has FinallyArrived

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Finally the day to take your advancement-in-rate exam hasarrived. You have studied diligently for the past several monthswith your shipmates, and you are confident that you areprepared. Still if this is your first time to take an advancementexam, you are probably a little nervous. This section will helpyou know what to expect when you take your actualadvancement-in-rate examination.

How to Take Your ExamItems You Need to Bring on Exam Day

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On exam day, you have required and optional items that you need to bring to the testing site. You must bring yourmilitary ID card when you take your exam. At most exam sites, the Uniform of the Day is required. Candidates mayuse the following items on exam day:

Log tablesSlide rules

Musicians may not use “musical slide rules”.Quartermasters are not authorized to use “nautical slide rules”.

Solar or battery-powered, hand-held calculators of any key configuration as long as they are capable ofdisplaying only a single line of numeric and mathematical characters

Calculators must not be capable of storing and retrieving data.Seabee ratings are not allowed to use preprogrammed construction, electrician, plumbing, and othercalculators designed specifically for tradesman use.Engineering Aid (EA) candidates are allowed to use general scientific calculators that are notprogrammable.

Any examining material or instruments authorized in the NAVADMIN for the current examination

Prior to exam day, check with your exam site to determine its specific requirements.

How to Take Your ExamItems That Are Allowed or Provided on ExamDay

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On exam day you will be allowed to bring or will be provided all itemsthat are required for you to take your exam. All advancement candidatesare provided the following items:

Computer-generated Advancement in Rate or Change of RatingWorksheetUnopened examination for the appropriate rating and paygradeOne answer sheetScratch paperTwo lead pencilsColored feedback sheetAny examining material or instruments authorized in theNAVADMIN for the current examination (Prior to exam day, checkwith your exam site to see if you need to provide some of thesematerials or instruments.)

How to Take Your ExamThe Examination Session Begins

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The examination session lasts exactly 3 hours (180 minutes). Itstarts on time, and it ends on time. If you are late, you will notbe allowed to take your advancement exam. Don't be late!

When you arrive to take your exam, your military ID card willbe checked before you are allowed in the examination area andgiven any testing materials. Once you have received yourmaterials, you will be assigned a seat for the test. Usually, youwill not sit beside or across from anyone in your rating.

How to Take Your ExamPre-Exam Procedures

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Once the examination area has been closed and the testing sessionbegins, the ESO or designated examiner will read the VerbatimInstructions for your exam. Before you begin answering your examquestions, you will:

Verify and correct bar-coded information on your Answer Sheet.Enter information from your Worksheet on your Answer Sheet.Open your examination envelope and remove your examinationbooklet.Check your examination booklet to ensure you have the exam forthe rating in which you are competing or hoping to advance.Check to make sure no missing, misnumbered, or illegible pagesare contained in your examination booklet.

If you have an incorrect examination booklet or your booklet has errors,you will be given a replacement examination booklet. If spareexaminations are not available, an exam will be split between twoSailors. If you are using a split examination booklet, you cannot write inthe examination booklet when you are taking your exam.

How to Take Your ExamExamination Proctors

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Proctors are personnel who supervise the administration of yourexamination to ensure standardized test procedures aremaintained. They assist in the administration of the exam andensure no cheating occurs. There will be at least one proctor forevery 25 candidates. During the examination session, proctors:

May explain the instructions on the face of the exambooklet.Will not read the exam questions to you or interpret themfor you.Will provide extra pencils and scratch paper when needed.May escort candidates to the head in emergency situations.Will collect your exam materials and ensure your AnswerSheet and Worksheet are complete and clearly understood.

How to Take Your ExamYour Examination Booklet

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Each examination booklet contains 200 multiple-choice questions. Onevery exam:

Each question has four numbered responses.Each question has only one correct answer.Occupational questions are first and PMK questions last.Your paygrade determines the number of rating and PMKquestions you will be given. As you advance, you will see morePMK questions and fewer rating questions on your exams.Check the table to see the number of rating and PMK questionsthat will appear on your exam.

Question Count By PaygradePaygrade Rating PMK

E4 150 50E5 135 65E6 115 85E7 100 100

How to Take Your ExamTest-Taking Tips for Your AdvancementExam

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Be confident! If you have developed and followed your studyplan, you are prepared to take this exam. Follow these tips asyou take your exam:

Accept the fact that you will be anxious. Very few peopleenjoy taking tests!Do not rush through your exam.Do not be distracted by the people around you.

How to Take Your ExamAdditional Test-Taking Tips

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Follow these tips when answering your exam questions:

Read each exam item carefully.Try to answer the question in your own words before you read your answerchoices.Read your answer choices.If you find the answer, mark your choice and move to the next question.Fill in the bubble for your answer completely.If you change an answer, make sure you completely erase the answerbubble.Trust your knowledge and do not watch for answer patterns.Be sure you fill in only one answer per question.Make sure the number on your answer sheet matches the number of thequestion you are answering.

How to Take Your ExamMore Test-Taking Tips

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The order in which you answer your exam questions can helprelieve your anxiety and often improve your exam score. Followthese suggestions for answering your questions:

Answer the easy questions first.Save the toughest questions for last.Do not waste time and build anxiety on difficult questions.

Go to the next question if you aren’t sure of ananswer.Mark the skipped question in your exam booklet, (ifyou are not sharing an exam booklet).Change your focus to answering the next question.Close your eyes, breathe deeply, and relax if you runinto several difficult questions in a row. Think toyourself, “I can do this; just relax.”

Answer every question on your exam. There is no penaltyfor guessing.

How to Take Your ExamChoosing the Correct Answer

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One helpful thing about your advancement exam is that you always have thecorrect answer for each question in front of you. You just have to select thecorrect answer and eliminate the wrong answers, or distractors. These distractorsare designed to be similar to distract you away from the correct answer.

