When and how did Commander Shepard become N7?

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Is it know when or what events lead to Shepard earning the N7 designation? Are we to assume that it was awarded for which ever event the player chooses as part of their service history or did BioWare choose not to answer this question at all? For being the game's recognizable icon, there seems to be remarkably little information on the N-school or on missions which earn candidates the distinguished designation.
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How did Shepard become N7?
Officers are recruited from branches of the military. Soldiers in the program train in Rio for N1 rank. Soldiers train off-world for N2-N6 rank. N7 rank is awarded to distinguished N6'es that excel in live combat situations.How long does it take to become an N7?
And how does that compare with modern day special forces training? Kai Leng is N7 at 20, 4 years after enlistment and one year after being accepted to ICT.What does N7 stand for?
N7 is a vocational code in the Systems Alliance military. The "N" designates special forces and the "7" refers to the highest level of proficiency. It applies to Alliance personnel who have graduated from the Interplanetary Combatives Training (ICT) program.Is Commander Shepard canonically male or female?
The character is clearly a woman. "Yup, Commander Shepard was originally a woman," said Cooper. That settles it once and for all: FemShep is the one true Commander Shepard. This is definitely canon, right, BioWare?Mass Effect Lore - The N7 Program
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