A plain-English, paragraph-cited map of the Air Force fitness manual dated 24 March 2026, with a dated changelog, the chart versions and myth-vs-regulation cards you can share.
At a glance
Publication
AFMAN 36-2905, Air Force Physical Fitness Readiness Program
Dated
24 March 2026 · 116 pages
Supersedes
DAFMAN 36-2905, 22 April 2022
Applies to
Regular Air Force, Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard; not the Space Force
Score charts
AFPC, effective 1 Mar 2026, corrected 17 Mar 2026 (a separate document)
AFMAN 36-2905 (24 Mar 2026)·AFPC charts eff. 1 Mar 2026 (corrected 17 Mar 2026)·Verified What changed
The short version
The rules in 60 seconds
1Four components: body composition (waist-to-height ratio), muscular strength, core endurance and cardio.¶3.1.2
2To pass you need a composite of 75 or more and the chart minimum in each physical component. Body composition has no minimum.¶3.1¶3.7.1
3Excellent is above 90, Satisfactory 75 to 89.9, and Unsatisfactory anything lower or any missed minimum.¶3.6.1
4You test again 6 months after an Excellent or Satisfactory (Guard and Reserve: 12), or within 3 months after an Unsatisfactory.Table 3.3
5After any test you may log it as a diagnostic instead: no more than two in 365 days (ARC: one).¶3.8
6A component exemption on your AF Form 469 means PFRA Hold, not a partial test.¶3.9¶4.1.2
7A WHtR above .55 plus a failing composite triggers a Tier 2 body fat assessment; pass it and body composition is scored as exempt.¶3.1.1¶3.7.2
8myFitness is the only system that schedules and scores PFRAs, and your UFPM sets your due dates.¶7.1¶2.28.4
This is an independent summary, not the manual. Where your UFPM, your provider or myFitness says something different about your own case, they are the authority.
Applicability
Who AFMAN 36-2905 applies to
“This publication applies to the Regular Air Force, Air Force Reserve and the Air National Guard. This publication does not apply to the United States Space Force.” (front matter)
WhoCovered?Rule
Regular Air ForceCovered: YesEvery 6 months after an Excellent or SatisfactoryTable 3.3
Air Force Reserve and Air National GuardCovered: YesEvery 12 months¶3.4.2
Individual Reservists (IMA, PIRR)Covered: YesReserve frequency, run by the attached active-component unit¶6.4
Special Warfare and EODCovered: Yes, plus an OSPFRASex-neutral, age-normed PFRA¶1.3.2–1.3.3
BMT, tech school, OTS, USAFA and other accessionsCovered: Program standardsFirst official PFRA at the first duty station¶6.1.1–6.1.2
Retiring or separating within 12 monthsCovered: ExemptWith an approved order uploaded to myFitness¶4.1.7
Space Force (Guardians)Covered: NoSPFMAN 36-2905 applies (front matter)
Civilians and retireesCovered: NoCivilians appear only in program roles; a civilian Peer Fitness Leader doesn’t take a PFRA¶2.29.2
Chapter by chapter
What’s in AFMAN 36-2905
Eight chapters and ten attachments, 116 pages. Each point below cites the paragraph it comes from; select a ¶ chip to open the manual. Page numbers match the PDF.
Chapter 1
General information
pp. 6–7
Why the program exists and what the test measures.
Meeting the standards is every member’s job, 365 days a year.¶1.1.2
Physical Conditioning Program (PCP): every duty day, 20–60 minutes a session, led by certified Peer Fitness Leaders using Attachment 7. Units may not start early or lengthen the duty day to fit it in.¶1.2.1–1.2.3
The PFRA measures body composition, muscular strength, core endurance and cardio. Body composition is “age-agnostic”; the fitness components are sex- and age-specific.¶1.3.1
Special Warfare and EOD Airmen take a yearly occupationally specific test (OSPFRA) and a sex-neutral, age-normed PFRA.¶1.3.2–1.3.3
Who does what, from the Chief of Staff down to you.
