l  The  DANTES  programs  are  designed  for military personnel to enroll in independent study to help them  complete  their  education  goals.  DANTES provides  examination  programs  that  award  college credit and coordinates with various universities and colleges  in  support  of  independent  study.  Examples  of tests   available   include   the   General   Educational Development   (GED),   the   American   College   Test (ACT),  the  Scholastic  Aptitude  Test  (SAT),  the  CLEP, the  GRE,  the  Graduate  Management  Admission  Test (GMAT), and the Law School Admission Test (LSAT). .  The  National  Apprenticeship  Program  develops highly skilled Navy-oriented journeymen who continue to use their technical skills and knowledge in the Navy. In addition, it develops journeymen so they can qualify for   employment   in   the   civilian   community   after separation. .  The  High  School  Completion  Program  helps members  earn  a  high  school  diploma  by  completion  of high  school  level  courses. .  The  GED  examination,  when  successfully completed, results in the award of a GED certificate to the  applicant. .  The  Enlisted  Education  Advancement  Program enables highly qualified and career-motivated enlisted personnel to earn an associate degree and improve qualifications in their rating and management skills. NONRESIDENT TRAINING COURSE PROGRAM NRTCs are designed as self-study training packages to provide instruction to naval personnel in professional naval subjects. Taking an NRTC is an excellent and convenient way for you to learn much of what you must know to advance in rate and improve your military and professional skills. Most TRAMANs are used as the basis  for  NRTCs.  A  mandatory  TRAMAN  can  be completed  by  passing  the  NRTC  based  on  the TRAMAN. You will find it helpful to complete other courses  in  addition  to  those  based  on  mandatory manuals. For example, the completion of the NRTC based on the Manual for Courts-Martial, United States 1984, is  strongly  recommended  for  personnel  preparing for  advancement  to  Yeoman  first  class  (YN1)  and Yeoman  chief  (YNC).  The  NRTCs  help  you  to  master the information given in the TRAMAN and also give you an indication of how much you learned from the TRAMAN. Ordering and enrollment procedures for NRTCs are listed  in  the   List   of   Training   Manuals   and Correspondence Courses, NAVEDTRA 12061. TRAINING MANUALS TRAMANs  are  developed  as  self-study  packages  to provide  instruction  in  various  military  and  professional subjects. They play an important role in training enlisted personnel  for  general  development  and  advancement. They  are  revised  periodically.  The  revision  of  a  manual is  identified  by  a  letter  following  the  NAVEDTRA number. You can tell whether a TRAMAN is the latest edition  by  checking  the  NAVEDTRA  number  and  the letter following the number in the most recent edition of the List  of  Training  Manuals  and  Correspondence Courses.  NAVEDTRA   12061. ADVANCEMENT By now you know that advancement in rate is not automatic. The advancement system is governed by the Manual of  Advancement, BUPERSINST  1430.16D. Meeting all the requirements set forth in BUPERSINST 1430.16D  and  current  Bureau  of  Naval  Personnel (BUPERS)   directives   makes   you   eligible   for advancement but does not guarantee your advancement. It is the function of the advancement examination to discriminate  among  qualified  personnel.  The  term qualified in the advancement sense refers to personnel who have met at least the minimum requirements for time  in  rate  (TIR)  and  performance  marks,  who  have completed  an  applicable  TRAMAN  and  personnel advancement  requirements  (PARs),  and  who  have achieved at least a minimum level of competency as determined  by  their  immediate  superiors. There are two annual advancement cycles for E-4 through E-6 candidates (March and September) and one annual advancement cycle for E-7 (January). BUPERS distributes  a  BUPERSNOTE  1418  for  each  examina- tion. In it, BUPERS lists the deadline date for submitting eligibility  requirements.  These  notices  are  usually published three times a year. The first is published in June,  amounting  the  E-4,  E-5,  and  E-6  examinations for  the  September  cycle.  The  two  remaining  are published  in  November.  One  announces  the  E-7 examination  for  the  January  cycle  and  the  other announces the E-4, E-5, and E-6 examinations for the March  cycle. Before  an  examination  can  be  administered,  you must find out who is recommended to take it. A TIR listing should be prepared. The list should consist of all 2-2