How is the Coast Guard PT test scored?
The Coast Guard PFT is pass or fail, not a point score. Push-ups, the forearm plank and
one cardio event must each meet the minimum for your age band and sex. Missing any one of the three is a
failure — there is no total to make it up with, and this page will not invent one.
Cardio may be the 1.5-mile run, a 12-minute swim scored in yards, or a
2000m row. The forearm plank replaced sit-ups in the May 2025 update. Body composition is
assessed separately.
Source: USCG COMDTINST 16114.33F Table 4-3, service-wide PFT effective 1 July 2026 · Verified 27 July 2026
The 2026 Coast Guard mandatory PFT
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The U.S. Coast Guard is the only military branch that historically did not require a mandatory physical
fitness test for all members. That changed on September 2, 2025, when the Coast Guard announced that
starting July 1, 2026, all active duty and Selected Reserve members would complete a mandatory PFT twice
per year. The 2025 assessments were conducted as informational and non-punitive data collection.
New in 2026
The mandatory PFT uses the updated Boat Crew Physical Fitness Standards from May 2025. These replaced
sit-ups with forearm planks and added a 2,000-metre row and a 12-minute swim as alternate cardio options
alongside the 1.5-mile run.
Coast Guard PFT events 2026
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The PFT consists of three events, all judged pass or fail by age band and sex:
- Push-ups — timed event, standard push-up form. Minimum reps vary by age band
and sex.
- Forearm plank — timed hold. Replaced sit-ups in the May 2025 update. Minimum
hold time varies by age band and sex.
- Cardio event — primary is the 1.5-mile run. Alternatives are a 12-minute swim,
scored as a total distance in yards, or a 2,000-metre row.
Coast Guard PFT minimum standards by age band
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Every figure below is printed from the same array that judges the calculator above. There is no
“more points” column because there are no points: each cell is a threshold you either clear or
you do not.
Per-event minimum by age band and sex
| Age band | M push-ups | M plank | M 1.5-mi run | F push-ups | F plank | F 1.5-mi run |
|---|
| Under 30 | 29 | 1:18 | 12:29 | 15 | 1:09 | 15:05 |
|---|
| 30–39 | 24 | 1:15 | 12:53 | 11 | 1:06 | 15:56 |
|---|
| 40–49 | 18 | 1:12 | 13:50 | 9 | 1:03 | 17:11 |
|---|
| 50–59 | 13 | 1:09 | 15:14 | 9 | 1:01 | 19:10 |
|---|
| 60+ | 10 | 1:07 | 17:19 | 9 | 0:58 | 20:55 |
|---|
Printed from COMDTINST 16114.33F Table 4-3 as carried in /assets/js/mfc-engine.js.
Cardio minimum, all three events
| Age band | M run | M 12-min swim | M 2000m row | F run | F 12-min swim | F 2000m row |
|---|
| Under 30 | 12:29 | 500 yd | 9:20 | 15:05 | 400 yd | 10:40 |
|---|
| 30–39 | 12:53 | 450 yd | 9:30 | 15:56 | 350 yd | 10:50 |
|---|
| 40–49 | 13:50 | 400 yd | 9:40 | 17:11 | 300 yd | 11:00 |
|---|
| 50–59 | 15:14 | 350 yd | 9:50 | 19:10 | 250 yd | 11:10 |
|---|
| 60+ | 17:19 | 300 yd | 10:00 | 20:55 | 200 yd | 11:20 |
|---|
The swim is a distance — more yards is better. The run and the row are times — less is better.
No total, no recovery. A member who clears push-ups and the plank by a wide
margin and misses the run by four seconds has failed the PFT. That is what “pass or fail per
event” means, and it is why the card above reports each event separately instead of averaging
them.
How to train for the 2026 Coast Guard PFT
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Push-ups
Spread push-up practice throughout the day in sub-maximal sets of 10–15 reps. Four sets across the
day builds endurance efficiently without recovery debt. Add 2–3 reps per set each week. Most members
can reach the under-30 minimum within 4–6 weeks of consistent daily practice.
