The 2026 PFRA measures muscular strength with a 1-minute push-up or a 2-minute hand-release push-up; you choose one¶3.1.2.2. This page gives the chart minimum and full-points reps for every age group, the form standard from AFMAN 36-2905 Attachment 2 (formerly DAFMAN 36-2905) with the official form videos, and a free timer with a tap-to-count rep counter.
Push-up timer and rep counter
30Max
67
Your chart
Male · Under 25: minimum 30 reps (2.5 pts), full points 67 reps (15 pts)
Push-Up Standards by Age and Gender (2026)
The chart minimum is the starred row on each AFPC chart and earns 2.5 points; the max is the rep count that earns all 15. Anything below the minimum scores zero for the component¶3.7.4.
Push-ups (1 minute)
| Age group | Male | Female | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Min (2.5 pts) | Max (15 pts) | Min (2.5 pts) | Max (15 pts) | |
| Under 25 | 30 | 67 | 15 | 50 |
| 25–29 | 28 | 63 | 14 | 47 |
| 30–34 | 26 | 60 | 12 | 44 |
| 35–39 | 23 | 56 | 11 | 42 |
| 40–44 | 21 | 52 | 10 | 39 |
| 45–49 | 19 | 49 | 8 | 36 |
| 50–54 | 17 | 45 | 7 | 34 |
| 55–59 | 14 | 42 | 5 | 31 |
| 60 and over | 12 | 38 | 3 | 28 |
Min is the chart’s starred minimum (2.5 points); max is the value that earns the full 15. Values are correct push-ups in 1 minute. Source: AFPC PFRA scoring charts, effective 1 March 2026 (corrected 17 March 2026).
Hand-release push-ups (2 minutes)
| Age group | Male | Female | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Min (2.5 pts) | Max (15 pts) | Min (2.5 pts) | Max (15 pts) | |
| Under 25 | 27 | 52 | 17 | 42 |
| 25–29 | 25 | 50 | 15 | 40 |
| 30–34 | 23 | 48 | 13 | 38 |
| 35–39 | 21 | 46 | 11 | 36 |
| 40–44 | 19 | 44 | 9 | 34 |
| 45–49 | 17 | 42 | 7 | 32 |
| 50–54 | 15 | 40 | 5 | 30 |
| 55–59 | 13 | 38 | 3 | 28 |
| 60 and over | 11 | 36 | 1 | 26 |
Min is the chart’s starred minimum (2.5 points); max is the value that earns the full 15. Values are correct hand-release push-ups in 2 minutes. Source: AFPC PFRA scoring charts, effective 1 March 2026 (corrected 17 March 2026).
Airmen who also take an occupationally specific assessment use AFPC’s sex-neutral AFSPECWAR/EOD charts¶1.3.3; for both push-up events those charts match the male columns above. Pick “AFSPECWAR/EOD” in the timer or the table below to use them.
The Official Push-Up Standard
Before the event the PFRA Administrator reads the Attachment 2 instructions and demonstrates the exercise, unless an instructional video is shown¶3.15.4. Here is that standard in plain English, with the paragraph for each rule, and the official form video.
