Navy PRT guide

The Navy Physical Readiness Test has three parts, done on the same day in this order: push-ups, a forearm plank, then a cardio event. The guide calls for at least 5 and no more than 15 minutes between each part. Each part is scored on the table for your age group and sex and earns a category, from Probationary at 45 points up to Outstanding High at 100.

To pass you need at least Probationary in all three parts. Your overall category is the one that matches the average of your three scores. So a weak plank can't be rescued by a fast run: falling short in one part fails the test.

The numbers below come from the current guide (PRP Guide-5A, December 2025) for tests below 5,000 feet. The Navy PRT calculator scores any combination and also has the separate high-altitude table.

Push-ups

Two minutes.

Forearm plank

For time.

1.5-mile run

Default cardio.

2 km row

Cardio option.

Swim

500 yd or 450 m.

Push-ups

As many correct push-ups as you can in 2 minutes. The grader calls out every 15 seconds.

The rules that cost reps. Your body has to stay in a straight line from head to heels, with only your toes and palms on the deck and feet no more than hip-width apart. Each rep goes down until your elbows bend to at least 90 degrees and back up until your arms are straight. You may rest only in the up position. "Pulsing" partial reps aren't counted. The event ends if any other part of your body touches the deck, if you lift a hand or foot, or if you lose the straight body line. Shoes are required, and if you use a mat you have to be entirely on it or entirely off it.

Training. A common way to lose push-ups is going out too fast in the first 30 seconds. Practice a pace you can hold for the full 2 minutes. Three sessions a week work well: a timed 2-minute set, several sets at about two-thirds of your max, and one day of heavier pressing.

Forearm plank

Hold a forearm plank as long as you can, up to the maximum time. The current guide sets that maximum at 3:24 for men and 3:14 for women.

The position. Elbows directly under your shoulders at 90 degrees, forearms flat. Hands can be fists with the pinky side down or flat palms, and you can switch between the two, but you can't clasp them together. Feet hip-width apart, knees straight, back flat and face looking straight down. Shaking near the end is allowed as long as the position holds.

What ends it. Touching the deck with anything other than your hands, forearms or feet; lowering your head to your hands; lifting a hand, forearm or foot; letting the elbow angle change as you shift weight forward or back; or getting a third form correction. The guide allows two corrections, and the third stops your time. Phone stopwatches aren't allowed for official timing.

Training. Three or four sessions a week of three holds at about 70 percent of your best time, with a minute of rest. Once a week do a max hold with someone watching your hips, because the third-correction rule means sloppy form costs you time on test day even if you could hold longer.

Cardio: the 1.5-mile run and the alternates

The primary cardio event is a 1.5-mile run or walk, as fast as you can, and any mix of running and walking is allowed.

Alternate cardio events are allowed only when your commanding officer or officer in charge has authorized them for the current cycle. The options in the guide are a 2,000-meter row on a Concept2 rower, a treadmill run set at a 1.0 percent incline, a 500-yard or 450-meter swim, and a 12-minute stationary bike test. The fitness leader has to ask whether you have practiced on the alternate equipment, and if you haven't, they won't test you on it.

Points tables for the row and both swims:

Swim rules. You start in the water, with no diving start. Any stroke and any turn are allowed, and you can push off the wall with your hands and feet. Goggles, caps and ear plugs are allowed.

Treadmill rules. The incline stays at 1.0 percent the whole test. You can change the speed anytime and briefly touch the safety bar, but supporting your weight on the rails or changing the incline ends the event. The official time comes from the fitness leader's stopwatch, not the treadmill display.

Choosing an event. If you're a weak runner but have pool or rower access, an authorized alternate can be the easier pass, but only if you've trained on it. Rower pace numbers differ between machine types, so practice on the same model the command uses.

Run training

For the 1.5-mile, three runs a week are enough for most sailors: an easy run of 20 to 35 minutes, an interval day such as 6 x 400 meters slightly faster than goal pace with 90 seconds of rest, and a steady run of about a mile at goal pace. The run pace chart converts any goal time into a per-lap split so you can practice the exact pace.

Body composition

The PRT is one half of the physical fitness assessment. The other half is the body composition assessment, which starts with a waist-to-height screen. Use the Navy body composition calculator, and read how to measure your waist because the Navy rounds height up and waist down before dividing.