Navy PQS
When I entered the US Navy Delayed Entry Program (DEP), I was given a little book called the Success Accelerator,
which is supposedly to teach me the basics of being a sailor before I
hit boot camp. At the end of the book are listed 14 sections of
qualifications, known as Personal Qualification Standards or PQS, which
I’m supposed to pass off before boot camp. These qualifications have
the following stated goal:
The DEP PQS system ensures DEP personnel attain, demonstrate, and sustain the basic knowledge and skill levels necessary for a smooth transition from civilian life to entry-level navy life (recruit training).
These requirements include knowing things like how to salute, the different enlisted and officer ranks, basic naval history, first aid, and so on. Those who pass off all the PQS requirements are automatically advanced to paygrade E-2 if they haven’t already been advanced for some other reason like a college degree. I’m going in as an E-3 because of my college degree, so that particular motivation doesn’t work too well for me. I am, however, still planning on passing off the PQS requirements just to help prepare me better for boot camp.
So, I started looking through our fancy little Success Accelerator book for the information I’d need to know to pass off the requirements. I was soon disappointed by the relatively meager information offered by the book. Where’s my information on how to salute? Sure, it tells me all about when to salute, but never actually describes a proper salute. How am I supposed to “identify ships by their designations, characteristics and functions” when the book tells me none of that? As you might imagine, I was somewhat frustrated. Sure, I could go to my recruiter for the information, but much of it is academic stuff that I could learn just as easily - if not more easily - from a book. I scoured the Internet and found nothing.
Until today, when a sailor in the Navy forums of Military.com posted a link in answer to a recruit’s question that was not unlike my own.
Here you are: a PDF explaining the DEP PQS requirements.
Enjoy. I certainly will!