Free · 2 minutes · Pathwise

Why am I not getting promoted?

Working hard and being promotable are different things. Answer a few quick questions and get your promotion probability for the next 12 months — plus the specific things holding it back.

Free. No account. Takes about two minutes.

What the score measures

Scope growth

How much your team, budget, or influence has grown lately. This carries more weight than any other single input — scope growth predicts promotions better than ratings do.

Time in your current role

Past three years in the same seat, every extra year erodes the score. A stall reads as a stall regardless of how good the rest looks.

Manager trust

Your manager's backing is worth a real jump in your odds. Internal advocacy moves promotions more reliably than output does.

Promotion freeze

The single heaviest negative in the model. A freeze doesn't slow your clock — it resets it, usually by a year or more.

Role clarity

Clear, agreed expectations make you easier to promote. Unclear ones are the most common reason strong performers get passed over.

Learning speed & promotion history

How fast you're picking things up now, and how often you've been promoted before. A long career with at most one promotion is its own signal.

Notice what isn't on this list: how hard you work, and how good your last review was. Neither predicts a promotion on its own, which is the whole reason people get blindsided by one they were sure they'd earned.

What your number means

Likely60–100

You're in line for it. The work now is making the decision happen, not waiting to be noticed.

Uncertain30–59

Live but not landing. Something specific is holding it back — usually not your output.

Unlikely0–29

Not close right now. Nearly always fixable, and rarely about performance.

You get the same 12-month figure the paid report carries — this funnel doesn't hold the number back. What it can't tell you is what to do about it: which blocker to attack first, whether pushing internally beats going outside, and what another year at these odds costs you. That comes from the rest of your picture. Directional estimates built on 2025–26 India data, not career advice.

Two minutes to a real answer.

Before your next review

Signs you're being passed over for promotionThe usual checklist is symptoms. Here's what actually predicts your odds.What staying too long actually costs youWhat the gap compounds into while you wait for the next cycle.What is a Career Health Score?Why promotion odds are one of six signals, not the whole picture.Average salary hike when switching jobsWhat the outside option pays, if the answer keeps being 'next cycle'.