From Naval Education and Training Command Public Affairs
PENSACOLA, Fla. - The Professional Military Knowledge (PMK) section of the Navy-Wide Advancement Exam (NWAE) will transition to a stand-alone, once-per paygrade, electronically-delivered eligibility exam starting in October 2018 as announced in NAVADMIN 085/18.
The Electronic PMK Eligibility Exam (PMK-EE) will expand from the current 25 questions to 100 for the stand-alone exam, but Sailors will only have to pass that exam once per paygrade. The PMK information will be removed from the NWAE starting with the September 2019 Cycle 244 (E-4/5/6). Future NWAEs will then consist of 175 rating-related questions.
"This effort is a result of direct feedback we received from Sailors," said Naval Education and Training Command Force Master Chief Karim Cole. “As part of Sailor 2025 and rating modernization efforts, the PMK exam continues to emphasize the importance of Professional Military Knowledge, while also taking this initial step into the electronic exam process.”
Additionally, this change enables Sailors preparing for the NWAE to concentrate exclusively on job-specific knowledge.
Sailors will have a single path to access the PMK-EE -- via My Navy Portal (MNP) through the Learning Management System (LMS). The online exam will consist of five topic areas: Leadership and Character, Career Information, Professional Conduct, Naval Heritage, and Seamanship. Each topic may be taken independently of the other sections, in any order, and not necessarily during the same MNP session. Sailors taking the PMK-EE must achieve a passing score of 80 percent or higher in each area to pass the entire exam. Failure to achieve an 80 percent score on a topic will require that topic to be retaken in order to pass.
Once each PMK-EE topic area is completed, the LMS will provide the number of questions successfully answered for that topic, as well as the associated reference from the bibliography for incorrectly answered questions. Once all topic areas are successfully completed, the PMK-EE will be finalized in the LMS and an overall exam score will be displayed.
The topics and bibliographies used to develop PMK-EE questions will be available on the Advancement and Promotion webpage located on the MNP website. Bibliographies are also available via the Navy Credentialing Opportunities On-line (COOL) website and Navy COOL mobile application.
PMK-EE will serve as an additional eligibility requirement for advancement to paygrades E-4/5/6/7 and must be successfully completed by the first day of the NWAE administration month. For Advancement Cycle 244, that would be September 1, 2019. PMK-EE completion will be recorded in the LMS and the Navy Training Management Planning System (NTMPS). NTMPS can be used to determine individual Sailor eligibility for advancement.
For further information, visit the Advancement and Promotion webpage located on the My Navy Portal website at www.mnp.navy.mil.