O-3 rank corresponds to which Navy rank?

• A. Ensign
• B. Lieutenant Junior Grade
• C. Lieutenant
• D. Lieutenant Commander

Answer: (C)

Pay grades for Navy officers run from O-1 to O-10, with Ensign (O-1), Lieutenant Junior Grade (O-2), Lieutenant (O-3), and Lieutenant Commander (O-4) representing the early steps in that sequence. O-3 specifically maps to the rank of Lieutenant, which is the next level after Lieutenant Junior Grade and before Lieutenant Commander. That’s why this is the best answer. In practice, advancement depends on time in service and performance, but the established mapping from O-3 to Lieutenant is consistent across the officer ranks.