On Monday, I was informed that I was eligible to take the next test for advancement to paygrade E-6 (Petty Officer First Class). This despite the fact that the exam was a scant three days away. That's barely any time to study. I hadn't done any studying at all, as I was under the impression that I wouldn't have the proper amount of time-in-rate until the next exam, six months from now. As it turns out, being advanced to first class would result in a jump of about four hundred dollars per month in my paycheck.
But there's a catch: the guy responsible for administering the exams apparently wasn't aware that I was eligible, so there's no exam for me to take tomorrow. The upside to this is I'll get plenty more time to study. I fully expect to get promoted; from everything I hear, it's really easy to make it in my rating. That said, the better I do, the quicker the higher pay will start. It's thus in my interest to be as prepared as possible.
(EDIT, 8:15 am, 3/6: It turns out my original thinking was right, and I'm not eligible for the exam this cycle. Oh well.)