Taking an examination for promotion from one grade to a higher one in the navy is at least as exciting as buying a ticket in a lottery, and it certainly involves the element of chance.
This is true even when the officer examined goes before the board in Washington; and when the candidate appears before the temporary examining board organized on a distant station, all kinds of guesses as to the probable character of the examination are in order. I think it may be safely said, however, that the candidate examined abroad has, as a rule, an easier time than his brother officer who receives his grilling before the regular board.
Conditions are often very unequal for officers due for promotion at about the same time. One may be able to get his examination promptly; the examination of the other may be delayed for months; one may have a pleasant environment with access to equipment and appliances to be described in the examination; the other may have had a hard grind on some uncomfortable little ship on a disagreeable station.
We all have heard of some of the old-time boards, each member of which was known to have a hobby. If the candidate were "wise" as to the respective hobbies and had ready answers for the pet questions, he need have no fear of not passing triumphantly; but Heaven help him if he knew only the routine facts of his profession!
Some of the examinations conducted by the old engineer examining boards were record breakers for duration. Many of the passed assistant engineers who emerged from the Civil War had a long time to wait on small pay for promotion to the grade of chief engineer. There was much professional stagnation, as naval affairs in this country took a decided slump for fifteen years or so after peace had been restored. Besides, most of these men were stronger in practical than in theoretical engineering. Consequently, when the long-deferred orders to examination appeared, the candidate was often in for a spell of "heavy weather."
Examinations before the engineer board in Philadelphia sometimes lasted for a period as long as thirty or forty days, and I believe high-water mark was reached at fifty days.
At the present day we find officers whose promotion is due within a year making collections of "questions"from all possible sources. Doubtless some good is derived by the officer from his strenuous efforts to size up the possibilities of the situation. But, while the new commission doubtless appears to him an adequate reward for the efforts made, it seems doubtful that the energy expended has been directed to the best advantage.
A man who is making more or less excited efforts to cram for an examination, failure in which means a serious set-back to his career, is not capable of attending properly to his routine duties during the period of such preparation. And we know that this period often extends over many months. Hence an economic loss, some of which no doubt is preventable. Things got to such a pass in the days of the old engineer corps that a determined and successful effort was made to inaugurate a new and better system.
The change was made, if I am not mistaken, in 1891. The late Rear Admiral George W. Melville was engineer in chief, and he had as aid a very able young engineer, Walter M. McFarland, who was the prime mover in the reform of the engineers' examination which was effected.
In the McFarland system the examination for each grade was confined by departmental order to a definite list of questions published and issued to the service. For the grade of chief engineer, for example, there was a definite number of subjects, and under each heading there were appropriate questions, each question bearing a serial number.
The examining board was required to ask the candidate two questions, no more and no less, under each heading, from the published list.
Thus the candidate had foreknowledge of the questions which were to be asked, and knew the exact language in which they would be propounded. The only thing that he did not know in advance was which of the available questions would fall to his lot. Consequently, he had to be prepared on all of the questions.
As a result of the adoption of the McFarland system, the time required for conducting engineer examinations was greatly reduced; the candidate was enabled to study intelligently and in line with departmental policies; and in general there was a conservation of energy.
I believe there is room for improvement in our present policy as to examinations. I would suggest the adoption of the following scheme:
First. Examinations to be conducted on the McFarland plan. Schedule of questions to be revised biennially.
Second. The number of subjects on which the candidate is to be examined to be restricted for each grade by departmental order. For example: For lieutenant, junior grade, navigation, seamanship, steam engineering, ordnance, language. For lieutenant, navigation, steam engineering, ordnance, electricity, military law, and so on.
Third. All officers to be examined at least a month before examination is due. Examination to be conducted on station.
I believe that the adoption of the above-mentioned system would be conducive to fairness without sacrifice of thoroughness; and that on the whole it would be found in accordance with the principles of scientific management.