Hijacked thread...MPI scores--what is considered a solid MPI score and what would cause a lower or higher score?

J

Jeepman

5-Year Member
Joined
Dec 20, 2017
Messages
240
My last thread got hijacked by some posters talking about assignments. In regard to MPI scores, what is considered a solid/good score and what would adversely or positively impact the score? Thanks in advance for keeping this conversation on topic.
 
I wouldn't say your thread got hijacked, it was more of a detour - as MPI is a factor of your MPA which determines you class rank which potentially determines what billet you get (along with other factors) hence the specific question on class rank and aviation.

I saw your post yesterday and was hesitant to answer as my information is dated - but then I found the Cadet Regulations (haven't looked at that in years) so here's my try:

Your MPI is out of 100 points for each semester/summer training period, cumulatively it's calculated based on the percentages @ekb1398 gave you in your first thread. It is primarily based on your Cadet Evaluation Record as he said (also called a CER) which includes the score you are awarded by your division officer in each performance dimension of the CER in addition to how well you do on any professional testing. For the summer, these evaluations are conducted by whoever your supervisor is at the unit your sent to.

Adverse Effects:
Conduct Issues - Earning demerits, being placed on restriction or probation, being masted (it's basically a military "hearing" conducted by a senior Academy official for disciplinary reasons - it is NOT the same as a Court Martial).
Failing to complete the athletic activity requirement
Failing to complete the required number of community services/institutional service hours expected of a cadet
Not Completing your Coast Guard Mandated Training (most of which is online)

Positive Effects:
High CER Evaluation
Summer - Earning more than the required qualifications at your assigned unit
Providing solid input - this means provide supporting documentation as to why you deserve a high score in a performance dimension. This is something a cadet will have to do throughout their whole career as a cadet and as an officer. No one knows you better than you do, and nobody cares about how your perceived/evaluated more than you do.The more solid input that is provided, the more a supervisor can justify higher marks. I tell my people that I will always work to make sure their contributions are accurately reflected in their evaluations and awarded. However, I also tell them that effort will likely match the effort they put in to helping me accurately reflect their performance. Don't want to provide input? Don't be surprised when you don't achieve above average marks.

Ultimately, what primarily drives your MPI is you as an individual and how you choose to perform. The top 25% of cadets per class class in each company will make the Commandant of Cadet's List for their MPI. Racking my brain, the number 80 comes to mind as roughly the bottom threshold for that in my time there.

Can you provide more detail as to why you're asking? It may help us provide you with a better answer, or at least an assessment, of the situation.
 
@trackandfield08 @ekb1398 I have fielded questions regarding MPI before, and it usually happens a few weeks after a semester begins when the silver stars are awarded. Parents want clarification as to why their cadet did/did not receive one. Gold stars and bronze stars are pretty cut and dried as to how they are earned, but the silver has a bit more grey area in its determination. Perhaps this question is just for clarity.
 
I've asked this question before ( https://www.serviceacademyforums.com/index.php?threads/uniform-stars-at-the-cga.59226/#post-584496) . My DS had the Gold for 8 semesters and the Bronze star for 7 semesters. He did receive the Silver Star once (of course it was the one semester he didn't get the bronze), anyhow. He even was company commander his second semester as a 1st class, but didn't get a silver star the previous semester. He never gave me a solid answer, but I'm guessing he probably was a goof off.
 
The context is simply to get an idea of what a good score is, a bad score, an excellent score, etc. If anyone wants to approximate the numeric MPI to a A, B, C, D, F ranking range feel free.
 
Jeepman said:
The context is simply to get an idea of what a good score is, a bad score, an excellent score, etc. If anyone wants to approximate the numeric MPI to a A, B, C, D, F ranking range feel free.
Click to expand...
I wish I could give you a solid answer to this, but there simply isn't one good answer. For swab summer, above a 70 would be stellar. Much after that, anything below 70 would be not too great. 80 is pretty solid, I would say 85 is really good.

