To attain black on the OPAT, the recruit or Soldier would need to achieve a minimum of 5 feet, 3 inches in the standing long jump 14 feet, 9 inches for the seated power throw 160 pounds for the strength deadlift and a 10:14 minute mile over the course of 43 shuttles. "Black" is for MOSs with heavy physical demands, like those of the combat arms branches, that require lifting or moving 99 pounds or more. Here is a quick breakdown of the four physical demand categories incorporated into the OPAT: Participants are scored according to the level they reach and the number of shuttles they complete. As the test progresses, the time between beeps gets shorter, requiring recruits to run faster in order to complete the shuttle. The running pace is synchronized with "beeps," produced by a loudspeaker, at specific intervals. The evaluation involves running "shuttles," or laps, between two designated points that are spaced 20 meters apart. The "interval aerobic run," always performed last, is designed to assess aerobic capacity. They then begin a sequence of lifts starting with 120 pounds, working up to 220 pounds. Participants stand inside a hex-bar and perform practice lifts to ensure good technique. The "strength deadlift" is designed to assess lower-body strength. The throw is scored from the wall to the nearest 10 centimeters from where the ball first contacts the ground. They hold a 4.4-pound (2-kilogram) medicine ball with both hands, bring the medicine ball to their chest and then push or throw the medicine ball upwards and outwards at an approximate 45-degree angle. Participants sit on the floor with their lower back against a yoga block and upper back against a wall. The "seated power throw" is designed to assess upper-body power. Participants stand behind a takeoff line with their feet parallel and shoulder-width apart. The "standing long jump" is designed to assess lower-body power. OPAT measures muscular strength, muscular endurance, cardiorespiratory endurance, explosive power and speed. It will be administered by any command responsible for Soldier assessions - including Recruiting Command and Army Cadet Command - after the Soldier swears in but before he or she begins training. The test will be administered to everyone coming into the Army: officer, enlisted, active, Reserve and Guard. All Soldiers, male and female, must pass the same physical standards for their desired career field. OPAT scoring is gender neutral, he added. "It is designed to put the right people in the right jobs and to ensure we keep our recruits safe while doing so," he said. When it comes to recruiting, Brian Sutton, a spokesman for Army Recruiting Command, said the OPAT is not meant to turn away or weed people out. As with any reclassification action, the battalion-level or brigade-level career counselor will administer the OPAT. The Soldier's commander will be responsible for ensuring the OPAT is administered prior to approval of a reclassification, Bragg said. However, a Soldier whose new MOS falls within the same or a lower level physical demand category will not need to take the OPAT. When a Soldier wishes to reclassify to a new MOS, from the significant category to the heavy category, for example, he or she will need to take the OPAT. Under the OPAT, there are four physical demand categories, Bragg explained. Soldiers moving into more physically demanding MOSs also will have to meet the OPAT standard, said Jim Bragg, retention and reclassification branch chief for Army Human Resources Command. The OPAT also will be used to assess some Soldiers who are reclassifying into a different MOS.Īrmy Recruiting Command estimates that the OPAT will be administered to about 80,000 recruits and thousands of cadets annually. WASHINGTON (Army News Service) - On Tuesday, the Army began administering the Occupational Physical Assessment Test, or OPAT, to all recruits to assess their fitness for military occupational specialties.
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