Air Force PT test guide

The Air Force moved to new scoring charts on March 1, 2026. Tests from March 1 through June 30, 2026 were diagnostic, and official testing on the new standards began July 1, 2026. The assessment has four components worth 100 points in all:

To pass you need a composite of at least 75 and at least the minimum in each fitness component. Body composition has no minimum, so a high waist-to-height ratio costs points but doesn't fail you on its own. A composite of 90 or more is rated Excellent.

Because cardio is half the test, it decides most results. A strong runner can pass with average strength and core scores. A weak runner has very little room anywhere else. Try your numbers in the Air Force PT calculator before you pick your options.

Waist-to-height

Up to 20 points.

Push-ups

Or hand-release push-ups.

Core

Sit-ups, reverse crunch or plank.

2-mile run

Or the HAMR shuttle.

HAMR

20 m shuttles.

Cardio: 2-mile run or HAMR

The run is scored from 35 to 50 points and the HAMR the same. Below the minimum shown, the component fails.

2-mile run

20-meter HAMR (shuttles)

Which to choose. The HAMR is a beep test: you run back and forth between lines 20 meters apart, and the pace speeds up at each level until you can't make the line in time. It rewards people who recover quickly and turn well. The 2-mile rewards steady pacing. If you can, try both a few weeks before the test and compare your points. If you pick the run, the pace chart shows the per-lap split for any goal time.

Body composition: waist-to-height ratio

Your waist divided by your height, worth up to 20 points. A ratio of 0.49 or less earns all 20, and 0.60 or more earns none. The waist is rounded down to the nearest half inch, height is recorded to the nearest half inch, and the ratio is cut to two decimals before it's scored, so 0.5299 counts as 0.52. From 0.49 to 0.54 each 0.01 of ratio is worth 1 point. Above 0.54 each 0.01 is worth 2.5 points, so for anyone above 0.54 the waist is one of the cheaper places to find points. See how to measure your waist for getting a home number that matches the official one.

Muscular strength: push-ups or hand-release push-ups

Both options are scored from 2.5 to 15 points.

Push-ups (1 minute)

Hand-release push-ups (2 minutes)

Which to choose. Standard push-ups suit people who can move fast for a short burst. Hand-release push-ups take longer per rep but give you twice the time, and the release at the bottom gives a moment of rest that helps some people more than it costs. Compare the reps you need for full points, not the raw counts.

Core endurance: sit-ups, reverse crunches or plank

All three options are scored from 2.5 to 15 points.

Sit-ups (1 minute)

Cross-leg reverse crunch (2 minutes)

Forearm plank

Which to choose. The plank needs no partner to count reps and no anchor for your feet, and it's the easiest to practice daily. Sit-ups favor people with strong hip flexors and fast reps. Pick the one where your current result sits closest to full points, then train that option only.

A plan for 75

Work out where your points come from before you train. Add your current component scores in the calculator, then ask which component gives the most points per week of work. For most airmen that order is:

1. Cardio first. Across most of the 2-mile chart, one point is about 19 seconds over the full run, or roughly 10 seconds a mile. Three runs a week (easy, intervals, goal pace) moves this faster than anything else.
2. Waist second, if your ratio is above 0.54. There, a drop of 0.02 in ratio is worth 5 points. At 5 ft 6 in (66 inches) that is about 1.3 inches of waist.
3. Strength and core third. They are worth 15 each, and most people get close to full points with three short sessions a week.

The 8-week PT test plan fits all of this into a schedule.

The 2 km walk

Some airmen are assessed on a 2 km walk in place of the cardio event. It is pass or fail against a maximum time rather than scored for points. The Air Force standards page lists the times.