Checked 28 October 2026. SEM rules are from Fact Sheets NAV 255/24 (December 2024) and NAV 112/25 (May 2025) and the FY-27 board NAVADMIN 075/26 (April 2026), read on 28 October 2026. BUPERSINST 1430.16H now codifies Billet-Based Advancement and could not be opened by us. Check the FY-28 board NAVADMIN when it is released.
Since the FY-26 chief board, active-duty first class petty officers in non-exempt ratings and assignments who make the board are not selected for chief: they are screened, and then compete for a chief’s billet. That is the Senior Enlisted Marketplace (SEM). For the FY-27 board, active-duty Hospital Corpsmen and Masters-at-Arms were in it, because neither rating is on the exemption list. This page explains, in plain English and only as far as the Navy’s own documents go, what changed, what it means for an HM1 or MA1, the two ways to advance once screened, how to send your package to the board, and why the January exam still decides whether you reach the screening board at all.
Independent: not affiliated with the US Navy, the Navy Advancement Center or Navy COOL. ProSyllabus is an independent study site and nothing here is official. Every date, rule and figure below is quoted or summarized from Navy documents (NAVADMINs, fact sheets, Navy Advancement Center pages and Navy COOL), read on 28 October 2026; where we could not confirm something, the page says so.
Fact Sheet NAV 255/24; NAVADMIN 075/26; Fact Sheet NAV 112/25; DVIDS 22 January 2020.
The Senior Enlisted Marketplace in plain English
Billet-Based Advancement (BBA) is the Navy’s name for advancing sailors into specific jobs rather than into a paygrade in the abstract. Fact Sheet 255/24 lists its three parts: the Senior Enlisted Marketplace, Command Advance to Position (CA2P) and Advance to Position (A2P), and says BBA “expands Sailor choice of assignment, reduces the number of E5 and above vacancies, and lessens the number of assignment misalignments.” SEM is the senior end of it. It already applied to chiefs and senior chiefs; Fact Sheet 255/24 extended it: “Senior Enlisted Marketplace (SEM) is expanding to include active component E-6 Sailors screened for Chief Petty Officer beginning with the FY26 CPO Board.”
So the board’s job changes. Under a traditional board you are selected for E-7 and advance in a pay increment. Under SEM you are screened by a fiscal-year board, and Fact Sheet 112/25 says both SEM paths of advancement “require Sailors to be screened by a Fiscal Year advancement board”. The advancement itself then follows from a billet.
| Date | What changed |
|---|---|
| December 2024 | Fact Sheet NAV 255/24 (NAVADMIN 255/24): SEM extended to active-component E-6 sailors screened for CPO from the FY26 board; screened E-6s go through the traditional CPO initiation process and, if authorized, may be frocked after it is completed. |
| June 2024 and March 2025 | Fourteen ratings fully integrated into BBA at E-5 and E-6 and moved to the Rating Knowledge Exam: ABE and DC in June 2024, then ABF, ABH, AME, AO, CS, EM, IC, GM, GSM, MM, QM and RS from the March 2025 cycle. |
| May 2025 | Fact Sheet NAV 112/25 (NAVADMIN 112/25): SEM consolidated into two paths, Advance to Position (A2P) and Advancement Request Alignment (ARA). |
| 21 January 2026 | BUPERSINST 1430.16H codifies BBA as the primary reference for billet-driven promotions; “nearly all active-duty E-6 ratings are included in BBA”. |
| 1 April 2026 | NAVADMIN 075/26: FY-27 boards. Active-component candidates take part in the SEM screening board unless exempted. |
| 15 October 2026 | NAVADMIN 241/26: the January 2027 E-7 cycle now covers both the NWAE and the RKE, as applicable to each candidate. |
From the fact sheets, NAVADMINs and Navy release named in each row.
