Navy Cycle 272 Advancement Results: When They Post, How Quotas Work, and How to Read Your Profile Sheet

NAVADMIN 168/26 set the Cycle 272 exams for September 3, 2026 (E-6) and September 10, 2026 (E-5), for Active-Duty and TAR Sailors. That part is settled. What is not settled is when results come out: as of November 7, 2026, no NAVADMIN on MyNavy HR gives a release date, and the quotas for each rate have not been published. This page gives the pattern from past fall cycles, the rules that decide who advances, and the pay at stake, without guessing a date.

When fall results have come out before

Two recent fall cycles give the range. Cycle 260, the September 2023 exam, posted on November 22, 2023: the navy.mil story that day says the Navy "released Cycle 260 petty officer advancement results for Active Component and Training and Administration of the Reserve (TAR) Sailors." Cycle 268, the September 2025 exam, ran late. NAVADMIN 234/25 of November 25, 2025 said its results "will be delayed due to the previous lapse in appropriations" and that "there is currently no timeline for the release of enlisted results." A Naval Station Great Lakes graphic dated December 23, 2025 congratulated its Cycle 268 advancees, so results were out by then.

So late November is the normal window and late December has happened. Neither date is a promise for Cycle 272.

Where your result shows up

Paragraph 9 of NAVADMIN 168/26 is short: "NWAE and RKE results will be available via NEAS profile sheets." One week after the Fleet release, the profile data posts in NSIPS. BUPERSINST 1430.16H, the advancement manual, adds that BUPERS Online lists "only the candidates selected for advancement for E-5 and E-6," and that individual Sailors can see results in their electronic service record or on MyNavy Portal under "Career & Life Events." Commands pull the Examination Status Verification Report, which the manual calls "the official source for the results."

If your rating is in Billet Based Advancement, your profile sheet will not say you advanced. The NAVADMIN says those sheets "will only reflect Passed Not Advanced, Fail, Inval, or discrepancy status, since advancement is conducted via A2P and CA2P." For Cycle 272 that covers ABE, ABF, ABH, AME, AO, CS, DC, EM, IC, GM, GSM, MM, QM and RS at both grades, plus every Active-Duty E-6 rating except the submarine and nuclear ratings, the Flag Writer Program, MU, SO, SB and TAR Sailors.

How quotas become a cut score

Quotas apply to the legacy NWAE path. The manual says E-5 and E-6 NWAE advancements "are determined from quotas" set by the Chief of Naval Personnel "based primarily on manpower needs for each NWAE rate/competitive group." Each group is rank-ordered by final multiple score (FMS), and "FMS cuts are set to match the quotas." Your profile sheet prints your FMS next to the minimum multiple required for your rate. If yours is at or above it, you advance.

The E-5 performance formula is the one most candidates can check by hand. A 4.00 PMA is worth 64 points, a 3.80 is worth 48, and the one-time 3.60 that NAVADMIN 168/26 assigns to new "A" School graduates with no evaluation in paygrade is worth 32. On the E-6 side the evaluation factor carries 51 percent of the maximum score, which is why the reporting senior's cumulative average matters more than the exam for a First Class candidate.

What the status line on your profile sheet means

PNA points are how a near miss carries forward. For each cycle, the manual awards 1.5 points for a standard score in the top 25 percent (56.59 or higher) and 1.5 for a PMA in the top 25 percent, to Sailors who passed and did not advance. Only the three most recent cycles in the same pay grade count, and the total is capped at 9. The sheet also breaks your exam down by section, with the number of questions in each, which is the study list for March.

Wrong award, education or PMA numbers are fixed through the EAW Post-exam Administration Comment process, with a CO or OIC letter; education corrections need the Joint Service Transcript "Degree Awarded" page, per paragraph 8 of the NAVADMIN.

When a Cycle 272 advancement takes effect

Results are not the pay raise. Table 7-5 of the manual puts E-5 and E-6 NWAE advancements in January through June or July through December, and Table 7-6 sets the limiting date for an August/September cycle at 30 June of the next year. For Cycle 272 that means advancement dates from January to June 2027. Within your rate, the manual says the date "is determined by the Service member's FMS rank": the higher your score, the earlier the month on your profile sheet.

What the advancement is worth, by years of service

The table compares 2026 monthly basic pay in the current and new grade at the same years of service, from our DFAS table. The fifth column is the gap between a January and a June advancement date: five months at the higher rate. Use the promotion pay calculator for your own column and the 2026 basic pay tables to check any cell.

The E-5 to E-6 jump grows with service because E-5 pay stops rising after 12 years while E-6 keeps climbing. BAH also changes with grade; the BAH calculator shows the new rate for your duty station. Advancement pay in 2027 will be higher than these 2026 figures once the raise is settled; the 2027 pay chart tracks the plans still in play.

Selected Reserve Sailors took a separate exam, Fall 2026 Cycle 119, under NAVADMIN 133/26; this page covers the Active-Duty and TAR cycle. Rates shown are FY2026 basic pay; always verify with your finance office before making financial decisions.