Study guide
1.4 Board Preparation: Study Plan, Current Events, and World Affairs
Army Promotion Board SGT/SSG
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1 The Promotion Board Process, Eligibility, and Preparation
1.1 AR 600-8-19 Board Eligibility, TIS/TIG Zones, and PME Requirements 1.2 Board Proceedings, Protocol, Uniform Inspection, and Boardroom Bearing 1.3 Promotion Points, the AFT Conversion, IPPS-A, and Monthly Cutoff Scores 1.4 Board Preparation: Study Plan, Current Events, and World Affairs 1.5 Situational Questions, ICTL Proficiency, and Board Scenario Technique
2 Uniform Standards, Grooming, and Awards (AR 670-1, AD 2025-18, AR 600-8-22)
2.1 ASU and AGSU Configuration, Insignia, Badges, and Awards Placement 2.2 Hair, Cosmetics, Fingernails, and Jewelry Standards (AD 2025-18) 2.3 Wear of Combat Uniforms, Duty Accessories, and Body Modification & Tattoo Policies 2.4 Facial Hair, Medical Exceptions to Policy, and Religious Accommodation 2.5 The Army Awards and Decorations System (AR 600-8-22)
3 Army Leadership & Doctrine (ADP 6-22 & FM 6-22)
3.1 The Army Leadership Requirements Model: Attributes and Competencies 3.2 Leadership Levels, Dynamics, Command Climate, and the Warrior Ethos 3.3 The Counseling Process (ATP 6-22.1 & DA Form 4856) 3.4 The Evaluation Reporting System & NCOER (AR 623-3 & DA Form 2166-9 Series)
4 Customs, Courtesies, and Military Traditions (AR 600-25 & TC 3-21.5)
4.1 Saluting Protocols, Courtesies to Officers, and Hand Salute Standards 4.2 National Flag Etiquette, Colors, Reveille, Retreat, and Honors to the Nation 4.3 Drill and Ceremonies Fundamentals (TC 3-21.5) and Formations 4.4 Rank Structure, Chain of Command, the NCO Support Channel, and Unit Organization
5 Army History, Heritage, and Creeds
5.1 Army Birthday, Continental Army Foundations, and Historical Milestones 5.2 Evolution of the NCO Corps and the Sergeant Major of the Army 5.3 Major American Campaigns and Military Battle History 5.4 The Army Values, The Soldier's Creed, and The NCO Creed
6 Army Programs, Command Policy, and Soldier Readiness
6.1 SHARP Under AR 600-52: Reporting Options, Complaint Processing, and the OSTC 6.2 The Military Equal Opportunity and Harassment Prevention Program (AR 600-20, Chapter 6) 6.3 Army Substance Abuse Program (ASAP) and SUDCC (AR 600-85) 6.4 Soldier and Family Support Programs: AER, Red Cross, ACS, EFMP, and BOSS 6.5 Suicide Prevention, Behavioral Health, and Resilience 6.6 Prohibited Activities: Extremism, Retaliation, Prohibited Relationships, and Political Activity 6.7 Retention, Reenlistment, and the Career Counseling of Subordinates
7 Tactical Combat Casualty Care & First Aid (TC 4-02.1 & ATP 4-02.83)
7.1 TCCC Phases of Care: Care Under Fire, Tactical Field Care, and TACEVAC 7.2 MARCH PAWS Assessment: Massive Hemorrhage and Airway Management 7.3 Respiration, Circulation, Shock, Burns, and Environmental Injuries 7.4 9-Line MEDEVAC Request Protocol and Tactical Evacuation Procedures
8 CBRN Defense & Force Protection (ATP 3-11.32 & AR 525-13)
8.1 CBRN Hazards, Chemical Agent Classifications, and Physiological Effects 8.2 MOPP Gear Levels, Protective Mask PMCS, and Decontamination 8.3 Antiterrorism, Physical Security, and Force Protection Conditions (AR 525-13)
9 Weapons, Land Navigation, and Physical Readiness
9.1 M4/M16 Rifle Characteristics, Clearing, Malfunctions, and Weapons Safety (TC 3-22.9) 9.2 Map Reading, Grid Coordinates, and Marginal Information (TC 3-25.26) 9.3 Land Navigation: Terrain Features, Azimuths, Intersection, and Resection 9.4 Holistic Health and Fitness, the Army Fitness Test, and the Combat Field Test 9.5 The Army Body Composition Program and the Waist-to-Height Standard (AD 2026-13) 9.6 Crew-Served Weapons, Sidearms, and Munitions
10 Military Justice, the Law of War, and Duty
10.1 The UCMJ, Article 15 Non-Judicial Punishment, and Courts-Martial 10.2 The Code of Conduct, the Law of War, and Rules of Engagement 10.3 Guard Duty, the Three General Orders, and Operations Security
11 Training Management and Unit Sustainment
11.1 Training Management: ICTL, the Digital Job Book, and Sergeant's Time Training 11.2 Maintenance, Supply Discipline, and Property Accountability
1.4 Board Preparation: Study Plan, Current Events, and World Affairs
Key Takeaways Explain This Topic AI
AR 600-8-19 paragraph 3-11 directs that board questions focus on leadership, awareness of military programs, knowledge of basic Soldiering, and world affairs, which makes current events a graded subject, not a courtesy question.
The memorandum of instruction is the authoritative scope document for a specific board; build the study plan from the MOI subject list first and only then from generic study guides.
A defensible current-events answer names the actor, the action, the location, the date, and the Army relevance, and stops there rather than volunteering personal political opinion.
DoD Directive 1344.10 permits a Soldier to hold and express personal political views off duty and out of uniform, but a Soldier at a board answers factually and never advocates a partisan position.
