PFA vs. PFRA: what changed on the Air Force PT test

When did the new Air Force PT test start counting?

All PFA testing paused on January 1, 2026. Testing under the new standards began on March 1, 2026 with the revised AFMAN 36-2905, but every test from March 1 through June 30, 2026 was diagnostic only. Official, scored testing resumed on July 1, 2026.

The original September 2025 announcement had said scored testing would resume September 1, 2026; updated guidance in January 2026 shortened the diagnostic window to end June 30. Articles written before that update still say September, so check the date on anything you read.

Is it called the PFA or the PFRA?

Official communications use both. News articles say "Physical Fitness Assessment (PFA)," while the official scoring charts are titled "PFRA (Physical Fitness Readiness Assessment) Scoring Charts." It's the same test. This site says PFRA to match the charts it transcribes.

What are the new components and how much is each worth?

Out of 100 points: cardio 50, body composition (waist-to-height ratio) 20, strength 15, and core 15.

Under the old test, cardio was worth 60, push-ups 20, and sit-ups 20, and body composition wasn't scored at all. Cardio dominating even harder, and the tape coming back, are the two headline changes. See how the 2026 PFRA is scored for the full breakdown.

What exercises can I choose?

Cardio is the 2-mile run or the 20-meter HAMR shuttle run. Strength is one minute of push-ups or two minutes of hand-release push-ups. Core is one minute of sit-ups, two minutes of cross-leg reverse crunches, or a timed forearm plank.

The test is bi-annual, and the 2-mile run has to be completed at least once every 365 days — so you can't take the HAMR every single time. This calculator scores every one of those options, plus the 2-km walk as a pass/fail cardio alternate (no points) for those approved to use it.

Is the waist measurement really back?

Yes — as waist-to-height ratio (WHtR), worth 20 points. The old tape test (abdominal circumference) was permanently removed from the composite score in 2020. WHtR was tracked but unscored starting in April 2023, and from 2026 it is scored.

The WHtR measurement can be taken up to 5 duty days before the other components. Rather than quoting brackets here, put your own height and waist into the waist-to-height ratio chart or the calculator.

What's a passing score now?

You still need a composite of at least 75, the same threshold as the old test — but the total alone isn't enough. Every scored component has to clear its own chart's lowest bracket, so a composite at or above 75 still fails if cardio, strength, core, or body composition lands below its minimum. See minimum scores to pass for exactly where each floor sits by gender and age group.

How do HAMR levels work now?

The 20-meter shuttle run is scored on your total shuttle count, but most people track it on the scorecard as "level X, shuttle Y" — 78 total shuttles is level 9, shuttle 8, for example. The calculator takes it either way and converts between the two, and the HAMR scoring chart and the level & shuttle reference show the whole ladder.

Do PFA scores affect promotions now?

PFA scores are included in officer and enlisted performance briefs beginning February 2026 — colonels first in February 2026, then lieutenant colonels, majors, and chief master sergeants in May 2026. Senior airmen EPBs closing March 2026 were excluded.

Where are the official charts?

The Department of the Air Force publishes the PFRA scoring charts as a PDF on afpc.af.mil — PFRA Scoring Charts, cao 17 Mar 26 — under AFMAN 36-2905. Every scoring number on this site is transcribed from that document into structured data, and an automated test suite verifies the published chart pages against the same data that scores your test on every build.