Army Sergeant and Staff Sergeant Promotion Requirements

In the U.S. Army, typically a soldier's time in service -- the time he or she started boot camp to the present -- and the performance of that soldier will determine the promotion status of a military member. Special performance can earn an early promotion in exceptional soldiers, while poor performance may stall a promotion to the next higher rank.

Sergeant Requirements

The time-in-service requirement for attaining eligibility for promotion to sergeant (SGT) is 36 months Active Federal Service for the primary zone and 18 months for the secondary zone. (Note: The secondary zone is a Below-the-Zone Promotion Program. Commanders can select highly qualified enlisted personnel for early promotion consideration. This is known as "Secondary Zone" Promotion).

The time-in-grade requirement for attaining eligibility for promotion to SGT is eight months as a corporal or specialist (CPL/SPC), waiverable to four months for those recommended in the secondary zone. Soldiers in the secondary zone may be boarded with 16 months time-in-service and four months time-in-grade as of the first day of the board month.

Staff Sergeant Requirements

The time-in-service requirement for attaining eligibility for promotion to staff sergeant (SSG) is 84 months Active Federal Service for the primary zone and 48 months for the secondary zone. The time-in-grade requirement for attaining eligibility for promotion to SSG is 10 months as an SGT, waiverable to five months for those recommended in the secondary zone. Soldiers in the secondary zone may be boarded with 46 months time-in-service and five months time-in-grade as of the first day of the board month.

Other Requirements

The minimum promotion point score for attaining recommended list status for promotion to SGT is 350. The minimum score for attaining recommended list status for promotion to SSG is 450.

The service remaining requirement is six months for promotion to SGT and 12 months for promotion to SSG.

Soldiers competing for promotion to SSG must be graduates of the Primary Leadership Development Course (PLDC) prior to being recommended for promotion.

Soldiers competing for promotion to SGT/SSG must possess either a high school diploma, GED equivalency, or an associate or higher degree.

Promotions

Each month the Department of the Army establishes the total number of soldiers to be promoted based on budgetary and strength constraints. The number of promotions is allocated by Primary MOS (job) within these constraints.

Department of the Army promotion cutoff scores are announced monthly. Soldiers who meet or exceed the announced cutoff score are promoted if otherwise eligible.

