My name is (E-5) SSgt Matthew Short and I'm in the Air Force.
Every year after you hit Senior Airman (SrA = E4) you take a test called a WAPS test. Weighted Airman Promotion System. Its a test that goes over the knowledge portion of your job acquired through books called CDC (Career Development Course) and the PDG (Professional Development Guide). They take the scores from those two tests, a calculation of points for Time In Service (TIS), Time In Grade (TIG), number of certain decorations, and Enlisted Promotion Ratings (EPRs) to make your combined "score" of points.
They then, after everyone has tested, figure out how many of each rank we need in the AF and make a "cut-off" score.
Last year, I tested for TSgt (E-6) and the cut-off was 294.35. I missed the cut off by 1.53 points and never cracked open the PDG nor did I take the plastic shrink wrap off my CDC's. I went in blind and missed the hardest rank to test for by less than 2 points. Sounds like this year I'd have it in the bag, right? I mean, that's another year accumulating points from TIG and TIS.
Wrong. Now that I'm actually STUDYING, I feel like I'm going to answer questions wrong because I'll THINK I read it in the book.
According to WAPS calculators online, I only have to make 55's on both tests to get tech (assuming its around the same cut off as last year) but I'm nervous as hell.
I've been studying my ass off and feel like I haven't retained much at all.
The 500 pg PDG is such dry jargon that my mind doesn't want to read it but I keep going till I just can't anymore.
The CDC's only really covered straight jet motors (think C-17's and F-22's) and I'm a turboprop/turboshaft craftsman (7 level) and I don't know much about straight jets at all. I hate that I have to test over stuff I've never even touched.
I know that you probably don't care but I'm nervous.
Can I just get some of you to say some prayers for me? My family could really use the extra income.
Thanks for letting me vent my frustrations and for reading
Every year after you hit Senior Airman (SrA = E4) you take a test called a WAPS test. Weighted Airman Promotion System. Its a test that goes over the knowledge portion of your job acquired through books called CDC (Career Development Course) and the PDG (Professional Development Guide). They take the scores from those two tests, a calculation of points for Time In Service (TIS), Time In Grade (TIG), number of certain decorations, and Enlisted Promotion Ratings (EPRs) to make your combined "score" of points.
They then, after everyone has tested, figure out how many of each rank we need in the AF and make a "cut-off" score.
Last year, I tested for TSgt (E-6) and the cut-off was 294.35. I missed the cut off by 1.53 points and never cracked open the PDG nor did I take the plastic shrink wrap off my CDC's. I went in blind and missed the hardest rank to test for by less than 2 points. Sounds like this year I'd have it in the bag, right? I mean, that's another year accumulating points from TIG and TIS.
Wrong. Now that I'm actually STUDYING, I feel like I'm going to answer questions wrong because I'll THINK I read it in the book.
According to WAPS calculators online, I only have to make 55's on both tests to get tech (assuming its around the same cut off as last year) but I'm nervous as hell.
I've been studying my ass off and feel like I haven't retained much at all.
The 500 pg PDG is such dry jargon that my mind doesn't want to read it but I keep going till I just can't anymore.
The CDC's only really covered straight jet motors (think C-17's and F-22's) and I'm a turboprop/turboshaft craftsman (7 level) and I don't know much about straight jets at all. I hate that I have to test over stuff I've never even touched.
I know that you probably don't care but I'm nervous.
Can I just get some of you to say some prayers for me? My family could really use the extra income.
Thanks for letting me vent my frustrations and for reading