Military Personnel - I have a question

[MotionMan]

When you are in the military, after basic training and not while attending a military school/college, do you have to study? Take tests?

If so, please explain.

MotionMan

 

[datalink7]

Not generally in the traditional sense. You aren't doing "essay tests" and "multiple choice" tests. But you do practice and get graded on all your training. And if you fail you do it again. Though it depends on your MOS exactly what this is going to entail.

 

[TallBill]

Mmm.. sort of. You constantly have to learn things just like any other job. When you go to a soldier of the month board of promotion board then yes there is an assload of studying to do to prepare yourself. That's for the Army anyways.

Why?

 

[PrinceofWands]

Well, there's advancement exams to get your promotions. And there are plenty of optional things you could do (like cross-rating). Other than that, not really. That was Navy, 15 years ago though.

 

[destrekor]

When you go to your advanced training specific to your MOS, you may have tests for that info... at least I think. TallBill, can you confirm that? My branch-specific training doesn't occur till once I graduate, and its not the same as AIT since its all officers.


+

 

[KK]

Originally posted by: PrinceofWands
Well, there's advancement exams to get your promotions. And there are plenty of optional things you could do (like cross-rating). Other than that, not really. That was Navy, 15 years ago though.

same for the AF.

 

[olds]

PT test, basic soldier skills tests (first aid, etc.) and SQT tests.

 

[marvdmartian]

Originally posted by: PrinceofWands
Well, there's advancement exams to get your promotions. And there are plenty of optional things you could do (like cross-rating). Other than that, not really. That was Navy, 15 years ago though.

There's also watch station training, at least in most cases. Some easy (man overboard watch), some more difficult (engineering, officer of the deck, etc). There's also ongoing safety training, casualty/general quarter drills, and other stuff like self aid buddy aid training.

Pretty much, the military mindset is that the more you sweat in peace time, the less you'll (hopefully) bleed in combat. Did you ever wonder how, when the navy destroyer had a huge hole blown in the side of it in the Yemen terror attack, it didn't sink? That hole was surely big enough to fill the people space with water, and send it to the bottom of the harbor. But the endless damage control practise (drills) that the ship's crew went through paid off, and they kept the flooding & fire from spreading to other parts of the ship, and saved lives.

Nowadays, too, if you want to make senior rankings, you pretty much have to qualify for a warfare pin (air or surface warfare) to be competitive, and submariners do have to qualify for their dolphins.

So yeah, there's pretty much constant training of one sort or another, but not anything like college or high school.

 

[Viper Frag]

For Army Officers there is a crapload of tests. Especially if you go to Engineer Officer Basic Course, or Ordanance especially EOD. Bridging, demolition, horiz and vertical construction, and mine clearing. Lots and lots of tests and death by powerpoint classes. Thats just to get technically proficient, don't forget you also have to maintain all your leadership skills learned as well as basic and advanced infantry tactics which every officer needs to know, as well as how to counsel your NCO's and 15-6's among keeping track of your career progression making sure you know what milestones to hit. Being an officer is not only physically challenging but mental as well. Your expected to do the same as the soldier as well as know how to lead them and other tasks.

-Viper-Frag

 

[PrinceofWands]

Originally posted by: marvdmartian

Originally posted by: PrinceofWands
Well, there's advancement exams to get your promotions. And there are plenty of optional things you could do (like cross-rating). Other than that, not really. That was Navy, 15 years ago though.

There's also watch station training, at least in most cases. Some easy (man overboard watch), some more difficult (engineering, officer of the deck, etc). There's also ongoing safety training, casualty/general quarter drills, and other stuff like self aid buddy aid training.

Pretty much, the military mindset is that the more you sweat in peace time, the less you'll (hopefully) bleed in combat. Did you ever wonder how, when the navy destroyer had a huge hole blown in the side of it in the Yemen terror attack, it didn't sink? That hole was surely big enough to fill the people space with water, and send it to the bottom of the harbor. But the endless damage control practise (drills) that the ship's crew went through paid off, and they kept the flooding & fire from spreading to other parts of the ship, and saved lives.