Who is in SEM, and who is exempt
NAVADMIN 075/26 states the FY-27 rule: “Unless exempted in line with reference (a), AC eligible candidates will participate in the Senior Enlisted Marketplace (SEM) screening board. Exempted candidates will participate in enlisted advancement selection boards. SEM does not apply to Nuclear (EMN, ETN, MMN), Musician (E7), Special Warfare Operator, Special Warfare Boat Operator, personnel currently assigned within the Enlisted Aide Program, Flag Writer Program, TAR, and SELRES.”
| Group | FY-27 board | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Active-duty HM1 and MA1 | SEM screen board, #360, unless assigned to the Enlisted Aide or Flag Writer Program | Neither rating is on the exemption list; those two assignments are exempt whatever the rating. |
| Nuclear ratings (EMN, ETN, MMN), Musician at E-7, Special Warfare Operator, Special Warfare Boat Operator | Board #361, AC SEM-exempted ratings | Named as exempt in NAVADMIN 075/26. |
| Sailors in the Enlisted Aide Program or Flag Writer Program | An enlisted advancement selection board (#361 is the AC board for SEM-exempted ratings) | Named as exempt in NAVADMIN 075/26. |
| TAR (including TAR HMs and MAs) | Board #336 | TAR is exempt from SEM; the reserve-component board considers TAR under Cycle 270. |
| SELRES (including reserve HMs and MAs) | Board #335 | SELRES is exempt; considered under Cycle 118. |
Board numbers and the exemption list from NAVADMIN 075/26, paragraphs 1, 2 and 7.b. Earlier fact sheets word the list slightly differently (they name Command Senior Enlisted Leader Program and Submarine as well); the NAVADMIN for your board year is the one that applies.
What happens after you are screened
From NAVADMIN 075/26, Fact Sheet NAV 255/24 (December 2024) and Fact Sheet NAV 112/25 (May 2025). BUPERSINST 1430.16H, which we could not open, now governs; check these steps against it with your career counselor. The layout is ours.
The steps below are as the December 2024 and May 2025 fact sheets describe them; BUPERSINST 1430.16H, published since, replaces earlier guidance and we could not open it. Fact Sheet 255/24 says the E-7 SEM policy is the same as for E-8 and E-9 “except for the frocking timeline. E-7 screened Sailors will go through the traditional CPO initiation process and if authorized, may be frocked after initiation is completed.” Fact Sheet 112/25 then names two SEM paths into an E-7 billet, A2P and ARA, and separately describes a manning realignment request (last row):
| Path | How it works | Time limits and conditions |
|---|---|---|
| SEM Advance to Position (A2P) | You apply for jobs at the next higher paygrade in My Navy Assignment, regardless of your projected rotation date, once screened by a fiscal-year board. | Eligible to apply for 24 months after screening; frocked chiefs who have not selected orders within 24 months are direct detailed. The advancement is effective on the date you check in at your ultimate duty station. |
| SEM Advancement Request Alignment (ARA) | Your command advances you on station when there is a valid, funded and vacant billet at the next higher paygrade. | For E-7 the May 2025 fact sheet said the window opens on 16 September and closes at the end of NPC’s requisition scrub in My Navy Assignment in October. Sea duty: you must incur obligated service and extend your PRD for 36 months from the date of advancement. Shore duty: 36 months obligated service for a follow-on tour, PRD not extended. The billet must not already have a gain identified. |
| Manning realignment (an open E-7 billet in your own command) | Your command may submit a manning realignment request to promote you into the vacant billet. | All requirements must be met and you must be willing to obligate service (and, at sea, adjust your PRD). |
From Fact Sheet NAV 112/25, its FAQ answers 1, 6 and 7, and Fact Sheet NAV 255/24.
Fact Sheet 112/25 also covers two situations sailors ask about. Dual-military couples: “If both Sailors in a military couple are advancement eligible, the first Sailor that is selected for a job in the next higher paygrade becomes the lead Sailor in the assignment process. The PRD for the spouse will be adjusted to match the lead Sailor’s anticipated transfer month.” Sailors with family members in the Exceptional Family Member Program apply in My Navy Assignment as usual, and the EFMP coordinators in PERS-456 check that care is available at the gaining station; if it is not, the sailor reapplies in the next cycle.
