Axial pullout resistance factors of reinforcements embedded in fill materials are required in the design of mechanically stabilized earth walls. Commonly, minimum of three pullout tests are performed to develop the pullout factors considering the change in the overburden stress on the reinforcement at different levels. However, it is difficult to prepare identical samples to perform pullout tests at different normal stresses. In addition, performance of three tests consume time and as well as enormous manual power. Accordingly, in the present study, a staged pullout test is conducted on a smooth-metal- strip reinforcement embedded in sand and compared with conventional pullout test results. A large size (0.9 m in length x 0.9 m in width x 0.6 m in depth) pullout test tank is used in the study. Normal stresses equivalent to 1 m, 3 m and 5 m overburden of sand at the reinforcement level are applied. The results of staged pullout testing on smooth metal strip embedded in sand are found to be in close agreement with the conventional pullout tests under the normal stresses considered in the study. Pullout resistance factors derived from conventional and staged pullout test results are presented in the study. It is shown from extensive pullout studies from the study that staged pullout testing of metal-strip reinforcement placed in granular fill can be an alternative to conventional pullout tests performed on samples subjected to different normal stresses.