Last reviewed: August 2026
Source & editorial methodology: This independent guide is based on current U.S. Marine Corps publications, Human Performance Branch standards modules, and official Marine Corps administrative messages. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by the United States Marine Corps or the U.S. Department of Defense. Because PFT standards and administrative guidance can change, current official Marine Corps sources should be checked before an official test.
The Marine Corps Physical Fitness Test (PFT) is scored out of 300 points across three events — pull-ups or push-ups, a plank, and a 3-mile run. A total of 150 points passes, 200 reaches 2nd Class, and 235 or higher earns 1st Class. Effective January 1, 2026, Marines in combat arms specialties must also meet a separate 210-point sex-neutral minimum. The rest of this guide breaks down exactly how that number is calculated, what the current standards are, and why a lot of PFT information still online is outdated. The Marine Corps currently identifies MCO 6100.13A W/ADMIN CH-5 as the current governing PFT/CFT order.
If you'd rather skip the manual lookups and get your score right now, you can use our Marine Corps PFT Calculator — it applies the current age- and sex-normed tables automatically.
What Is the Marine Corps PFT?
The Marine Corps Physical Fitness Test (PFT) is an annual, three-event assessment of muscular strength, muscular endurance, and cardiovascular endurance. It is governed by Marine Corps Order 6100.13A W/ADMIN CH-5 and is administered once each calendar year, between January 1 and June 30.
The three events are:
- Pull-ups or push-ups (the Marine chooses one)
- Plank
- 3-mile run
Each event is scored on a 0–100 point scale, and the three event scores are added together for a total out of 300. That total determines whether a Marine passes and which classification they receive.
The PFT is often confused with two other tests that serve different purposes:
- CFT (Combat Fitness Test): A separate annual test built around movement to contact, an ammunition can lift, and a maneuver-under-fire course. It measures functional, combat-related fitness rather than general conditioning, and it is scored and reported independently of the PFT.
- IST (Initial Strength Test): A baseline fitness screening used at recruit training and officer candidate programs before a recruit ever takes an official PFT. It is not a graded PFT score — it is a gate to begin training.
How Is the Marine Corps PFT Scored?
Each of the three PFT events is scored on a 0–100 point scale based on age and sex, except the plank, which uses the same scale for everyone. The three event scores are added together for a total score out of 300, and a Marine must clear a minimum score in every individual event as well as an overall combined minimum to pass.
A few mechanics matter more than they first appear:
- Per-event minimum: A Marine must earn at least 40 points in each of the three events. Falling short in even one event fails the entire test, regardless of how high the other two scores are.
- Overall minimum: Beyond clearing each event's floor, the combined total must reach at least 150 points to pass.
- Push-ups cap below a perfect score: Pull-ups can earn up to 100 points, but push-ups max out at 70. A Marine who chooses push-ups instead of pull-ups cannot reach a 300 total, even with a flawless plank and run.
- Plank is scored the same for everyone: Unlike pull-ups, push-ups, and the run, the plank's time-to-points conversion does not change by age or sex.
This age/sex-normed structure is why two Marines with identical plank times and run paces can still finish with different total scores — their pull-up or push-up result is compared against different tables depending on their age bracket and sex.
Marine Corps PFT Standards & Score Chart
A passing PFT score is 150 points out of 300. Scores fall into three classes: 1st Class (235–300), 2nd Class (200–234), and 3rd Class (150–199). A total below 150, or a failure to reach 40 points in any single event, is a failing score.
| PFT Classification | Point Range | What It Means |
|---|---|---|
| 1st Class | 235–300 | Top classification tier |
| 2nd Class | 200–234 | Passing, mid-range performance |
| 3rd Class | 150–199 | Passing, minimum acceptable range |
| Fail | Below 150 or below 40 in any one event | Does not meet Marine Corps physical fitness requirements |
These thresholds are flat — they apply the same way regardless of age bracket. This is worth stating clearly because a different, older classification structure still shows up on plenty of websites, and it's a common source of confusion.
Why some sites show different numbers. Before 2019, PFT classifications were age-banded: a 1st Class score for a Marine aged 17–26 required 225 points, while a Marine 46 or older only needed 150 to reach the same tier. A March 2019 change to MCO 6100.13A eliminated that age-banded table, replaced it with the flat 235/200/150 structure used today, and raised the minimum passing score from 120 to 150 points at the same time. Any page still listing four different 1st Class thresholds by age group is describing a system that has not been in effect for several years.
There's a second, unrelated number that gets misread as a scoring tier: Marines who score 285 points or higher on both the PFT and CFT in the same period are permitted a higher body fat allowance under current body-composition policy. This is a body-composition threshold, not an additional PFT classification level — the official classification system still has only three tiers: 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Class.
Want your actual number instead of working through age/sex tables by hand? Use the PFT Calculator to get your event scores, total, and classification in one step.
Marine Corps PFT Events
Pull-Ups and Push-Ups
Marines choose either pull-ups or push-ups for the upper-body event. Pull-ups can earn a maximum of 100 points; push-ups max out at 70 points. Both require a minimum performance to earn the 40-point event floor, and both the minimum and maximum requirements vary by age bracket and sex.
Pull-ups measure strength relative to bodyweight in a single sustained effort, while push-ups test muscular endurance across a higher rep count. The 30-point gap between the two events' maximum scores is why a perfect 300 is only achievable through the pull-up path — no push-up performance, however strong, can close that gap.
