Air Force News, news from Iraq - Air Force Times

Testing cycle begins to move up to E-5

If you’re out to make staff sergeant, the time is now. Testing for promotion to staff sergeant begins Thursday across the Air Force.

The testing continues until June 15. Altogether, about 36,330 senior airmen are eligible to take the specialty knowledge test and promotion fitness exam. The maximum score for either test is 100 points.

Because most airmen come close to earning the maximum 135 points from the performance reviews, test scores often are the deciding factor on who sews on a new stripe.

While the percentage of airmen selected for staff sergeant won’t be known until promotion results are released in mid-August, Air Force officials expect the promotion rate to be about the same as last year’s rate — 41.33 percent. In recent years, the rate has been around 40 percent.

Senior airmen who miss this testing window because of deployments or other factors are eligible to test later in the year.