The old and holy Israeli equation of the "people's army" has undergone a quiet privatization. Even before the average pre–army youth manages to don B–uniforms at the induction center, they already become a captive customer in a breached, competitive, and aggressive market, where every step on the way to the IDF has a clear price tag.
On one side stand teenagers with peak motivation who dream of a coveted elite commando unit or a golden entry ticket to high–tech through technology units; on the other side stand exhausted parents, who are ready to swipe thousands of shekels just to buy their child an equal chance in a system that places candidates according to relative scores. We checked how much enlisting in the IDF really costs today – from the DAPAR tests to the shopping spree on the way to the induction center.
Thousands of shekels for preparation for the first notice
The first expense arrives around the DAPAR test, the psychotechnical exam of the first notice. The score, between 10 and 90, is determined in comparison to the rest of the examinees, and affects placement, invitations to intelligence selections, and entering officer training, which requires at least 60. The veteran KABA score was canceled, and its place was taken by new suitability data, including a dedicated score for officer training and the Yom Meah (Day of One Hundred) assessment which boys also undergo nowadays.
The IDF provides a free practice software on the Mitgaysim website, but that did not stop the institutes: A digital kit is sold starting from NIS 39, a simulation with personal guidance costs about NIS 500, and a package of private lessons reaches NIS 1,500. "The score on the test is relative," explain at one of the institutes, "Anyone who practices beyond the IDF software gains an advantage that others do not have." There is also an expense that most parents do not anticipate: Accommodations on the test, such as time extensions, are granted only to those who uploaded a certified diagnosis to the Mitgaysim website and received approval before the first notice. A private psychodidactic diagnosis costs between NIS 1,500 and NIS 4,500, and the health funds cover part of the amount.
Also in America, also in India: The phenomenon was not born here. In the United States, where the ASVAB test determines enlistment eligibility and the variety of roles, a private market operates alongside the free practice materials of the Department of Defense: A private lesson there costs $30 to $80 per hour, and an accompanying eight–week program is sold for $880, about NIS 2,640. In India, the numbers are completely different. Hundreds of thousands apply for the National Defence Academy entrance exam in each cycle, and a full preparation boarding school, with lodging, food, and physical training, charges up to 350,000 rupees a year, about NIS 11,000.
Want to go to the Navy? Removing glasses on the way to the commando unit
The elite units require a profile of 97, and even this score is not always enough. A pre–army youth who wears glasses with a prescription of up to 7 receives a 97 with a vision clause, which allows broad combat service, including sniping, but closes units like the Navy. A prescription higher than 7 lowers the profile to 72. The solution that the IDF recognizes is laser surgery: Whoever underwent it is eligible to defer enlistment until three months have passed from the surgery, and then the profile is redetermined, sometimes a clean 97. "This is an increase of dozens of percent in recent years in the number of pre–enlistment youth undergoing this procedure, subject to a compatibility check," say at 'Assuta Optic'. Bottom line: A few single thousands of shekels per pre–army youth for laser glasses removal surgery, while the final cost is derived from the arrangement with the health fund.
The big money: The technological track
A teenager aiming for 8200, Mamram, or Shchakim can start with a practice kit of a few hundred shekels, but the offering does not end there. A Calcalist investigation that examined the preparation market for technological units found dedicated courses operated by alumni of the units, including a youth course by John Bryce College for about NIS 20,000. The investigation also raised a fundamental doubt: The content of the tests is classified, and none of the preparers knows for certain what they are preparing for. Above all these sit the technological pre–military academies, the demand for which surged in the years 2025 to 2026. These are tracks of 6 to 10 months combining cyber, software, leadership, and fitness, with a tuition fee of NIS 9,000 to NIS 12,000 a year, excluding registration fees and living expenses in a boarding school, while the collection is supervised to prevent exceeding the permitted threshold.
Five days that justify two years of training
Shayetet 13, Sayeret Matkal, Shaldag, 669, Chovlim (Naval Officers), and the pilots course attract thousands of boys every year who dream of a service wrapped in mystery. The path goes through the Commando Day, and from there to a selection trials that sometimes lasts up to five days and also opens a door to Unit 504 selections. There they no longer check only running and crawling: The evaluators look at how the youth functions within a team, how he makes decisions when the body is exhausted, and whether his character fits the specific unit. Around this moment, dozens of training frameworks arose. There are those who settle for a weekly meeting, and there are groups that train three times a week over years. "Many sign up already in 10th grade," tells a source in the industry, "We offer a fighters panel, Krav Maga workshops, sea training, and home training programs." An online training program is sold for NIS 350 to NIS 395, and group guidance throughout high school accumulates to thousands of shekels.
Buying self–confidence before the selection trials
The personality suitability is tested in the selection trials by evaluators and unit psychologists, and therefore an industry of preparation for the interview and the selection status was born: Institutes that employ psychologists and former psychotechnical interviewers conduct a simulation and feedback for the youth. Such a meeting is priced at NIS 300 to NIS 500, similar to the hourly rate of a private psychologist in the free market. Shopping spree before enlistment And finally, after the expenses on institutes and training, a certain checkout station awaits the parents:
The shopping spree before enlistment day
Although the IDF distributes a kitbag, uniforms, shoes, and basic equipment at the induction center, the list attached by the Meitav unit to the notice includes dozens of items that must be brought from home, from shirts and socks to bedding, a watch, and a flashlight. According to the estimation of the Yoter club of the Association for Israel's Soldiers, which was published in the media, the equipment basket ranges between NIS 700 and NIS 1,200, an average of about NIS 950, with combat soldiers and winter enlistments at the expensive end. The IDF softens the blow through a digital Stars Card, which is sent about two months before enlistment and provides an initial budget for purchasing equipment alongside a discount of at least 25% in the arranged chains.