Which rank is directly above Sergeant in the enlisted ladder?

Which rank is directly above Sergeant in the enlisted ladder?

• A. Corporal
• B. Staff Sergeant
• C. Sergeant First Class
• D. Master Sergeant

Answer: (B)

Understanding how enlisted ranks stack by pay grade helps answer this quickly. Sergeant is a pay grade of E-5. The next higher pay grade is E-6, which is Staff Sergeant. So the rank directly above Sergeant is Staff Sergeant. The other options are either below (Corporal) or higher (Sergeant First Class and Master Sergeant), with Sergeant First Class sitting above Staff Sergeant and Master Sergeant well above, not the immediate next step.

Understanding how enlisted ranks stack by pay grade helps answer this quickly. Sergeant is a pay grade of E-5. The next higher pay grade is E-6, which is Staff Sergeant. So the rank directly above Sergeant is Staff Sergeant. The other options are either below (Corporal) or higher (Sergeant First Class and Master Sergeant), with Sergeant First Class sitting above Staff Sergeant and Master Sergeant well above, not the immediate next step.