Hi all, I've been studying up on ratings that appeal to me and I found a questionable wikipedia article on the ET (nuke) selection process:

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In order to be selected for nuclear training prospective Navy recruits must have a high enough cutscore on the Armed Service Vocational Battery (ASVAB) that score being greater than 80 and the Nuclear Field Qualifying Test (NFQT) that score being greater than 50. Prospective nuclear recruits are then sent to Navy boot camp where prospective nuclear trainees are selected in a 50-30-20 ratio to be trained as nuclear machinist's mates, nuclear electrician's mate, or nuclear electronics technicians. Those who are selected to be nuclear electronics technicians then enter the Navy Nuclear Pipeline to train to become a nuclear ET.

Is this accurate? When I get to choose a rating are all the nuclear fields lumped into one rating then divided into ET/EM/MM at bootcamp as this article makes it seem? It sounds like the applicant doesn't really have a choice, can anyone please clear this up?

Slightly off topic but according to my recruiter I can expect being pushed toward a nuclear field because of my asvab scores and other academic history. I haven't taken the NFQT yet and was wondering when it's generally given

Yes the rating decision is done during bootcamp, although you can choose MM guaranteed in some cases. As for the selection process it includes your desires, scores, academic history, and most important NEEDS OF THE NAVY.
You may or may not have to take the NFQT depending on the line scores on the ASVAB. Your recruiter will tell you if it is needed and set you up to take it at MEPS.

If you do a little reading here, you'll find out a bit more on the process.

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Originally posted by william969:
Yes the rating decision is done during bootcamp, although you can choose MM guaranteed in some cases. As for the selection process it includes your desires, scores, academic history, and most important NEEDS OF THE NAVY.
You may or may not have to take the NFQT depending on the line scores on the ASVAB. Your recruiter will tell you if it is needed and set you up to take it at MEPS.

Thanks, that clears a bit up. As for needs of the navy, the CREO lists the nuke fields as undermanned, which is plenty good for me!

One last thing and I should be done with the questions, are these ASVAB scores still relevant for the nuclear fields? more specifically the VE+AR+MK+MC = 252 and AR+MK+EI+GS = 252:

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VE+AR+MK+NAPT = 290 (with minimum 50 NAPT score) or AR+MK+EI+GS+NAPT = 290 (with minimum 50 NAPT score) or VE+AR+MK+MC = 252 (No NAPT required) or AR+MK+EI+GS = 252 (No NAPT required).

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Originally posted by grn15:
Thanks, that clears a bit up. As for needs of the navy, the CREO lists the nuke fields as undermanned, which is plenty good for me!

he meant needs for a certain rating. When I went through the ratio was 4:2:1 MM:EM:ET

I graduated boot camp on 9/11/09. When we interviewed with the nuke coordinator at boot camp he told us it is 50% MM 30% EM, and 20%. I was the only nuke in my division to get ET. It was my first choice. My other shipmates choose MM and they got it. He said you're chosen by considering needs and your scores. Those two things are weighed close to equal when your rating is being determined. If you had good line scores for your rating, you can pretty much bet on getting your first choice. As well as a solid ASVAB score.

As Master Chief put it...doesn't matter what job you get you're in the nuke field...you'll learn each others job in the fleet.

When you get here to NNPTC you're gonna love it. It's an awesome atmosphere to be learning this hard material.

The ratios vary depending on the needs of the Navy. When I went through Boot and on to A School there were more than 20% of us who got ET, about 5 guys, only one guy EM, and about 7 MMs. MMs almost always have more guys, because M Div is just bigger, more than E and RC div combined, at least on boats... on targets who knows (who cares?). In the end it all comes down to needs of the Navy.

You are right to a degree there Mex, there is a great deal of cross rate training. However, you as an RO won't have all the qals to do that an MO does, and he won't have the same ones you will have. You're going to have different ones to do, in fact, you will have quals that he CAN'T do (RO in fact. You MUST be an ET to qual RO), you CAN qual all of his watchstations, and should you go on to EWS and EDPO quals (highly recomended btw), you will get a good dose of MO quals. Cross rate knowledge is a MUST for a Nuke, but don't go thinking that one is interchangable to the other, or for that matter that one is more important than the other. For the Engine Room to function you MUST work as a well trained team. When it all clicks, it's a thing of beauty.

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Originally posted by ErikBloodaxe:
When it all clicks, it's a thing of beauty.

Unless that clicking sound is from the scram breakers opening...

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Originally posted by AoiSonlee:

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Originally posted by ErikBloodaxe:
When it all clicks, it's a thing of beauty.

Unless that clicking sound is from the scram breakers opening...

That is more of a "thunk" sound

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Originally posted by dbil:

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Originally posted by AoiSonlee:

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Originally posted by ErikBloodaxe:
When it all clicks, it's a thing of beauty.

Unless that clicking sound is from the scram breakers opening...

That is more of a "thunk" sound

Reminds me of a couple months ago when I was standing in AMR2UL (635) after #4 kicked off... RO took switch to off, but then #4 restarted on its own in F/S. Turns out SSI's will function as an LVP in the last known good configuration on a loss of power. Random, I know, but it popped into my mind reading this. (SSI's were quickly replaced with standard 904's after that.)


What I really logged on to say, was that the nuke pipeline works in funny ways. You may not be satisfied immediately with your GIVEN rate as a nuke, but when you get to the end of the pipeline and you look back and look around you, you realize that you fit in with your rate more than you'd have ever liked to back in A school.

Choose your rate, choose your fate.

(FYI, I wanted to be an ET so bad, but now that I look at it all, I'm SOOO glad I'm NOT.)

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Reminds me of a couple months ago when I was standing in AMR2UL (635)

You had BEST say thank you to whatever god you worship that you were allowed to be on board that magnificent hull... or what's left of her after we chopped her up.

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Originally posted by ErikBloodaxe:

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Reminds me of a couple months ago when I was standing in AMR2UL (635)

You had BEST say thank you to whatever god you worship that you were allowed to be on board that magnificent hull... or what's left of her after we chopped her up.

I will say that she was especially kind to me. But I was on the 26 today assisting in a weld job and doing a ship check on the SSTG exhaust boot... meaning I was given a sharpie and a flash light and told go down there, mark every clamp piece and where it connects..

But anyways, I was on the 26 today, and its engine room is WAY different than the 35. Has two ladders to the engine room, UL is a good five feet higher in the boat than the 35's there's more walking space, its cleaner, I think it wider, but... i dunno, its just DIFFERENT. I liked the configuration better , obviously major components were in the same places, but it felt "smaller" due to not being able to see the aft bulkhead from outside nucleonics.