Army requires new fitness test for soldiers who want to switch MOSs

Soldiers who want to move into a more physically demanding military occupational specialty – such as infantry or armor – soon will be required to take a new test before they can even qualify for training.

The Occupational Physical Assessment Test, or OPAT, is currently being tested with new recruits. The gender-neutral test is designed to help determine which MOSs a person can sign up for based on how well they perform. For example, prospective soldiers who want to go into a combat arms job such as infantry will need higher scores than recruits vying for a different MOS.

The OPAT is scheduled to be rolled out Army-wide Oct. 1 – four months later than its original June 1 launch date – and will be required of any soldier, male or female, already in the ranks who wants to reclass into an MOS with higher physical demands than their current MOS, Army officials said.

Read More- Army Times

Image courtesy of US Army