Okay, I’m relatively new to the boards (as a member), but I lurked for a long time. I had lots of misconceptions about lots of Dopers, but this is the worst. sgt schwartz openly admits in this
thread that he cheated on promotions tests. Not once, but twice and was caught BOTH times. For those of you not in the military, that is a big deal, especially to those of us who did the things required to get promoted honestly. I cannot fathom the twisted thinking that leads you to believe you can cheat on promotions while the rest of us have to do it the hard way. Not only that, you had the audacity to tell the boards in the same thread in which you were posting your promotion. I went into that thread from a link in another thread and after skimming it I almost resurrected it to offer a congratulatory punch. I know how hard it is to get promoted, I am a Technical Sergeant in the Air Force (E-6). The final thing I can’t understand is that NO ONE here took you to task for it. I have been stewing all day, hoping that I would calm down about it, but man cheating on promotion tests is a low thing to do.
[sub]Oh yeah, to keep this in the Pit: Shit, Fuck, Dammit[/sub]
For the millionth time, throwing that “shit, fuck, balls” line at the end of your pitting is dumb and pointless. At most, it will make me close a thread I’d have otherwise moved.
I understand your concern. What I was posting was that I had tried cheating. I never felt good about it, but I will admit that I did try. I did not get picked up either time. The points dropped and I got picked up. I admit it was wrong to try to cheat. I know I did wrong, but I also know that when I got picked up it was because of my own strengths and ability.
I really don’t understand the promotion tests in the Air Force. We have to go to a board, qualify with an M-16 and max a PT test. I am really interested in (again because this is the Pit) what the Fuck, you have to fucking do to get promoted in the AirForce.
I’m glad you made it on your own. It pisses me off that people try that shit, though. It really pisses me off that no one else here said much about it. It’s weird, I agree with you on lots of issues, but dammit, it tough to stomach that.
BTW, are you being sarcastic about the AF promotion tests, or genuinely curious? I’ll answer either way, but didn’t want to make a smart ass remark if you were being serious.
ETA: Gotta log off for the evening, I’ll check this thread again tomorrow.
I do find it amusing that it’s in a military thread that people are daintily adding swear words at the end of their posts so as to meet with “proper etiquette”.
And thank you Giraffe for bringing that up again. Now if we can only convince people that you can voice pet peeves in MPSIMS.
Huh, I read the other thread but don’t even remember the cheating part. Shame!
The whole 798 points sure rings a bell. I know our points were really high. I don’t recall having to max the PT test though. Maybe things have changed. I do remember having to get a good PT score and max pretty much everything else. But I seem to recall a lot came down to the board itself. Your shoes had to be shine as to blind the board, your uniform of course had to be perfect, your military bearing and discipline had to be both perfect and impenetrable, while simultaneously demonstrating instant, unfaltering knowledge of every damn thing military, political, social etc. they could think to ask you. Pretty hard to cheat on that, unless you happen to be sleeping with the entire board.
Godsdamn, boy, what kind of slut are you Schwartz?
No, I am sincere, I would like to know what you have to go through to get promoted. I have objections to the Army promotion system, but would not post them here. If I violated UCMJ in order to get SSG, I would never take pride in that.
I don’t like the people that cheat, but we are from two different backgrounds and will have to develop a Pit Thread about what would make otherwise qualified people cheat.
I hadn’t read the other thread before now but I don’t see any grevious sins being admitted to there. Sgt Schwartz said he tried to cheat twice in the past and was caught both times. He also says he got his current promotion legitimately. So I figure if the United States Army was aware of his past actions and was willing to forgive him and promote him, then I’m not one to second guess their judgement.
Here’s a Wiki article on the WAPS (Weighted Airman Promotion System)
billyb0b I too was a TSGT. Got out in '99 after 14 years. I didn’t see the previous thread about sgt schwartz’s cheating on the test, but I am saddened by someone who cheats. Good to see sgt schwartz regrets it and got promoted without cheating.
Edited to add: The Air Force multiple choice tests are the hardest multiple choice tests I’ve ever taken. Even after weeks and weeks of studying, I usually scored in the 70’s, and those were good scores.
It’s actually a crime, an offense under the Uniform Code of Military Justice. I would expect you knew that at the time.
A Non-commissioned Officer who doesn’t understand the promotion test is a poor excuse for an NCO. After all, it is part of the NCO’s duty to educate subordinates about how to get promoted. May I suggest you examine this particular Air Force official site?
As to your assertion that you finally made it on your own, if you received any points whatsoever from your participation in the tests in which you cheated, then you did not make it on your own.
p.s. While I was in the Navy, two individuals I knew tried what they thought was a novel way to cheat on the test for PN1. One was assigned to a ship homeported in Japan and the other was on shore duty in Japan. On the day of the PO1 test, the ship was in the Persian Gulf. Immediately after the shore-based individual took the test, he ran home to await a call from the ship-based one. Ship-based called using the INMARSAT phone and asked, “So, what were the tough questions on the test?” Shore-based answered.
They both failed to recall one interesting fact: while in the Persian Gulf, all communications to and from the ship were monitored. That included their phone conversation. They felt that by speaking in Tagalog they’d be safe. No such luck. The monitor also spoke that lingo.
What torqued me the most about them cheating was that PNs (at the time that was the rating; now it’s PS which is a combination of PN & DK) assisted in the administration of the promotion system.
They weren’t originally meant to be hard, but the tests are put through so many rewrites with psychologists and such, that they come out convoluted and stuff. “Who the hell writes these questions?” A few select MSGTS in your career field with psych students making sure the questions are ‘just right.’
Am I the only one thinking: “But Sgt Schwartz isn’t in the air force” ?
Do they really have uniform (No pun intended) systems across the different forces ?
Thanks, essell. My mistake. An NCO in the Army is also supposed to understand the Army’s promotion system. There is a uniform system of military discipline across the Uniformed Services.
ETA: Correction: Not shut down, but forced to remove all the images of promotional tests and answers he’d posted. He claims on that site that what he’s doing is just fine, it’s only civilians and officers who “don’t understand.”
This pitting is just about pointless. The guy admitted that he cheated and you want to bash him for it? He didn’t have to say anything about. He could have kept it to himself and your judge-mental ass wouldn’t have been the wiser. Who do you think is the better man?
