A Comparison of Methods for Evaluating Descriptive Comments on Officer Efficiency

On the Officer Efficiency Report currently used by the Department of the Army is a section labelled "Description of Rated Officer and Comments." In this space the rating officer, the immediate supervisor of the officer rated, ordinarily writes a statement ranging from a sentence or two to a half page or more. This may be highly complimentary, quite derogatory, or at any degree between these extremes; it may describe the ratee's job performance, his value to the service, leadership qualities, character, attitudes, health, morals, or appearance; it may add much or little to the evaluation of the rated officer as contained in the graphic numerical scales elsewhere in the report.