What Is the FBI Physical Fitness Test?
The FBI Physical Fitness Test (PFT) is a four-event assessment that Special Agent candidates must pass to receive an appointment and again at the FBI Academy in Quantico. Each event scores from -2 to 10 points. You need at least 10 points total and at least 1 point in every event.
That second condition is what catches people. Ten points is not a high bar in isolation. Ten points *with nothing below 1* is a different test entirely.
The Four Events, in Order
The events run in a fixed sequence with no more than five minutes of rest between each. You do not get to pick your order, and you do not get to recover.
| # | Event | Format | Trains |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pull-ups | Maximum continuous reps | Relative upper-body strength |
| 2 | 300-meter sprint | Timed | Anaerobic power |
| 3 | Push-ups | Maximum continuous reps | Upper-body endurance |
| 4 | 1.5-mile run | Timed | Aerobic capacity |
If you trained from an older guide, check event 1. Pull-ups replaced the one-minute sit-up, and they are now mandatory and scored. Sit-ups are no longer tested at all. The older version of the test required 12 total points across sit-ups, sprint, push-ups, and the run; the current version requires 10 across the new event list.
How the Scoring Works
Each event maps your performance onto a scale from -2 to 10.
A -2 is not simply a low score. You earn it by performing below the zero-point threshold on an event — or by walking at any point during the 1.5-mile run. One -2 makes the 10-point total materially harder to reach, and because every event also needs 1 point minimum, a -2 is an automatic failure regardless of what you scored elsewhere.
At the bottom of the scale, 1 point on pull-ups is 1–3 reps. That is the floor. Below it you are not scoring low, you are failing.
Where Candidates Actually Fail
The sequence is the difficulty. Pull-ups come first, when you are fresh, which sounds generous until you realize the 300-meter sprint arrives within five minutes of your last rep — and the sprint is the event that most thoroughly compromises the two that follow.
A 300-meter all-out effort produces blood lactate concentrations high enough to degrade push-up performance measurably. Candidates who test each event on separate days and add up their scores consistently overestimate their real total.
The other common miss is the run. Walking earns -2, which ends the attempt. Pacing conservatively through the first 800 meters costs a few seconds; walking costs the test.
Training Priorities
Pull-ups are where most candidates gain the most, because the scale is unforgiving at the low end and because pull-up strength is heavily governed by relative strength. Every kilogram of non-functional mass directly reduces your rep count — which is why candidates carrying extra weight often improve faster by adjusting body composition than by adding pulling volume. Track your relative strength rather than absolute numbers.
Train the sequence, not the events. Once every two weeks, run all four in order with the five-minute rest cap. Your score on that rehearsal is your real score. The number you get from testing events fresh is a number that does not exist on test day.
For the 1.5-mile run, the target pace is fast enough that it sits near threshold for most candidates. Tempo work — 20 minutes continuous at a controlled hard effort — transfers better than long slow mileage for a distance this short. Know your target pace per mile before you toe the line, because pacing this event by feel after a 300-meter sprint is unreliable.
Frequently Asked Questions
What score do I need to pass the FBI PFT? Ten points total, with a minimum of 1 point in each of the four events. Both conditions must be met. Scoring 9 points across three strong events and 1 in the fourth is a fail on the total; scoring 15 points with a 0 in any event is a fail on the per-event rule.
Are sit-ups still part of the FBI PFT? No. Pull-ups replaced sit-ups as a scored event, and sit-ups are no longer tested. Guides describing a sit-up event and a 12-point passing standard are describing the previous version of the test.
How many times do I take the PFT? Candidates take it during the application process and again after arriving at the FBI Academy in Quantico. Passing once does not exempt you from the second administration.
What happens if I walk during the 1.5-mile run? Walking earns -2 points for that event. Since every event requires a minimum of 1 point, this fails the test regardless of your other three scores.
How much rest do I get between events? No more than five minutes. The events are administered in a fixed order and the rest interval is capped, so fatigue carries forward through the whole test.
*Sources: FBIJOBS, Special Agent Physical Requirements (fbijobs.gov); Stew Smith Fitness, "2025 FBI Physical Fitness Test: New Standards and Requirements."*