Army SGT/SSG Promotion Snapshot

MOS	Rank	Average Points for Those Promoted (Primary Zone)	Average Points For Those Promoted (Secondary Zone)
00B	SGT	380	504
00B	SSG	450	450
02B	SGT	404	412
02B	SSG	717	756
02C	SGT	658	658
02C	SSG	725	775
02D	SGT	350	350
02D	SSG	736	769
02E	SGT	753	753
02E	SSG	790	798
02F	SGT	681	697
02F	SSG	783	798
02G	SGT	587	587
02G	SSG	788	798
02H	SGT	350	350
02H	SSG	786	798
02J	SGT	350	350
02J	SSG	724	759
02K	SGT	350	350
02K	SSG	787	787
02L	SGT	668	668
02L	SSG	739	776
02M	SGT	798	798
02M	SSG	798	798
02N	SGT	350	350
02N	SSG	771	771
02T	SGT	761	761
02T	SSG	792	798
02U	SGT	661	661
02U	SSG	771	798
11B	SGT	401	404
11B	SSG	538	544
11C	SGT	496	505
11C	SSG	669	672
12B	SGT	423	435
12B	SSG	635	640
12C	SGT	527	551
12C	SSG	705	716
13B	SGT	404	417
13B	SSG	650	652
13D	SGT	408	412
13D	SSG	450	450
13F	SGT	350	350
13F	SSG	542	575
13M	SGT	350	350
13M	SSG	598	605
13P	SGT	455	477
13P	SSG	667	712
13R	SGT	363	363
13R	SSG	655	717
14E	SGT	479	692
14E	SSG	504	548
14J	SGT	589	591
14J	SSG	450	450
14R	SGT	350	350
14R	SSG	519	519
14S	SGT	519	524
14S	SSG	655	706
14T	SGT	570	644
14T	SSG	624	624
18B	SGT	798	798
18B	SSG	629	661
18C	SGT	798	798
18C	SSG	641	666
18D	SGT	798	798
18D	SSG	631	631
18E	SGT	798	798
18E	SSG	554	608
19D	SGT	370	374
19D	SSG	508	511
19K	SGT	354	362
19K	SSG	603	622
25M	SGT	695	747
25M	SSG	755	774
25R	SGT	706	798
25R	SSG	798	798
25V	SGT	659	747
25V	SSG	780	792
27D	SGT	580	588
27D	SSG	770	783
27E	SGT	623	683
27E	SSG	717	745
27M	SGT	457	723
27M	SSG	680	798
27T	SGT	355	384
27T	SSG	642	644
27X	SGT	798	798
27X	SSG	796	798
31C	SGT	359	365
31C	SSG	672	688
31F	SGT	408	413
31F	SSG	625	630
31L	SGT	360	366
31L	SSG	606	607
31P	SGT	493	497
31P	SSG	658	659
31R	SGT	351	353
31R	SSG	574	605
31S	SGT	603	700
31S	SSG	607	607
31U	SGT	509	513
31U	SSG	724	729
33W	SGT	369	372
33W	SSG	460	460
35D	SGT	350	350
35D	SSG	707	740
35E	SGT	798	798
35E	SSG	798	798
35F	SGT	640	645
35F	SSG	737	737
35H	SGT	662	736
35H	SSG	510	510
35J	SGT	368	372
35J	SSG	773	789
35L	SGT	705	747
35L	SSG	774	775
35M	SGT	798	798
35M	SSG	727	798
35N	SGT	668	761
35N	SSG	745	775
35R	SGT	732	798
35R	SSG	721	725
35Y	SGT	350	350
35Y	SSG	798	798
37F	SGT	445	445
37F	SSG	661	726
39B	SGT	458	593
39B	SSG	798	798
44B	SGT	711	759
44E	SGT	657	712
44E	SSG	798	798
45B	SGT	593	750
45D	SGT	350	350
45G	SGT	653	798
45K	SGT	359	365
45K	SSG	697	748
46Q	SGT	401	425
46Q	SSG	730	730
46R	SGT	486	617
46R	SSG	716	724
51B	SGT	519	531
51H	SSG	632	690
51K	SGT	350	350
51M	SGT	350	350
51M	SSG	450	450
51R	SGT	684	724
51T	SGT	701	749
51T	SSG	740	757
52C	SGT	701	741
52C	SSG	770	788
52D	SGT	663	677
52D	SSG	797	798
52E	SGT	713	798
52E	SSG	726	772
54B	SGT	350	350
54B	SSG	592	615
55B	SGT	433	451
55B	SSG	612	655
55D	SGT	495	596
55D	SSG	467	467
56M	SGT	518	523
56M	SSG	765	771
62B	SGT	612	671
62B	SSG	795	797
62E	SGT	622	696
62F	SGT	441	589
62H	SGT	455	649
62H	SSG	791	798
62J	SGT	671	771
62N	SSG	760	783
63A	SGT	453	510
63A	SSG	713	726
63B	SGT	570	580
63B	SSG	762	762
63D	SGT	525	638
