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Military PT Test | Physical Fitness Test 2024

Military Physical Fitness Test
Military Physical Fitness Test

If you plan to join the US military, you must be in shape; this is where the physical fitness test comes in.

The way the military gauges your fitness is through physical assessments, which very conveniently are called different things and test you on different standards, depending on the branch you choose to join.

If you want to learn about each PT test in every branch of the United States military, sit back, relax, and enjoy 

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Military Branch PT Test

In this article, we will let you know what the six branches of the US military will test you on in each of their respective PT tests in 2024. There’s the

  • There’s the Army,
  • Navy,
  • Marine Corps,
  • Air Force,
  • Coast Guard,
  • and the Space Force.

And the military made it easy on you by devising six tests, each with different standards and requirements.

Don’t worry; after reading this article, you’ll know exactly what you must do in whichever branch you’re most interested in.

Explanation of Different PT Tests

Before we dive into each test, why does each branch have a different PT test? Simply put, it is because each branch has its own goals.

Most sailors will have different day-to-day duties than their Army or Marine counterparts. Because of this, different physical expectations exist between the branches.

Keep in mind that there are various other PT tests in specific communities within each military branch, like special operations, but I will not go into that.

I will also not get into the minimums and standards, but we will leave you with resources for them in the links below. The reason is that age brackets have different standards and gender differences.

You’d be better off looking at where you fall into place and trying out one of these services’ respective PT test calculators.

Military Physical Fitness Test in Each Branch

Each branch of the military has a physical fitness test, as follows: 

Army Fitness Test

  • I will start with the Army’s PT test, the ACFT, which stands for Army Combat Fitness Test. 
  • The ACFT 2024 consists of a three-rep max deadlift, a standing power throw, a hand release push-up arm extension, a sprint drag carry, a leg tuck or plank, and a two-mile run.

Those of you who’ve served or are familiar with traditional military PT tests might wonder how different this test is from what you know.

And you’d be right; the Army implemented this to:

  • Improve soldier and unit readiness, 
  • Reduce preventable injuries and attrition, and 
  • Enhance mental toughness and stamina.

Navy Physical Fitness Test

  • The Navy’s PT test is the PRT, which stands for Physical Readiness Test.
  • The Navy PRT consists of max push-ups in two minutes, max planks, and a mile-and-a-half run.
  • The Navy allows you to interchange your run with another form of cardio, such as biking, swimming, or rowing.
  • For those of you familiar with the Navy’s old PRT, they no longer do sit-ups.

Marine Corps Fitness Test

  • The Marine Corps utilizes two different PT tests, the PFT and CFT, which stand for Physical Fitness Test and Combat Fitness Test, respectively.

Marine PFT

  • The Marine PFT consists of max pull-ups, two-minute crunches, and a three-mile run.
  • As of August 2021, you can substitute the crunches with planks, and in 2023, the Marine PFT will completely transition from crunches to planks, meaning that crunches are on their way out. 
  • As for the pull-ups, you can substitute them with push-ups, but the max score you get on push-ups will only amount to 70% of a score as compared to the max score you’d get if you did pull-ups.
  • And in some circumstances, you can substitute the three-mile run with a 5,000-meter row.

Marine CFT

  • The CFT consists of a half-mile sprint in boots and utilities called movement to contact, max rep 30-pound ammo can lifts in two minutes, and an exercise known as maneuver under fire. 
  • You’ll have three minutes of rest between each event. 
  • The maneuver under fire is a series of events consisting of a 10-yard sprint, a 15-yard crawl, dragging and carrying a person over 75 yards, sprinting while holding two 30-pound ammo cans, throwing a dummy grenade, five push-ups, and a final sprint with the ammo cans to the finish line.

Air Force Fitness Test

Let’s move on to the Air Force’s PT test with the Marines out of the way.

  • The Air Force’s PT test is known as the Physical Fitness Test.
  • Simply put, it consists of one minute of max push-ups, one minute of max sit-ups, and a mile-and-a-half run.
  • However, starting in 2022, the Air Force will implement several different options for airmen to complete the events; these will be revealed soon. 
  • But from what is known right now, they range from planks, hand releases, different variations of push-ups, and the like.
  • Currently, the US military is making changes to its traditional physical fitness standards.

Coast Guard Fitness Test

Let’s move on to the Coast Guard’s PT test.

  • The Coast Guard’s PT test is known as the physical fitness test. 
  • It consists of a minute of max push-ups, a minute of max sit-ups, a mile-and-a-half run, and a swim circuit comprised of a platform jump and a 100-meter swim. 
  • You also can substitute your run with a swim in some circumstances. Pretty straightforward.

Space Force Fitness Test

And last but not least, let’s move on to the Space Force’s PT test.

  • Currently, the Space Force is riding the Air Force’s wave on their physical standards.
  • However, This will change as the Space Force plans to develop its own PT test.

That’s all for the Military Fitness Test. Thank you for reading.

George N.
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