Updated July 18, 2026
FBI Physical Fitness Test: Current Standards and Training Guide
The current FBI Physical Fitness Test uses pull-ups or chin-ups, a 300-meter sprint, continuous push-ups, and a 1.5-mile run. Here is the official scoring system, what changed, and how to prepare for all four events.
What Changed in the FBI Fitness Test?
When this article was first published in 2023, the standard FBI PFT consisted of one-minute sit-ups, a 300-meter sprint, push-ups, and a 1.5-mile run. Pull-ups were a separate scored event for Tactical Recruitment Program candidates.
The current FBI test makes two important changes:
Pull-ups replaced sit-ups
Every special agent candidate now begins with continuous, untimed pull-ups or chin-ups. Sit-ups are no longer one of the four scored events.
The passing total is now 10
The old 12-point rule no longer applies. Candidates need at least 10 total points and cannot hide a weak event: every event must contribute at least 1 point.
The practical effect: training only to the minimum in each event produces four points, not a passing score. You need six additional points across the test while protecting the 1-point floor in every event.
Current FBI PFT Events, in Testing Order
The FBI administers the four events in this order, with no more than five minutes of rest between them. Your training should account for that accumulated fatigue.
- Pull-ups or chin-ups: Maximum number of continuous repetitions, untimed. Begin at full arm extension, raise your chin above the bar, and return to full extension. Kipping, swinging, leg drive, and stopping between repetitions are not allowed. Either palms-away pull-ups or palms-toward-you chin-ups use the same scoring scale.
- 300-meter sprint: A timed run from a standing start, usually on a quarter-mile oval track. Stay in your assigned lane and on the track.
- Push-ups: Maximum number of continuous repetitions, untimed. Keep the body straight, feet no more than three inches apart, and hands one to two hand-widths outside the chest. Lower until the upper arms are parallel to the floor, then return to full extension.
- 1.5-mile run: A timed six-lap run on a quarter-mile track under normal testing conditions. Walking results in disqualification from the event and a score of −2.
FBI pull-up and chin-up standard: strict, continuous repetitions
Kipping and butterfly pull-ups are not allowed. The FBI requires a continuous-motion, untimed set using either a pull-up grip with your palms facing away or a chin-up grip with your palms facing you. Both grips use the same scoring scale.
- Hang from a horizontal bar with your hands no wider than two hand-widths outside your shoulders.
- Begin each repetition with your arms fully extended.
- Pull until your chin is higher than the bar.
- Return to the hanging position with your arms fully extended.
- Do not swing, jerk, kip, use your legs for assistance, or stop between repetitions.
- Stopping between repetitions is not allowed; dismounting ends the event.
Form standards matter. Repetitions that feel acceptable in the gym may not count on test day if you miss full extension, fail to clear the bar, lose body position, or pause during a continuous event. Practice the official movement standard from the beginning.
Why the event order and short rest periods change the strategy
The PFT score is not simply the sum of four fresh-event capabilities. Pull-ups or chin-ups come first, the 300-meter sprint creates substantial fatigue, push-ups add more upper-body and systemic work, and the 1.5-mile run begins after no more than five minutes of rest. What you do in one event changes what you can produce in the next.
This makes pacing part of the test. An all-out sprint may earn more sprint points but cost even more points on the final run. Preparation should include the official sequence, controlled rest periods, and practice at different sprint intensities so you learn the fastest pace you can run without destroying your recovery. The goal is the best total score, not four unrelated personal records.
Official FBI PFT Scoring Tables
The FBI currently publishes separate female and male scoring ranges. These tables reproduce the official FBIJobs.gov scales available on July 18, 2026.