Installation and wing commanders decide whether units test as a group, and in which months.¶2.14.2¶2.15.4
Unit commanders put failing members in the FRP and medically limited members in the AFP, review anyone on PFRA Hold for a year, and make the discharge-or-retention call after four failures.¶2.26.9–2.26.12
The Fitness Assessment Cell (FAC), or a unit’s own UFAC, runs the test and enters scores in myFitness within five duty days.¶2.24.10¶2.27.9
The UFPM’s role is administrative: checking the FSQ and AF Form 469, entering exemptions and setting due dates.¶2.28.3–2.28.4¶5.1
Master Fitness Leaders (3F1, E-4 and above) train test administrators and Peer Fitness Leaders and give Tier 2 body fat assessments; Peer Fitness Leaders lead unit PT.¶2.23¶2.29
You keep fit year-round, schedule in myFitness, complete the FSQ and sign the AF Form 4446. Refusing to sign doesn’t void the result.¶2.30
The heart of the manual: components, scoring, categories, frequency and test-day rules.
Components and scoring
Strength: 1-minute push-ups or 2-minute hand-release push-ups. Core: 1-minute sit-ups, 2-minute cross-leg reverse crunch or a timed forearm plank. Cardio: the 2.0-mile run or the 20-meter HAMR, or the 2-km walk if you are not medically cleared to run.¶3.1.2
Maximums: cardio 50, body composition 20, strength 15, core 15. Body composition has no minimum,¶3.7.1 and the minimum in every event doesn’t add up to 75.¶3.7.4
You may do body composition separately, one to five duty days before the rest (ARC: the prior UTA or RSD), and you can’t be ordered to do it alongside the other components.¶3.1.1¶3.15.4.1
A WHtR above .55 with a failing composite triggers a Tier 2 body fat assessment. Pass it (under 26% for men, 36% for women) and body composition is scored as exempt.¶3.1.1¶3.7.2Table 3.2
The 2-km walk is pass/fail against Table 3.1, earns no points and can’t produce an Excellent.¶3.7.3
Categories and frequency
Excellent above 90, Satisfactory 75–89.9, Unsatisfactory below that or with any minimum missed.¶3.6.1 The bands leave exactly 90.0 unassigned; our calculators treat it as Satisfactory.
Next test: 6 months after Excellent or Satisfactory (ARC: 12), 3 months after Unsatisfactory, and earlier only with your commander’s approval.¶3.10.1–3.10.3Table 3.3
Stopping a component is a Did Not Finish, scored as Unsatisfactory. Missing your cycle makes you Not Ready and due immediately.¶3.10.4–3.10.5
Diagnostic tests and PFRA Hold
Once you see your score you may log the test as a diagnostic (DPFRA): no more than two in 365 days, ARC one.¶3.8
A component exemption puts you on PFRA Hold: no official test until the profile ends, then a one-month Reconditioning Period.¶3.9¶3.10.6¶3.10.9
Illness and injury
Tell the administrator before you leave. Only your unit commander can invalidate the test, and only after a medical evaluation; you are then due the following month.¶3.12
Courses and weather
Two miles on a 400 m track is 8 laps plus 61 feet. HAMR lines are 20 m apart on a flat, dry surface (no grass, gravel or turf), run to the Air Force-approved audio file.¶3.13
No outdoor testing with lightning within 5 nautical miles, wind above 15 mph sustained or 20 mph in gusts, or 34°F or colder including wind chill.¶3.14.8
Test-day procedure
FSQ first,¶3.3 then body composition, strength, core and cardio, in that order.¶3.15.4
All three physical components within 3 hours, at least 5 minutes of rest between them, one attempt at each.¶3.15.9–3.15.10¶3.15.13
Dispute a count before the next component, and mark “Dispute results” on the AF Form 4446 if it isn’t settled.¶3.15.6.3¶3.15.15
At 5,250 ft or higher, Attachment 3 adjusts run, walk and HAMR results.¶3.15.12.3
Medical and administrative exemptions, and what each does to your next test.