The chiefs who developed your exam have taken courses to help them developanswer choices that will distract you from the correct answer. So, the best examresults are obtained when you have studied and can remember the correct answers.

How to Take Your ExamStrategies for Selecting the Correct Multiple-Choice Answer

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When taking your advancement examination, use the followingstrategies to help you select the correct answer:

Read each question carefully.Underline key words or information in the question thatwill help you understand it and guide you to the correctanswer.Try to answer the question in your own words before youlook at your choices.Read each answer choice carefully.Select the choice that matches your answer the best.

NOTE: If there were not enough complete exams available foryour rate and rating, sometimes you may have to split an examand share it. If you are using a split exam booklet, you cannotwrite in the examination booklet when you are taking your exam.

How to Take Your ExamWhat to Do When You Are Unsure of anAnswer

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It is very rare for a Sailor to answer all questions on anadvancement exam correctly. Use these strategies to help youanswer difficult questions:

When you are not sure of an answer, mark that question inyour examination booklet, if you are not splitting yourexam with another Sailor. Then skip the question, andcome back to it later. Be careful not to lose your place onyour answer sheet.Sometimes information that is included in a question,diagram, or answer choice will help you answer a difficultquestion you skipped or one you encounter later on yourexam.After you have answered all the easy questions, go back tothe questions you left unanswered and use the process ofelimination (POE) strategies to help eliminate choices andincrease your odds of choosing the correct answer.

How to Take Your ExamProcess of Elimination (POE) Strategies

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Process of Elimination (POE) strategies help you eliminateincorrect answers when you are unsure of the correct answer to aquestion. When you eliminate incorrect answers, you increasethe probability of selecting the correct answer.

Remember, for every incorrect answer you eliminate, theprobability of selecting the correct answer improves. Eliminatetwo choices, and your chance of getting the correct answerjumps to 50 percent.

Follow these POE strategies to help you select the correctanswer:

Look at each answer choice critically.Try to determine why an answer is wrong.Cross off incorrect answers in your exam booklet, if youare not splitting your exam with another Sailor.

How to Take Your ExamAdditional POE Strategies

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After you have eliminated as many answer choices as possible,make an educated guess from the answer choices that remain:

Make sure the answer satisfies all parts of the question.Rule out all answers that contain wrong options.Rule out all answers that omit options that you are sureexist.Choose an answer that makes sense based on logicalreasoning and your background knowledge.

How to Take Your ExamStrategies for Questions with Diagrams

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Some of your exam questions may include a diagram that youmust use to help answer that question or several questions.

Follow the strategies below to answer questions that containdiagrams:

Before reading the question, you should:Study the diagram carefully.Read the title and any description that is provided.Ask yourself what the diagram is about.Ask yourself what the diagram shows you.Examine all labels on the diagram.

Follow the strategies for answering multiple-choicequestions.

How to Take Your ExamStrategies for Questions with Tables

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Some questions on your exam may include a table that you mustuse to help answer that question or several questions.

Follow the strategies below to answer questions that containtables:

Before reading the question, you should:Read the title of the table, which is usually locatedat the top.Read all labels for the table.Determine the number of columns in the table andtheir purpose.Determine the number of rows in the table and theirpurpose.Figure out the relationship between the columns androws.Ask yourself what the table shows you.

Follow the strategies for answering multiple-choicequestions.

How to Take Your ExamStrategies for Questions with Graphs

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Some of your questions may include a graph that you must useto help answer that question or several questions.

Follow the strategies below to answer questions that containgraphs:

Before reading the question, you should:Determine the type of graph used such as bar, line,or circle.Read the title of the graph.Read all labels for the graph.Analyze the graph.Answer these questions about the graph.

What information does this graph give me?What are the labeled items?What happens to an item when other itemschange?

Follow the strategies for answering multiple-choicequestions.

How to Take Your ExamStrategies for Questions RequiringCalculations

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For some questions on your exam, you may have to use amathematical formula and compute your answer.

Follow the strategies below to answer questions that requiremathematical calculations:

When inserting numbers into your formula, make sure youcopy the numbers from your question correctly.When working the problem on your scratch paper, makesure you put the question number beside your mathproblem. You may want to return to your calculation later.If you calculate your answer, and it does not match one ofyour answer choices, recheck your calculation with yourcalculator before trying a different formula or rearrangingyour numbers.If there is enough room, and you are not splitting yourexam with another Sailor, calculate your answer in yourexam booklet so you can easily see all numbers used inyour formula.

How to Take Your ExamDouble-Check Your Exam Answers

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If you complete your exam before time runs out, double-checkyour answers. Follow these tips when you complete your exam:

Make sure you answered all items.Make sure the question number matches the number of theitem on your Answer Sheet.Make sure you have marked only one answer per question.Be careful about changing a multiple-choice answerwithout a good reason.Change your answer only if you have sound reasoning forthe change. Your first intuition is often your best intuition.

If you finish early, you will have time to complete the feedbacksheet in the materials you were given when you entered theexamination area. Then, you can turn in all your testing materialsand leave the examination area.

How to Take Your ExamPacing Yourself During Your Exam

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You have exactly three hours (180 minutes) to complete youradvancement examination. You will be notified when there is 30minutes of testing time left. Having your watch handy can reallyhelp you pace yourself during your exam. Never let time run outwithout answering all questions. Follow these timely tips as youcomplete your exam:

Watch your time carefully.Follow your pace and do not be distracted by the pace ofothers around you.Check your watch regularly after you have been notifiedthat only 30 minutes are left for your exam.When you know you will not have time to read andanswer the remaining questions:

Select your favorite number: 1, 2, 3, or 4.Use this number as your answer choice and fill inthe answers to any questions you will not have timeto read and answer.