See below excerpt from page 1 of Air Force Pamphlet 36-2241, Professional Development Guide, dated 1 July 2009.
SUMMARY OF CHANGES
There are numerous updates and changes within this edition of the Professional Development Guide (PDG). The first obvious
change is the addition of Chapter 20, Enlisted Development. New information is added into various chapters on conflict
management, managing organizational change, team building, leveraging diversity, learning styles, interviewing, ABC-AU
Program, National Security Personnel System, Enlisted Performance Report forms, impact bullet statements, Profession of
Arms, individual first aid kits, and Air Force Incident Management System. Text contained within the text boxes does not
imply the material is any more important than other text contained in the chapter. Not so obvious, but just as important, are
the many reorganized and (or) streamlined chapters that better arrange material and provide concise, relevant information.
Finally, Chapters 1 and 20 are nontestable; however, Chapters 2 through 19 are applicable to Airmen testing for promotion to
staff sergeant (SSgt) through chief master sergeant (CMSgt).
The contents of chapter one are pretty much common sense. The key to good test results is study. The foundation of effective study is habit. Make studying a habit. Do some thinking and figure out how you can fit an hour of studying into your daily schedule. That's all it takes. One solid hour a day of undisturbed study. That is, if you start early enough. There is a lot of material to cover in the PDG so I suggest starting five months before your test date. Draw up a calendar of those five months and assign one chapter to each week. That will give you time to thoroughly study each chapter and cover all the material. Covering all the material is essential. It's no good if you maintained a good daily study routine for months but failed to allow time for the last three chapters. Post the calendar somewhere where you cannot fail to see it every single day. This will be a constant reminder to study and an indicator of whether you're on track or lagging behind.
Choose a time to study. We're all different. What works for me might not necessarily work for you. It would be ideal if you had one hour of quiet time, with no distractions, at the same time every day in which to study. That way, it's easier to make it a habit. If you have to stagger your scheduled study time, due to work or school, you can still study effectively as long as you stick to your plan.
In order to study effectively, you must have the cooperation of your spouse or roommate. If they don't understand your need for absolute quiet and aren't willing to support your efforts, make the library your regular study location and go alone. Studying at Starbucks or the Mall Food Court is not a good idea. Most of the people you see there with books aren't really studying.
Motivate yourself. Stay positive. Believe that you can do it. The questions on the test aren't hard. They're generally taken word for word from the text of the PDG. If you put in the time, you're guaranteed a good test score and if everything else is good (SKT, EPR, etc), you're almost certain to be promoted.