Should we bring back MOS testing as part of a promotion criteria?

please, please, please bring it back! im sick of Sr NCO's who dont know anything about their MOS making decisions that are counter productive and criple the mission.

When I joined the Army in 73 we had what was called Annual MOS Testing. It was annual for your primary MOS and biannually for secondary MOS. It included both written and hands-on testing. Testing began at the rank of PFC and higher. The test was covered under AR 611-205. Back then testing was very competitive as it had great bearing on local promotion boards. Back then it was unusual to have a hands-on componet during the Battalion/Squadron promotion board. Depended on the CSM President of the board.
Anyway, the hands-on portion to the MOS test went away and was eventually replaced with SQT. I much perferred the old MOS test (as a leader) with the hands-on application. As many can tell you how to do something and then are unable to perform it when required. However, opinions vary as we all know.

YES! So much yes! I feel this would be beneficial for many reasons. I even believe it would help with retention, but not just retention, the retention of good soldiers because they could move up and be promoted based on skill and merit, not because they showed off at the right place and right time or study a few basic questions for the board. I can think of numerous leaders in my unit who would not have made it very far and the discouraged soldiers who had to serve under them would know they could either pass them or they would be weeded out for failure to keep up with their MOS.

I have a unique perspective on this issue having come out of the Air Force. For us to get promoted we had the SKT (Skill Knowledge Test) and the PFE (Promotion Fitness Exam). The SKT test was a more in depth test on your CDCs (Career Development Course), these CDC taught how things were to work in my case it taught me all the controlling offices for satellite communications.
The problem that we had was if you study hard and scored pretty well on the test you could get promoted. So you had people that could do well on test but could not troubleshoot a faulty modem to save their lives. I do agree that there should be a skills test in order to get promoted and it should be a basis for if a Soldier goes to the board or not.

SGT Ronalyn Holland,
Yes years ago it was called a SQT, Skill Qualification Test. And yes the scores were a very important part of getting promoted and leadership positions. I really think the army went wrong when these test were taken away.
I remember as a 12B, even when I was issued a calculator, for the SQT I was required to do all my demo formulas by hand. This was to insure I knew how to do it because a calculator might not work and the mission must be completed.

Too bad it was done away with.

Yes, without testing how can you find out if soldiers are qualified to do there job. This will also keep the best of the best in the positions they need to be in. It should be the biggest part of the promotion board.

I've been gone too long... Why did they remove SQT's? I can't imagine promoting someone within their MOS without proving they have the skills within that MOS.... SMH....

In my opinion from slightly outside the box, it should be.

As an Air Force Flight Engineer, I was required to be very up on my knowledge of my career & my job skills as pertaining to my AFSC (MOS) as well as my weapons system/platform.

Being a reservist brought it even more to the forefront, as people often thought of us as 'weekend warriors' .. my response? I flew & was on duty just as much as (at times, more than) some of my active duty counterparts, because frankly, would you trust yourself to an aircrew, if they only trained two days a month & two weeks a year, to fly the aircraft whether it be in peace time or war?

I had to test not only at least twice a year (simulators & aircraft check rides), but often we had unannounced check rides even out 'in the system' as spot checks, which included more than our weapons knowledge, they also checked our technical knowledge 'back to basics'. I was expected to be an expert on my weapons system and everything to do with my mission.

My job & leadership skills were more than being part of an aircrew, as I was also a SNCO with unit duties on the ground, including administrative as well as training. It was integral to our squadron that for us to have cohesiveness & efficiency as a team when flying, we were a solid unit on the ground as well.

Having an indepth knowlege of your skill craft, should be an integral part of a service member's core training. Not as in high school where you pass a test, make a grade, & then can forget the subject! The safety of others depends upon each of us, lack of knowledge in future leadership is negligence of the worst kind, again, in my opinion.

I totally agree, MSG Cunningham is correct, it was called the Skills Qualification Test (SQT).  If you did poorly as an E-4(P) or E-5(P) you were removed from the promotion list.

I believe that it should be brought back.  I understand that some do not do well on written tests but then there can be a hands on portion as well. 

The last decade has seen some poor quality getting promoted.  Some too quickly and without the proper experience.  You can read all day long but nothing cam replace time in doing a particular skill.

Wow! Why did they ever get rid of it? Must have hurt someone's feelings to take the test...

Well, we can certainly hope so...

I may be wrong. I believe the reason these went away was because of Soldiers working outside of their MOS. I was an Ammo guy for 4 years before I really had any Ammo MOS jobs. I worked in a 2,4&7 warehouse, I worked in the orderly room and my final "job" was driving for the commander. I think the SQT should definitely be brought back. If a NCO is not motivated to stay current on their job, even when working another duty position, perhaps that is not the best person to be an NCO. No one is more Professional than I. Competence is my watchword.

This should return ASAP!

I remember having to take the SQT when i was a young private in the 82nd. As an Infantryman you had to pass it in order to be able to qualify for the EIB testing. I think these exams are greatly needed after so many years of the "War on Terror". They should institue them for promotion to E-5 and above.

As an nco knowing your mos is part of your job. Since I became sqd ldr, I have done very little in the ways of my mos & more leading soldiers, directing, training, etc. Most mos are simple easy jobs that doesn't take any real thought to do. Nco must know their mos but also need to learn how to lead. Knowing your mos helps with that but isn't biggest part of a leader. Company commanders are often not mosq in the field that their unit assignment has. My CO is a artillery officer in a company of 88M & Mechanics. So the mos part is honestly a small part of your job as a leader. Not the end all be all.

But also you should be able to know how your mos functions or works in order to lead troops in that mos but remember you lead more than 1 mos.

Oh I absolutely agree! I was an E5(P) in panama, had an E6 squad leader come in, he FAILED his SQT, and on top of that Absolutely COULD NOT perform his job! Unfortunately he wound up getting promoted to E9, all because he kissed ass, and was a PT Stud. Me solid 270s, yet could build anything...WTF

I started MOS (11E) Testing in 62 (?) as an E4, I never fail to get Pro Pay. If I remember correctly you had to score in the upper 2/3rds of the MOS in order to get an additional $30 a month. Once I got my secondary MOS (11D) I also scored high enough to be in the upper 2/3rds. I always thought it was a good measure of proficiency and I never thought the Army should get rid of it because of that. I do know that in 1962 my Battalion was testing the Expert Armor Badge, it was never approve because of the Infantry Board didn't want to make their award less special. Only 5 people in the Battalion passed the test, which was very thorough and measured every aspect of being a tanker by testing hands on map reading, weapons field stripping, marksmanship with tank weapons and maintenance of the tanks. Passing it got me promoted to E5, but more important, it got me to become a better tanker.

It should be based on your MOS. Too many people that got away from their MOS, and moved to company needs bypassed more capable soldiers to the nco rank. This is because they sat in front of a computer and could knock out correspondence courses all day, while their counterparts are out turning wrenches actually doing the job. It is an unfair system.

Yes ... you dont know your job ...dont anvance ,,,,

It's odd that the Army decided against keeping the SQT requirement in promotions. Problem with the testing was normally that the material tested wasn't current, and that made tests invalid statistically at times. Oddly, anybody who's ever taught a class and discovers that the test material is wrong would know how to fix that. I think we just have a lot of very inflexible fools in certain leadership positions. The other services, last I checked, all paid attention to proficiency for promotion. In fact, it used to be the basic requirement for enlisted promotions south of chief back in the day for the Navy.