Nowadays, too, if you want to make senior rankings, you pretty much have to qualify for a warfare pin (air or surface warfare) to be competitive, and submariners do have to qualify for their dolphins.

So yeah, there's pretty much constant training of one sort or another, but not anything like college or high school.

I avoided 99% of all that by never seeing a ship during my enlistment. I took the op to be about actual "read a book, answer a question" type tests, not basic instructions or ojt.

 

[adairusmc]

We had tests in my school, but I was a telephone/computer/radio repair tech. I was in school for about a year before I got to my first real unit.

 

[chusteczka]

I studied 10.5 months to earn my enlisted submarine warfare qualification (dolphins). This mainly involved trailing people on their watch, during my off time, and asking them questions and learning their actions. There were times I opened manuals and read how to operate machinery. The engineering officer (third highest ranked officer on a submarine) asked me the chemical formula for the MEA (mono-ethyl-amine?) solution that ran in the CO2 scrubbers (the machines that remove CO2 from the atmosphere in the submarine). That required some research.

There are constant new levels of qualifications to learn and earn. Earn one and move on to the next.

 

[TheBDB]

As a submarine officer I attend at a minimum 4 hours of training per week, and take at least 2 essay tests per month.

 

[FoBoT]

in the area i served, yes. we had to take training tests , weekly IIRC . we had to do "qualifications" that required self study and oral examination from senior peoples

this was Enlisted Nuclear Power Submarine Service, US Navy (Electrician's Mate)

we had drills and training all the time. it was the 2nd worst thing , only thing worse was "field day" , four hours a week, 8 am - noon every friday morning when we had to clean the ship

 

[abracadabra1]

Aviators NEVER stop studying - it's a sickness really. The first 2-3 years is equivalent to the studying you do for an engineering undergraduate degree.

How much you study will be dependent on what you do in the military.

 

[TallBill]

Originally posted by: destrekor
When you go to your advanced training specific to your MOS, you may have tests for that info... at least I think. TallBill, can you confirm that? My branch-specific training doesn't occur till once I graduate, and its not the same as AIT since its all officers.


+

Yeah, depends on what you're doing, but there is always testing of some sort. Not much is a freebie. To be successfull you really want to attent as many schools as possible. In my 3.5 years of active duty I completed.

Air Assault School (11 days)
Warrior Leadership Course (30 days)
Combat Lifesaver (5 days) x2
Eagle First Responder (5 days)
CROWS weapon system training (10 days)

I also went got my Police Rader Lidar instructor Certifcation, Police baton instructor certifcation, police OC pepper spray instructor certification which all together took two weeks.

That's all I can think of right now, I'm probably forgetting one or two.

 

[murban135]

Originally posted by: abracadabra1
Aviators NEVER stop studying - it's a sickness really. The first 2-3 years is equivalent to the studying you do for an engineering undergraduate degree.

How much you study will be dependent on what you do in the military.

How true

 

[MotionMan]

Originally posted by: TallBill
Why?

I was talking with someone who is in law school and it made me think about how happy I was when I passed the Bar since it meant I never had to memorize or be tested on anything related to my field ever again.

That being said, when preparing for a hearing or trial, you kinda end up memorizing things anyway by accident. Most attorneys refer to their notes all the time in oral argument, anyway.

In any event, at the same time I was thinking about this, an add for the military came on the TV. I put two and two together and came up with this question.

MotionMan

 

[Linflas]

When I was in the Navy any "downtime" I had was used to train me on the proper use of a swab, mop bucket and wringer, and floor buffer. dish and grease trap cleaning techniques, and painting any surface that had not received its bi-monthly coat of gray paint.

 

[nakedfrog]

Originally posted by: KK

Originally posted by: PrinceofWands
Well, there's advancement exams to get your promotions. And there are plenty of optional things you could do (like cross-rating). Other than that, not really. That was Navy, 15 years ago though.

same for the AF.

We had to do testing for the next skill level in our AFSC (3 level, 5 level, 7 level), the x in 2E1x1.