Multi-service 2026 · Verified

Military PT Tests Compared (2026)

Air Force PFRA · Space Force HPA · Army AFT · Navy PRT · Marine Corps PFT: events, pass rules, body composition and test frequency side by side.

All Five Tests at a Glance

Air Force PFRA
Cardio
2-mile run or 20 m HAMR (2-km walk only with an AF Form 469)
Strength
1-min push-ups or 2-min hand-release push-ups
Core
1-min sit-ups, 2-min reverse crunch or plank
Body composition
Scored: WHtR, 20 of 100 points, no minimum
To pass
75+ composite and every starred event minimum: 2.5 of 15 (strength, core), 35 of 50 (cardio)
Frequency
Due 6 months after Excellent or Satisfactory (ARC: 12); 3 months after Unsatisfactory
Space Force HPA
Cardio
2-mile run or 20 m HAMR; at least one 2-mile run a year
Strength
Tempo or hand-release push-ups
Core
Sit-ups, reverse crunch or plank
Body composition
WHtR measured since Jan 2026; scoring not stated
To pass
60+ of 80 = physically ready, as released Sep 2025 (later change reported)
Frequency
Twice a year since 1 Jan 2026
Army AFT
Cardio
2-mile run
Strength
3-rep max deadlift, hand-release push-up, sprint-drag-carry
Core
Plank
Body composition
Separate: WHtR under 0.55 compliant
To pass
300 total; combat MOS: 350 total and 60+ per event (sex-neutral)
Frequency
Twice a year for active duty under DoWI 1308.03 (reported)
Navy PRT
Cardio
1.5-mile run
Strength
Push-ups (2 min)
Core
Forearm plank
Body composition
Separate: WHtR screen at 0.55
To pass
Set in the Navy's PRT guidance (not checked here)
Frequency
Two PFA cycles: Jan–Jun and Jul–Dec
USMC PFT
Cardio
3-mile run or 5,000 m row
Strength
Pull-ups or push-ups
Core
Plank
Body composition
Separate: WHtR 0.52 or less
To pass
300 max; any failed event fails; combat arms: sex-neutral, 210 points (reported)
Frequency
Twice a year for active duty under DoWI 1308.03 (reported)

Air Force column: AFMAN 36-2905 ¶3.1, 3.1.2, 3.7.1 Table 3.3 and the AFPC charts. Body composition has no minimum ¶3.7.1, and an Excellent is due again on the same 6-month cycle as a Satisfactory ¶3.10.1. Other columns: the dated sources listed below. Other services change their tests often, so confirm against your service’s current publication.

What Each Test Is Really Measuring

  • Air Force PFRA: sex- and age-specific fitness standards plus an age-agnostic body composition measure of health risk, all in one 100-point composite ¶1.3.1, 3.7.1. Full details in the 2026 standards guide. Airmen who take an occupationally specific test (Special Warfare and EOD) take a sex-neutral, age-normed PFRA instead ¶1.3.3.
  • Space Force HPA: much the same event menu with a tempo push-up option, on its own scale under SPFMAN 36-2905. See the HPA breakdown, including what has and hasn’t been published about its scoring.
  • Army AFT: the most event-diverse test, with a maximal lift (3-rep max deadlift), the sprint-drag-carry, the hand-release push-up, the plank and the 2-mile run. Combat specialties use one sex-neutral, age-normed standard (army.mil/aft).
  • Navy PRT: push-ups for 2 minutes, a forearm plank held as long as possible, and a 1.5-mile run (HPRC, 17 Jun 2022).
  • Marine Corps PFT: pull-ups or push-ups, the plank, and a 3-mile run or 5,000 m row, with a separate Combat Fitness Test under the same order (MCO 6100.13A, as summarized by CorpsGuide).

Crossing Over: What Transfers and What Doesn't

For Airmen moving to a sister service’s test, or the other way round, two capabilities transfer well and two need dedicated work:

  • Aerobic base transfers. Every test above is anchored by a timed run (or, for the Marines, an optional row).
  • Core endurance transfers. A plank appears in all five tests, as the only core event or one of the options.
  • Maximal strength doesn’t. Only the Army AFT tests a heavy lift, and Air Force training doesn’t prepare a 3-rep max deadlift.
  • Event-specific pacing doesn’t. HAMR shuttle pacing, 3-mile pacing and sprint-drag-carry technique each need their own practice.
Whatever the service, the preparation logic is the same: know the exact thresholds, test yourself under real conditions, and fix the weakest event first. For the Air Force version of that workflow, start with the mock PT test.

Sources and Dates

Checked 2 October 2026. Where a page blocked our tools, we say so and rely on the search summary noted.