Only the exemptions in Table 4.1 exist. Medical ones are documented on the AF Form 469, and commanders and UFPMs can’t add others.¶4.1Table 4.1
Component or composite exemption: PFRA Hold plus an Adaptive Fitness Program, and the WHtR is still required.¶4.1.1–4.1.2 Exceptions: an ALC with enduring restrictions, or retention after AMRO review.¶4.1.2.1–4.1.2.2
Modality exemption: you choose a cleared alternative in the same component, such as the HAMR instead of the run.¶4.1.3
Pregnancy: no PFRA while pregnant; for a pregnancy of 20 weeks or more you are due in the 13th month after delivery.¶4.1.4
Deployment, ARC non-participation, and an approved retirement or separation within 12 months.¶4.1.5–4.1.7
Profiles of a year or more go to your commander for AMRO review.¶4.2¶4.3 Before a PCS, your PFRA must stay current through your report-no-later-than date.¶4.3.1
Location waivers cover extreme climate (indoor HAMR where available) and events such as an air quality index above 100.¶4.4
Training for the people who run the program, and the two improvement programs.
Training for UFPMs, UFAC managers, test administrators and PFLs; administrators and PFLs need hands-on BLS and AED certification.¶5.1–5.4
Adaptive Fitness Program (AFP) for members with physical restrictions: enrollment within 10 duty days (ARC: 60 calendar days), with the plan on AF Form 108 and weekly check-ins.¶5.5
Fitness Reconditioning Program (FRP) after an Unsatisfactory, or a WHtR above .55 with a failed body fat assessment. Same timelines; options include Military OneSource health coaching, fitness-center classes, medically approved nutrition courses and local classes.¶5.6
Commanders may ask for a clinical case review. Obesity is not treated as a diagnosis that prevents FRP success.¶5.6.8
Students and accessions, GSUs, Individual Reservists and ARC tenants.
Your first official PFRA is at your first duty station: the next unit test, or within 2 months of arrival.¶6.1.1
BMT, tech school, OTS, USAFA, COT, pilot training and prior-service entrants meet their program’s own standards; those tests aren’t official or recorded in myFitness.¶6.1.2
Locations without a FAC set up a UFAC, and a sister-service administrator may test a lone member.¶6.2
IMA and PIRR members follow Reserve frequency, managed by their attached active-component unit.¶6.4 ARC tenants may use the host base’s FAC.¶6.5
Consequences, separation, appeals and corrections.
No Article 15 solely for failing, and no adverse action for not testing while on a validated exemption.¶8.1.1
After an Unsatisfactory, commanders will consider adverse administrative action, and must document why if they take none.¶8.1.2.1–8.1.2.2 Attachment 5’s table of actions is “illustrative and not binding”.
Four Unsatisfactory PFRAs in 24 months (calendar months, counting the month of the latest) requires a discharge or retention recommendation after a medical records review.¶8.1.3
Appeals: within one month, through myFitness, to the wing commander, then AFPC’s Fitness Assessment Appeals Board; the AFBCMR has the final say.¶8.2Table 8.1
Administrative errors, such as a wrong rep count in myFitness or a double entry, are fixed through the Fitness Information Manager.¶8.4
The manual’s own Summary of Changes (page 2) lists these, and says the document “has been revised and should be completely reviewed”. Each item links to where the rule now lives.
