PARS for the course?

» Frank_Mullen - PARS

Hi, Andrew. I'm glad to have discovered your topic--I got out of the Navy (CPO) in '87 (flew from Yokosuka for discharge in Newport. We weren't allowed to wear uniforms on airlines, to prevent drawing attention to our American selves. The airlines lost all my luggage. I had to check into K-61 in civvies and go through the week-long discharge process explaining to everyone why I was wearing a pair of Levi jeans and a green t-shirt.)

I didn't know the Navy did away with PARS (which, if we trace history far enough, replaced "Practical Factors," if I recall correctly). PARS served a function they were not necessarily designed for: they reminded every candidate for the next higher grade that everybody was qualified.

The completion of PARS and the (gundecked) recommendation of the commanding officer reminded the candidate that he was qualified in every way for promotion to the next pay grade--and so were all those with whom he was in competition. The promotion test, then, was where you had complete control.

I was selected for chief after taking the test twice. I aced it the first time, but there were too many other candidates who had been taking the test for years, builing up PNA points (??? There I go again) The second time around, I decided to Double Ace the test. I figured, how can the selection board turn down someone who knows everything?

I did so well on the second chief's test that I was investigated for cheating. I hadn't, of course. I'd simply decided that it was worth it to learn everything in the book. There was talk of making me take the test over again, but that was squelched. I was in a small rate (MU) in which reputations got around, and it was well known that I was a pain in the neck who would probably ace the test again.

Glad to have found your spot here. I'll catch up on reading your articles. In the meantime, my advice is Double Ace the chief's test--how can they say know. (I made up the term "Double Ace"; as for the rest of these terms, I have no idea whether they are still in the sailor's jargon.)

-- posted by Frank_Mullen

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» AWillis - Re: PARS

In response to PARS posted by Frank_Mullen:

Good evening, Chief! (Bet you haven't been called that in a long time.)

Anyway, you're right, of course, that sometimes PARS and everything else were gundecked. But that usually comes back to bite the person in the butt. It shows up in the end, as it were.

Regarding the test: Unfortunately, the test isn't my problem. The board is. I've been up eight times now for Chief. I make board every time, and my test score is always in the high 70s (including two Aces, one when I made QM1, and the other on a CPO exam). I know what you're talking about there. At any rate, once I'm past the test, I'm missing something that the board is looking for, I'm just not sure what it is, and neither is anyone else. But that's life, and probably not good fodder for a public forum.

I have three and a half years left. Hopefully, I've been able to leave guys behind me who will be able to carry on. I've certainly done the best I could, in general. I do have my own standards to maintain, after all.

Thanks for reading, and stay in touch.

Drew

-- posted by AWillis

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