Does the E-7 exam still matter? Yes, and here is why
SEM changed what happens after the board. For the Navy-wide exam it did not change how you get to the board. These are the Navy-wide exam (NWAE) rules: the saved Navy texts give no question count, pass cut or FMS formula for an E-7 RKE, so if your EAW shows an RKE, confirm the rules with your ESO. No sentence in the documents we read says in so many words that SEM candidates must sit the exam, but the normal route to the screening board runs through it. The exception is an authorized screen or selection board eligibility waiver (NAC FAQ, question 21; NAVADMIN 241/26, paragraph 8.c):
| Link in the chain | What the Navy says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Eligibility for the board | “Candidates must be selection board eligible in the correct competitive rate and group on their profile sheet.” | NAVADMIN 075/26, paragraph 6.a |
| Board eligibility | E7 candidates are designated selection board eligible “by competing in a Navy-wide advancement examination (NWAE) cycle and meeting the 60% Final Multiple cut requirement for their examination rating/competitive group”. | NAC FAQ, question 21 |
| The FMS | RSCA PMA 60%, exam score 40%. | DVIDS, 22 January 2020 |
| The next exam | NAVADMIN 241/26 sets the January 2027 E7 exam (NWAE or RKE as applicable) for every active-duty and TAR E7 candidate. | NAVADMIN 241/26 |
Sources as listed.
In short, for Navy-wide exam candidates: a better exam score raises your FMS, a higher FMS improves your rank against the other eligible candidates in your exam rating or competitive group, and a rank in the top 60% (or an authorized waiver) sends your record to the SEM screen board. Your evaluations are 60% and mostly written; the exam is the 40% you can still move before 21 January 2027. For HM and MA that means the January 2027 bibs (our Navy bibs guide), and timed practice: the Navy E-7 HM exam simulator and the Navy E-7 MA exam simulator each give two 175-question exams on those bibs. Both are built only from the publicly released references on the January 2027 bibs (HM: 32 of its 37 references, 15 of 20 subtopics; MA: 21 of its 41 references, 16 of 29 subtopics); the rate training manuals and controlled references are not covered, so study those from your own copies.
Free questions for your rating, scored by bib topic
Pick your rating to start. Each answer cites its bib reference and chapter.
The chief package: your letter to the board
What sailors call the “chief package” is the letter to the board (LTB) and its enclosures. NAVADMIN 075/26 sets the rules for FY-27:
| Rule | FY-27 (NAVADMIN 075/26) |
|---|---|
| How to send it | Through the Electronic Submission of Selection Board Documents (ESSBD); the NAVADMIN links the MyNavy HR general information page for anyone who cannot use it. |
| What the LTB and each enclosure must carry | Your full name and your 10-digit DoD ID number, on the LTB and on each enclosure. |
| Board number | Check the correct board number is on your signed cover letter: #360 AC SEM screen, #361 AC SEM-exempted, #336 TAR, #335 SELRES. |
| Deadline | 11 June 2026, 2359 CST for the active component; 21 May 2026 for the reserve component. |
| Early promote TIR waiver | The evaluation used for the waiver must be in your OMPF or emailed to PERS-802; if it is not in the OMPF it must also go to the board president by LTB. Documents sent to PERS-802 are not shown to the board. |
| Fleet reserve | Sailors with approved fleet reserve requests are not considered by the board. |
From NAVADMIN 075/26, paragraphs 6 and 7. The FY-28 board NAVADMIN will set the next deadlines.
What SEM means for HM and MA in practice
For an active-duty HM1 or MA1 sitting the January 2027 exam, the sequence the documents we read describe is: pass the PMK-EE by 30 November 2026 and the ALDC by 31 December 2026; sit the exam on 21 January 2027; get above the 60% line for your exam rating or group (the documented NWAE rule); send a clean package to the FY-28 board by its deadline; if screened, go through initiation and then compete for billets (the 2024 and 2025 fact sheets give 24 months; the January 2026 release says sailors “should not rely on previous versions of the instruction or interim NAVADMINs”, so check the current terms in BUPERSINST 1430.16H with your career counselor). MA1s also need their clearance (adjudication, or a CO/OIC interim clearance) dated before 1 January 2027 to sit the exam at all. Reserve HMs and MAs (TAR and SELRES) are exempt from SEM and go to their own boards.
The full format and eligibility rules are in our E-7 exam guide; the FY-27 timeline and where results appear in our results guide. The exam page is the Navy E-7 advancement exam page.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Senior Enlisted Marketplace?