1The waist-to-height ratio is scored, worth 20 points.¶3.7.1¶3.15.4.2
2The 2.0-mile run or the 20-meter HAMR replaces the 1.5-mile run.¶3.1.2.4
4Body composition can be decoupled from the other components “to reduce unsafe practices”.¶3.1.1¶3.15.4.1
5A WHtR above .55 with an Unsatisfactory PFRA means a body fat assessment by a second method and a body composition remedial program.¶3.1.1¶5.6.2
6“Assessments are now bi-annual for all members”, and ARC members test every 12 months.¶3.4Table 3.3
7Group (unit) testing is at the installation commander’s discretion.¶2.14.2¶3.4.1
8Medically exempt members go on PFRA Hold and into the Adaptive Fitness Program.¶3.10.6¶5.5
9Physical conditioning every duty day, with commanders’ responsibilities spelled out.¶1.2¶2.26
10“Physical fitness is the Airman’s responsibility.”¶2.30
11The Regular Air Force, Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard all follow the new rules; Space Force guidance is in SPFMAN 36-2905.
Versions and changelog
What changed, and when
The plan announced in September 2025 was revised in January and again in February 2026, and AFPC replaced its chart file in March without a change note. This is the dated record: official changes on one side, changes to this site on the other, each with its source.
The documents in force
Checked against the sources on
AFMAN 36-2905
24 March 2026
Air Force Physical Fitness Readiness Program. The rulebook: who tests, how often, exemptions, procedures.
Air Force, AFPC and Department of War documents, newest first.
Official
DoW Instruction 1308.03 takes effect
The Department of War’s new Physical Fitness/Body Composition instruction replaces the 2022 DoD version. As reported, it requires a WHtR below 0.55 for all members, two tests a year for active duty and one for the Guard and Reserve.
AFMAN 36-2905 still cites the 2022 instruction. As of 2 Oct 2026 we have not seen an Air Force change that implements the new one, so this site applies AFMAN 36-2905 as published.
A 9 Jul SAF/M&RA memo required every Airman without a qualifying exemption to have a waist-to-height measurement recorded by 31 Jul (ARC: 31 Aug), in the new myBodyComp app launched on 23 Jul. It is not part of the PFRA and does not affect fitness scores.
The baseline period ended on 30 Jun and PFRAs now count for record. Logging a test as diagnostic is now the standing member election in AFMAN 36-2905: no more than two in 365 days (ARC: one).¶3.8
Air Force Physical Fitness Readiness Program, 116 pages. It supersedes the 22 April 2022 manual and applies to the Regular Air Force, Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard, not the Space Force.
AFPC replaced the chart file at a new URL, with no change note. One value changed: male 30–34 push-ups for 3.0 points is 28, not 26. The AFSPECWAR/EOD page was dropped from the general charts; those charts are a separate document.
Effect: 26 or 27 push-ups for a man aged 30–34 now score 2.5 points, not 3.0. Every other value is unchanged.
From 1 Mar to 30 Jun 2026 every test was a baseline (diagnostic) test unless the member chose to make it official. The Air Force said the data would be used to “assess and refine our score charts”.
AFPC posted the PFRA Scoring Charts “Effective 1 Mar 26”, with “increased minimums for each scored component”, plus separate AFSPECWAR/EOD charts, the Warfighter’s Fitness Playbook 2.0 and a Pregnancy & Postpartum Performance Training Guide.
Evaluation guidance (AFI 36-2406) was released the same week.
Replaced parts of the 2022 manual and of the September 2025 memo, effective 1 Mar 2026.
Regular Air Force: two tests per calendar year, in cycles of March–October and October–March. Air Reserve Component: once a year.
Diagnostic PFRAs no earlier than one month before the scheduled test.
Baseline period through 30 Jun 2026. Members could convert a diagnostic score to an official one, which moved their next PFRA to six months after that test.
Plan revised: shorter diagnostic period, run or HAMR at every test
With testing paused since 1 Jan, the Air Force cut the diagnostic period to 1 Mar–30 Jun 2026 and moved official testing up to 1 Jul 2026. Airmen may choose the 2-mile run or the 20-meter HAMR at every test, which dropped the yearly 2-mile requirement.
PFA scores began appearing on performance briefs: colonels from February 2026; lieutenant colonels, majors and chief master sergeants from May 2026.
