E-4 PO3 (Previous) Petty Officer Third Class

Navy Petty Officer Second Class E-5 Noncommissioned Officer, U.S. Navy

(Next) E-6 PO1 Petty Officer First Class

Navy Ranks » Petty Officer Second Class Rank • PO2 Pay • PO2 Rank History • Promotion Information

Navy Promotion to E-5 Petty Officer Second Class

A Petty Officer Second Class is a Noncommissioned Officer in the United States Navy at DoD paygrade E-5. This page describes how the Navy determines who is eligible for the promotion list to Petty Officer Second Class.

All promotions past E-3 require approval from a board. To promote to E-5, a sailor must take another rating exam and must meet the minimum schooling and qualification requirements for his or her rate. At this stage, awards and Collateral Duties are more likely to make the difference in their promotions. The sailor must have been an E-4 for a minimum of 12 months.

The percentage of those who will promote to the next rank varies wildly by rating -- some have a 100% promotion rate each year, while others have close to 0%. Highly technical rates are more likely to promote than non-technical rates. "Passed but Not Advanced" (PNA) points are awarded to sailors each year who meet all the requirements for promotion but are not selected. PNA points stack up each year the sailor applies for the same promotion, so sailors with more time in rate have a higher chance of promoting than those with equal merit but less time in.

If the sailor repeatedly fails to promote, they will hit "high year tenure" and are presented with the options of separation or switching rates.

Truly exceptional sailors have an opportunity "CAPped" (Command Advanced Promotion) by their Commanding Officer. COs are limited to two CAPs per year.

Want to learn more? Read about the Navy's Petty Officer Second Class rank on Military-Ranks.org.