National Military Preparatory Exam

The National Military Preparatory Exam (or the NMPE; Stadtverisch: Nationale Militärische Vorbereitungsprüfung, NMVP) is a mandatory nationwide examination administered by the Staatsministerium für Bildung (Ministry of Education) to all citizens of the Menschlicher Sternenstaat twice during their secondary school years (or last homeschool years) of education. This system of examinations are used to collate data of the readiness of the teenage population for entry into the military sector in addition to the exploration of an individual's faculties for the best possible match of military career.

The NMPE was created following the end of the Civil War of the State in order for the Sternenstaat to easily organize its recruitment and personnel programs as it reconstructed its military branches and paramilitary organizations. Following its initial conception, gradual evolutions of the exam allowed vast swaths of secondary school graduates to be allocated specialized training programs and positions within their armed force of choice, in addition to allowing a quick and ready allocation of conscripts to positions within the armed forces in the event of total war.

Those that are homeschooled are still required to take the NMPE as per government mandate. This means that many homeschooled children still report to the nearest secondary school institutions for their proper examination unless given permission to conduct certain portions (or the entire exam) in their home by a regional education superintendent.

Even though the NMPE is intended for the military, a tremendous amount of civilian companies have paid the government to receive student scores and allow students access to civilian paths either immediately after school - a rare case - or after completing their chosen military career path.

NMPE 1
There are two periods of administration of the NMPE that students go through for their four years of secondary schooling. The first section of the NMPE, known as NMPE 1, is administered during the beginning of the second/sophomore year (or homeschool equivalent) of secondary school. The first subsection of NMPE 1 is the Physiological Examination Component I that interrogates the physical capabilities and fitness of students in a variety of basic strength, balancing, and cardio activities acclimated for 14-16 year old students; this component lasts four approximately three hours. The second subsection of the NMPE 1 is the Cognitive Examination Component I that interrogates a student's mental faculties through high-order thinking and logic tasks in addition to exploring personality and emotional intelligence through teamwork activities; this component lasts approximately three hours as well, consuming most of the school day. The following school day is usually cancelled due to this reason. Both components of the exam are segregated by sex.

The NMPE 1's general nature is on purpose, as it is expected for sophomores to not be entirely immersed into the collectively psychological militarist culture of the Sternenstaat as a whole. Instead, it gauges general physical and mental faculties according to the sex of each student and compares individual scores to national averages in order to build a base profile for the more difficult NMPE 2.

NMPE 2
The NMPE 2 is the more complex and rigorous of the two National Military Preparatory Examinations, and is administered to all students that are in their fourth/senior year (or homeschool equivalent) of secondary school, most often in the summer and alongside other school exams. It is expected for all students to have a basic understanding of the workings of the military at this time due to the introduction of military courses into the third and fourth years of secondary school.

The NMPE 2 is one of the largest exams that secondary school students will experience before a possible tertiary education. It lasts for ten hours, from 7 AM Veran Synchronized Operant Time (or equivalent) to 5 PM Veran Synchronized Operant Time (or equivalent).

The first subsection of NMPE 2 is the Physiological Examination Component II. PEC II requires all students to undergo exercises similar to what many will experience in cadet physical training during actual enlistment; this includes endurance trials in long-distance runs, strength trials through weightlifting and pulling, balance trials, and more as discerned by physical training instructors. PEC II lasts for four hours, has one hour's worth of miniature breaks interspersed within, and is followed by a mandatory hour break for lunch. This lasts from 7 AM to 1 PM.

The second subsection of NMPE 2 is the Cognitive Examination Component II. CEC II explores the proficiency of students in a wide variety of fields, ranging from basic arithmetic to algebra, geometry, and calculus for the Mathematics Examination Subcomponent that lasts for one hour followed by a twenty minute break session. The Science Examination Subcomponent explores proficiencies in biology, physics and chemistry and also lasts for one hour, followed by a twenty minute break. The Comprehension Examination Subcomponent interrogates a student's understanding of logical statements, technical explanations, and reading passages for one hour.

Long and arduous, the NMPE 2's structure also passively interrogates students' fatigue (or lack thereof) when taking into account their placement within military roles.

Scoring
The NMPE is not a pass/fail exam, but instead seeks to explore how far a student can succeed in a given task. Physical examinations are scored by how close one can get to the national average of a task, or excel past it. Cognitive examinations are scored by how many multiple choice questions a student can complete successfully and the quality of written responses before being compared to the national average. However, within each component, what task and what questions get right or get wrong are also taken into account.

For example, a student who scores excellently for biology, good for chemistry and/or physics, comprehension, algebra, and geometry, but does poorly on physical tasks and calculus will also have their personality analyzed by psychologists or psychoanalysis software prior to a generation of military and civilian career paths. The paths for such a student include becoming a combat medic for enlistment or a medical doctor/surgeon for officer schooling, or may even be offered special positions or programs in biological weapons and handling units.

Scores are all collated and analyzed by the State Ministry of Education prior to being sent off to colleges, sanctioned corporations, and most importantly the Staatswehr, Staatsschutz, and Nationales Verteidigungsamt and their officer schools. Each student is given a general profile that can be accessed by these entities. Each entity will propose different career and position paths for students that they can choose when they graduate secondary school.

Colleges use the NMPE as a supplementary augment to other exams a student will take during secondary school. They do not count wrong answers or poor exercise attempts against students when conducting analyses, but instead right answers and good exercises will be "statistical boosts".

Post-Examination Student Choice
When the NMPE is completed, and when each entity proposes the optimal paths they decided for students, the students are to choose a potential career or position path in the following week after the exam has completed. The most coveted positions are in officer schools for things such as military surgeons/doctors, battle commanders, naval officers, scientists, and executive or high ranking administrative/managerial positions, particularly in the Weltraummarine. Other highly coveted choices include officer or even specialized enlist positions in the the National-Staatsschutz, Kampf-Staatsschutz and the Sturmheer. Those who understandably fear intense foreign deployment can choose paths in the defensive paramilitary of the nation, the Landwehr (under the NVa). However, the Landwehr is not often pursued to its lower salaries and bonuses, but many students may nevertheless join the organization due to spots in all other branches being filled up from their region.

Exemptions
Students are allowed be exempted from all portions of the NMPE if they have suffered a disability or injury that cannot be corrected and/or treated during the arrival of NMPE 1 and/or NMPE 2, and are not obligated to do a retake. Many aristocratic families are able to also exempt their children due to the family already "having a positive, patriotic effect on the child" and their economic contributions. This often leads to some noble children to attain commisions in the military.