Gen. James McConville, the Army's vice chief of staff, told Military.com that the service is considering revising its screening process to better prepare recruits for basic training and beyond.

The Army wants to establish a 90-day pre-basic training preparatory course for those who don’t meet minimum physical or aptitude standards.

The dumbed-down course amounts to “basic training without the yelling,” said Pvt. 2nd Class Daysia Holiday, 23, who improved her test scores after signing up.

FILE - Students gather during physical training exercises in the new Army prep course at Fort Jackson in Columbia, S.C. Saturday, Aug. 27, 2022. The Army will expand its basic combat training for ...

She’d taken the academic test and failed three times. So, when she was offered a slot in a new Army prep course to help improve her scores and qualify for basic training, she jumped at the chance.

She raised her academic score by more than 20 points. The course, she said, was like “basic training without the yelling.” It also allowed her to bond with fellow students.

As of March 17, nearly 8,400 people had been admitted to the prep course and more than 5,400 had graduated and gone on to basic training. Army Lt. Col. Randy Ready, spokesman for the Army Center ...