Forearm plank
Build plank endurance progressively — add 5–10 seconds per week to your max hold. Supplement
with hollow-body holds for core stability. The plank minimums are a little over a minute for every age
band, which is achievable for most members in 4–6 weeks.
1.5-mile run
Three runs per week: one interval session of four to six 400m repeats, one steady aerobic run, and one
pace run at test goal speed. Consistent training over 8–12 weeks produces measurable improvement.
Coast Guard PT test questions, answered
There is no score-band table on this page, because this test has no score bands.
What is a passing Coast Guard PT test?
The Coast Guard PFT is pass or fail, not a point score. Push-ups, the forearm plank
and one cardio event must each meet the minimum for your age band and sex. Missing any one of the three
is a failure — there is no total to make it up with.
Enter your age and sex in the calculator above and the Minimums for you panel lists
your own three figures before you have entered a single result.
Source: USCG COMDTINST 16114.33F Table 4-3, service-wide PFT effective 1 Jul 2026 · Verified 27 JUL 2026
Compare against the Army AFT scale
Does the Coast Guard have a mandatory fitness test in 2026?
Yes. Starting July 1, 2026, the Coast Guard requires all active duty and Selected
Reserve members to take a mandatory PFT twice per year. This is the first servicewide mandatory PFT in
Coast Guard history. The 2025 assessments were informational and non-punitive. From July 2026, scores are
official and recorded at the unit level.
What are the Coast Guard PFT events in 2026?
Push-ups (timed), the forearm plank (timed hold), and a cardio event. Primary
cardio is the 1.5-mile run; alternates are a 12-minute swim, scored in yards, and a 2,000-metre row.
Sit-ups were replaced by planks in the May 2025 update, aligning with the Navy’s physical readiness
changes.
Can I swim or row instead of running?
Yes. Pick the event in the calculator above and the minimum changes with it. The
swim is judged on distance — more yards is better — while the run and the row are judged on
time, where less is better. The calculator reads the direction off the event, not off the input box.
What changed in the Coast Guard PFT for 2026?
The Coast Guard announced a mandatory servicewide PFT in September 2025, effective
July 2026 — the first ever for all members. Previously only boat crews and specialists were tested.
The test uses updated standards from May 2025, replacing sit-ups with forearm planks and adding the
2,000-metre row and 12-minute swim as cardio alternatives.
Check it
Enter your age, sex and three events above and the card reports go or no-go on each one, with the exact minimum you needed and the margin you cleared or missed it by.
Open the Coast Guard PT test
Related calculators & guides
Free tools for every branch — built from one shared copy of the official scoring tables.
Five events, 500 points, a 60-point floor on every one.
Push-ups, plank and four cardio alternates.
Pull-ups or push-ups, plank and the 3-mile run.
The 2026 composite: cardio 50, WHtR 20, strength 15, core 15.
The ACFT is now the AFT — see what changed.
Height, weight and body-fat rules by branch.
Sources & verificationCoast Guard PFT
- Standards used
- COMDTINST 16114.33F Table 4-3, the service-wide PFT effective 1 July 2026,
incorporating the May 2025 Boat Crew Physical Fitness Standards update.
- Page verified
- 27 July 2026 against the documents above.
- How a result is produced
- Each event is compared against the single published minimum for
your age band and sex. Nothing is scored, averaged or weighted, because the instruction does not
score, average or weight it.
- What this is not
- Not a Department of Defense or Department of Homeland Security system and
not affiliated with the U.S. Coast Guard. Your official result is what your unit records.
- Found an error?
- Send the age, sex, event and the value you entered via
the contact form and the table will be re-read against the instruction.
This test was previously published under the name PFE on one page of this site. It is the
same assessment; the site now uses PFT throughout, and the old URL redirects here.