Young Adult Sci Fi Book - Girl goes to "academy"

Question

I read a dystopian young adult book series a few years ago that I want to identify. The setting is in a war / natural disaster-torn Earth (the people there are taught that the earth caused the natural disasters because of the wars) where most of the ground is "corrupted," causing animals to become essentially rabid. The story takes place in the Midwest area (near Milwaukee and Chicago) in an area of cleansed area.

The female protagonist lives on the fringe of the cleansed area (near Milwaukee) in a smaller settlement that is more agricultural in nature. She has two(?) brothers who are really good at developing agricultural tech and she isn't, so she is worried that she won't be accepted into the prestigious academy, but she is accepted into the leadership / government area.

Other bits I remember:

• She gets her memory partially wiped and finds a recording of her telling her terrifying things about the preselection process and the people that she thought were her friends
• The students have to wear a tracking bracelet
• There is a part of the story where the students are dropped off in an unknown location, and once the groups of people come back, the bridge separating the school and them were withdrawn. There were a couple supplies left out, but the protagonist realized that it was impossible to make it across (it was a lesson on knowing when to stop)

I will try to answer any questions, and any help is appreciated!

Answer 1

The Testing series by Joelle Charbonneau is what I was looking for.

The Seven Stages War left much of the planet a charred wasteland. The future belongs to the next generation’s chosen few who must rebuild it. But to enter this elite group, candidates must first pass The Testing—their one chance at a college education and a rewarding career.

Cia Vale is honored to be chosen as a Testing candidate; eager to prove her worthiness as a University student and future leader of the United Commonwealth. But on the eve of her departure, her father’s advice hints at a darker side to her upcoming studies--trust no one.