The Army Fitness Test, often shortened to AFT, is built around five events that together describe a soldier's strength, power, muscular endurance, and aerobic capacity. Each event is scored on its own, and the five event scores are added together to produce a total. This guide explains what each event asks you to do, how points work for a single event, how the total is formed, and how to think about your own preparation.
The deadlift event measures lower body and back strength. You lift a loaded hex bar from the ground to a standing position with control. The goal is to move the heaviest weight you can for three clean repetitions. A heavier successful lift earns more points, so steady strength training and good form both matter.
This event measures upper body muscular endurance. You lower your chest to the ground, lift your hands briefly off the surface, place them back, and press up to full extension. The count of correct repetitions inside the time limit is converted to points. Honest, full range repetitions are what count.
The sprint drag carry measures power, speed, and the ability to keep working while tired. It combines a sprint, a sled drag, a lateral shuffle, a kettlebell carry, and another sprint. Your completion time is converted to points, and a faster time earns more points.
The plank measures core endurance. You hold a rigid straight body position on your forearms and toes for as long as you can with proper form. Longer holds earn more points, and the clock stops when your form breaks down.
The run measures aerobic endurance. You cover two miles as fast as you can on a measured course. Your finishing time is converted to points, with quicker times scoring higher.
Every event produces a raw result: a weight, a repetition count, a time, or a hold duration. That raw result is looked up on a scoring scale and turned into event points. Better performance earns more points, and each event has a minimum level you must reach to pass it. The five event point values are then added together to give your total score. A strong result in one event can help offset a weaker result in another, but a failed event still matters because every event has its own passing standard.
Scoring scales are not the same for everyone. They are adjusted for age group and for sex, so the same raw result can be worth different points for different people. The scales also tend to reward each additional step of improvement, which means gains near the top of your range can take more work than gains near the bottom. This guide describes the general pattern only, and it does not list exact cutoffs, because official tables should always be your source for those.
To check your exact scores by age and sex, use the AFT Calculator and enter your results for each event.
| Event | What it measures | Raw result |
|---|---|---|
| Three repetition maximum deadlift | Lower body and back strength | Weight lifted |
| Hand release push up | Upper body muscular endurance | Repetitions completed |
| Sprint drag carry | Power, speed, and work capacity | Completion time |
| Plank | Core endurance | Hold time |
| Two mile run | Aerobic endurance | Finishing time |
Because the total is a sum, a balanced plan usually beats a lopsided one. Train strength with progressive deadlift work, build push up volume with controlled sets, practice the sprint drag carry transitions, hold planks with strict form, and run regularly at a mix of easy and hard paces. Record your results every few weeks so you can see which event is adding the most points and which one has the most room to grow.
Rest matters too. Strength and endurance gains come from recovery, so schedule easier days, sleep well, and eat enough to support training. Finally, practice the events the way they will be run on test day, including the equipment, the rules for counting repetitions, and the pacing across the full effort.
Use this page as a plain overview of the structure of the test. Standards and tables can be updated, so confirm current requirements with official Army sources before you plan around any specific number.