New program announced, with the September 2025 charts
A SAF/MR memo and an Air Force announcement set out the redesign: 50/20/15/15 scoring, a 2-mile run in place of the 1.5-mile run, a scored waist-to-height ratio, and a test every six months regardless of score.
Planned timeline: testing paused from 1 Jan 2026, diagnostic tests 1 Mar to 31 Aug 2026, official testing from 1 Sep 2026.
At least one test every 365 days would have had to be the 2-mile run.
Charts dated 23 Sep 2025 were attached. They are often called the draft charts.
Since replaced: The timeline, the yearly 2-mile requirement and the September 2025 charts were all replaced between January and March 2026.
What we changed in our tables, rules and tools, and why.
This site
AFMAN explainer, changelog and score-chart upgrade
This page now maps AFMAN 36-2905 chapter by chapter with paragraph citations. The score charts add the AFSPECWAR/EOD standard and show full chart rows when you open them.
The calculator now uses the AFMAN’s categories (Excellent is above 90) and can solve for the result you need. It handles the 2-km walk, altitude corrections from 5,250 ft, the body fat assessment path for a WHtR above .55 and the AFSPECWAR/EOD standard. Results can be shared as a link and kept in a history stored on your device.¶3.6.1¶3.7.3¶3.15.12.3¶3.1.1¶1.3.3
New planning tools built on the AFMAN rules and the chart data. Each one is stamped with the AFMAN and chart versions it implements and links to this changelog.
The ratio is now truncated to two decimals instead of rounded, so the AFMAN’s own example, 39.5 ÷ 72 = 0.5486, scores as 0.54 (15 points, previously 12.5). Risk bands follow the chart key: low up to 0.49, moderate 0.50–0.54, high from 0.55.¶3.15.4.2
Every event, sex and age group now reads the published step tables: nine 5-year age groups (previously merged into five) and no interpolation between rows. Passing means a composite of 75 or more plus the starred minimum on every tested event.¶3.1¶3.7.1
AFPC has published three sets of PFRA charts. Only the 17 March 2026 file is current. The component charts are AFPC documents, separate from AFMAN 36-2905; the manual itself holds only the 2-km walk times (Table 3.1), the body fat standards (Table 3.2) and the altitude corrections (Attachment 3).
September 2025Replaced
PT Charts New – 50-20-15-15 with 2Mile FINAL 23 Sep 25 (37 pages)
Released with the September 2025 SAF/MR memo; often called the draft charts.
Different values and uneven point steps, with minimums worth as little as 0.8 points.
Replaced in late February 2026, before the new test began on 1 Mar 2026.
September 2025 vs. final: minimums for men under 25
The starred minimum on each chart. Some minimums went down, some went up, and every final minimum is worth 2.5 points (strength and core) or 35 points (cardio).
Men under 25: starred minimum on the September 2025 charts and on the final charts effective 1 March 2026
Event
Sept 2025 charts
Final (1 Mar 2026)
Push-ups (1 min)
300.8 pts
302.5 pts
Hand-release push-ups (2 min)
157.5 pts
272.5 pts
Sit-ups (1 min)
392.3 pts
332.5 pts
Cross-leg reverse crunch (2 min)
217.5 pts
352.5 pts
Forearm plank
1:057.5 pts
1:352.5 pts
2-mile run
19:4529.5 pts
19:4535 pts
20 m HAMR (shuttles)
39–4129.5 pts
4235 pts
Sources: AFPC charts dated 23 Sep 2025 (page “Males <25”) and the final charts effective 1 Mar 2026. Press coverage of the same change: Air & Space Forces Magazine, 2 Mar 2026.
Why other sites show different numbers
Some sites still publish September 2025 values, such as a 39 sit-up minimum for men under 25 (35 for women), where the final chart says 33 (29 for women). Others show numbers that appear on neither chart, such as a 1:25 plank minimum; the final chart says 1:35 for men and 1:30 for women under 25. If a number doesn’t match AFPC’s corrected PDF, the PDF wins.
