How do they determine the cutoff scores for the Army?

Question

I just got my P in the army, and my MOS (31B) hasn't really been fluctuating and I'm a good 50 points off. So I was wondering if its at all possible for the points to drop significantly in one month or am I going to have to suck it up and wait?

Answer 1

Off the top of my head I will say suck it up and wait.  Cut off scores are based on the need of the Army versus the number of people already holding down that MOS.  If the Army needs 10, 000 soldiers in a particular and there are 12,000 well then the promotion scores are going to be higher.  Your best chance of promotion is to max out as many parts of the promotion worksheet you can, (i.e. civ and mil education), or you could reclassify into the combat arms where the promotion points are traditionally rather low becuase of the turn over.  But then of course you stand a better chance of going into harm's way.  Oh well your choice, promotion or service.  Good luck to you.

First Sergeant, US Army retired

Answer 2

The points usually drop around april because of the E7 list comes out and they have to back fill those slots and in October because of the new fiscal year.  The points are based off of the need for each mos and each rank of that mos.  If new positions open up for a E6 in your mos due to a new brigade standing up then the points will drop.  That is the basics of how the army promotion system works.  good luck on gettin your rank.  

Answer 3

it is based on how many other people are promotable and how many spots they have open. you can see the cut off scores and see how many other people in your MOS are waiting for promotion. They up and down the points based on the needs of the army

Answer 4

I am a SSG (P) US Army 31B. The last answer you received was correct about the number of people they need.  What they do is look at how many SSG's they need in the Army in your MOS and let's say that number is 50.  They start at the last months cut off score and count down 50 people who have the highest points.  What ever number they are on when they hit the number they need that is the cutoff.  As for your other question I was waiting for several months to get picked for E6 I was chasing points that were in the 700's when I finally got enough point to make cut off for the last month the points dropped to 619 about 90 points less than I had worked up to.  The point can sometimes take weird drops.  Also, look at the Eligibility trends report on the bottom of the enlisted promotions web page it will tell you where you stand with your points range.  It is a helpful tool to see how many people are ahead of you and how many are behind you in points.  Good luck  

Answer 5

Cutoff scores are based on the needs of that MOS.  

It is possible that the points will drop or rise significantly from month to month because this will reflect the influx of soldiers leaving the army or getting promoted.  

In fact, when I got promoted to SGT, I was almost maxed out on points and barely made the cutoff.  The following month, the soldiers in my platoon that didn't make the cutoff from the previous month made the cutoff as it dropped more than 100 points.  So, you see, the points can drop significantly from one month to the next.

I know it's tough having to wait each month to see if you made the cutoff.  I wish you the best of luck and congratulations on being recommended by the promotion board!