How to Prepare for a Military PT Test

What each branch's PT test asks for

Each test’s events and pass rule, from the branch’s own test document.

• Army Fitness Test (AFT)3-repetition maximum deadlift, hand-release push-ups, sprint-drag-carry, plank and a 2-mile run. You need 60 points on every event and 300 in total, or 350 in a combat specialty.
• Navy Physical Readiness Test (PRT)Push-ups, a forearm plank, and a 1.5-mile run, 2,000 m row, 500 yd swim or 450 m swim; a stationary bike is also allowed and is scored only in the Navy’s PFA app. Each event must reach Probationary, the lowest passing level, or better.
• Marine Corps Physical Fitness Test (PFT)Pull-ups or push-ups, a forearm plank and a 3-mile run; Marines 46 and older may row 5,000 m instead. You need the minimum on every event and 150 points in total. Combat arms Marines who pass with fewer than 210 points go on remedial training.
• Marine Corps Combat Fitness Test (CFT)Movement to contact, ammunition lift and maneuver under fire. You need the minimum on all three and 150 points in total.
• Air Force Physical Fitness Readiness Assessment (PFRA)A 2-mile run or a 20 m HAMR (a shuttle run between lines 20 m apart); push-ups or hand-release push-ups; sit-ups, cross-leg reverse crunches or a forearm plank; and your waist-to-height ratio. You need 75 of 100 points, with cardio, strength and core each at or above its lowest scoring row.
• Coast Guard Physical Fitness Test (PFT)Push-ups in 1 minute, a forearm plank, and a 1.5-mile run, 2,000 m row, 500 yd swim or 450 m swim. You need at least 45 points on each event.
• Space Force Human Performance Assessment (HPA)A 2-mile run or 20 m HAMR; push-ups or hand-release push-ups; and sit-ups, cross-leg reverse crunches or a forearm plank. You need 75 of 100 points and the minimum in each part; the scoring charts are only in the HPA calculator in myFitness.

Source: the test documents listed under Sources, one per branch.

Almost every test comes down to the same three jobs: push-ups or pull-ups, a plank or another core event, and a timed cardio event. This guide trains those shared events. For the Army’s deadlift and sprint-drag-carry, the complete AFT guide lists the drills army.mil recommends. The Marine Corps CFT is a separate set of combat drills; score yours with the Marine Corps CFT calculator.

Start with a scored practice test

Before you plan anything, do your branch’s events in test order and score them with the calculator for your test. Space Force members score theirs in the HPA calculator in myFitness, because the charts are not public. Write down each event’s margin above or below its minimum in points. A minute off your run can be worth more or fewer points than five push-ups, depending on where you sit in the tables. On the Navy test, use your level and how far above Probationary it sits.

The event with the smallest margin, or the one below its minimum, gets most of your training time. Keep training the others, with less time, so they hold their scores. Repeat the practice test partway through your plan, because the weakest event can change.

Training push-ups, pull-ups and the plank

These are muscular endurance events: as many good reps as you can in a set time, or a hold for as long as you can. HPRC (Human Performance Resources by CHAMP, at the military’s Uniformed Services University) recommends training them at least two days a week.

• Sets and repsTwo to four sets of at least 12 reps, using bodyweight or under two thirds of the most you can lift once. Rest about as long as the set took, and no more than 30 seconds.
• How to progressIf you are new to this, start at 8 to 10 reps and add 1 or 2 reps a week at the same load until you reach about 16. If you cannot do 8 good reps yet, as with pull-ups for many people, start with as many as you can and add 1 or 2 a week. Keep each change small.
• Core work for the plankHPRC suggests building core strength first, then chest and arm endurance for push-ups on top of it. For the plank, army.mil lists bent-leg raises, the leg tuck and twist, and the side bridge.
• Some heavier strength workStronger muscles make each push-up a smaller share of your maximum, so you tire later. Strength sets use heavier loads, around 80 to 90 percent of your one-rep maximum, for 3 to 5 reps, with 2 to 3 minutes of rest. The same heavy, low-rep sets train the Army’s 3-repetition deadlift.

Source: HPRC, muscular endurance and the USCG training series; army.mil/aft.

Training for the timed run, row or swim

HPRC schedules cardio training on three to four days a week, mixing easy and hard sessions. Train beyond the test distance as well: for a 1.5-mile or 2-mile test, train toward a 5K; for a 3-mile run, toward 5 miles.

• Long, easy sessionsOne or two a week at a steady, comfortable pace, about 30 minutes, or less if you are out of shape.
• Tempo sessionsOne or two a week: cover your test distance at a pace you could hold for about an hour.
• Sprints or intervalsOne or two sessions a week of short all-out efforts, up to 200 yards or 30 seconds, with 1 to 3 minutes of easy recovery between them.
• How fast to buildAdd no more than 10 percent to your weekly cardio from one week to the next. When you are starting out, pair each hard session with two easy ones.

Source: HPRC, cardiorespiratory endurance and the USCG training series.

Biking, rowing and swimming all build aerobic fitness and are easier on sore joints than running, so mix them in. Still do your test event now and then so the pacing feels familiar on the day. If you will test in the pool, train in the water, because your swim time depends on stroke technique.

An eight-week plan before a PT test

Eight weeks fits HPRC’s block periodization: a base block of 2 to 6 weeks, a more specific block of up to 4, and a taper of 1 to 2. If a practice test leaves you well short of a minimum, give yourself longer: HPRC advises months of steady training before a test.

• Weeks 1 to 4: build the baseTake your scored practice test in week 1. Train push-ups or pull-ups and the core event at least twice a week, adding reps at the same load, and do three or four cardio sessions a week, mostly easy. If you are new to lifting, spend the first two or three weeks learning the movements with light weights.
• Weeks 5 and 6: make it specificLower the total amount of training and raise the effort: tempo runs, an interval session, and timed sets of your test events. Take a second practice test at the end of week 6 and steer your time toward whichever event is still closest to its minimum.
• Weeks 7 and 8: taperCut the amount of training again but keep the same number of sessions and the same effort, so fatigue drops before test day. Keep the taper to about two weeks; much longer, and you start to lose what you built.

Source: HPRC, block periodization, beginner workout planning and training progression.

If you are injured, on a medical profile or on limited duty, train within it and follow your provider’s guidance.

The days before your PT test

Drink enough water in the days before the test instead of trying to catch up that morning. Eat a light, high-carbohydrate snack, such as a bagel and some fruit, one to two hours before you start. HPRC counts 7 to 9 hours of sleep a night as part of steady preparation, and the nights before a test are no exception.