Plank standards in the Army, Air Force, Marine Corps and Navy tests

A soldier aged 17 to 21 earns 100 Army points for a 3:40 plank. A Marine of any age earns 100 points at 3:45. Army and Marine Corps plank times do not change with sex, and Air Force and Navy times do.

Army: 100 points and the 60 point pass mark

Each Army age group has two columns, one for men and the combat standard and one for women. The plank times are the same in both columns at every age.

Army Fitness Test plank times for 100 and 60 points, by age group

Age group	100 points	60 points
17 to 21	3:40	1:30
22 to 26	3:35	1:25
27 to 31	3:30	1:20
32 to 36	3:25	1:15
37 and older	3:20	1:10

Sixty points is the minimum in each event under Army Directive 2025-06. ATP 7-22.01 does not say whether the plank stops at a time limit. Hands may be in fists with the pinky side down, or flat with palms down, no more than a fist-width apart. Fingers may not be interlaced. The head, shoulders, back, hips and legs stay in a straight line from head to heels. The event ends if another body part touches the ground, a hand or foot lifts, or the line is lost. A grader gives one verbal warning and calls the time in 15 second steps.

Air Force: one of three core options

The Air Force core component is worth 15 points. It can be met with a 1-minute sit-up, a 2-minute cross-leg reverse crunch or a timed forearm plank. The top row of the plank chart earns 15 points. The lowest row, marked with an asterisk, earns 2.5 points. The charts do not explain the asterisk. Manual 36-2905 says a result below the required minimum scores zero for the component.

Air Force forearm plank times for 15 points and the lowest row, by age group and sex (2026 scoring charts)

Age group	Men, 15 points	Men, lowest row	Women, 15 points	Women, lowest row
Under 25	3:40	1:35	3:35	1:30
25 to 29	3:35	1:30	3:30	1:25
30 to 34	3:30	1:25	3:25	1:20
35 to 39	3:25	1:20	3:20	1:15
40 to 44	3:20	1:15	3:15	1:10
45 to 49	3:15	1:10	3:10	1:05
50 to 54	3:10	1:05	3:05	1:00
55 to 59	3:05	1:00	3:00	0:55
60 and over	3:00	0:55	2:55	0:50

The manual's instructions put the elbows directly below the shoulders at 90 degrees, with feet hip-width apart and hips lifted. Hands are in fists or flat and cannot be clasped. The plank ends if the elbow angle is lost, the head drops to the hands, or a hand, forearm or foot lifts. The third correction on form stops the test. Time is read to the nearest second. The instructions mention a maximum time but print no number.

Marine Corps: one table for every Marine

Marine Corps Order 6100.13A, as changed on 23 March 2022, gives 100 points at 3:45 and 40 points at 1:10. The table is the same for men and women of every age. The plank is now the only midsection event, because the crunch ended on 31 December 2022.

The Marine plank is held on a firm, non-slip surface with forearms flat, elbows below the shoulders and feet hip-width apart. It ends if the Marine touches the floor with anything but toes, forearms, fists or palms. It also ends if a hand or foot lifts or the straight line is lost. The monitor may give one verbal warning for the straight line only, and none for the other two. Time is recorded to the nearest second.

Navy: the cap and the Probationary time

Guide-5A prints one maximum time, 3:24 for men and 3:14 for women. The 100 point row for older age groups is shorter, for example 3:08 for men aged 35 to 39. The lowest passing row is Probationary, worth 45 points. A Sailor who fails any one event fails the PRT.

Navy PRT plank times for 100 points and Probationary, by age group and sex (Guide-5A)

Age group	Men, 100 points	Men, Probationary	Women, 100 points	Women, Probationary
17 to 19	3:24	1:11	3:14	1:01
20 to 24	3:20	1:10	3:10	1:00
25 to 29	3:16	1:09	3:06	0:59
30 to 34	3:12	1:07	3:02	0:58
35 to 39	3:08	1:06	2:59	0:56
40 to 44	3:04	1:05	2:55	0:55
45 to 49	3:01	1:03	2:52	0:54
50 to 54	2:57	1:02	2:48	0:53
55 to 59	2:54	1:01	2:45	0:52
60 to 64	2:50	1:00	2:42	0:51
65 and over	2:47	0:58	2:38	0:50

The Navy plank starts face down, then the Sailor lifts into a position with elbows at 90 degrees under the shoulders. Hands are in fists or flat and may not be clasped. The event ends at the cap, if the head lowers to the hands, or if the elbow angle changes. On the third correction the plank is stopped and the time recorded. Time is read to the nearest second, and cellphone stopwatches are prohibited.

Each service keeps its full rules and dated changes in one place. They are the Army hub for test rules, the Air Force hub for assessment rules, the Marine Corps hub for PFT and CFT rules and the Navy hub for PRT rules.