Does your employer promote based on the results of an objective test? For example, many police departments have tests officers must pass to attain a particular

Does your employer promote based on the results of an objective test? For example, many police departments have tests officers must pass to attain a particular supervisory rank. If that's how things work, then I agree that you know "what it takes to get there". In most organizations, public sector or private, there are a limited number of openings at a particular level, dependent upon budget, need, politics, and whatever other means of decision-making are in use. And those positions are filled based on subjective criteria at the discretion of the supervisor(s) responsible for them. So while you do know what other positions pay, the hard part -- assigning each human a role and compensation -- is every bit as opaque and subject to manipulation and error as anywhere else.