Special Warfare and EOD Airmen who take an occupationally specific assessment use a separate, sex-neutral AFSPECWAR/EOD chart.¶1.3.3 Our score charts show both standards.
Each card quotes AFMAN 36-2905 word for word and cites the paragraph. Download any card as an image for a group chat or a briefing slide: the image carries the paragraph number and the manual’s date, so it still makes sense when it gets reposted.
Myth
“A WHtR over .55 is an automatic fail.”
AFMAN 36-2905 says
“20 points for Body Composition (does not have a minimum requirement)”¶3.7.1
Body composition has no minimum. A WHtR above .55 matters only if your composite also fails: then you take a Tier 2 body fat assessment, and if you pass it, body composition is scored as exempt.
On the chart a WHtR of 0.55 still earns 12.5 of 20 points. Watch this one: DoW Instruction 1308.03 (31 Aug 2026) is reported to require a WHtR below 0.55, but AFMAN 36-2905 has not been changed to match. Changelog entry
“All members scoring Excellent without any component exemptions will be due again in 6 months. (ARC test once every 12 months.)”¶3.10.1
Excellent and Satisfactory are both due again in 6 months. Guard and Reserve members test every 12 months whatever their score. After an Unsatisfactory, everyone is due within 3 months.
“Unit commanders will make a discharge or retention recommendation … once they receive four unsatisfactory fitness assessment scores in a 24-month period”¶8.1.3.1
Four Unsatisfactory PFRAs in 24 months forces a decision, not a discharge. A military medical provider reviews your records first, and retention is possible. Passing tests in between do not reset the count.
“With a profile, you just test on the parts you’re cleared for.”
AFMAN 36-2905 says
“Members with AF Form 469 exempting them from performing one or more components … will be placed in PFRA Hold and are not authorized to assess.”¶3.9
A component exemption normally means PFRA Hold, not a partial test. A modality exemption swaps the exercise instead. Testing without a component needs an ALC, retention after AMRO review, or an authorized 2-km walk.
“Commanders and UFPMs are not allowed to provide exemptions for any other reasons outside of Table 4.1.”Table 4.1 note
Medical exemptions come from DAF or DHA providers on the AF Form 469. For other personal reasons, a commander can request a waiver through the MAJCOM tier-waiver process, not grant one.
Wing and GSU commanders can issue location-wide waivers for outdoor cardio in extreme climate, or suspend testing for things like wildfire smoke, but those cover a whole location, not one Airman.¶4.4.1¶4.4.2
“Your score will be the last successful shuttle completed before three consecutive warnings or when you voluntarily terminate your assessment.”A2.9.6
Reaching the line late, or leaving it early, earns a warning, not a deduction. The warning count resets after your next good shuttle. Three warnings in a row end the test.
“WHtR is measured at the narrowest part of your waist.”
AFMAN 36-2905 says
“The WCM is taken at the midpoint between the member’s lowest rib and the top of their hip bone (iliac crest).”¶3.15.4.5
On bare skin, from your right side, feet no more than shoulder-width apart, at the end of a normal breath. The narrowest point is the women’s Tier 2 tape site, not the WHtR site.
“WHtR results are truncated (not rounded) to the first two decimal points.”¶3.15.4.2
The manual’s own example: 39.5 ÷ 72 = 0.5486, recorded as 0.54 (15 points), not 0.55 (12.5 points). Each waist reading is also rounded down to the nearest half inch.
“If the member would like to dispute the result, they must inform the PFRA Administrator prior to proceeding to the subsequent component.”¶3.15.6.3
Speak up before you start the next event. If it isn’t resolved, mark “Dispute results” on the AF Form 4446, then appeal through myFitness within one month.
“ARC members will test once every 12 months.”¶3.4.2
Testing every 6 months applies to the Regular Air Force. Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard members test every 12 months after an Excellent or Satisfactory, and within 3 months after an Unsatisfactory.
Attachment 1 prescribes three forms and adopts five. Official copies are on e-Publishing; we don’t reproduce them.
