What does it take to become nco?

It really depends on branch of service. I know for sure to become a marine nco, you must have a good rifle score, good pt score, do your MCI's, have good pros and cons (counseling marks) and time is service points. Also time in service must at least be a year. Normally people don't even have a high score at the end of a year but will get "meritoriously promoted" if they are outstanding people. These things add up and you rate a score. The score (cutting score) you will need to become an NCO depends on your job (MOS) For example, a radio operator usually has a low cutting score, so easy to get promoted. Honestly, with some jobs you can do bad in one area, like a bad rifle score, and still get promoted because the score is so low. But some jobs, like administration are high. Sometimes the score you need gets so high, they close the MOS so nobody gets promoted for that month. This is usually do to limited spaces. To some degree all branches work on a similar level as this. Keep in mind this is just for becoming a first level nco.