The United States Army Sniper School is a highly selective school that trains its snipers to kill with one shot. Thus, the school provides sniper training to those who meet all of its qualifications, beginning with its course qualifications. Soldiers entering the school must have 20/20 vision or vision that can be corrected to 20/20 status, in addition to excellent color vision. Soldiers must also be within an E3 and E7 grade and have a GT score of 110 or higher. Weapons proficiency is expected. For instance, soldiers must demonstrate proficiency with the M-16A1 and M-16A2. Other qualifications relate to a clean disciplinary record and psychological evaluation.
The school requires that it soldiers be psychologically capable of performing the duties of a sniper. This must be verified with documentation of a psychological evaluation. Other qualifications that require documentation include demonstrated expertise with designated weapons, great physical condition (including flexibility and aerobic conditioning) and meeting the Army's weight control demands under Army regulation 600-9. Soldiers must be able to endure the rigorous demands of the five-week training program and their health must be corroborated with medical records that are to be submitted during processing.
Despite the fact that soldiers are trained to be marksmen, they must also be qualified to handle a revolver or rifle with competency. Thus, soldiers are often assessed according to the military acronym BRASS. This acronym represents a soldier's ability to breath, relax, aim, slack, and squeeze. In fact, soldiers may begin their marksmanship training at the United States Army Marksmanship Unit, which engages in a series of national and international competitions to enhance the training of marksmen and to further train them in the BRASS philosophy.