AIR FORCE SKT · NAVY BIBS · COAST GUARD SWE

What's on your SKT?

Your promotion test is written from a published reading list: the WAPS catalog for Airmen, the advancement bibliography ("bib") for Sailors. Both bury your list in a document covering every job. Pick your branch, job and paygrade and you'll get just your list, with links where a public copy exists and a checklist that stays on this device.

Good to know

Navy: these are the regular active-duty bibs for the March 2027 E-5 and E-6 exams and the January 2027 E-7 exam, as posted on Navy COOL. General Navy knowledge isn't on them anymore; that's the separate PMK-EE, which has its own official app. If a reference is updated after the exam is written, the Navy scores using the newer version. The Navy pulled every link from the bibs, so ours point to the public home where one exists.
Air Force: two tests, two sources. The PFE (Promotion Fitness Exam) comes only from AFH 1, Airman. The SKT is your job, and only the publications listed above. Many career fields are PFE only now, including most cyber and intel jobs and RPA pilots. Check Part Two, Section II A of your catalog.
Air Force job not listed? This page covers the career fields whose SKT reading lists are made of publications anyone can open. Most maintenance, medical and civil engineer trades test from CDCs, technical orders or course transcripts that live on eWORLD or in your unit's library, and nuclear weapons references are FOUO, so for those use your catalog and your WAPS monitor.
Air Force 2026 cycles: SSgt (26E5) tested 1 May to 30 June 2026. TSgt (26E6) tested 15 February to 15 April 2026. The 2027 catalogs weren't posted yet when we checked on October 10, 2026, so check the new catalog before you study, because reference lists change every cycle.
Don't study recalled questions. Sharing or using questions people remember from a real SKT, PFE, Navy exam or SWE is test compromise, and every service treats it as a punishable offense. Study the publications instead.

Space Force?

Guardians don't take a PFE or SKT. Space Force promotions to sergeant, technical sergeant and master sergeant are decided by a records board (the "Mega Board"). Since 2023 each board has been a general officer, a colonel and nine chief master sergeants, one board per rank. The 2026 board met June 15 to 26. Sergeant is moving to a "fully qualified" system, where commanders promote Guardians who meet the standard with no quota. The WAPS catalogs list no Space Force jobs. Space Systems Operations (1C6X1) shows up only as "transferred to USSF," and it's PFE only for the Airmen still in it.

So for a Guardian, your record is what gets read: your evaluations, your senior rater's endorsement and your qualifications. That means no reading list to post here.

Army and Marines?

Neither one has a written promotion test like WAPS. Army Soldiers going for SGT and SSG see a promotion board. Marines are promoted to corporal and sergeant on a composite score built from fitness tests, rifle qualification, courses and time in service. So there's no reading list to post for those.

Practice the FAA part

If you're in 1C1, the FAA order is half your SKT. Tower Ticket drills real 7110.65 phraseology in your browser, with each answer citing its paragraph. It doesn't cover the whole SKT. Use it alongside the reading list.

Tower Ticket Pilot test retake rules All study guides

Not official, and not tied to the Air Force, Navy, Coast Guard or FAA. Copied from the published WAPS catalogs and Navy bibs; if this page and the official list disagree, the official list wins (your WAPS monitor or ESO can confirm).

Sources

  1. 2026 E-5 (SSgt) WAPS Catalog, AETC Studies and Analysis Squadron, first published 9 January 2026, last change 20 April 2026: WAPS_2026_SSgt.pdf. Part Two, Section II (1C052, 1C151, 1C751, 1W051, 2G051, 2T051, 2T251, 3N056, 3P051, 6C051; 1S051 PFE only). Read October 10, 2026.
  2. 2026 E-6 (TSgt) WAPS Catalog, first published 1 November 2025, changed 19 November 2025 (1C771 and 1W0X1 references) and later: WAPS_2026_TSgt.pdf. Part Two, Section II (1C072, 1C171, 1C771, 1S071, 1W071, 2G071, 2T071, 2T271, 3N076, 3P071, 6C071). Read October 10, 2026.
  3. FAA JO 7110.65, Air Traffic Control, and the Pilot/Controller Glossary: faa.gov. The current edition is 7110.65BB (Change 3, 9 July 2026). In paragraph 3-10-5, land and hold short operations are marked "USA/USAF/USN NOT APPLICABLE."
  4. Public reference sites: FAR (acquisition.gov), 29 CFR (ecfr.gov), UFCs (wbdg.org), joint publications (jcs.mil), DoD Issuances (esd.whs.mil), Defense Transportation Regulation (USTRANSCOM). Air Force publications are on Department of the Air Force e-Publishing.
  5. DAFMAN 13-204 Volume 3 cover: "There are no releasability restrictions on this publication." (Department of the Air Force e-Publishing.)
  6. Navy: Navy COOL advancement bibliographies, regular exam, "March 2027 E-5" and "March 2027 E-6" (effective October 2026) and "January 2027 E-7" (effective July 2026): cool.osd.mil/usn/bibs. Read October 10, 2026.
  7. Coast Guard: SWE Guide (January 2025, dcms.uscg.mil) and the Servicewide Exam FAQ on mycg.uscg.mil.
  8. Space Force: Air Force's Personnel Center, "Space Force releases S5-S7 promotions," July 17, 2026 (spaceforce.mil); Air & Space Forces Magazine, "Space Force Announces Enlisted Promotions as It Prepares to Switch to 'Fully Qualified' System," July 17, 2026.
  9. Army and Marine promotion: Army Regulation 600-8-19 boards; Marine Corps composite score (MCO 1400.32 series). Summary only.