Precisely! What really pisses me off is here in Massachusetts, veterans get an extra 2 points on the State Police exam. So, a veteran can get a 102 on the exam, and those two points could easily knock other people out of candidacy for the job. WTF is the point to this? I think if you're a veteran, you have a better knowledge of what's going on, and this exam would be that much easier to begin with. An arbitrary 2% gain is too "sensitive".

I love our veterans, but seriously. Just because they served doesn't mean they should get special treatment. A lot of them don't ever even see combat (depending on branch, obviously), so they get an extra 2points, along with the veterans who DO see combat and have practical experience. That leaves the civilians out! We must include them! But why should anyone get an extra 2 points to begin with? There's no need. Veterans that have the practical experience will naturally do better.

I think veterans should be compensated even if they were not in combat, but that does not mean they should be given extra points on a test. That's just the luck of the draw by not being in combat, not their fault. I also agree with you about tests scores. A level playing field and no special points for race or service or whatever. The idea is to put people in positions who are the most qualified.

alias, I agree about luck of the draw. My only point is that a vet with combat experience has more practical knowledge than one without, and the one without still gets a point increase, and the civilian, also without combat experience, gets nothing. My reasoning sounds vague because I don' know exactly how to spell i out, but it's absurd that there is any point increase, which we agree on anyway. This was instituted a few years ago, too. Before that, it was level. Didn't matter if you were a doctor or a thug straight outta Compton. You need a college diploma, pass the test, pass training, etc, and you're in.

Actually us "Vets" dont' get extra points on the test, we get preference points in the application process, certain things like time served and combat action determine how many points. If Mass decides to apply those to the test then you need to bring it up with you loacl government. The reason we got those points is because there are alot of jobs in the military that don't translate into the civilian world, and If a Boatswains Mate (the guy who handles the lines and paints the ship among other things) applies for a police department and gets picked up, my understanding is that he still has to go through the same training that Joe Blow off the street has to complete. We should move this to the Military thread if you would like to continue.

Well Tabris, i do agree with you on the point increase issue. There should be a way for people who are qualify for the job as an officer or whatever to get that certain job or position.