U.S. Navy Advancement - Navy Storekeeper.com Column

I have to say, shipmates, that I am torn. Torn between enormously proud, and enormously dissatisfied.

The advancement results for the September 2005 (active duty) and August 2005 (reserves) exams have been released, and any Chief Petty Officer worth his/her salt would feel the same as I do. Proud of the average advancement exam score improvements (again!), in every Storekeeper rank; and proud to see the advancement opportunity percentages again on the rise.

And then, dissatisfaction was tossed into the mix. The numbers, as I looked at them twice, hit me like a ton of bricks.

Over 200 active duty Storekeepers FAILED their test this exam cycle, and 460 reserve Storekeepers FAILED as well.

What happened?, I asked myself. While we are happy for those who qualified for advancement, what could have occured to cause this many failures? We are moving, head long, into the Navy's Revolution in Training era to build and mold and offer opportunities in creating well-rounded sailors.

Our web site, Navy Storekeeper.com, will be 2 years young on the Internet in January 2006, and we hope we have played a small part in the SK rating's leaps and bounds in exam performance. However, over 660 of our Storekeepers FAILED this exam! That is completely unsatisfactory and we need to find the cause.

Now I should not be completely negative here. There were some GREAT strides shown in this past exam cycle -- active duty sailors, for instance –

Storekeeper First Class Exam: 2% advanced Mar 2005: improved to 5% Sep 2005
Storekeeper Second Class Exam: 8% advanced Mar 2005: improved to 12% Sep 2005
Storekeeper Third Class Exam: 14% advanced Mar 2005: improved to 24% Sep 2005

And the average Storekeeper exam standard scores - for the third cycle in a row! - far out-weighed the Navy-wide average standard scores:

The SK3 average exam score beat the Navy-wide average by over 5 points.
The SK2 average exam score beat the Navy-wide average by almost 5 points.
And remarkably, the SK1 average exam score beat the Navy-wide average by almost 7 points!

The point that was one of the main reasons we created Navy Storekeeper.com almost 2 years ago -- our Storekeepers were stagnant in advancement exam performance. In Sep 2003 exam cycle our SK3 average exam score was 55.18, our SK2 average exam score was 58.95, and our SK1 average exam score was 64.98. Today, Storekeepers of all ranks are averaging over 5 points better.

So, in hearing all that, with all these positive details concerning Storekeeper advancement and knowledge, why am I still so disappointed? Because quite simply: NEVER rest on your laurels! There is always room for improvement, and having 660+ shipmates not even PASS makes me wonder:

Are we, as Chiefs and Leading Petty Officers, failing our junior personnel in providing the continual knowledge and information they need to be effective and efficient Storekeepers? Or is it something else?

There could be many causes for this many failures on an advancement exam. So we will look here at how to UNDERSTAND those failures and some advice on how to PREVENT them:

Lack of motivation: Motivation is the key to success. It is what keeps you moving forward in spite of difficulties.
Poor time management: Managing your time effectively is crucial as you attempt to balance multiple responsibilties, (i.e. school, work, leisure and family obligations). It is important not to become so overcommitted that you can't devote the necessary time to your studies.
Lack of perseverance--giving up too easily: Learning a new skill or new subject is difficult and requires a commitment of time and mental energy. Mastering the subject or skill does not happen overnight, but requires concerted effort and repetition over time.
Inability to apply concepts to different situations: Learning something new requires going beyond the facts. To truly understand a concept you must be able to apply it. Until you have a thorough understanding and are able to recognize its application in a new situation, you don't have a true understanding. Sometimes work calls for the application of concepts in new situations.
Inability to complete tasks: Everyone gets "stuck" sometimes. The wise person seeks assistance. Work through the task and identify the area that is giving you problems, then seek appropriate assistance.
Fear of failure: Failure is a fact of life. If Thomas Edison had quit the first time his light bulb didn't work, we'd be sitting in the dark. What is important is not to become discouraged when things don't work out. It is important to learn from your mistakes and move on.
Procrastination: No one does their best work at the last minute. Procrastination can lead to stress, substandard or marginal work, and poor performance on exams. Navy advancement exam study calls for pre-reading material for training and frequent review of material. This requires planned study times each day, not last minute cramming.
Excessive dependency: Independent thought and action are keys to success in study habits. Depending upon your Chief or LPO to tell you everything you need to know for an exam is a recipe for failure. Take responsibility for your own learning, cover the material required, and seek out needed help and resources.
Too little or too much self-confidence: Self-confidence is a wonderful thing, but over-confidence can be detrimental to your career. An accurate appraisal of your abilities is key to success. Recognizing areas that require further development is the key to your success as a sailor and as a person. Conversely, too little confidence can paralyze you and prevent you from building on strengths you already possess.
Inability to delay gratification: You may experience a month or two after taking an advancement exam which forces you to wait for feedback on the results. It is important that you stay motivated in spite of this lack of feedback. You can help yourself by creating milestones for yourself to measure your progress and keep yourself motivated.
Lack of balance between critical, analytical and creative thinking: Navy advancement study requires several types of thinking beyond rote memory. Critical, analytical and creative thinking are not automatic, but are skills that can be learned. Make the effort to learn these skills for a substantial pay-off in mastering your coursework and boosting your exam standard score.

So here is my challenge to all Chiefs and LPOs who read this particular Supply Lines column:

11% of our active duty and reserve Storekeepers FAILED the Aug/Sep 2005 advancement exams - Our goal should be 0% for the Feb/Mar 2006 advancement exam cycle! That's right: 0%.

We should be providing them all the opportunities and capabilities to become a success - and PASSED not advanced provides benefits/confidence for the sailor AND the Navy, well and above: FAILED not advanced.