The Introduction


The purpose and goal of the Eval is to accurately and fully describe performance. Listing significant achievements does provide some insight into a person's capabilities but it doesn't provide the whole picture. A list of achievements doesn't give any indication as to the character or personality of the ratee. A Seaman might have a long list of impressive accomplishments but be an unruly Sailor with a bad attitude. He or she might be an expert in their field but the absolute worst at sharing experience or getting along with others. And those social qualities are very important, fully as important as a person's technical skills! So, in addition to describing a person's professional and technical skills, we need a way to convey to the reader his social skills, his integrity, his character, his loyalty and other qualities which are not apparent when merely reading a list of accomplishments. The introduction is where this is done. These are the only lines where descriptive, subjective terms and adjectives are tolerated and even encouraged.

The definition of subjective is: unsupported or biased. For example, my opinion of a Sailor may be that he is loyal and leadership material. If I don't provide examples of achievements that demonstrate those qualities, then my statements were merely my own opinion, biased, unsupported by facts, and subjective. The opposite of subjective is objective. Objective statements are statements that are clearly true because they're supported by facts. If I said that YN2 Smith processed 200 EVALs, more than any other member of his department, that would be an objective statement because it's demonstrated by facts. If I said YN2 Smith was the most patriotic member of the Navy, that would be a subjective statement because, first, patriotism is difficult to measure, but also because no one knows how patriotic the rest of the Navy is. This statement would be just my opinion and subjective. The introduction of the EVAL and the summary are the only areas where subjective statements are allowed.



  1. Introduction: two or three lines for the rater to describe the ratee's performance and character.
  2. The introduction should describe aspects of character not readily apparent from achievements
  3. accomplishment
  4. accomplishment
  5. accomplishment
  6. accomplishment
  7. accomplishment
  8. accomplishment
  9. accomplishment
  10. accomplishment
  11. accomplishment
  12. accomplishment
  13. accomplishment
  14. accomplishment
  15. Last line of accomplishment or first line of Summary
  16. Summary: one or two lines used to summarize the ratee's performance and make a promotion statement.



Note that there are 16 lines total in the Comments on Performance block and a two-line introduction will use up 1/8th of that space. So, while the Introduction is vital and neccessary, it should be limited to two lines if possible to allow maximum room for listing achievements.



Introduction Statement Examples:

A superior Sailor with a can-do attitude; always willing to take on more challenging tasks with greater responsibility. Earnest, loyal, and reliable, promote to Petty Officer ahead of peers!


An outstanding and welcome addition to our shop. In just 3 months he has made a huge impact on the unit's efficiency and morale. Not ranked higher solely due to time onboard. Ready for advancement!


***AN EXCEPTIONAL LEADER WHOSE PERFORMANCE ALWAYS EXCEEDS EXPECTATIONS!***


More Opening Comment Examples


Note: The above introduction statements are not neccessarily the best examples. They are shown to illustrate the format of the two-line introduction.





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