Skip to main content
SecurityIranian media report two missiles hit Qeshm Island in southern I…Hanukkahin 28 days · December 5, 2026Hebrew date27 Cheshvan 5787USD/ILS₪3.199Kinneret-213.72 m

How to get into the IDF's units, and how to train for them

30 units, from Sayeret Matkal to the Border Police and Unit 8200: what each one asks for, the steps on the way in, how long its training lasts and how to prepare. Every fact on this page comes from the IDF's own page for the role.

30
units on this page
661
roles on the IDF's site
70
combat roles
140
roles with a try-out

The guide to preparing, from the first call-up to the try-outSearch every role

IDF soldiers on an exercise

Five steps lead from the first call-up to the draft.

Every unit on this page picks its fighters from what these steps measure. How to prepare for each step

  1. 1First call-upIn high schoolThe Dapar test, an interview, a Hebrew score and the medical profile.
  2. 2Yom HaMa'aOnline, 08:00 to 16:00A day of tests that gives a score of 1 to 5 in each of the abilities the roles ask for.
  3. 3Preferences questionnaireOpens in August, between 11th and 12th gradeEach role is rated from 1 to 5.
  4. 4Yom Sayarot and try-outsYom Sayarot in January or OctoberFor combat roles: profile 82 and up and a Dapar of 50 and up, then the unit's own try-out.
  5. 5Interview week and the draftInterviews in early May and early DecemberInterviews for the roles that hold them, then the draft day.

Special forces and elite units

Most of these units take their fighters through Yom Sayarot and a try-out of their own, and train them for a year or more.

Infantry brigades

The five infantry brigades take fighters with profile 82 and up and train them for seven months to a year.

Combat corps and the borders

Armour, artillery, engineering, combat intelligence, the border defense battalions, search and rescue, air defense and the Border Police.

Navy and Air Force

The missile ships, Snapir, the submarines, the naval officers' course and the pilot course.

Technology and intelligence

Unit 8200 and the Talpiot program, where the way in runs through test scores and screening days rather than a field try-out.

Training runs from about 3.7 months in the Border Police to about 36 months in the Talpiot Program.

The units for which the IDF gives a length of training in months, longest first.

  1. IDF Pilot Course36mo.
  2. Talpiot Program36mo.
  3. Naval Officers Course30mo.
  4. Maglan22mo.
  5. Shayetet 1320mo.
  6. Shaldag19mo.
  7. Unit 66918mo.
  8. Oketz16-18mo.
  9. Sayeret Matkal16mo.
  10. Egoz16mo.
  11. Duvdevan16mo.
  12. Submarine Flotilla14mo.
  13. Paratroopers Brigade12mo.
  14. Nahal Brigade10mo.
  15. Yahalom8mo.
  16. Armored Corps8mo.
  17. Combat Intelligence Collection Corps8mo.
  18. Golani Brigade7mo.
  19. Givati Brigade7mo.
  20. Kfir Brigade7mo.
  21. Border Defense Infantry6.5mo.
  22. Search and Rescue (Home Front Command)5.5mo.
  23. Border Police3.7mo.

214 of the 496 roles that name a profile ask for 45 and up, more than any other floor.

Only 5 roles ask for a profile of 97, and 30 ask for 82.

89
214
108
50
30
5
25+45+64+72+82+97+

The lowest profile each role asks for, from the IDF's page for the role.

Of the IDF's 661 roles, 70 are combat roles.

70457134

Combat 70Combat support 457Rear 134

497 roles are open to men and women, 63 to men only and 101 to women only.

49763101

Men and women 497Men only 63Women only 101

Intelligence has more roles on the IDF's site than any other branch, 94.

  1. Intelligence94
  2. Technology and Maintenance59
  3. Air Force57
  4. C4I and Cyber Defence44
  5. Logistics26
  6. Navy19
  7. Infantry15
  8. Medical Corps15
  9. General Staff units14
  10. Ground Forces13
  11. Military Police13
  12. Personnel13

Every role the IDF lists can be found by its name, its kind and the profile it asks for.

Every role is named as the IDF's site for future soldiers lists it.

Kind of role
Open to
My medical profile

Frequently asked questions

How do you get into an IDF elite unit?

Sayeret Matkal, Shaldag, Shayetet 13, the naval officers' course and the submarines screen through Yom Sayarot, which calls candidates with a profile of 82 and up and a Dapar of 50 and up. Those who finish the day get one of 4 results: a joint try-out for Sayeret Matkal and Shaldag, further screening for Shayetet 13 at the Navy's training base in Haifa, further screening for the naval officers and the submarines, or the right to a Paratroopers interview.

When is Yom Sayarot held?

In January and October. The January day sorts for the August and November drafts and runs through the day; the October day sorts for the March draft and runs through the night.

What profile does a combat soldier need?

The infantry brigades and the reconnaissance units ask for a profile of 82 and up. Armour, artillery, air defense and the border defense battalions ask for 72 and up. Sayeret Matkal, Unit 669 and the pilot course ask for 97.

Which units on this page take women fighters?

13 of the 30 units on this page are open to women: Oketz, Artillery Corps, Combat Intelligence Collection Corps, Border Defense Infantry, Search and Rescue (Home Front Command), Air Defense, Border Police, Navy Missile Boat Fighters, Snapir, Naval Officers Course, IDF Pilot Course, Unit 8200 and Talpiot Program.

This page was written from the IDF's pages for future soldiers, read on 6 November 2026.

  • The IDF's site for future soldiers
  • The IDF's full guide to Yom Sayarot
  • The medical profile
  • What Yom HaMa'a is
  • Try-outs

The requirements and screenings change from time to time, and the IDF's page for each role is the one that counts.

Photo credits

Keep exploring

Aliyah Guide
The whole move, step by step.
Flag of Israel
The flag to download, its measurements, its colours and its history.
Schools in Israel
Every school's number, its stream and stage, and the Meitzav scores and climate surveys published for it.
Essential Hebrew Phrases
The words you need in your first week.