Pull-ups or chin-ups
| Score | Female | Male |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | 0 | 0–1 |
| 1 | 1 | 2–3 |
| 2 | 2 | 4–5 |
| 3 | 3 | 6–7 |
| 4 | 4 | 8–9 |
| 5 | 5 | 10–11 |
| 6 | 6 | 12–13 |
| 7 | 7 | 14–15 |
| 8 | 8 | 16–17 |
| 9 | 9 | 18–19 |
| 10 | 10 or more | 20 or more |
300-meter sprint
| Score | Female | Male |
|---|---|---|
| −2 | 67.5 sec or slower | 55.1 sec or slower |
| 0 | 67.4–65.0 | 55.0–52.5 |
| 1 | 64.9–62.5 | 52.4–51.1 |
| 2 | 62.4–60.0 | 51.0–49.5 |
| 3 | 59.9–57.5 | 49.4–48.0 |
| 4 | 57.4–56.0 | 47.9–46.1 |
| 5 | 55.9–54.0 | 46.0–45.0 |
| 6 | 53.9–53.0 | 44.9–44.0 |
| 7 | 52.9–52.0 | 43.9–43.0 |
| 8 | 51.9–51.0 | 42.9–42.0 |
| 9 | 50.9–50.0 | 41.9–41.0 |
| 10 | 49.9 sec or faster | 40.9 sec or faster |
Push-ups
| Score | Female | Male |
|---|---|---|
| −2 | 4 or fewer | 19 or fewer |
| 0 | 5–13 | 20–29 |
| 1 | 14–18 | 30–32 |
| 2 | 19–21 | 33–39 |
| 3 | 22–26 | 40–43 |
| 4 | 27–29 | 44–49 |
| 5 | 30–32 | 50–53 |
| 6 | 33–35 | 54–56 |
| 7 | 36–38 | 57–60 |
| 8 | 39–41 | 61–64 |
| 9 | 42–44 | 65–70 |
| 10 | 45 or more | 71 or more |
1.5-mile run
| Score | Female | Male |
|---|---|---|
| −2 | 15:00 or slower | 13:30 or slower |
| 0 | 14:59–14:00 | 13:29–12:25 |
| 1 | 13:59–13:35 | 12:24–12:15 |
| 2 | 13:34–13:00 | 12:14–11:35 |
| 3 | 12:59–12:30 | 11:34–11:10 |
| 4 | 12:29–11:57 | 11:09–10:35 |
| 5 | 11:56–11:35 | 10:34–10:15 |
| 6 | 11:34–11:15 | 10:14–9:55 |
| 7 | 11:14–11:06 | 9:54–9:35 |
| 8 | 11:05–10:45 | 9:34–9:20 |
| 9 | 10:44–10:35 | 9:19–9:00 |
| 10 | 10:34 or faster | 8:59 or faster |
How to Train for the Current FBI Fitness Test
The PFT is not four isolated gym tests. It is one sequence. The 1.5-mile run comes after upper-body pulling, a hard sprint, and continuous push-ups. A smart plan develops each event while teaching you to perform under that specific fatigue.
The four areas below are common training levers, not a universal weekly prescription. An assessment determines which levers matter for the person taking the test.
Build strict pulling strength
Practice the grip you plan to use on test day and make every repetition meet the FBI standard. If you cannot complete a full repetition yet, use assisted repetitions, controlled negatives, and bent-arm hangs. The FBI recommends pull-up or chin-up practice three times per week with a rest day between sessions.
Train sprint mechanics and speed endurance
The 300 is long enough to punish an uncontrolled start and short enough to demand speed. Use running drills, short accelerations, and 200- to 400-meter intervals with planned recovery. Learn to stay relaxed as fatigue rises.
Practice test-standard push-ups
Count only repetitions an FBI evaluator would count. Combine submaximal practice sets with upper-body strength work for the chest, triceps, shoulders, and trunk. Avoid turning every session into a failure test; quality volume is easier to recover from and repeat.
Develop an aerobic base
The 1.5-mile run is the final event, so general endurance matters as much as goal pace. Combine easier aerobic running with controlled threshold work and race-pace intervals. Do not rely only on repeated all-out 1.5-mile tests.
Start with a Fitness Assessment when the problem is not obvious
If you are struggling to pass the FBI PFT, working harder is not always the same as working on the right limitation. A Sand & Steel Fitness Assessment gives us an objective baseline and helps identify what is holding your score back.
We can evaluate the test movements and the qualities behind them: strict pulling strength, push-up mechanics and endurance, sprint technique, aerobic capacity, mobility, pacing, and recovery. That helps distinguish a conditioning problem from a strength, technique, or movement-quality problem.
We then compare the findings with your current FBI score and the time remaining before your first test or retest. A candidate with twelve weeks to prepare should not use the same progression as someone testing in three weeks. The assessment gives us the information needed to prioritize the changes most likely to improve your score within the available training window and build a custom plan around them.
Why two candidates may need completely different plans
A weekly template can look balanced and still waste the limited time before a test or retest. The most useful plan targets the constraint that is actually controlling the candidate’s score.
