The Army fitness test is a six-event assessment officially called the Army Combat Fitness Test, or ACFT. It replaced the old three-event test (push-ups, sit-ups, and a two-mile run) with a broader set of exercises designed to measure strength, power, speed, and endurance. Every soldier in the U.S. Army, whether active duty, Reserve, or National Guard, takes this test to demonstrate physical readiness.
The Six Events, in Order
The ACFT is always administered in the same sequence: Three-Repetition Maximum Deadlift, Standing Power Throw, Hand-Release Push-Up, Sprint-Drag-Carry, Plank, and Two-Mile Run. Each event is scored on a 100-point scale, and you need a minimum of 60 points on every single event to pass. There’s no making up for a failed event by scoring higher on another.
The whole test typically takes a few hours to complete for a unit, with built-in rest periods between events. Here’s what each one involves.
Three-Repetition Maximum Deadlift
You step inside a 60-pound hex bar (a diamond-shaped barbell you stand in the middle of) and lift it for three consecutive repetitions at the heaviest weight you can manage. The weight increases in set increments, and you work your way up. For men ages 17 to 21, a minimum passing score requires lifting 140 pounds, while a perfect score requires 340 pounds. For women in the same age group, the range is 120 to 210 pounds. These thresholds shift with age and, depending on your specialty, may use different scoring standards.
Standing Power Throw
This event measures explosive power. You stand facing away from the throwing lane, hold a 10-pound medicine ball, and heave it backward over your head as far as you can. Distance is measured in meters. You get two attempts, and the better throw counts. It looks a bit awkward, but it tests the kind of full-body power used in lifting, jumping, and moving heavy loads.
Hand-Release Push-Up
These aren’t standard push-ups. You lower yourself all the way to the ground, lift your hands briefly off the floor, then push back up. That hand release at the bottom eliminates any bouncing or partial reps, forcing you through the full range of motion each time. You have two minutes to complete as many correct repetitions as possible.
Sprint-Drag-Carry
This is the most complex event and the one that looks most like an obstacle course. It’s a series of five shuttle runs, each covering 25 meters down and 25 meters back (50 meters total per shuttle, 250 meters for the whole event). The five movements happen back-to-back with no rest:
- Sprint: Run 25 meters, touch a hand and foot on the line, sprint back.
- Drag: Grab the straps of a 90-pound sled and drag it backward to the 25-meter line, then drag it back. The entire sled must cross each line.
- Lateral shuffle: Move sideways to the 25-meter mark and back without crossing your feet.
- Carry: Pick up two 40-pound kettlebells (one in each hand) and run them to the line and back.
- Sprint: One final sprint down and back.
The clock runs from the first sprint to the moment you cross the finish line on the last one. On slick or hard surfaces like concrete, the sled weight doubles to 180 pounds to account for reduced friction.
Plank
The plank replaced the leg tuck as the core-strength event. You hold a standard forearm plank position for as long as you can while maintaining proper form. Your body has to stay in a straight line from shoulders to ankles. The clock stops when your form breaks or you voluntarily end the event. Minimum passing times and maximum scoring times are adjusted by age and gender.
Two-Mile Run
The final event is a straightforward two-mile run for time. It’s the one holdover from the old Army fitness test and still the event that challenges the most soldiers. Passing times vary considerably by age and gender. A man ages 17 to 21 needs to finish in about 19 minutes and 57 seconds or faster for the minimum 60 points. A woman in the same age range gets roughly 22 minutes and 55 seconds. Older age groups have progressively more generous cutoffs, with soldiers over 62 allowed up to 25 minutes for a passing score on the women’s scale.
How Scoring Works
Each of the six events is worth up to 100 points, for a maximum possible score of 600. Scores are adjusted across ten age groups (17-21, 22-26, 27-31, and so on up to 62 and older) and by gender. This means a 45-year-old woman and a 19-year-old man can both score 100 points on an event while posting very different raw numbers.
The total score you need to pass depends on your military specialty. Soldiers in combat roles (infantry, armor, and similar positions) must score at least 350 total with a minimum of 60 per event, and their scoring standards are sex-neutral, meaning men and women are held to the same raw performance thresholds. Soldiers in combat-enabling and support roles need a total of at least 300, with scoring that remains adjusted by both age and gender.
The Army uses age-normed scoring even for combat roles because the force includes soldiers well into their 50s and beyond. Older soldiers typically serve in less physically demanding positions, and the scoring acknowledges the natural effects of aging without eliminating the expectation of fitness.
What Makes It Different From the Old Test
The previous Army Physical Fitness Test, or APFT, had three events: two minutes of push-ups, two minutes of sit-ups, and a two-mile run. It was straightforward but tested a narrow slice of fitness, mostly muscular endurance and aerobic capacity. The ACFT adds heavy lifting, explosive throwing, and a shuttle event that combines sprinting, dragging, carrying, and lateral movement. The goal is to better predict a soldier’s ability to perform physically demanding tasks like loading equipment, moving casualties, and climbing obstacles.
The equipment requirements reflect that shift. Units need hex bars, bumper plates, 90-pound sleds, 40-pound kettlebells, and medicine balls for every testing lane. The hex bar alone weighs 60 pounds unloaded and has to accommodate up to four 45-pound plates per side. That logistical footprint is significantly larger than the old test, which needed nothing more than a stopwatch and a flat surface.
Preparing for the ACFT
Because the test spans six different physical demands, training for it requires more variety than just running and doing push-ups. The deadlift and power throw reward strength training, particularly exercises that build your legs, back, and hips. The sprint-drag-carry punishes anyone who neglects conditioning work, since it demands repeated bursts of effort with no recovery. And the two-mile run still requires a solid aerobic base.
Most soldiers find that the events requiring the most dedicated preparation are the deadlift (if you haven’t trained with a barbell before) and the sprint-drag-carry (because it’s uniquely fatiguing). The plank tends to improve quickly with consistent core work, and the hand-release push-up rewards practice with the specific movement pattern, since the hand release changes the rhythm compared to standard push-ups.