1-minute push-up
1 minute · A2.3- Start position
- Palms or fists on the floor, hands slightly wider than shoulder width, elbows fully extended. Feet no more than 12 inches apart and not supported, braced or crossed. Body rigid from head to heels.¶A2.3.1
- One rep
- Lower your body until your upper arms are at least parallel to the floor, then return to the up position with your arms fully extended but not locked.¶A2.3.2
- Not counted
- Not coming down to parallel. Your chest may touch the floor but may not rest or bounce on it.¶A2.3.3
- Resting
- Only in the up position. There you may lift your hands or feet off the floor or bridge or bow your back; resting any other body part on the floor is not allowed.¶A2.3.3
- Ends the event
- Resting in the down position. Your score is then the correct push-ups done up to that point.¶A2.3.3
- Breathing
- Breathe as normally as possible and don't hold your breath.¶A2.3.4
- Counting
- Your counter counts correct push-ups aloud and skips incorrect ones, tells you what you are doing wrong and repeats the last correct number.¶A2.3.4
The Official Hand-Release Push-Up Standard
2-minute hand-release push-up
2 minutes · A2.4- Start position
- The up position, hands flat on the ground with your index fingers inside the outer edges of your shoulders.¶A2.4.1
- Body line
- Push your whole body up as a single unit until your elbows are fully extended, and keep a generally straight line from the top of your head to your ankles for the whole event.¶A2.4.2
- Down and release
- Bend your elbows to lower your body to the ground so your chest, hips and thighs touch down at the same time. Without moving your head, body or legs, extend both arms out from your body until they form a 90-degree angle with your trunk at the shoulders, hands off the ground.¶A2.4.3
- Back up
- Bend your elbows to bring your hands back under your shoulders, hands flat with your index fingers inside the outer edges of the shoulders, and push your whole body back to the start. That completes one repetition.¶A2.4.3
- Resting
- Only in the up position, with the same allowances as the push-up: hands or feet may come off the floor and you may bridge or bow your back.¶A2.4.4
- Ends the event
- Resting in the down position. Your score is the correct hand-release push-ups done up to that point.¶A2.4.4
- Score
- The number of correct repetitions completed in 2 minutes.¶A2.4.4
Push-Ups or Hand-Release Push-Ups: Which Scores More for You?
You test one strength event, and neither chart is simply the easier one. Here is how the two minimums compare, straight from the AFPC charts:
- Men: the hand-release minimum is lower in every age group, from 27 vs 30 under 25 to 11 vs 12 at 60 and over.
- Women: the hand-release minimum is higher under 35 (under 25: 17 vs 15; 25–29: 15 vs 14; 30–34: 13 vs 12), the same at 35–39 (11) and lower from 40–44 (9 vs 10).
- Full points take fewer hand-release reps in every age group: 52 vs 67 for men and 42 vs 50 for women under 25.
- Time: the push-up runs 1 minute and the hand-release push-up 2¶3.1.2.2, and each hand-release rep includes the arm extension on the floor¶A2.4.3.
The honest way to choose: on different days, do one timed set of each with the timer above, then compare the points, not the reps. Log both on a practice worksheet and check the result in the calculator.
On Test Day
- Strength is the second component, after body composition and before core and cardio¶3.15.4, with at least 5 minutes of rest between components¶3.15.10.
- The PFRA Administrator times the event with two stopwatches and may tell you how much time is left or has gone¶3.15.5.
- You get one attempt. If you refuse to finish the PFRA because you missed a minimum, it is recorded as Did Not Finish¶3.15.13.
- Disagree with your count? Say so before the next component; if it isn’t resolved, mark that you dispute the result on the AF Form 4446¶3.15.6.3.
The full sequence is in the test day guide.
Training for More Reps
AFMAN 36-2905 Attachment 7 gives the muscular fitness guidelines, taken from the American College of Sports Medicine:
- Rhythmic work at a moderate speed through a full range of motion, without interfering with normal breathing¶A7.2.1.
- At least one set of each exercise to muscular fatigue: 8 to 12 repetitions if you are under 50, or 10 to 15 at a lower intensity if you are over 50¶A7.2.2.
- Sessions under an hour, 2 to 3 days a week, without working the same muscle groups on consecutive days¶A7.2.3, A7.2.4.
The Warfighter’s Fitness Playbook 2.0 (AFPC, February 2026, p. 13) files the 1-minute push-up under muscular endurance and prescribes 12 or more reps per set, 2 to 3 sets, an effort of 5.5 to 6.5 out of 10 and 30 seconds of rest or less between sets. Retest with the timer every week or two, under the same rules as the real event, and write the result down.
Related USAF PT Resources
Frequently Asked Questions
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