• Readiness and Deployment Branch (RDB)

  Annual Physical Fitness Test (APFT) Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

  APFT Exercises and Standards

  • How often do I need to do the APFT?

    The APFT is due annually and must be successfully completed and submitted in the same month as the previous APFT to fully satisfy readiness requirements. (Example: APFT completed October 31, but submitted Nov 1, is due for renewal in October the following year). Officers may complete and submit an updated APFT at any time (earlier than renewal month) if they are attempting to improve their score. However, officers cannot go longer than 12-months without completing and submitting a new APFT.

    How can I complete my APFT if I’m the only USPHS officer at my duty station?

    There are options to completing the APFT without having another officer physically present. The ideal situation is an active duty commissioned officer from the USPHS or one of the other Uniformed Services is physically present to observe each officer’s APFT (current APFT requirement). If that is not possible, an officer can view another officer’s APFT via live video through a cell phone or computer (i.e., Google hangout, iPhone Facetime, Skype, etc.). If the APFT is viewed via a live video, the officer completing the APFT will send Form PHS-7044 to the observing officer to obtain his/her signature via PDF. If neither of the first two options is available to an officer, a federal employee non-officer adult can observe an officer’s APFT.

    What happens if I fail my APFT or cannot complete my APFT?

    All officers must maintain physical conditioning to optimize their health and prepare for deployment. Plan accordingly to successfully complete, pass, and submit an APFT annually to CCHQ, prior to the expiration of the previous year’s test. Officers who do not submit a passing APFT prior to the expiration of the previous year’s test will be found “Not Qualified” for readiness checks. If an incorrect or erroneous APFT record is submitted, it is subject to deletion. An officer’s readiness status will revert to “Not Qualified” until a satisfactory APFT is completed and submitted.

    If an officer has a medical reason for being unable to complete the APFT, they must have an approved medical waiver prior to the expiration of the previous year’s APFT.

    Why are height, weight, and “taping” information included with the APFT?

    Officers must include height, weight and “taping” information (if applicable) to provide additional data for overall fitness level. However, the weight metrics included with the APFT are not considered official weight for Retention Weight Standard compliance determination, as these are not verified by their healthcare provider or healthcare professional such as a Registered Dietitian, or Exercise Physiologist/Specialist. 

    Why are only certain elliptical and bike machines approved for use as cardiorespiratory endurance options?

    The elliptical and bike cardiovascular endurance options were adopted from the Navy. The Navy has done specific testing to validate the equipment and determine offset values for several variations of the elliptical and bike to ensure the test is consistent across different types of machines. It is necessary to only use an elliptical or bike from the approved list identified on the APFT POM and instructional guide or the calculation and results will not be accurate.

    Documentation and APFT Scoring

    • How do officers document their APFT score?

      On Form PHS-7044. Officers will complete the form with the signature of the testing official, create a new APFT record within RDB Self Service and upload an electronic PDF via eDOC-U to supplement the new APFT record. Officers are recommended to maintain a copy for their personal records. All officers will need to enter the last name of the testing official who views and verifies their APFT and the remaining fields will auto populate if the testing official is another Corps officer. CCHQ will periodically audit the officer and the observing officer to verify that the APFT was viewed and information entered into eDOC-U is accurate.

      How do officers determine the overall score for the APFT?

      The cardiorespiratory endurance, upper body endurance, and core endurance exercises each have six levels of performance: Maximum, Outstanding, Excellent, Good, Satisfactory, and Failure. Each level has a corresponding point value assigned to it. The flexibility exercise is scored as satisfactory or unsatisfactory.

      In order to pass the APFT, an officer must achieve a satisfactory or better for the cardiorespiratory, upper body, and core exercises. If an officer does not meet the satisfactory level for any of these exercises, the overall APFT is considered failed. If an officer scores satisfactory on the seated toe touch, the final score is obtained by averaging the scores of the cardiorespiratory endurance, upper body endurance, and core endurance components. If an officer scores unsatisfactory on the seated toe touch, the overall APFT score will be one level lower.

      See APFT POM for Scoring the APFT and examples.

      If officers are using the elliptical or bike option, how do they determine the points for that exercise?

      The score from the authorized model elliptical or bike is calculated by adding the number of calories burned during 12 minutes of exercise plus an offset value from the machines, and then dividing that value by the officer’s body weight in pounds.

      See APFT POM for List of Approved Equipment and Gender Standards Tables.

      What happens if my APFT is audited and was found to have errors?

      The Office of the Surgeon General (OSG) and/or CCHQ may require officers to provide verification of a submitted fitness level. Such verification may include requiring the officer to demonstrate any or all portions of the APFT virtually or in-person.  Additionally, the erroneous APFT entry will be deleted from officer’s file and a correct APFT will need to be resubmitted to satisfy readiness requirements. An erroneous APFT may result in “Not Qualified” readiness status.

    Medical Waivers

    • How are medical waivers obtained?

      Officers should review the Medical Affairs Branch Medical Waiver Program website on CCMIS.

      Do I still need to complete the APFT if one component of the APFT is temporarily waived?

      Waivers are specific to the individual components of the APFT that an officer is unable to perform due to a physical or medical limitation. Officers granted a component-specific waiver are expected to complete all the other components of the APFT. For example, an officer with a waiver for the cardiorespiratory endurance component (run, swim, elliptical, or bike) must still complete the body mass index (BMI), upper body endurance, core endurance, and flexibility portions of the APFT. In this case, the waiver would exempt the officer only from the cardiorespiratory endurance portion of the fitness test.

      Additional information on medical waivers is located on the CCMIS website under the “Medical Affairs” section.

      If an officer has a medical waiver, how is the overall APFT score determined?

      The overall APFT score is an average of the points obtained from each exercise completed (cardiorespiratory endurance, upper body endurance, and core endurance). If an officer has a medical waiver for one or more components, the overall score is the average of the components completed not counting the waived component.

      See APFT POM for Scoring the APFT and examples.

  Last Updated: 12/22/2022
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