Megan: strong enough, but unable to recover from the sprint
Consider Megan, an illustrative candidate who can pass the pull-ups and push-ups and run a 54-second 300 meters. Her raw speed is not the problem. She runs the sprint at nearly 100% effort, remains badly fatigued after the short rest period, and finishes the 1.5-mile run at 15:00.
A general plan that simply adds strength, sprinting, and distance running misses the real constraint. Megan needs training designed around recovery between events and precise sprint pacing. In practice, running the 300 about four seconds slower may feel closer to 85% effort instead of all-out. She gives up some sprint points but may recover far better and gain more points on the 1.5-mile run.
Her sessions should rehearse the actual event sequence, test several repeatable 300-meter targets, use 100-meter split awareness, and practice controlled breathing during the limited transition. Over time she learns what the correct sprint pace feels like without depending on constant watch-checking. Megan’s goal is not her fastest possible 300; it is her best total PFT score.
Chris: sufficient endurance, but bodyweight limited his repetitions
Chris could consistently pass the run, but his pull-up and push-up numbers remained low. Assessment work and body-composition testing showed that he was carrying about 20 pounds of body fat that was not helping him produce force. That extra load has an especially large effect on pull-ups because every repetition requires lifting the body.
Chris did not need a running-heavy FBI template. He joined our Fitness Classes for coached strength and conditioning and worked with me twice per month through Nutrition Coaching. After two months, he had lost 20 pounds and could pass the test comfortably.
That was Chris’s individual result, not a promised timeline for everyone. The important lesson is that his fastest route was not more running or endless pull-up attempts. It was identifying the body-composition constraint and choosing training and nutrition services that addressed it directly.
Do not aim for a one-point margin
Test-day nerves, weather, lane conditions, strict judging, and accumulated fatigue can all change your result. Build a repeatable buffer above the minimum in every event, then use stronger events to reach the 10-point total.
Coach Paul’s Assessment of the New Test
The updated PFT remains practical to administer and tests several useful qualities: relative upper-body strength, anaerobic speed endurance, pushing endurance, and aerobic capacity. Replacing sit-ups with strict pull-ups or chin-ups puts more emphasis on strength-to-bodyweight ratio and makes pulling strength relevant for every applicant.
The test still favors candidates who can run well without carrying unnecessary body mass. That does not mean strength athletes should simply lose weight or runners should ignore strength. The better approach is to improve the limiting event while maintaining the qualities that already score well.
I have coached since 2008 and trained more than 10,000 clients across personal training, running, strength, mobility, and fitness-test preparation. My CrossFit Level 3 and RRCA run-coaching credentials help with programming and pacing; 30+ total certifications, including 12+ mobility certifications, help me recognize when the apparent fitness problem is actually technique, range of motion, stability, recovery, or pain.
That breadth matters because most candidates do not need more random hard workouts. They need an honest baseline and a coach who can identify the most direct, reliable route from the current score to a passing score within the available time. For Megan, the route is pacing and recovery. For Chris, it was body composition, coached training, and nutrition. The assessment tells us which problem we are actually solving.
Current FBI Application and Retest Rules
FBIJobs.gov currently says external special agent applicants must complete a PFT self-evaluation after passing Phase I and submit it with the suitability questionnaire within seven days.
After the Meet and Greet, the first official PFT attempt must occur within 30 days. The FBI describes one initial attempt and up to two additional attempts within six months of completing the Meet and Greet. However, a first-attempt score below 6 points—or failure to earn at least 1 point in every event—results in withdrawal, although the applicant may reapply. Failure to pass within the allotted period results in permanent disqualification from the Special Agent Selection System.
Applicants who enter the Basic Field Training Course must also pass a PFT during the course or face dismissal. Because these consequences are significant and process details can change, rely on your applicant coordinator for decisions about your individual application.
Find the Limitation Before You Build the Plan
Start with an assessment of your present FBI PFT performance, movement quality, and weakest events. We will use your results and test timeline to design a focused training plan instead of guessing what you need.
Official Sources
- FBIJobs.gov. Special Agent Physical Requirements Overview.
- FBIJobs.gov. Event 1: Pull-Ups/Chin-Ups.
- FBIJobs.gov. Event 2: 300-Meter Sprint.
- FBIJobs.gov. Event 3: Push-Ups.
- FBIJobs.gov. Event 4: 1.5-Mile Run.
- FBIJobs.gov. Special Agent Application and Evaluation Process.
Independence notice: Sand & Steel Fitness is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. This article provides general fitness education, not hiring, medical, or legal advice.