Rehearse under board conditions with a mock panel, in the prescribed uniform, using the actual MOI scoring rubric; reading alone does not train bearing, projection, or recovery from a missed question.
Last updated: September 2026
Board Preparation: Study Plan, Current Events, and World Affairs
Core Principle: AR 600-8-19, paragraph 3-11 tells you what the board will ask: "Questions should focus on leadership, awareness of military programs, and knowledge of basic Soldiering and world affairs." Current events are therefore a graded subject area , not small talk, and "world affairs" is the one subject no study guide can memorize for you.
1. Start With the Memorandum of Instruction, Not the Internet
Every board is scoped by its memorandum of instruction (MOI) . The MOI is published by the command and lists the assigned subject areas by board member, the prescribed uniform, the required documents, and the scoring rubric. A candidate who studies a generic 400-question list but never reads the MOI will be surprised by the two or three subjects their board actually weights.
Build the plan in this order:
Read the MOI twice. Highlight each named subject area and each named publication.
Ask your first-line leader which members historically ask what. Boards reuse panels.
Map each MOI subject to a source document — AR, ATP, TC, or FM — and put the publication number on the study card. Board members give credit for citations.
Only then supplement with general Army board study material.
2. A Four-Week Study Schedule
Week Focus Method
Week 4 out Breadth. One pass over every MOI subject area. Read source publications, build one index card per subject with the publication number, the three or four facts most likely to be asked, and one scenario.
Week 3 out Depth on weak areas. Have your squad leader quiz you cold on the cards you cannot answer without looking. Rewrite those cards from the source, not from memory.
Week 2 out Creeds, drill, and uniform. Recite the Soldier's Creed and NCO Creed at the position of attention, out loud, daily. Fit and inspect the AGSU/ASU. Measure every insignia.
Week 1 out Full-dress rehearsal. Two mock boards in the prescribed uniform with a panel of NCOs using the MOI rubric. Practice reporting in, the uniform inspection facings, and dismissal.
Day of Consolidation and rest. No new material. Review cards once, arrive early, and let the uniform and the rehearsal carry you.
The single highest-yield habit is speaking your answers out loud . Silent reading trains recognition; a board tests recall under stress with a panel of senior NCOs staring at you.
3. Building a Current-Events Habit
You cannot cram world affairs the night before. Build a fifteen-minute daily habit starting the day you are notified:
Army-institutional sources: army.mil news and the "Tell Your Formation" policy page, the NCO Journal , HRC's promotions page, and your installation's public affairs feed. These are where Army policy changes are announced in plain language.
Defense-wide: War Department and combatant-command releases, and reputable defense trade reporting.
Regional and geopolitical: the theaters where the Army is currently committed, the major treaty alliances, and the primary named operations.
Local: your installation and your division. Board members like a candidate who knows the name of their division commander, their installation, and the operation their unit is next scheduled to support.
Know cold, without looking: the President, the Secretary of War, the Secretary of the Army, the Chief of Staff of the Army, the Sergeant Major of the Army, and your own chain of command and NCO support channel from squad leader to the SMA.
4. A Structure for Answering a Current-Events Question
Use a fixed five-part structure so that you never ramble:
Acknowledge: "First Sergeant, ..."
Actor and action: who did what.
Where and when: location and approximate date.
Army relevance: why it matters to Soldiers, readiness, or the mission.
Close: "...First Sergeant."
Example: "First Sergeant, the Army published Army Directive 2026-13 on 7 July 2026. It replaced the height and weight tables and the tape test with a single waist-to-height ratio standard of less than 0.55, measured at the navel and divided by height. It matters to my Soldiers because every Soldier must have a screening recorded on DA Form 5500 in the Army Training Information System within 90 days, and a ratio of 0.55 or greater brings a non-transferable flag and enrollment in the Army Body Composition Program, First Sergeant."
That answer is four sentences, has a date, a number, a form, and a consequence, and it never editorializes.
5. The Political Boundary
DoD Directive 1344.10 protects a Soldier's right to hold and express personal political views off duty, out of uniform, and without any implication of Army endorsement . It does not authorize partisan advocacy in uniform, and a promotion board is duty.
Discipline yourself to three rules:
Report, do not advocate. State what happened and what the policy is. Do not state whether you approve of it.
Do not speculate about intent. "I do not have visibility on the rationale, Sergeant Major" is a complete answer.
Redirect to the Soldier impact. The board is assessing whether you can explain a change to your squad, not whether you agree with it.
6. Recovering From a Missed Question
Boards are designed to find your ceiling. Every candidate misses questions; the graded variable is what you do next.
Do not apologize repeatedly. One clean "I do not know" is professional; three is a bearing problem.
Do not let one miss bleed into the next answer. Reset your posture, re-establish eye contact, and answer the next question at full volume.
Do not argue with a board member who tells you an answer is wrong. Acknowledge, note it, and research it afterward.
Follow through. If you told the board you would research an answer and report to your first-line leader, do it the same week. Board members talk to first sergeants.
7. Preparation Checklist
- Item Standard Verified
- MOI read and subject areas mapped to publications Every subject has a source document
- Soldier Record Brief reviewed for errors Awards, education, weapon, AFT all correct in IPPS-A
- Promotion Point Worksheet audited in IPPS-A Roster Audit History reviewed line by line
- Uniform fitted, measured, and inspected Every insignia measured with a ruler; no loose threads
- Creeds recited from memory at attention Zero prompts, full projection
- Two mock boards completed Scored on the actual MOI rubric
- Current-events habit established Fifteen minutes daily since notification
- Chain of command and NCO support channel memorized Squad leader through the Sergeant Major of the Army