The pay grade O-3 corresponds to which ranks?

• A. Captain and Lieutenant
• B. Major and Lieutenant Commander
• C. Ensign and Lieutenant Commander
• D. Captain and Commander

Answer: (A)

Pay grade O-3 is the third level of commissioned officer pay. In the U.S. military, this grade maps to Captain in the Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, and to Lieutenant in the Navy and Coast Guard. So the ranks that fit O-3 are Captain and Lieutenant. The other ranks listed correspond to different pay grades (for example, Major is O-4, Lieutenant Commander is O-4, Ensign is O-1, and Commander is O-5), which is why they aren’t correct for O-3.