Phase 05 of 07

Phase 5: MEPS Prep and Process

MEPS is the first real test of military character — not because it is physically hard, but because it is bureaucratically uncomfortable. None of it is personal. Your job is to move through it with your head up, paperwork organized, and answers honest.

Ty Stebbins22-Year Army & Air Force Veteran

What is MEPS and what happens there?

MEPS — the Military Entrance Processing Station — is the joint-service facility where every U.S. service member, regardless of branch, completes the official enlistment process. There are 65 MEPS locations across the United States.

ASVAB testing (if not yet completed)
Full medical examination
Background history verification
Job classification and assignment
Oath of Enlistment

What is the MEPS process step by step?

What should you do the night before MEPS?

Most recruits stay at a government-contracted hotel near MEPS at no cost.
The recruiter briefs on what to expect, dress code, and required documents.
No alcohol.
Sleep — processing begins at approximately 0530.

What happens on Day 1 at MEPS?

Check-in at 0530–0600 with document verification.
Height and weight, vision testing, hearing testing (audiogram).
Blood pressure, urinalysis (drug screen and STI panel), blood draw (blood type, CBC, STI screening).
Complete DD Form 2807-1 — full medical history (self-reported).
MEPS physician review, orthopedic exam, head-to-toe body system review.
Any follow-up testing or specialist evaluation if flagged.
Medical determination: Qualified, Temporarily Disqualified, or Waiver Required.

What happens on Day 2 at MEPS?

Job classification interview with a guidance counselor.
MOS selection based on ASVAB line scores and available openings.
Background review.
Contract signing — read every line of DD Form 4.
Oath of Enlistment.
Assignment to the pre-ship program or a ship date.

What are the military height and weight requirements?

Height and weight standards are set by each branch individually. If you are over the weight limit for your height, you must pass a body fat percentage test. Over both the weight limit and the body fat limit means a temporary disqualification until standards are met.

Army height/weight maximums (males, example)
Height	Max weight (17–20)	Max weight (21–27)	Max weight (28–39)
5'5"	163 lbs	163 lbs	168 lbs
5'8"	185 lbs	185 lbs	189 lbs
5'10"	200 lbs	200 lbs	205 lbs
6'0"	215 lbs	215 lbs	221 lbs
6'2"	230 lbs	230 lbs	237 lbs

Male body fat maximums: 20% (age 17–20), 22% (21–27), 24% (28+). Female standards differ.

What is the PULHES rating system at MEPS?

MEPS assigns every recruit a PULHES profile — a medical fitness rating used to determine MOS eligibility.

PULHES rating categories
Letter	What it rates
P	Physical capacity / stamina
U	Upper extremities
L	Lower extremities
H	Hearing
E	Eyes / vision
S	Psychiatric (mental health)

Each category is rated 1–4: 1 = no limitations, 2 = minor limitations, 3 = significant limitations, 4 = disqualified. Most combat MOS require a 1-1-1-1-1-1 profile. Non-combat roles may accept some 2s.

What disqualifies you from military service and what can be waived?

What are temporary disqualifications at MEPS?

Active infections or illness
Recent surgery within the healing window
Outside weight or body fat standards
Pending waiver approval
Incomplete or missing documents

What conditions permanently disqualify you from military service?

HIV positive
Active, untreated tuberculosis
Insulin-dependent diabetes
Active psychosis
Sex offense registration
Specific felony convictions

What medical conditions can be waived at MEPS?

Many disqualifying conditions can be waived by each branch's recruiting command.
Waiver approval rates vary by condition, branch, and current recruiting needs.
The recruiter submits the waiver; the recruit provides supporting medical documentation.
Processing can take days to several months.

Common Questions

Frequently Asked About MEPS Prep

MEPS is a one-to-two-day process where the military verifies your eligibility, gives you a full medical exam, drug test, and background review, then has you select a job and sign the enlistment contract. Day 1 is medical processing — vision, hearing, blood pressure, urinalysis, blood draw, and a head-to-toe physical. Day 2 is the job classification interview, contract signing, and Oath of Enlistment.

PULHES is the military medical fitness profile assigned at MEPS. The six letters rate Physical capacity, Upper extremities, Lower extremities, Hearing, Eyes, and psychiatric (S) health, each on a scale of 1 to 4. A 1 means no limitations and a 4 means disqualified. Most combat MOS require a 1-1-1-1-1-1 profile; many non-combat roles accept 2s.

Permanent disqualifiers are narrow: HIV positive status, active untreated tuberculosis, insulin-dependent diabetes, active psychosis, sex offender registration, and certain felony convictions. Most other concerns — asthma, ADHD, treated depression, healed surgeries, weight, single misdemeanors — are either temporary disqualifications you can return from or waivable with documentation.

A temporary disqualification means a fixable condition — recover, lose weight, complete healing, gather documents, then return. A permanent disqualification means a condition the military will not accept under any normal circumstances. A waiver is a formal exception submitted by your recruiter for a condition that would otherwise disqualify you; many medical, legal, and dependent issues are waivable with the right documentation.

Yes. If you are over the branch weight limit for your height and also over the body fat percentage limit, you receive a temporary disqualification until you meet standards. You can return once you do. Train and adjust nutrition before MEPS — being borderline is a common, preventable reason recruits get a wasted MEPS day.

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