Air Force
Army
Navy
Marine Corps
Department-wide

Frequently Asked Questions

Which military branch has the hardest PT test?+
There is no official ranking. By events, the Army AFT is the broadest: five events including a 3-repetition maximum deadlift and the sprint-drag-carry (army.mil/aft). The Marine Corps PFT has the longest run, 3 miles (or a 5,000 m row), and the Corps runs a separate Combat Fitness Test (MCO 6100.13A, as summarized by CorpsGuide). The Air Force PFRA is the only one that scores body composition inside the test: waist-to-height ratio is worth 20 of its 100 points (AFMAN 36-2905 para. 3.7.1). Which feels hardest depends on your build.
Is the Air Force PT test easier than the Army's?+
They measure different things. The Army AFT includes strength events the Air Force does not test, such as the 3-repetition maximum deadlift, and requires a total of 300 points across five events, or 350 with at least 60 per event for combat specialties (army.mil/aft). The Air Force PFRA is a 100-point composite that needs 75 or more plus every physical event's starred chart minimum, with body composition scored inside the test (AFMAN 36-2905 paras. 3.1, 3.6.1 and 3.7.1).
Which branches run 2 miles on their PT test?+
The Air Force (2-mile run or the 20 m HAMR; AFMAN 36-2905 para. 3.1.2.4), the Space Force (2-mile run or HAMR, with at least one 2-mile run a year; spaceforce.mil, 6 Jan 2026) and the Army (the 2-mile run is one of the five AFT events; army.mil/aft). The Navy PRT uses a 1.5-mile run (HPRC, 17 Jun 2022) and the Marine Corps PFT a 3-mile run or 5,000 m row (MCO 6100.13A, as summarized by CorpsGuide).
Do all branches test twice a year?+
Mostly, for active duty. Regular Air Force members are due again 6 months after an Excellent or Satisfactory and 3 months after an Unsatisfactory, and Air Reserve Component members test every 12 months (AFMAN 36-2905 paras. 3.4.2 and 3.10, Table 3.3); an Excellent does not extend the cycle. Guardians take two HPAs a year from 1 January 2026 (spaceforce.mil, 6 Jan 2026), and the Navy runs two PFA cycles, January to June and July to December (MyNavyHR fact sheet for NAVADMIN 264/25). DoW Instruction 1308.03, effective 31 August 2026, requires two tests a year for active duty and one for the Guard and Reserve, as reported by Military Times (9 Sep 2026).
Which fitness tests score body composition?+
Only the Air Force scores it inside the test: waist-to-height ratio is a 20-point component with no minimum (AFMAN 36-2905 para. 3.7.1), and a ratio above 0.55 leads to a body fat assessment only when the composite fails (para. 3.1.1). The other services screen it separately: the Army treats a ratio under 0.55 as compliant from 7 July 2026 (MyArmyBenefits), the Navy screens at 0.55 (USNI News, 30 Dec 2025), and the Marine Corps requires 0.52 or less, twice a year (MARADMIN 066/26, effective 1 January 2026). The Space Force added a WHtR measurement to the HPA in January 2026 without saying how it is scored (spaceforce.mil, 6 Jan 2026). Department-wide, DoW Instruction 1308.03 sets a ratio below 0.55, as reported by Military Times (9 Sep 2026).
Can I compare my score across branches?+
Not directly. The Air Force PFRA is a 100-point composite (AFMAN 36-2905 para. 3.7.1); the Space Force HPA was released on an 80-point scale (spaceforce.mil, 26 Sep 2025); the Army AFT sums points across five events, with pass lines of 300 or 350 (army.mil/aft); and the Marine Corps PFT tops out at 300 (MCO 6100.13A, as summarized by CorpsGuide). Each service sets its own tables, so the honest comparison is against peers inside one system.

More in Other Tests & Pipelines

OTS Fitness RequirementsOfficer Training School PT expectations & arrival benchmarksSpecial Warfare IFT (PAST)Six-event entry test — minimums vs competitive targetsLegacy Standards 2024-2025The retired 1.5-mile-era charts, for referenceSpace Force HPA 2026The Space Force assessment (SPFMAN 36-2905)AFROTC PFA 2026-27Scholarship fitness assessment, new 2-mile run & cadet testingUSAFA CFAAcademy admissions fitness test — six events & real targets
Independent resourceBuilt from AFMAN 36-2905 (24 Mar 2026) and the AFPC chartsVerified 2 October 2026MethodologyWhat changedOfficial source

See exactly where you stand.

Enter your reps, times and waist measurement to get your 2026 PFRA score instantly.

Open the calculator