The short answer
- Military PT is the exercise a unit does each duty day, and a PT test is the common name for the scored fitness test that checks it.
- The Army's test is the Army Fitness Test. The Air Force's is the Physical Fitness Readiness Assessment, formerly called the PFA.
- The Marine Corps has the Physical Fitness Test and the Combat Fitness Test. The Navy has the Physical Readiness Test, taken inside the Physical Fitness Assessment.
- No two services test the same events.
By the Military PT Test Calculator team. The test names and events here are taken from each service's own directive, order or guide, which are listed at the end. The quotations were matched against the text of those documents by script.
Last updated on 13 November 2026. How pages are made: editorial policy.
The Navy treats PT as a daily duty. NAVADMIN 264/25 carries a heading, "Requirement for PT every workday", and makes commanders responsible for working PT into every workday. The scored test that checks the training is a separate event, and each service gives its own test a different name.
Training and testing are two things
The documents keep them apart. The Army's ATP 7-22.01 says the Army Fitness Test "validates the Soldier's and unit's physical readiness training". The Marine Corps order tells commanders to make sure command physical training programs are not built only to prepare for the PFT or CFT. An Air Force Reserve article of 3 September 2026 says each unit training assembly now includes a physical training session of 20 to 60 minutes.
What the test is called in each service
PT test is the everyday name for the scored test, and an Air Force news article uses it in a photo caption. The services themselves name the test as follows.
| Service | Test of record | Events |
|---|---|---|
| Army | Army Fitness Test (AFT) | 3 repetition maximum deadlift, hand-release push-up, sprint-drag-carry, plank, 2 mile run |
| Air Force | Physical Fitness Readiness Assessment (PFRA), formerly the Physical Fitness Assessment (PFA) | Waist-to-height ratio, push-ups or hand-release push-ups, sit-ups or cross-leg reverse crunch or forearm plank, 2.0 mile run or 20 meter HAMR |
| Marine Corps | Physical Fitness Test (PFT) and Combat Fitness Test (CFT) | PFT: pull-ups or push-ups, plank, 3 mile run. CFT events: movement to contact, ammunition lift, maneuver under fire |
| Navy | Physical Readiness Test (PRT), taken inside the Physical Fitness Assessment (PFA) | Push-ups, forearm plank, 1.5 mile run or walk |
The Air Force lets a member who is not medically cleared to run take a 2 kilometer walk. The Marine Corps allows a 5,000 meter row in place of the run for some Marines. The Navy lets a commanding officer authorize a rower, treadmill, bike or swim in place of the run.
Each service keeps its rules and dated changes in one place: Army fitness rules in 2026, Air Force fitness rules in 2026, Marine Corps fitness rules and changes and Navy fitness rules in 2026.
How long a test day runs
The Army test is five events on one day within 120 minutes. The Air Force assessment runs in a set order, body composition first and the run or shuttle last. It fits inside a 3 hour window, with at least 5 minutes between components. The Marine Corps holds all PFT events in one session of two hours or less. The Navy runs its three events on one day, with 5 to 15 minutes between them.
What passing means in each test
The Army requires at least 60 points in each of the five events. The Air Force requires a composite score of at least 75 and the minimum in each physical component. The Marine Corps requires at least 150 points in total and the minimum in every event. The Navy requires Probationary or higher in every event. Army combat specialties need a total of 350 as well, and Marines in a combat arms primary specialty need 210 on the PFT.
One abbreviation, three tests
CFT does not name a single test. In the Marine Corps it is the Combat Fitness Test, which is scored out of 100 points per event alongside the PFT. In the Navy it is the Combat Fitness Test, taken only by combat arms occupations. It has an 800 meter swim with fins, weighted push-ups, weighted pull-ups and a weighted one mile run. In the Army, Army Directive 2026-07 created the Combat Field Test. It is a pass or fail test with no points, and it starts and ends with a 1 mile run.
When each test took its present form
For the Army, the Army Fitness Test took over from the Army Combat Fitness Test on 1 June 2025, and its score tables took effect that day. The Air Force scoring charts are effective 1 March 2026. The Navy's score tables are dated December 2025, and the Marine Corps order was last updated on 28 May 2025.
Where body composition fits
The Air Force scores a waist-to-height ratio for 20 of its 100 points. The Navy Physical Fitness Assessment combines a medical screening, a body composition assessment and the PRT. The Army measures waist-to-height ratio under a separate directive that took effect on 1 July 2026, and it adds no points to the AFT. The Marine Corps checks body composition under a separate bulletin.
PT questions
What does PT stand for in the military?
Physical training. The Navy's policy guide writes it as physical training (PT). An Air Force Reserve article describes a physical training session of 20 to 60 minutes at each unit training assembly.
What is a PT test?
It is the everyday name for a service's scored fitness test. The names are the Army Fitness Test, the Air Force Physical Fitness Readiness Assessment, the Marine Corps PFT and CFT, and the Navy Physical Readiness Test.
Is the PT test the same in every service?
No. The events, the run distance and the scoring all differ. The run is 2 miles in the Army and 3 miles in the Marine Corps. It is 1.5 miles in the Navy, and the Air Force allows 2 miles or the HAMR.
How often is the fitness test taken?
Regular Army soldiers pass two record AFTs a year, at least 4 months apart. The Air Force tests every 6 months, or every 12 months in the Reserve and Guard. Marines take the PFT once a year between 1 January and 30 June. Active Navy Sailors complete two assessments a year.
Score calculators for each service
Sources
12 official documents
- Army Publishing Directorate. Army Directive 2025-06, Army Fitness Test, 17 April 2025. Read 12 November 2026.
- Army Publishing Directorate. ATP 7-22.01, the Army's fitness testing publication, 12 March 2026. Read 12 November 2026.
- Army Publishing Directorate. Army Directive 2026-13, Army Body Composition Program and Standards, 1 July 2026. Read 12 November 2026.
- US Air Force. AFMAN 36-2905, Air Force Physical Fitness Readiness Program, 24 March 2026. Read 12 November 2026.
- US Air Force. Physical Fitness Readiness Assessment Scoring Charts, effective 1 March 2026. Read 12 November 2026.
- US Air Force. Air Force updates physical fitness program, 24 September 2025. Read 12 November 2026.
- Air Force Reserve Command. Fitness Updates for AFRC Airmen, 3 September 2026. Read 12 November 2026.
- US Marine Corps. MCO 6100.13A with Administrative Change 5, Marine Corps Physical Fitness and Combat Fitness Tests, 28 May 2025. Read 12 November 2026.
- US Marine Corps. Body Composition Program Standards. Read 12 November 2026.
- US Navy. NAVADMIN 264/25, 2026 Physical Readiness Program changes. Read 12 November 2026.
- US Navy. Navy Physical Readiness Program Guide-1, Physical Readiness Program Policies, August 2026. Read 12 November 2026.
- US Navy. Navy Physical Readiness Program Guide-5A, Physical Readiness Test, tables dated December 2025. Read 12 November 2026.