63D	SSG	628	636
63G	SGT	660	743
63H	SGT	455	540
63H	SSG	660	671
63J	SGT	599	603
63M	SGT	352	353
63M	SSG	660	664
63S	SGT	572	597
63W	SGT	622	720
63Y	SGT	362	364
67R	SGT	574	583
67R	SSG	587	619
67S	SGT	532	544
67S	SSG	682	704
67T	SGT	598	651
67T	SSG	735	761
67U	SGT	443	530
67U	SSG	689	743
68B	SGT	657	749
68B	SSG	742	747
68D	SGT	666	749
68D	SSG	782	798
68F	SGT	662	715
68F	SSG	793	793
68G	SGT	572	715
68G	SSG	751	762
68H	SGT	575	695
68H	SSG	748	781
68N	SGT	691	761
68N	SSG	794	794
68S	SGT	798	798
68S	SSG	783	791
68X	SGT	747	798
68X	SSG	757	757
68Y	SGT	350	350
68Y	SSG	692	696
71L	SGT	643	655
71L	SSG	792	797
73C	SGT	671	679
73C	SSG	787	788
73D	SGT	756	798
73D	SSG	785	791
74B	SGT	507	557
74B	SSG	657	663
74C	SGT	625	673
74C	SSG	694	713
75B	SGT	632	634
75F	SGT	632	664
75H	SGT	701	707
75H	SSG	774	775
77F	SGT	593	606
77F	SSG	796	798
77L	SGT	379	448
77L	SSG	768	768
77W	SGT	576	614
77W	SSG	692	768
79R	SGT	798	798
79R	SSG	568	704
79S	SSG	758	798
81L	SGT	721	798
81L	SSG	798	798
81T	SGT	598	753
81T	SSG	696	731
82C	SGT	350	350
82C	SSG	752	772
82D	SGT	350	350
82D	SSG	654	714
88H	SGT	356	370
88H	SSG	790	790
88K	SGT	798	798
88K	SSG	767	780
88L	SGT	798	798
88L	SSG	759	759
88M	SGT	598	601
88M	SSG	761	775
88N	SGT	353	355
88N	SSG	494	494
91A	SGT	747	798
91A	SSG	769	792
91D	SGT	681	720
91D	SSG	780	791
91E	SGT	696	782
91E	SSG	798	798
91G	SGT	788	798
91G	SSG	797	798
91H	SGT	784	798
91H	SSG	790	798
91J	SGT	703	733
91J	SSG	796	798
91K	SGT	759	798
91K	SSG	797	798
91M	SGT	543	764
91M	SSG	721	759
91P	SGT	697	737
91P	SSG	791	795
91Q	SGT	662	749
91Q	SSG	776	787
91R	SGT	610	708
91R	SSG	786	793
91S	SGT	726	798
91S	SSG	796	798
91T	SGT	693	702
91T	SSG	776	798
91V	SGT	609	747
91V	SSG	788	793
91W	SGT	511	517
91W	SSG	769	775
91X	SGT	674	727
91X	SSG	774	789
92A	SGT	716	717
92A	SSG	798	798
92G	SGT	448	504
92G	SSG	651	658
92M	SGT	350	350
92M	SSG	630	696
92R	SGT	604	685
92R	SSG	789	797
92S	SGT	546	554
92S	SSG	776	798
92Y	SGT	350	350
92Y	SSG	710	711
93C	SGT	671	758
93C	SSG	667	677
93F	SGT	350	350
93F	SSG	450	450
93P	SGT	454	508
93P	SSG	687	716
95B	SGT	415	453
95B	SSG	665	672
95C	SGT	530	638
95C	SSG	705	742
95D	SGT	690	798
95D	SSG	678	707
96B	SGT	350	350
96B	SSG	450	450
96D	SGT	350	350
96D	SSG	478	480
96H	SGT	350	350
96H	SSG	450	450
96R	SGT	523	648
96R	SSG	662	714
96U	SGT	525	602
96U	SSG	450	450
97B	SGT	479	479
97B	SSG	450	450
97E	SGT	*	*
97E	SSG	*	*
98C	SGT	350	350
98C	SSG	450	450
98G	SGT	*	*
98G	SSG	*	*
98H	SGT	350	350
98H	SSG	708	729
98J	SGT	350	350
98J	SSG	450	450
98K	SGT	350	350
98K	SSG	450	450
MOS	LIST	AVG	AVG
ALL	SGT	549	589
ALL	SSG	689	706

* Language specific MOS (97E and 98G) have announced cutoff scores by language identifier; therefore the PZ AVG / SZ AVG columns for these MOS are indicated by asterisks.

If the MOS is not listed, that means there were no promotions in that MOS/rank during the snapshot. Usually, that indicates an overmanned MOS
with little promotion opportunity.

Above information courtesy of the United States Army.