The senior part of the Navy’s Billet-Based Advancement. A fiscal-year board screens you for the next paygrade, and you then advance by competing for a billet at that paygrade (Advance to Position) or being advanced on station by your command into a funded vacancy (Advancement Request Alignment).
When did SEM start for E-7?
Fact Sheet NAV 255/24 says SEM expanded to active-component E-6 sailors screened for chief petty officer beginning with the FY26 CPO board.
Does SEM apply to Hospital Corpsmen and Masters-at-Arms?
For active duty, yes: HM and MA are not on the exemption list in NAVADMIN 075/26, so their FY-27 active-duty candidates went to the SEM screen board, #360, unless assigned to the Enlisted Aide or Flag Writer Program, which are exempt. TAR and SELRES sailors are exempt.
Do I still have to take the E-7 exam under SEM?
To reach the board you must be selection board eligible on your profile sheet, and for Navy-wide exam candidates, board eligibility comes from competing in the exam cycle, passing the exam, and an FMS that ranks within the top 60% of your examination rating or competitive group. NAVADMIN 241/26 sets the January 2027 exam (the NWAE or the RKE, as applicable) for every active-duty and TAR E7 candidate; the saved texts give no RKE formula. The exception is an authorized screen or selection board eligibility waiver; ask your ESO if you think one applies.
How long do I have to get orders after being screened for chief?
Fact Sheet NAV 112/25 says a screened E-7 has up to 24 months to compete for orders at the next higher paygrade; a sailor who has not selected orders after 24 months is direct detailed in the screened paygrade.
When am I frocked to chief under SEM?
Fact Sheet NAV 255/24 says screened E-6 sailors go through the traditional CPO initiation process and, if authorized, may be frocked after initiation is complete.
What goes in a Navy chief package?
Your letter to the board and its enclosures, sent through ESSBD, each carrying your full name and 10-digit DoD ID number, with the correct board number on the signed cover letter, by the deadline in that year’s board NAVADMIN.
Raise the score that gets you to the board: the Navy E-7 HM exam simulator and the Navy E-7 MA exam simulator. Both are built only from the publicly released references on the January 2027 bibs (HM: 32 of its 37 references, 15 of 20 subtopics; MA: 21 of its 41 references, 16 of 29 subtopics); the rate training manuals and controlled references are not covered, so study those from your own copies.
More in this series
- Navy bibs: find your E-7 reading list (HM and MA) and plan your study
- Navy E-7 results and board eligible: the FY-27 timeline and what to do next
- Navy profile sheet explained: exam score, standard score and FMS
- Navy E-7 advancement exam: format, dates and how to study
- PMK-EE for E-7: format, the 80% rule and the official app
Sources
- official — NAVADMIN 075/26: FY-2027 Navy Active Duty and Reserve Component Enlisted Advancement Selection and Screen Boards for Chief Petty Officer (R 012013Z APR 26; read via an Internet Archive copy of the official URL, which refused our connection)
- official — Fact Sheet NAV 255/24: Billet-Based Advancement Policy Update (December 2024; read via an Internet Archive copy of the official URL, which refused our connection)
- official — Fact Sheet NAV 112/25: Billet-Based Advancement 2025 Update (May 2025; read via an Internet Archive copy of the official URL, which refused our connection)
- official — DVIDS (Chief of Naval Personnel), 29 January 2026: Navy Updates Enlisted Advancement Manual, BUPERSINST 1430.16H
- official — NAVADMIN 241/26: January 2027 Cycle 274 Active-Duty and TAR E7 Navy-Wide Advancement Examination and Rating Knowledge Exam (R 151506Z OCT 26; read via an Internet Archive copy of the official URL, which refused our connection)
- official — Navy Advancement Center: General Advancement Frequently Asked Questions (13MAR23), on Navy COOL
- official — DVIDS (Naval Education and Training Professional Development Center), 22 January 2020: First use of Command Leadership Notification for E-7 Selection Board Eligibility (the 60/40 Final Multiple Score)
- official — MyNavy HR: Active-Duty Enlisted CPO Selection Boards page (named in NAVADMIN 075/26)
official = a document published by the conducting body. reported = a news or coaching site we could not check against an original. Where sources disagree this page says so rather than picking one.
