Army's Initiatives To Improve the Skill Qualification Test Program May Not Achieve Promised Changes
Gao ID: FPCD-82-69 August 18, 1982Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the Army's initiatives to improve the skill qualification test program (SQT) as it agreed to do in June 1982 and its request to reprogram funds to the SQT. In a prior report, GAO found that the SQT program as designed and implemented was not meeting the Army's needs for measuring individual training effectiveness and individual soldier proficiency in critical job tasks.
GAO found that the Army schools continue to design and administer SQT's as in the past, and the needed changes are not being developed or implemented. Of the funds that the Army requested to be reprogramed, GAO questioned about $8.5 million for schools, contracts, and the SQT administration through the current year. GAO believes that more positive action is necessary to demonstrate that SQT's are being redesigned to a less complex and less costly program that will effectively meet the Army's needs.