What are some tips & tricks for a junior enlisted to become a Non-Commissioned Officer?

Hit all the soldier of the month boards, those give you board experience. PT stud, know your MOS. Take the Correspondence courses for your MOS. Take every course offered to you. Don't be a shammer. Help those who need it. If a person in your squad can't pass their PT test be there to help him/her. Don't be afraid to take on new challenges, yes you will mistakes, but you will learn from those mistakes. Mistakes will make you better just don't keep making the same mistake twice. Learn your respective AR's, TM's, FM's, Pub's and what ever else applies. Be that person people seek out. Just don't be a know it all.

PFC (Join to see) There really are no tricks, really comes down to hard work and dedication. Grab and do everything to get points, ACFT, Weapons, Awards, Military Education and time. Don't rush it as to many SM's get promoted early and are not ready. Anyone can be an NCO, but it takes time to become a Leader.

The trick...as it were...is to get as many points as humanly possible. That involves schools, Weapons, Awards, etc..

There are some very good points here in this section for joes (just like me) working their way up in the ranks to see.

Also, besides promotion points, self development and how well you treat others, along with communication skills and how effective (in general) someone is makes a good leader. Most people now in many ranks are just the "rank" and have barely anything to show for it besides just picking up; they're more a rank and not an actual "leader/mentor". It's important to continue seeking out ways to improve on many areas vs becoming stagnant along the way. For promotion, Points are a major thing in thing in the Army game, but joes shouldn't only do things for points, because the army isn't a long term time investment/career for everyone. Self development, putting in the work and continuous growth will provide substantial results to the person and the rest of his/her team along the way.

AR 600-8-19 Enlisted Promotions and Reductions. The reg has a list of categories for points to make E5 and E6. Develop a plan on how you are going to max out all the categories. You may need to prioritize the easy gains initially by doing things like correspondence courses. There are also ways to gain points that you may not have known about previously. READ THE REG!

Honestly, work hard and take any extra duties—volunteer for everything. Work hard and develop yourself. Start working on leadership skills.

Best of all seek mentorship from your NCO's let them know what you want to promote and seek their guidance. Work on Army writing skills I once had a commander reject my memo several times until I got it perfect I learned a lot about Army writing that day.

Army Carerr tracker is excellent to learn.steps you need to better yourself as a soldier start today and use this excellent tool to develop yourself as a soldier.

The times I grew the most is when I stepped outside of my comfort zone and learned a new task. As a leader you may be assigned tasks that are difficult or outside of your comfort area take these tasks and learn ask questions.

Don't be afraid to fail (First Attempt at Learning) now is the time to show leadership you have what it takes to be a excellent NCO.

I want to say "Do your best, follow your leadership, and be proficient". That isn't the answer though. Junior promotions are board driven and therefore impression driven. That means you have to perform at least at an understated outstanding level of competence while knowing how to let your supervisor know you are interested without bugging that NCO with "Suckupitis". The idea is supreme competence with a balance between humbleness and drive.
Once you get to the rank I retired at, it takes some insight into tact while exemplifying competence to get noticed, rated, and showcased. I didn't excel in the tact or the poster child part so I didn't get promoted. I understand that. So, I will say that you absolutely HAVE to keep up with PT while developing your competence, tact, leadership in Soldier development, and mastery of management.

I hate saying back in the day, but nail your PT tests, qualify expert on the range, know your job, take extracurricular classes if you can. Control the things you can control, and work hard, don’t bitch, don’t complain.

Work harder than everyone else, integrity, and always accept responsibility for your actions and the actions of your Soldiers because they are a direct reflection of your leadership.

There is a ton of fantastic advice on here. That is why I love being a part of this community!

I am going to oversimplify this for you. When I went back in, my goal was not to get promoted as quickly as possible. It was to observe and learn. I simply took advantage of the opportunities in front of me. I promised myself I would work harder than everyone else and never sidestep anything.

It is amazing what’s right in front of you if you take the time to look. Very few people want to work above what they see as their level of responsibility. Be that person that steps up. The one that is looking to take things on, and isn’t scared to fail. Be the person that jumps at every school, no matter what it is. Look at it as improving yourself rather than looking to get promoted. Start this attitude at the level you are at now, and carry it with you. You will find that the promotions come pretty naturally. Possibly even quicker than you would like at times.