In the U.S. Navy, enlisted advancement is ultimately determined by your overall competitiveness compared to your peers, as captured in the Final Multiple Score (FMS), not by any single factor alone.

Direct answer

Advancement is ultimately determined by your Final Multiple Score (or equivalent composite), which combines factors such as:

  • Navy-Wide Advancement Exam (NWAE) score
  • Performance evaluations (evals)
  • Time in rate and service
  • Awards and decorations
  • Past exam performance / PNA points (where applicable)

All these are weighed together and then ranked against other eligible sailors in your rating and paygrade.

If you’re looking at a multiple‑choice question like ā€œIn the Navy, advancement is ultimately determined by which of the following factors?ā€, the best conceptual answer is:

Your overall Final Multiple Score relative to your peers (i.e., a combination of exam score, performance, and experience factors).

How it works in practice (short breakdown)

  • For E4–E6, the system uses a Final Multiple Score, which includes exam score, evals, time in rate, awards, and PNA points.
  • For E7, the FMS is based mainly on the exam and performance evaluations, followed by a selection board process.
  • Automatic advancement to E2 and E3 is based on minimum time‑in‑rate requirements, but from E4 upward, your competitive standing (your FMS vs. others) is what actually decides whether you advance.

So while the exam is a major factor, advancement is ultimately determined by how your full package (knowledge, performance, experience) compares to others through that composite score system.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.