Air Force fitness rules in 2026: scoring and changes
The Air Force fitness test is scored out of 100 and passes at 75, with a minimum in strength, core and cardio. The manual that sets it is dated 24 March 2026.
Air Force calculators and charts
- Air Force PT calculatorThe 100 point score for the 2026 assessment: run or shuttle, strength, core and waist.
- Air Force PT standardsThe scoring charts for every component and age group, effective 1 March 2026.
- Air Force waist-to-height calculatorYour ratio, cut to two decimals the way the manual does it, and its points out of 20.
Air Force publications in force
- AFMAN 36-2905, Air Force Physical Fitness Readiness Program, 24 March 2026. It applies to the regular Air Force, the Reserve and the Guard, and not to the Space Force. It replaces DAFMAN 36-2905 of 22 April 2022.
- USAF Physical Fitness Readiness Assessment scoring charts, effective 1 March 2026. No publication number is printed. These are the point tables for every age group and both sexes.
- USAF AFSPECWAR/EOD Physical Fitness Readiness Assessment scoring charts, effective 1 March 2026. No publication number is printed. They are for special warfare and EOD jobs and are not shown on this site.
Two news articles give dates that the manual does not. One is the Air Force article of 24 September 2025, which carries a later editor's note. The other is the Air Force Reserve Command article of 3 September 2026.
Dated changes to Air Force fitness testing
- Air Force Reserve Command article "Fitness Updates for AFRC Airmen": Reserve Airmen test once a year after a Satisfactory or Excellent score. After an Unsatisfactory one they test every 90 days. They may take the HAMR or the 2 mile run, and neither is a step down from the other. The Fitness Improvement Program is now the Fitness Reconditioning Program.
- The Air Force article of 24 September 2025 gave this as the day official, scored testing would resume under the new standards. Its editor's note says parts of the article, including the diagnostic window, have been superseded and gives no new date.
- The Air Force Reserve Command article of 3 September 2026 says testing officially resumed on July 1, without giving a year. This differs from the 1 September 2026 date in the 2025 article. This site does not settle between them, and AFMAN 36-2905 gives no start date.
- AFMAN 36-2905 issued. Its summary of changes lists waist-to-height ratio as a scored component worth 20 points. It replaces the 1.5 mile run with a 2 mile run or the HAMR, and gives 15 points each to strength and core and 50 to cardio. Reserve and Guard members test every 12 months. Members with a medical exemption enter PFRA Hold.
- The scoring charts file on the Air Force Personnel Center site carries this date in its file name. The charts themselves print only the effective date of 1 March 2026.
- New standards begin. The scoring charts are marked effective 1 Mar 26. The Air Force article of 24 September 2025 says testing on the new standards starts this day with the revised manual. It adds that all tests through 31 August 2026 are diagnostic. AFMAN 36-2905 itself is dated 24 March 2026.
- The Air Force article of 24 September 2025 says the Air Force will pause all fitness testing from this day to move to the updated program.
- The Air Force article "Air Force updates physical fitness program" announces the new program. It has a 100 point score over four components, scored body composition from waist-to-height ratio, a two mile run and testing every six months. Regular Airmen may be measured up to five days before the test. An editor's note was added later and is not dated.
- Date of the earlier DAFMAN 36-2905, which AFMAN 36-2905 of 24 March 2026 supersedes, as printed on the new manual's cover.
The Air Force rules were last compared with the source documents on .
What the Air Force tests today
The Physical Fitness Readiness Assessment, or PFRA, is the Air Force PT test. It scores 100 points across four components. Cardiorespiratory fitness is worth 50 points, from a 2 mile run or a 20 meter HAMR shuttle run. Waist-to-height ratio is worth 20 points. Muscular strength is worth 15 points, from push-ups or hand release push-ups. Core endurance is worth 15 points, from sit-ups, cross-leg reverse crunches or a forearm plank.
To pass, a composite of at least 75 is needed and the minimum in every physical component. A composite of 90 or more is Excellent. Anyone who scores Unsatisfactory is due again in 3 months.
Regular Air Force Airmen test every 6 months after an Excellent or Satisfactory score. Members of the Reserve and the Guard test every 12 months. The scoring charts took effect on 1 March 2026. The documents disagree on the day scored testing began: a Reserve Command article says 1 July, and the 2025 announcement said 1 September.
The Space Force has its own fitness program and is not covered here.
Air Force guides
These guides answer single questions.
- Does the Air Force run 2 miles now, and what changed from the old test
- How the 20 meter HAMR shuttle run works
- 2 mile run times by age in the Army and Air Force tables
- Waist-to-height checks in all four services
- Plank standards by service, with the rules for each
- What the military tape test is and which services still use it
- How a failed fitness test is handled in each service
- What PT stands for in the military
Air Force fitness test questions
What is the Air Force fitness test called now?
The Physical Fitness Readiness Assessment, or PFRA. It replaced the earlier name, Physical Fitness Assessment. Airmen still call it the PT test.
How many points do you need to pass the Air Force PT test?
A composite of 75 out of 100, with the minimum met in strength, core and cardio, as AFMAN 36-2905 of 24 March 2026 sets it. Waist-to-height has no minimum. A composite of 90 or more is Excellent.
What changed from the 1.5 mile test?
AFMAN 36-2905 of 24 March 2026 lists a 2.0 mile run or 20 meter HAMR in place of the 1.5 mile run, and a waist-to-height score worth 20 points. Strength and core are 15 points each and cardio is 50. Assessments are now bi-annual, and all Reserve and Guard members test every 12 months.
Does the 2 kilometer walk earn points?
No. Paragraph 3.7.3 of AFMAN 36-2905 makes the walk pass or fail with no points, and it cannot count toward Excellent. A member who passes is scored as if the cardio part were exempt and is not placed on PFRA Hold.
How often is the Air Force PT test taken?
Table 3.3 of AFMAN 36-2905 sets 6 months after an Excellent or Satisfactory score and 3 months after an Unsatisfactory one. Reserve and Guard members test every 12 months, or in 3 months after an Unsatisfactory score.
How soon do I retest after an Unsatisfactory score?
Paragraph 3.10.3 of AFMAN 36-2905 makes the member responsible for retesting before the end of the third month. Testing earlier than the third calendar month takes the commander's approval.
Fitness tests in the other services
Sources
5 official documents
- US Air Force. AFMAN 36-2905, Air Force Physical Fitness Readiness Program, 24 March 2026. Read 12 November 2026.
- US Air Force, Air Force Personnel Center. USAF Physical Fitness Readiness Assessment Scoring charts (Tab 2), effective 1 March 2026. Read 12 November 2026.
- US Air Force, Air Force Personnel Center. USAF AFSPECWAR/EOD Physical Fitness Readiness Assessment Scoring charts, effective 1 March 2026. Read 12 November 2026.
- Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs. Air Force updates physical fitness program, 24 September 2025, with editor's note. Read 12 November 2026.
- Air Force Reserve Command. Fitness Updates for AFRC Airmen, 3 September 2026. Read 12 November 2026.
By the Military PT Test Calculator team. The rule sets listed here were read from the Air Force's own manual, scoring charts and news releases. Each date comes from the document named beside it, and the tools are tested against the official tables.
Last updated on 13 November 2026. How pages are made: editorial policy.