Army Promotion Cutoff Scores: What They Mean and Why Points Aren't Enough

What a cutoff score actually is

A cutoff score is the minimum number of promotion points a Soldier needs, in a specific MOS and rank, to be selected for promotion in a given month. It is not a test you pass once, it is a monthly line drawn by the needs of the Army. HRC (Human Resources Command) looks at how many Sergeant (E-5) or Staff Sergeant (E-6) vacancies exist in your MOS, sorts every eligible Soldier by total points, and sets the cutoff at whatever score fills those slots.

That means the cutoff is a moving target set by supply and demand, not by you. You control your promotion points. The Army controls the cutoff.

HRC publishes cutoffs monthly, by MOS

Cutoff scores come out once a month, typically around the 20th, and they are broken out by MOS and by rank. Your buddy in a different MOS can promote with far fewer points than you, or need far more, because each career field is managed separately. There is no single Army-wide number.

Because the list is by MOS, the smartest move is to track your own MOS over time rather than compare yourself to Soldiers in other fields. A trend of a falling cutoff in your MOS is a real signal that your month may be coming.

Reading the numbers: 798 (closed) vs. low cutoffs

Cutoffs run on the same 800-point scale as your promotion points. Where the number lands tells you how open your MOS is:

So a cutoff of 798 is not something to chase. It is the Army's way of saying there is essentially no room in that MOS right now, regardless of how good your record is.

Why you can have "enough" points but still not promote

This is the part that frustrates Soldiers the most. You can rack up a great point total and still sit at the same rank, because points don't promote you, being at or above your MOS cutoff does. A few common reasons:

• Your MOS is overstrength. Few or no vacancies means a very high cutoff. Your points are fine; the room isn't there.
• You're integrated but below the line. Once your points are in the system, you're ranked against everyone else in your MOS. If you're at 650 and the cutoff is 690, you wait.
• Administrative timing. A recently added award, school, or corrected record may not post before the month's list locks. It counts next cycle.

Why points seem to "disappear"

Sometimes your point total looks lower than you expected, or a cutoff you were above suddenly leaves you behind. Usually nothing was taken away, one of these happened:

• The cutoff rose. Fewer vacancies this month pushed the line above your score. Your points didn't drop; the bar moved up.
• Recalculation. Under the current semi-centralized system, points come objectively from your administrative record. If a document expired, was miscoded, or a temporary value rolled off, your total can shift.
• Two values in flux. The +150 BLC/ALC completion bonus and the exact AFT score-to-points table are moving parts right now, verify both against AR 600-8-19 and your S1 rather than assuming last month's figure.
• Board-appearance points are gone. Under the current system, all points come from your record, not a board interview, so if you were expecting "board points," they no longer exist.

Where to find the current cutoff scores

Cutoffs are official Army data, so go to the source:

1. Our by-MOS cutoff table, the latest HQDA numbers for every MOS with a 6-month trend, searchable by your MOS.
2. HRC's monthly promotion cutoff release, the authoritative by-MOS list, posted around the 20th each month.
3. Your S1 / IPPS-A, to confirm your own verified point total and eligibility.
4. Your chain / career counselor, for context on whether your MOS is trending open or tight.

Then use your record to push above the line. If you're chasing points, start with how to earn promotion points and the fast, verifiable wins in college credits. The cutoff you can't control, your point total, you can.