Like it or not, your chances for promotion up the noncommissioned officer ranks depend in large part on how well you score on the Weighted Airman Promotion System tests.
And with raters giving out 5s on enlisted performance reports like candy on Halloween, your scores on the two WAPS tests — the Specialty Knowledge Test and either the Promotion Fitness Exam or the Supervisory Exam, depending on your rank — matter now more than ever because they’re two of only a handful of ways you can set yourself apart from everybody else.
And they’re a big chunk of your promotion points. For airmen testing to make staff sergeant — the testing window for 2009 begins May 1 — the PFE and SKT last year accounted for 40 percent of the promotion points of those selected.
It’s a no-brainer, but any senior NCO will tell you the key to succeeding on the WAPS tests really is to hit the books. But how you study and how you take the test could make the difference between making the grade and being passed over for that next stripe.
Understanding just how important study skills and career development are, the Air Force included two new chapters on the topics in this year’s edition of the Professional Development Guide, the PFE textbook. A hard copy will make its way to you soon if you’re active duty in grades E-4 through E-9; the companion Web site, as well as professionally produced MP3 audio files of the guide, should be available on or before the official release date of July 1.
The most important thing to remember is to study in a way that matches your learning style, said Chief Master Sgt. Kevin Denter, chief of the professional development flight at the Air Force Occupational Measurement Squadron, which writes both the PFE textbook and the promotion tests.
“Find something that works for you,” Denter said. “No one tip works for everyone.”
Now, from Denter and other chief master sergeants, here are seven tips and strategies for acing the WAPS tests:
Cramming before the test doesn’t work — especially for the PFE, which covers 500 pages worth of detailed information. To do your best, you need to start studying long before the 60-day minimum prior to your test date that the Air Force recommends.
Retired Chief Master Sgt. Bob Vasquez, who has written books on leadership and is now an instructor at the Air Force Academy’s Center for Character Development, recalls he began reviewing materials for his next promotions test almost as soon as he was promoted to a grade.
“I would take a month or so off, then start studying again, even though I was not eligible for two years,” Vasquez said.
You also need a study plan. Denter suggests checking the WAPS eligibility chart — you can get to it by going to www.airforcetimes.com/WAPS — to find out the approximate testing periods for coming years. Even if you’re not eligible for promotion yet, you can see when you’ll have to test and come up with a plan to get ready. Ideally, your study plan should begin about two years before your test, he said.
Retired Chief Master Sgt. Rick Dean, chief executive officer of the Air Force Sergeants Association, made a habit of reading the Professional Development Guide regularly, whether or not he was up for promotion.
Then, about six months before his testing window, Dean began to study in earnest, keeping a guide at home, in the car and at work.
“If I wound up out on the flight line and I had a half hour that I was waiting for somebody to show up, I cracked open the study guide and studied,” he said.
About three months before the test, Dean spent an hour studying three or four times a week and then several hours studying on the weekend.
Finally, he reserved the final week for thinking about the material and going over any last-minute questions.
There are no practice PFEs, so Denter suggests using the Military Knowledge and Testing System surveys, at https://www.omsq.af.mil/PD/MKTS.htm , to tell you what’s most likely to be on the test.
The survey for each grade shows the list of topics covered in the guide and how important airmen in that grade rated the information. The survey also shows the average rating for all topics.
The test writers, according to Denter, use those ratings when they create the tests by focusing more on the topics with above-average ratings.
While any information in the guide is eligible to be tested, the items with the highest ratings are most likely to show up on the test. You can get a good idea of what might show up just by scanning the individual ratings.
“If I find any ... that are below the [average], I’m just not going to spend the same amount of time on them,” Denter said.
Historically, the enlisted history and organization chapters do not score high; the chapters on leadership, communication, NCOs and personnel programs score the highest.
Air Force Instructions, technical orders and other documents change frequently, but what you are responsible for on the test is the information in the guide and the study materials referenced by the WAPS Manual, even if the information is outdated.
Don’t think you know better from your own experience, Denter cautioned.
“The one thing a lot of airmen forget ... is the book has the right answer,” he said. “Just because that’s the way you do it today in the Air Force doesn’t mean it’s the right answer.”
Remember that the printed guide is the authoritative source for the PFE, but it’s not the only resource.
The Air Force Occupational Measurement Squadron has created MP3 audio files of the guide and interactive companion Web sites for some chapters.
You can listen to the audio files in the gym, car or office, Denter pointed out, and the Web sites will help you retain information that might be easier to understand visually, such as uniforms and customs and courtesies.
You also can buy flashcards, a pocket-sized version of the guide and other test preparation aids from McMillan Study Guides Inc.
Although the Air Force does not endorse the products, they are sold on base. Denter used them.
“They helped me make senior and chief,” he said.
But Chief Master Sgt. Michael Hall, chief of the enlisted promotions and military testing branch at the Air Force Personnel Center, cautioned against relying on commercial study aids.
“I personally would not advise using the available commercial products,” he said. “I’ve heard airmen use this method and then later question why they did not get promoted or why the test results were low.”
The key, Dean said, is to get the information in a variety of ways.
“People learn differently,” he said. “Some people learn by listening and a lot of people learn by reading and seeing it. You really need a mixture.”
You’re going to retain the most information if you have a study routine, Vasquez said. That means studying about the same time of day in the same place or a similar environment.
Many airmen find studying for relatively short but focused periods is most effective, he said.
“You do it incrementally because if you try to read that stuff for more than 20 minutes, it’s going to put you to sleep,” he said.
Figure out what times of day you are most alert, and do your studying then. The guide suggests finding a study environment that works for you, whether it’s at a desk or on the couch, in silence or listening to music.
Vasquez doesn’t recommend studying right before bed time.
“If you don’t calm your brain before you go to bed you won’t sleep as well, and rest is important,” he said.
Taking notes on the guide will help you absorb the material better, Denter said.
Create an outline of the material by using the bolded terms in the guide as headings and then summarizing the information under a heading into your own words.
“Any time you put it in your own words, it increases your understanding,” Dean said.
You also can use highlighters to identify the most important material.
Dean recalls he went through the guide three times, becoming more selective and highlighting in a different color each time. At the end, he had only the most important material highlighted in the last color.
Assuming you’ve studied as you should, Vasquez said, the key to doing your best on test day is to relax.
“Take a deep breath, clear your mind, and envision yourself accomplishing [it],” he said.
Denter suggests showing up early to the test location so you can settle in with plenty of time to spare. This lets you make last-minute adjustments without cutting it close and worrying yourself.
Once you begin the test, Vasquez said, you should skim through all the questions and answer the ones you know right away.
“It relaxes you,” he said. “It gives you some confidence that, ‘Hey, I know at least 20 of these, so maybe the others won’t be that bad.’”
Once you’ve done that, go back to the harder questions. If you get stuck, circle the question, move on and come back to it later.
If you still don’t know the answer, make your best guess. There is no penalty for a wrong answer, so you have nothing to lose. If you have time left at the end, check over your work to make sure you didn’t make careless mistakes.