The Department of Defense lost approximately 390 million dollars last year due to the failure of recruits to complete their enlistment contract. The problem this study addressed is that up until now, there has been limited research into those factors that predict success or failure of U.S. Army basic combat training (USABCT). The purpose was to evaluate selective factors derived from a questionnaire and the Holden Psychological Screening Inventory (HPSI) to determine their effectiveness as predictive measures for successful completion of USABCT. The research question focused on identifying some of the predictive factors that might be used to better identify individuals who display the desired characteristics sought after in the selection of recruits or in providing special training to those without these characteristics to improve the success rate of USABCT. The study began by administering a questionnaire and the HPSI to 221 recruits at the start of their training cycle and then comparing their graduation rates to that of their questionnaire responses and HPSI scores via a logistic regression. Results failed to support the use of the HPSI preliminary cutoff scores in predicting either success or failure of USABCT. Ethnicity was found to have no effect on the HPSI ability to predict either successful completion or failure of USABCT. Of all the factors evaluated by the questionnaire, only being highly or moderately motivated to complete training was found to be statistically significant in predicting success. Learning to manage motivation may allow the military to develop a comprehensive plan to address this issue. This could save the government untold millions of dollars that can then be redirected into improved training, purchasing new weapon systems, and/or a betterment of current quality-of-life programs, thus resulting in a positive social change for all parties involved.