AF Form 4446Prescribed
Air Force Fitness Assessment Scorecard
Your results, signed by the administrator and you, with illness/injury and “Dispute results” blocks. Locally made scorecards aren’t allowed.¶3.15.15¶3.12
DAF Form 4446APrescribed
Air Force Physical Fitness Screening Questionnaire (FSQ)
Completed before every PFRA; a flagged answer without a current AF Form 469 means a medical review first.¶3.3
AF Form 108Prescribed
Department of the Air Force Fitness Education and Intervention Processing
Your AFP or FRP plan and weekly check-ins.¶5.5.3¶5.6.4
AF Form 469Adopted
Duty Limiting Condition Report
Limitations, exemptions and expiry dates. Only the most current one counts.¶4.1.8
DAF Form 418Adopted
Selective Reenlistment Program (SRP) Consideration/Denial of Continued Service for Airman
Reenlistment ineligibility or non-selection after failures.Table A5.1, note 2
DD Form 2875Adopted
System Authorization Access Request
myFitness access for FIM, FAC, UFAC and UFPM roles.¶2.20.2
DD Form 2870Adopted
Authorization for Disclosure of Medical or Dental Information
Listed in Attachment 1; no paragraph describes its use.
DAF Form 847Adopted
Recommendation for Change of Product
How to propose a change to the manual (front matter).
Watch the names: the af.mil fitness page labels the questionnaire “AF Form 4446A (FSQ)”, but the manual prescribes DAF Form 4446A for the questionnaire and AF Form 4446 for the scorecard. Source: af.mil/Fitness (archived 2 Sep 2026).
Glossary
Terms you’ll meet in the manual
Acclimatization Period
One calendar month to readjust, counted from the day after you return or arrive: after a deployment, on arrival from a PCS, or after more than 30 days of official travel with an altitude change of over 5,000 feet and a change in climate.¶3.10.8¶4.1.5¶4.3.1.1
AFP · Adaptive Fitness Program
Exercise program for members with a medical exemption and physical restrictions; enrollment within 10 duty days (ARC: 60 calendar days).¶5.5
ALC · Assignment Limitation Code
Given to members returned to duty with an enduring limitation; they test on the components they’re cleared for instead of going on PFRA Hold.¶3.9¶4.1.2.1
AMRO Board · Airman Medical Readiness Optimization Board
Reviews members on PFRA Hold for a year or more, and approves body composition exemptions.¶4.3¶4.1.8.2
BFA · Body Fat Assessment
Tier 2 check for a WHtR above .55 with a failing composite, by InBody 770 scale or tape. Pass/fail: under 26% for men, under 36% for women.¶3.1.2.1¶3.7.2
DNF · Did Not Finish
Not completing a component, or missing the decoupling window; scored as Unsatisfactory.¶3.10.4
DPFRA · Diagnostic PFRA
“An unofficial Physical Fitness Readiness Assessment conducted under official conditions” (Attachment 1). You choose it after seeing your score; no more than two in 365 days (ARC: one).¶3.8
FAC · Fitness Assessment Cell
The installation’s testing cell in the Force Support Squadron; enters scores in myFitness within five duty days.¶2.24
FIM · Fitness Information Manager
Appointed by the FSS commander; grants myFitness access and corrects administrative errors and approved appeals.¶2.20
FRP · Fitness Reconditioning Program
The remedial program after an Unsatisfactory or a failed BFA, documented on AF Form 108.¶5.6
A 3F1 E-4 or above appointed by the FSS commander; trains administrators and PFLs and gives Tier 2 BFAs. Attends the MFL course within 6 months (ARC: 12).¶2.23
OSPFRA · Occupationally Specific PFRA
The yearly job-specific test for Special Warfare and EOD AFSCs, sex- and age-neutral.¶1.3.2
PFL · Peer Fitness Leader
Any rank, appointed by the unit commander; leads unit physical conditioning.¶2.29¶5.4
PFRA · Physical Fitness Readiness Assessment
The test: body composition, muscular strength, core endurance and cardio.¶1.3.1
PFRA Hold
Status for members with a component exemption: no official PFRA, and due the month after the Reconditioning Period.¶3.10.6¶4.1.2
Reconditioning Period
One calendar month from the day after your fitness restrictions end.¶3.10.9
UFAC · Unit Fitness Assessment Cell
A unit’s own testing cell, for group testing or where there is no FAC.¶2.27
UFPM · Unit Fitness Program Manager
Appointed by the unit commander; an administrative role covering FSQ and AF Form 469 checks, exemptions, due dates and the AF Form 108.¶2.28¶5.1
Full list of abbreviations: AFMAN 36-2905, Attachment 1.Att 1
Frequently asked questions
What is AFMAN 36-2905?+
Air Force Manual 36-2905, Air Force Physical Fitness Readiness Program, dated 24 March 2026, is the rulebook for the Air Force fitness program and its test, the Physical Fitness Readiness Assessment (PFRA). It covers who tests and how often, scoring categories, exemptions, test-day procedures, the remedial programs and adverse actions. It applies to the Regular Air Force, Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard.
