U.S. Army Special Forces candidates have to have completed basic and infantry and have served in a unit and reached the rank of E4 to E7 before applying to become a U.S. Army Special Forces candidate. For U. S. Army Special Forces there is a minimum I.Q. requirement and language ablility that must be met as well. Upon being recommended for U.S. Army Special Forces soldier applicants must go through several prerequisites at Ft. Bragg, NC, USA, taught by the U.S. Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare School, also known as SWCS. The first being the Special Operations Preparation Course (SOPC) lasting thirty days. Then candidates go through a twenty four day Special Forces Assesment and Selection Course (SFAS) that tests intelligence, agility, and resourcefulness. If candidates make it through all that, they then enter the five phase U.S. Army Special Forces Qualification Course (SFQC) held at Ft. Bragg, USA, also known as the Q Course. The Q Course tests physical stamina as well as leadership, and teamwork among other things. The Q Course includes MOS training, specific MOS training varies in length (the longest being the Medic). According to the article 'Under the Microscope' by MG James Parker in The Drop Magazine, the official magazine of the U.S. Army Special Forces Association (a veteran organization), language is now incorporated into U.S. Army Special Forces Training, prior to graduation. Whereas 2005 candidates received their beret before receiving language instruction. Then upon completion of the Primary Special Forces MOS (Communications, Light and Heavy Weapons, Engineering and Demolitions, Medic), trainees then go through Robin Sage before graduation. From Assesment through Graduation, the total time for the U.S. Army Special Forces Training is fourty eight to fifty four weeks. Once training is finished, new SF soldiers are then assigned to a U.S. Army Special Forces Group (1st, 3rd, 5th, 7th, 10th, 19th, 20th) and Team. To become a U.S. Army Special Forces soldier, from the time of first entering the Army, to achieving the rank of an E4, generally takes two to three years of service, another year of school at Ft. Bragg, USA, for Special Forces Training, and then adding on an agreement to serve in Special Forces for a specified period of time (the Army doesn't want to invest all that extensive training in a soldier if that soldier isn't willing to invest additional service time). For more information on U.S. Army Special Forces course training, please visit the Ft. Bragg Special Forces Training Overview Website.

U.S. Army Ranger School, taught by the U.S. Army Ranger Training Brigade at Ft. Benning, GA, USA, also requires a selection course, called the Pre-Ranger Course, after soliders complete Basic Training, Advanced Individual Training (to obtain an MOS), and U.S. Army Airborne School. The purpose of the Pre-Ranger Course, which lasts fourteen days and is held at Ft. Benning, USA, is to 'prepare Soliders to succeed at the U.S. Army Ranger School'. Ranger candidates then enter their the official 'Ranger School' at the Ranger Training Brigade, for four weeks at Ft. Benning, USA. Their training involves extensive small unit infantry tactics and is a very physically and mentally challenged course that includes jungle and mountain terrains with a lot of focus on leadership under strenuous and duress scenarios.  U.S. Army Ranger candidates can enter U.S. Army Ranger School as an E1 to E4, and after completing U.S. Army Ranger Training, they serve with the 75h Ranger Regiment, which has three Battalions (1st, 2nd, 3rd). For information on U.S. Army Ranger School and the training involved, please visit the Go Army's Ranger Training.
At this time, neither the U.S. Army Special Forces Training or U.S. Army Ranger School is open to female soldiers.