# Does training to become an FBI Special Agent require a lot of physical training? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 22, 2011, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-training-to-become-an-fbi-special-agent-require-a-lot-of-physical-training/579313 "2011-04-22T02:07:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2011, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-training-to-become-an-fbi-special-agent-require-a-lot-of-physical-training/579313/1 "2011-04-22T02:07:01Z")
In the movie Silence of the Lambs, when we first see her Agent Starling is shown going through Quantico, I think, in a grueling run past obstacles, etc. Is this based on the truth? Frankly I don’t even know what “Special” agent means, which she is not until she captures the bad guy. I guess I could Google that… ---
**Author:** ![GiantRat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@GiantRat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GiantRat)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2011, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-training-to-become-an-fbi-special-agent-require-a-lot-of-physical-training/579313/2 "2011-04-22T02:50:56Z")
It’s not too bad. Not as rigorous as some other agencies. [Here](http://www.fbijobs.gov/11131.asp)are the scoring guidelines; they’re hard if you can’t do them, less so if you can’t. ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2011, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-training-to-become-an-fbi-special-agent-require-a-lot-of-physical-training/579313/3 "2011-04-22T03:06:00Z")
> [@GiantRat](#): > > It’s not too bad. Not as rigorous as some other agencies. [Here](http://www.fbijobs.gov/11131.asp)are the scoring guidelines; they’re hard if you can’t do them, less so if you can’t. Thanks for the cite; it was on the money. I tried Googling the second question, about the “Special” in “Special Agent,” but came up empty. Is there such a thing as just “Agent”? ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2011, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-training-to-become-an-fbi-special-agent-require-a-lot-of-physical-training/579313/4 "2011-04-22T03:39:24Z")
> [@Leo\_Bloom](#): > > Thanks for the cite; it was on the money. I tried Googling the second question, about the “Special” in “Special Agent,” but came up empty. Is there such a thing as just “Agent”? No. They’re all Special Agents. ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2011, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-training-to-become-an-fbi-special-agent-require-a-lot-of-physical-training/579313/5 "2011-04-22T03:47:56Z")
Damn, that is one unprofessional-looking website for such a prestigious government agency! ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2011, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-training-to-become-an-fbi-special-agent-require-a-lot-of-physical-training/579313/6 "2011-04-22T03:55:40Z")
> [@Argent\_Towers](#): > > Damn, that is one unprofessional-looking website for such a prestigious government agency! Compare [CIA site](https://www.cia.gov/index.html). ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2011, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-training-to-become-an-fbi-special-agent-require-a-lot-of-physical-training/579313/7 "2011-04-22T13:55:46Z")
See also [what exactly is an FBI "special agent?" - Factual Questions - Straight Dope Message Board](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=605726) Not sure why FBI agent ranks are the hot topic this morning. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2011, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-training-to-become-an-fbi-special-agent-require-a-lot-of-physical-training/579313/8 "2011-04-22T16:05:24Z")
Hey, unlike many government agencies, the FBI has an ugly website on which you can actually find the information you seek. I kind of love it, really. ---
**Author:** ![llcoolbj77](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/eb9ed0/32.png) [@llcoolbj77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/llcoolbj77)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2011, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-training-to-become-an-fbi-special-agent-require-a-lot-of-physical-training/579313/9 "2011-04-22T16:20:36Z")
I think the level of continued physical fitness also depends on what you do for the agency. My friends husband works swat now, and is applying for HRT (hostage rescue teams). He has to maintain excellent physical fitness. ---
**Author:** ![Laggard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9de053/32.png) [@Laggard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laggard)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2011, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-training-to-become-an-fbi-special-agent-require-a-lot-of-physical-training/579313/10 "2011-04-22T23:52:53Z")
My buddy who’s been an agent for 20 years seldom exercises. In fact Im not sure I’ve ever heard him talk about doing anything physical. ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2011, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-training-to-become-an-fbi-special-agent-require-a-lot-of-physical-training/579313/11 "2011-04-22T23:59:21Z")
> [@GiantRat](#): > > It’s not too bad. Not as rigorous as some other agencies. [Here](http://www.fbijobs.gov/11131.asp)are the scoring guidelines; they’re hard if you can’t do them, less so if you can’t. Do you happen to know if the ‘one minute sit-ups’ score means the number of sit-ups you can do in one minute, or the number or minute-long sit-ups you can do? Really quick sit-ups are less effort than slow ones. ---
**Author:** ![RandMcnally](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b782af/32.png) [@RandMcnally](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RandMcnally)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2011, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-training-to-become-an-fbi-special-agent-require-a-lot-of-physical-training/579313/12 "2011-04-23T00:19:34Z")
> [@SciFiSam](#): > > Do you happen to know if the ‘one minute sit-ups’ score means the number of sit-ups you can do in one minute, or the number or minute-long sit-ups you can do? Really quick sit-ups are less effort than slow ones. In the military it was the number of sit-ups you can do in a minute. ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2011, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-training-to-become-an-fbi-special-agent-require-a-lot-of-physical-training/579313/13 "2011-04-23T03:39:51Z")
Well, bless my soul. The good old W-machine has popped up: [Special Agent](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special_agent), which has details about training requirements for the FBI specials (apparently there are SAs all over the place), and a few other juicy infobits. ---
**Author:** ![GiantRat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@GiantRat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GiantRat)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2011, 5:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-training-to-become-an-fbi-special-agent-require-a-lot-of-physical-training/579313/14 "2011-04-23T05:49:13Z")
> [@Leo\_Bloom](#): > > Thanks for the cite; it was on the money. I tried Googling the second question, about the “Special” in “Special Agent,” but came up empty. Is there such a thing as just “Agent”? I laughed my ass off watching one of those cheesy “cop” shows on TV last night. I forget which one it was, but at the end they promoted a dude to “Agent” instead of “Special Agent” because he didn’t shoot a kid-killer. As the post in response to your post (I forget the name, sorry - I don’t feel like going back and finding it) says, they’re all S/As. ETA: It was **GaryT** ---
**Author:** ![GiantRat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@GiantRat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GiantRat)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2011, 5:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-training-to-become-an-fbi-special-agent-require-a-lot-of-physical-training/579313/15 "2011-04-23T05:52:43Z")
> [@llcoolbj77](#): > > I think the level of continued physical fitness also depends on what you do for the agency. My friends husband works swat now, and is applying for HRT (hostage rescue teams). He has to maintain excellent physical fitness. True 'dat. After 10-15 years, most Feds are… not fit. ---
**Author:** ![GiantRat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@GiantRat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GiantRat)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2011, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-training-to-become-an-fbi-special-agent-require-a-lot-of-physical-training/579313/16 "2011-04-23T05:55:12Z")
> [@RandMcnally](#): > > In the military it was the number of sit-ups you can do in a minute. Yup. And the civilian LE world is modeled on the military’s training component (with some variation, of course). Heh. I’d love to see the look on the face of a PT assessor if you insisted you couldn’t do 55 situps in a minute, but could do one over the course of 55 minutes… and then argue the logic. 😃