Sapper School: Sapper Leader Course Requirements, Phases and Standards (2026)
Sapper School, officially the Sapper Leader Course, is a 28-day leadership course for combat engineers at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. It runs in two 14-day phases, general subjects and patrolling, from 0500 to 2200 seven days a week, and graduates earn the Sapper Tab. Here are the 2026 entry standards, what the two phases cover, the graduation tests, and how to prepare.
Heads up: the standards changed. Older guides still list leg tucks and a 3-mile run. The current Day 0 test is push-ups, pull-ups, a 2-mile run and a 6-mile ruck, and you now have to report with a strong AFT score already on paper.
Sapper School at a glance
| Sapper Leader Course | |
|---|---|
| Length | 28 days: 14 days General Subjects, 14 days Patrolling |
| Location | Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri (Sapper Training Company, 169th Engineer Battalion) |
| Classes | 12 classes on the fiscal year 2027 schedule, typically 32 to 50 students each |
| Training day | 0500 to 2200, seven days a week; the last 14 days are in the field |
| Award | The Sapper Tab |
Who can attend
The course is built for engineers. The school's current reporting page lists Army soldiers in ranks E-3 to E-7 and O-1 to O-3 with a 12-series engineer MOS, and Marines E-4 to E-7 and O-1 to O-2 in engineer specialties 1302 and 1371. Soldiers outside the engineer field, cadets, other ranks and some allied soldiers can attend with an approved waiver.
Sapper School requirements in 2026
Before you report. Bring an AFT scorecard (DA Form 705) from the last 180 days with at least 420 points overall and 70 or more in every event. The AFT is no longer given at Sapper School, and the cadre recommend testing within 30 days of reporting. Your battalion commander also signs a certification that you completed a 12-mile ruck in under 3 hours with 35 pounds (dry), a 5-mile run, a diagnostic version of the Day 0 test and land navigation training, that you are proficient in basic (10-level) demolitions, and that you have attempted the Combat Water Survival Test.
Day 0: the Sapper Physical Fitness Assessment. Every candidate takes it in ACUs and boots, graded to AFT guidelines. Fail any event and you are denied enrollment, even with a reserved seat.
| Event | Minimum |
|---|---|
| Hand-release push-ups | 37 in 2 minutes |
| Pull-ups | 5 in 2 minutes, palms facing away, from a dead hang |
| 2-mile run | 18:00 or faster, in boots |
| 6-mile ruck march | 90 minutes or faster with a 35 lb (dry) ruck plus your fighting load carrier and water |
Results also set the order of merit list for entry. Starting with class 11-26, a waist-to-height ratio assessment is a formal course requirement as well, and you need a medical exam dated within 18 months; a Ranger physical meets the standard.
Phase 1: General Subjects (14 days)
Engineer reconnaissance, mobility and counter-mobility, engagement area development, conventional and expedient demolitions, urban breaching, threat ordnance, land navigation, knots and rigging, mountaineering, and water operations including scout swimming, boat operations, river crossings and helocasting.
Phase 2: Patrolling (14 days)
Patrol organization and movement, reconnaissance, raids and ambushes, engineer tactical tasks, orders, urban operations, breaching and troop leading procedures, ending in a 7-day field training exercise with missions such as bridge reconnaissance and demolition, road craters, complex obstacle breaches, urban reconnaissance and defense.
What you have to pass to graduate
| Event | Standard |
|---|---|
| Day and night land navigation | GO/NO GO, one retest allowed |
| 12-mile road march | 3 hours or faster with 35 lb, not counting water, fighting load carrier or weapon |
| Written exams | Demolitions, engagement area development and breaching |
| Leadership and points | Leadership grades and at least 70 percent of the points available |
| Attendance | No more than 24 hours of training missed in 28 days |
The 12-mile road march is known for its 6-mile and 8-mile hills. Students who become eligible to recycle are automatically enrolled in the next available class, a policy in effect since January 2026.
How hard is Sapper School?
The school does not publish a current graduation rate. A 2012 Army article put it at about 40 percent. The most useful number is the school's own: historically, candidates who score under 80 points in any AFT event graduate at half the rate of those who score above 80, and are more likely to be dropped for medical reasons. Show up well above the 70-point floor.
How to prepare
- Follow the official train-up. The school publishes a 12-week plan: three strength days and three conditioning days a week for weeks 1 to 5, then two strength and four conditioning days for weeks 6 to 12.
- Get your AFT well above 420. Score yourself with our AFT calculator and aim for 80 or more in every event.
- Ruck under load, a lot. You need a 6-mile ruck in 90 minutes on Day 0 and a 12-mile ruck in 3 hours to graduate. Build up with our free 12-mile ruck program, set your pace with the ruck pace calculator, and read how to train for a military ruck march.
- Own the pull-up and the hand-release push-up. Five strict pull-ups from a dead hang and 37 hand-release push-ups are minimums, not targets. Our pull-up progression and hand-release push-up guide cover both.
- Arrive clean. No supplements are authorized during the course, so do not build your plan around them.
Weighing your options? Compare Ranger School requirements and Air Assault School.
Sources: Sapper Leader Course, Reporting Information; Sapper Leader Course, Fort Leonard Wood; Sapper Leader Course pamphlet, December 2025; Sapper Leader Course, Train Up; Sapper Leader Course, History; Army.mil, March 19, 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long is Sapper School?
28 days at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri: a 14-day General Subjects phase and a 14-day Patrolling phase. Training runs from 0500 to 2200 seven days a week, and the last 14 days are in the field.
What are the Sapper School requirements?
Report with an AFT scorecard from the last 180 days showing at least 420 points and 70 or more in every event. Then pass the Day 0 Sapper Physical Fitness Assessment: 37 hand-release push-ups, 5 pull-ups, an 18-minute 2-mile run and a 6-mile ruck in 90 minutes with 35 pounds.
Can non-engineers go to Sapper School?
Yes, with a waiver. The course is built for engineers, but soldiers outside the engineer field, cadets, and ranks outside E-3 to E-7 and O-1 to O-3 can request one, as can Marines and allied soldiers in some cases.
What is the Sapper School pass rate?
The school does not publish a current rate. A 2012 Army article said about 40 percent graduated, and the school says candidates who score under 80 points in any AFT event have historically graduated at half the rate of those above 80.
What is the Sapper Tab?
One of the Army's four permanent individual skill tabs, alongside the Special Forces, Ranger and President's Hundred tabs. The only way to earn it is to complete the 28-day Sapper Leader Course, and it was authorized for permanent wear in 2004.
Is the AFT given at Sapper School?
No. The AFT is no longer given at the course. Your home station has to certify your score before you report, and the course gives its own Sapper Physical Fitness Assessment on Day 0.
