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Correspondence Course Review

phrogpilot73

Well-Known Member
Like math for Marines?
You laugh, but it exists...as does Spelling, Grammar, etc.
I don't remember how many points it is (I want to say it's like 5), but math for Marines is well worth the time and effort expended for reserve retirement. Only problem - it requires a proctor for the test.

Why is it worth it? It doesn't make you go through the class, you can just take the test and be complete. I scored a 98% without taking the class, and took about 10 minutes total to do it. Best ever!
 

KBayDog

Well-Known Member
Where do I get a proctor?

Sent from my PH44100 using Tapatalk 2

I think Stinky can proctor you, as he is senior to you, but don't quote me on that. I did EWS when it was the old correspondence course bubble sheet thing as a 1stLt and had my captain boss proctor me. Our training chief then logged on to his account and put my bubble sheet answers into the system for the actual grade.

(I'll be the first to admit that I don't have the foggiest what the "rules" are these days...when I was doing MCI courses to increase my composite score (for promotion) in the mid-90s, you called to enroll in the course, and then waited MONTHS for them to send you the book and a practice test. You completed the practice test, mailed it to them, waited MONTHS for them to grade it and send you the results and the real test. You took the real test, mailed it in, waited MONTHS for them to grade it and send you the certificate.)
 

KBayDog

Well-Known Member
Yep. I would just have to apply to be a proctor.

Don't you have to go to a few years of school for that?

see-proctologist-800x800.jpg
 

MasterBates

Well-Known Member
Can I get a sanity check to make sure I'm doing the math right? I'm doing the retirement amount as if I hit 20 years on 1 JAN 13 just to see what it is in today's dollars.

I had 11 years 7 months AD time. I did nothing IRR for the remainder of my 12th year.

If I do the bare minimum, 50 points a year, I'm looking at $2300 or so a month in retired pay assuming I make LCDR. (yes. lofty assumption with my record)

$7284 is LCDR over 20 pay. (FY-13 pay chart)
I have 4170 points now (not counting recent IRR courses) at 360 pt/yr and 30 pt/mo
50 points/year for 8 more years = 400 points
4570 min points

Points for 20 years = 7200
4570/7200 = 63.5% of AD retirement
AD Retirement is $7284 * 50% = $3642 / month
$3642 * .635 = $2312 / month (starting age 60, barring any long mobilizations between now and then)

If I max out IRR, and never go SELRES:
130/year x 8 years = 1040 points
5210 total points max for only doing IRR
5210 / 7200 = 72.4%
$2635 a month starting at 60
 

FlyinSpy

Mongo only pawn, in game of life...
Contributor
Complex math stuff
If you go to BUPERS On Line (https://www.bol.navy.mil/DefaultPub.aspx?Cookies=Yes) and log in you can select the "Stay Navy Retirement Calculator", and plug in all your numbers. They give a slightly different (lower) result than yours, $2264 and $2581 respectively, but they're in the ballpark.

As an aside, I recommend you knock out the "Airman" course on NRTC - 18 points, should take you about 4 hours or so if you've ever spent any time on the flight deck. Easy, instantly scored, automatically updated to your point capture.
 

MasterBates

Well-Known Member
Just ripped out 16 points worth between last night and tonight, and I have another 4 hours to go, may get another 5 pointer done.

For all the NAVEDTRA courses I have done so far (these ones off www.courses.netc.navy.mil) save the PDF, Print your assignment sheets out of the back, and just go through. 98% of the answers are in sequence.

Basic Machines was 6 points, and pretty easy. If you understand basic mechanics/physics, it's a cakewalk.
Fluid Power SUCKED. I know this stuff well (use it at work), and it's the stereotypical "fuck you, we will decided which is best answer, when they are equal and we don't say which is best" type of Navy course. I felt like I was in API again. That sort of easy, but they fucking make it retarded. Do it if you have a good handle on that shit, if your tech skills are sketchy, pass.
Time Conversion.. From time I downloaded to the time I finished punching the answers in, it was less than an hour. 2 points. 90% of this is easy to Aviators.

Basic Machines is 6 points
Fluid Power is 8 points
Time Conversion is 2 points.

Best bang for the buck was Time Conversion, followed by Basic Machines. Fluid Power was 8 points, but took me 5 hours, and I know that shit fairly well.

14037 BASIC MACHINES 97
14105 FLUID POWER 93
14252 TIME CONVERSION 89
 

MasterBates

Well-Known Member
NAVEDTRA 14168A
Naval Space
5 points

Pretty easy course. Part 1 is a lot of dry crap about command structures you don't know about, don't care about, and are outdated.
Lots of stuff about how the shuttle is our main ride (it's outdated, but was factually correct at time of publication)

Good stuff on orbital mechanics and transfer mechanics on orbit.

Took me under 2 hours. I skimmed the C&C crap in part 1, just picked the answers out, but actually read all the mechanics and launch vehicle stuff.

Test had a lot of API-Isms, which are endemic to the Navy it seems.
 
MasterBates-thanks a lot for some of those easy ones; I just got 3 points in about 1.5 hours. I tried some of those fluid/thermo ones before, and holy shit are you right! Not worth the effort!
 

MasterBates

Well-Known Member
Just did the Airman NETC NRTC.

NAVEDTRA 14014
18 points.
Easy for any aviator, especially one who has been on a CV or Gator.

You will need to skim the book for some specifics, and exact specs for items, but it goes all in sequence. The test was a lot less of the "fuck you" API test, and a lot more straightforward find answer, circle answer deal.
 

MasterBates

Well-Known Member
I did it in about 10 hours, while doing other stuff. Maybe 5 hours of actual work time, plus another hour to key in the answers.
 

MasterBates

Well-Known Member
NAVEDTRA 14256 Tools and their Uses
8 points
I think I did about 2 hours, maybe 3 total between doing this and the keying in of the answers.

Sadly, it's just hand tools, and not a manual for how to properly use Department Heads.
 
Just finished the web-enabled Strategy and War course for JPME, through the Naval War College. That's 48 points right there.

This was my second course, and I found it much more interesting than Theater Decision Making. We studied Sun Tzu, Clausewitz, then the Revolution, Russo-Japanese War, and finally Pacific Theater in WWII. I just accepted for this one that I wouldn't be able to do all the reading, so I'd skim most of it, and try to read the interesting stuff. There was a quiz on the theorists, then 8-page papers on each of the wars.

I do feel like I actually learned something, and I actually hope to go back and read about the three wars for fun, now that it's not a requirement. This is the shortest of the NWC JPME courses too, although they're all worth 48pts.

Despite my generally positive experience and good point values, and I'm not sure if I'll enroll in the final JPME course--the time suck is just a pain!
 
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