USN FT (Fire Control Tech Sub) Exam Prep

USN Fire Control Technician Submarine (FT) NWAE Study Guide

The Fire Control Technician (FT) rating operates and maintains the submarine force's combat and weapon-control systems. FTs stand fire-control watches, maintain the combat-system computer and display suites, handle torpedo and Tomahawk weapon-control functions at the unclassified fundamentals level, and contribute to tactical decision-making alongside sonar, ET, and the wardroom. Because FTs support a strategic and tactical submarine mission, the rating draws candidates from stringent screening — nuclear-power-adjacent standards, security-clearance requirements, and submarine-duty qualification (SS pin) all gate access. Advancement E-4 through E-9 flows through the Navy-Wide Advancement Exam (NWAE), PMA, time-in-rate, and award points.

NWAE exam structure

The NWAE is 150 multiple-choice items, 2.5 hours, twice a year. Roughly 100 items test occupational content drawn from the FT Occupational Standards and the Bibliography; about 50 test PMK, with PMK-EE credit applied for most paygrades. FTs serve on boats whose weapons and sensors include both conventional and strategic-force-adjacent capabilities; accordingly, submarine-force screening (medical, security, psychological, and PRP-adjacent requirements where applicable) is more stringent than for general-service ratings. The NWAE itself, however, tests unclassified fundamentals and doctrine — not compartmented tactics or system specifications.

Rating Bibliographies

NETPDC Pensacola publishes the FT Bibliography each cycle on MyNavy HR. The Bib lists OCCSTDs, PQS, NAVEDTRA rate training manuals, and Navy doctrinal references. Public, unclassified anchor references commonly include the FT Learning and Development Roadmap (LaDR) spanning E-1 through E-9 with dedicated E-6 and E-7 roadmaps, NAVEDTRA 14099 Fire Controlman Volume 2 Fire-Control Radar Fundamentals, Fire Controlman Volume 6 Digital Data Systems, and Naval Ordnance and Gunnery Volume 1. Always study the current cycle's Bib. Do not speculate about classified combat systems, weapon specifications, or tactics; the NWAE rewards mastery of fundamentals and doctrine, not open-source conjecture.

What to study

Focus unclassified preparation on: fire-control and weapon-control fundamentals as taught in rating school; tracking and target-motion-analysis concepts at the textbook level; radar and sonar basics (pulse, beam, range and bearing resolution, signal processing concepts); digital-data-system fundamentals (buses, processors, display subsystems, redundancy); naval ordnance and gunnery concepts from Volume 1; submarine combat-system architecture at the unclassified block-diagram level; casualty procedures and PQS watch-station knowledge; 3M and maintenance-management program discipline; and PMK/leadership content from the appropriate LaDR, including damage control, DAPA, EEO, and Navy leadership doctrine.

Common pitfalls

FTs sometimes over-focus on their own boat's equipment baseline and miss items drawn from the broader curriculum. A second pitfall is neglecting PMK — strong occupational scores are undermined by weak PMK-EE and leadership items. Third, candidates try to cram classified specifics from memory rather than reasoning from published doctrine; the NWAE draws only from unclassified, cycle-published references. Fourth, overlooking the Naval Ordnance volume costs points that are readily recoverable.

Study strategy using MMCE.app

MMCE.app's IRT adaptive engine concentrates your sessions on the specific topics your answers show you are weakest in. Build a 120-day plan: fundamentals (fire-control, radar, digital systems) for the first third, naval ordnance and submarine combat-system architecture for the middle third, and full-length timed diagnostics plus PMK in the final third. Use spaced-repetition flashcards for equations, acronyms, and watch-station terminology. Run the AI tutor on every missed question to drill the rationale. The readiness score will confirm when you are tracking past the 70% module threshold.

Career progression

FT advancement follows the standard Navy ladder: E-4 and E-5 via NWAE; E-6 via NWAE; E-7 via NWAE and Chief's board; E-8 and E-9 via senior boards. FTs accumulate submarine-specific NECs tied to combat-system baselines and weapon-control modules, and they commonly pursue instructor duty at Trident Training Facilities, recruiter and detailer tours, submarine LDO/CWO packages, and selective reenlistment bonuses. Maintain your dolphins, pursue advanced PQS, keep evaluations strong, and treat the NWAE as the most controllable input to your advancement.