One thing to understand about MPI and silver stars and such is that they are pretty subjective. When I came as a 4/c, an "average" cadet would probably get a lot of 5, a few 4, and a few 6 (out of 7). There is a resurgence of people right now trying to get back to average being truly average - a 4. My point here is that depending on who writes and reviews your CER's, it can vary widely. My Cadre section from this summer had dramatically lower scores than other cadre sections, and it's not because we were a worse section, it's because we had different markers, reviewers, and approvers than every other section.
 
@ekb1398 gave you a high quality response as to data he/she considers solid and really good. Evaluations are subjective based on the raters and just like evaluations in the civilian world there are philosophical differences between raters in different work groups. One way the Academy norms for this is that up to 25% of each company can get the silver star, so they attempt to identify the top 25% of cadets in each work group even if for example Company B rates harder than Company C.

The teaching point for the cadets in all this is soon as young officers they not only will be rated but have to rate subordinates and having gone through the cadet ratings for 4 years educates them on the various topics to consider, differing points of view, as @ekb1398 said getting back to 4 being truly average, etc. and how important their ratings are to their subordinates career.

shout out to @trackandfield08 for another quality response.

Good luck.
 
Haveaniceday said:
@ekb1398 gave you a high quality response as to data he/she considers solid and really good. Evaluations are subjective based on the raters and just like evaluations in the civilian world there are philosophical differences between raters in different work groups. One way the Academy norms for this is that up to 25% of each company can get the silver star, so they attempt to identify the top 25% of cadets in each work group even if for example Company B rates harder than Company C.

The teaching point for the cadets in all this is soon as young officers they not only will be rated but have to rate subordinates and having gone through the cadet ratings for 4 years educates them on the various topics to consider, differing points of view, as @ekb1398 said getting back to 4 being truly average, etc. and how important their ratings are to their subordinates career.

shout out to @trackandfield08 for another quality response.

Good luck.
Click to expand...

You're making me blush. 😳😉

I'm going to return the compliment - this is an excellent post and description of the reality of all Coast Guard evaluations, not just the Cadet Evaluation Reports (CERs).

@Jeepman The numbers matter, but as a cadet enters the fleet and receives their first Officer Evaluation Report (OER), they'll find there are three other blocks that matter more. In an OER, these blocks are the Comparison Scale, the Promotion Scale, and the Reporting Officer Comments blocks. The Comparison Scale is a ranking block where the highest level officer reviewing your OER (usually the Commanding Officer or Executive Officer of a unit) ranks your performance/ability against all other officers of that same rank that they've ever evaluated. So, from top to bottom, you could be the "Best Officer of this Grade" all the way down to "Unsatisfactory." Most people fall somewhere in the middle. The Promotion Scale is similar, it's where you can be recommended to promote, promote with the best of your peers, do not promote, etc. The Reporting Officer Comments are just like they sounds, it's the highest ranking officer's opinion of your performance and usually includes recommendations for a promotion and for assignments based on what you want to do in your career.

The point is, as @Haveaniceday indicated, it's all subjective. Thankfully, when you go up before a promotion board or assignment panel, the highest ranking officer's evaluation history is also reviewed. So, as @ekb1398 alluded to, if someone gives mostly fours but then gives you a six, the board knows that's the officer's way of indicating high performance. It also works in reverse. If an officer gives a bunch of sevens out all time, the board now knows that their ranking system may be inflated.

Going back to CERs, there is a ranking scheme and comments section that is comparable to the Comparison Scale and comments section of an OER. So, numbers will matter in terms of calculating the initial MPI, but getting in that top 25% to get a silver star very likely also relies on the comments and ranking a cadet is given.

Frankly, the subjective nature of MPI is why I would recommend a cadet focus on how they can improve their academic and physical fitness performance because a cadet has more control over those scores than the CER.

Of course, a cadet should always meet their military obligations and work to exceed what is expected of them with respect to their division responsibilities. The military piece of the puzzle is just as important as the others. But, at the end of the day, all a cadet control with a CER is the supporting documentation they provide to their supervisor, which is why it is critical to take that seriously. A supervisor will rank you how they want to rank you, whether you like the end result or not.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top