Sailors aboard USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) are beginning to prepare for the March 2018 Navy-wide E-4, E-5 and E-6 advancement exams after the dates were announced, Oct. 18.

"It's never too early to get a head start on an upcoming exam," said Boatswain's Mate 3rd Class Michael Estrada. "Even if you find out you passed this last exam, it never hurts to brush up on your in-rate knowledge."

This will be the first time many Truman Sailors take an advancement exam hoping to reach the rank of petty officer third class.

"I'm ready to take [the E-4 exam] and see what it's like," said Fireman Paul Halseg. "My leadership has been helping me prepare. I've really appreciated their mentorship."

Sailors are advised to seek out bibliographies specific to the spring cycle as the exam dates near.

"[Sailors] should definitely get their bibliographies to know what's going to be on the exam," said Aviation Maintenance Administrationman 1st Class Rob Boyd. "Then take a look at your last profile sheet to identify your weaknesses."

According to Naval Administrative Message (NAVADMIN) 252/17, exams will be administered on March 1 (E-6), March 8 (E-5) and March 15 (E-4).

"Knowledge is power," added Estrada. "You can never know too much. The more you know, the more you can teach those around you."

Truman has successfully completed Tailored Shipboard Test Availability and Final Evaluation Problem (TSTA/FEP) and is underway preparing for future operations.

For more news from USS Harry S. Truman, visit http://www.navy.mil and http://www.navy.mil/local/cvn75/
For more information on Navy-wide advancement exams, visit http://www.netc.navy.mil/netc/netpdc/.