While it cannot guarantee that any one per- son  will  be  advanced,  the  advancement  system does guarantee that all persons within a particular rate will compete equally for the vacancies that exist. HOW  TO  PREPARE  FOR ADVANCEMENT To  prepare  for  advancement,  you  should  (1) be  aware  of  the  requirements  of  your  occupational standards,  (2)  work  on  the  Personnel  Advance- ment Requirements (PAR), and (3) study the re- quired rate training manuals and other material required  for  advancement  in  your  rating.  The following sections describe the publications with which  you  should  be  familiar  and  give  practical suggestions on how to use them in your prepara- tion  for  advancement. Manual of Navy Enlisted Manpower and Personnel Classifications and Occupational Standards The Manual of Navy Enlisted Manpower and Personnel  Classifications  and  Occupational Standards, NAVPERS 18068 series, contains the occupational  and  naval  standards  for  advance- ment  to  each  pay  grade.  It  consists  of  two  sec- tions.  Section  I  describes  the  naval  standards  and occupational  standards.  Section  II  contains  the Navy  enlisted  classification  (NEC)  codes. Naval standards are expressed as the minimum skills  and  knowledge  that  apply  to  all  ratings rather  than  to  any  one  rating.  Naval  standards for third and second class petty officers deal with military  conduct,  naval  organization,  watchstand- ing,  leadership,  damage  control,  and  other  sub- jects  that  are  required  of  petty  officers  in  all ratings. Occupational standards define tasks required of personnel within a particular rate and rating and  are  divided  into  subjectmatter  groups. If   you   are   working   for   advancement,   you should remember that you are responsible for the occupational standards applicable to the rate for which you are taking the examination and for the standards of the lower pay grade(s) in the rating. Personnel Advancement Requirements One  of  the  requirements  used  to  determine eligibility  for  advancement  is  the  completion  of the  Personnel  Advancement  Requirements  (PAR), NAVPERS  1414/4.  The  purpose  of  the  PAR  is (1)  to  individualize  advancement  requirements  for each rating and for rates within the rating, and (2) to provide a consolidated checklist of perfor- mance requirements that you can use in preparing for  advancement.  The  PAR  is  not  only  used  in determining your readiness for advancement, but it is also used as a basis for recommending you for advancement. It can provide a record of pro- gress  toward,  and  a  history  of,  your  advancement. The PAR sheet for your rating is designed as a checklist of the various minimum requirements for  advancement.  As  you  demonstrate  your  ability to perform each requirement, appropriate entries are made in the DATE and INITIALS columns. The  requirements  are  presented  in  three  sections: .    Section  I,  Administrative  Requirements .    Section  II,  Formal  School  and  Training Requirements .    Section  III,  Occupational  and  Military Ability Requirements Until   completed,   the   NAVPERS   1414/4   is usually  held  by  your  division  officer;  after  comple- tion,  it  is  forwarded  to  the  personnel  office  for insertion  into  your  service  record.  If  you  are transferred before qualifying in all requirements, the  incomplete  form  should  be  forwarded  with your service record to your next duty station. You can save yourself a lot of trouble by making sure that this form is actually inserted in your service record before you are transferred. If the form is not in your service record, you may be required to  start  all  over  again  and  requalify  in  the  re- quirements  that  have  already  been  checked  off. Bibliography For Advancement Study The  Bibliography   for   Advancement   Study, NAVEDTRA 10052, is a very important publica- tion  for  any  enlisted  person  preparing  for  ad- vancement.  This  bibliography  lists  the  required and recommended rate training manuals and other reference material to by used by personnel work- ing  for  advancement. NAVEDTRA 10052 is revised and issued once each  year  by  the  Chief  of  Naval  Education  and Training. Each revised edition is identified by a letter  following  the  NAVEDTRA  number.  When by  SURE  that  you  have using  this  publication, the  most  recent  edition. The  required  and  recommended  references  are listed by pay grade in NAVEDTRA 10052. If you are  working  for  advancement  to  third  class,  study the material that is listed for third class. If you 1-5