Is DAFMAN 36-2905 still in effect?+
No. AFMAN 36-2905 (24 March 2026) superseded DAFMAN 36-2905 (22 April 2022). Both names still circulate because the PDF on e-Publishing is named dafman36-2905.pdf, and AFPC's link labeled AFMAN 36-2905 points to a file called DAFMAN 36-2905.pdf.
Does AFMAN 36-2905 apply to the Space Force, civilians or retirees?+
No. It applies to members of the Regular Air Force, Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard; the Space Force follows SPFMAN 36-2905. Civilians appear only in program roles (a civilian Peer Fitness Leader is not required to take a PFRA, AFMAN 36-2905 para. 2.29.2), and members with an approved retirement or separation date within 12 months are exempt from further PFRAs (para. 4.1.7).
Are the PT score charts in AFMAN 36-2905?+
No. AFPC publishes the component score charts as a separate document (effective 1 March 2026, corrected 17 March 2026). The manual itself contains only Table 3.1 (2-km walk times), Table 3.2 (body fat standards) and the altitude corrections in Attachment 3.
Which score chart version is current?+
AFPC's PFRA Scoring Charts effective 1 March 2026, as corrected on 17 March 2026 (the file name ends "cao 17 Mar 26"). The correction changed one value: male 30-34 push-ups for 3.0 points is 28, not 26. Values from the September 2025 charts, such as a 39 sit-up minimum for men under 25, are out of date; the final chart says 33.
How often do Airmen take the PFRA?+
Every 6 months after an Excellent or Satisfactory score, and within 3 months after an Unsatisfactory. Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard members test every 12 months (AFMAN 36-2905 paras. 3.4.2 and 3.10, Table 3.3).
What is a diagnostic PFRA (DPFRA)?+
After you finish a PFRA and see your score, you can choose to log it as a diagnostic: a non-attribution assessment for feedback. You can log no more than two in any 365 days (ARC: one); after that the result counts (AFMAN 36-2905 para. 3.8). The March to June 2026 baseline period, when tests were diagnostic unless you chose otherwise, was a one-time rollout and has ended.
What happens after four PT test failures?+
Four Unsatisfactory PFRAs in a 24-month period require your unit commander to recommend discharge or retention, after a military medical provider reviews your records (AFMAN 36-2905 para. 8.1.3.1). It is not automatic: retention is possible, and passing tests in between do not reset the count (para. 8.1.3.3.1).
How do I appeal a PFRA score?+
Within one month: submit an appeal request in myFitness and send it to your UFPM, who routes it to the wing commander (who may delegate no lower than squadron commander). A denied appeal can go to AFPC's Fitness Assessment Appeals Board, and the Air Force Board for Correction of Military Records has the final say (AFMAN 36-2905 para. 8.2, Table 8.1).