Because minimum and maximum rep requirements differ across age brackets and between men and women, there isn't a single number that applies to "Marines" as a whole. The precise rep counts for a specific age and sex are set out in the official standards tables published by the Marine Corps and reflected in the calculator.
Plank
The plank has been the mandatory core event since January 1, 2023, replacing the abdominal crunch, which was formally discontinued the day before. Plank scoring runs from 1 minute 10 seconds (40 points, the minimum) up to 3 minutes 45 seconds (100 points, the maximum), and it uses the same scale for every Marine regardless of age or sex.
The Marine Corps first introduced the plank as an optional alternative to crunches, citing reduced injury risk. The plank was made the sole mandatory core event starting January 1, 2023.
This history matters for anyone comparing sources: pages that still describe crunches as a current PFT option, or present a crunches-vs-plank choice, are describing a test structure that ended more than three years ago.
3-Mile Run
The 3-mile run is scored on an age- and sex-normed time scale, with faster times earning more points up to the 100-point maximum. Eligible Marines may row 5,000 meters on a Concept2 ergometer instead, and altitude-adjusted run standards apply at higher elevations.
Run standards are broken into finer time increments than the rep-based events, and the gap between a passing time and a top-scoring time widens across older age brackets. Because the exact time-to-points conversion depends on a Marine's specific age bracket and sex, and the Marine Corps updates these tables directly, the fastest way to check where a given time lands is through a calculator built on the current published tables rather than a single number quoted out of context.
5,000m Row Alternative
Eligible Marines may use the approved 5,000-meter rowing event on a Concept2 ergometer as an alternative cardio/endurance event, with separate standards for altitude where applicable. The Marine Corps Human Performance Branch maintains dedicated Row and Rowing Standards (Altitude) resources alongside the standard run and altitude-run modules.
For exact scoring and eligibility, use the current Marine Corps standards and the Marine Corps PFT Calculator rather than relying on a single generic rowing time.
What Changed for the Marine Corps PFT in 2026?
Effective January 1, 2026, Marines in combat arms Primary Military Occupational Specialties (PMOS) must meet a sex-neutral PFT minimum of 210 points — 70% of the maximum score — calculated using the male, age-normed scoring standard in MCO 6100.13A. This applies only to combat arms PMOSs; all other Marines continue under the existing sex- and age-normed scoring tables.
Here is exactly what the policy does, based on the Marine Corps' own announcement:
- Effective date: January 1, 2026.
- Who it applies to: Marines assigned to combat arms PMOSs. Public reporting on the underlying message named roles such as infantry riflemen, field artillery cannoneers, mortarmen, and Raiders.
- Who it doesn't apply to: Marines outside combat arms PMOSs, who remain on the standard sex- and age-normed tables described earlier in this guide.
- What's required: A total PFT score of at least 210 points, using the male age-normed scale regardless of the Marine's own sex. The test itself — pull-ups/push-ups, plank, 3-mile run — is unchanged; only the minimum threshold and the scale used to calculate it differ for this group.
- Consequence for not meeting it: Marines who otherwise pass the PFT but do not reach 210 points by the end of the reporting period are assigned to remedial physical training and may face PMOS reclassification or promotion restriction.
- Implementation status: This is still in progress. The Marine Corps' own announcement states that while the standard took effect January 1, 2026, updates to Manpower Information Systems are expected to take 6 to 8 months, with full implementation projected within about a year. Units are operating under interim administrative guidance in the meantime.
A related body-composition update was announced alongside this change: the Marine Corps is replacing height-and-weight/tape-test screening with a waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) standard. This is a body-composition change, not a change to PFT event scoring.
This is time-sensitive policy. The information above reflects official Marine Corps guidance reviewed as of August 2026. Because implementation is explicitly still underway and administrative details have been adjusted since the original announcement, confirm current requirements against fitness.marines.mil or a unit Force Fitness Instructor before relying on this for an official test, and check for any MARADMIN issued after this review date.
What Is a Good Marine PFT Score?
150 points is the minimum to pass. 200 points reaches 2nd Class. 235 points or higher is 1st Class. Combat arms Marines must additionally reach 210 points under the 2026 sex-neutral standard, regardless of classification tier.
For most Marines, 1st Class (235+) is the benchmark referenced when people ask what counts as a good score, since it requires solid performance across all three events rather than one high score compensating for two weak ones. Scores of 250 and 285 carry additional weight under body-composition policy rather than representing higher PFT classifications — the classification system itself tops out at 1st Class.
How to Calculate Your Marine PFT Score
Working out a PFT score by hand takes three lookups and one sum:
- Identify your age bracket and sex.
- Find your point value for your chosen upper-body event (pull-ups or push-ups) on the current standards table for your bracket.
- Find your point value for your plank time (same table for everyone) and your 3-mile run time (age- and sex-normed table).
- Add the three event scores together. Confirm each individual score is at least 40, and confirm the total is at least 150 — or 210, if you're in a combat arms PMOS under the 2026 standard.
Because the tables split into separate brackets for age, sex, and altitude, manual lookups are easy to get wrong near bracket boundaries. The Marine Corps PFT Calculator runs the current age- and sex-normed tables for you and returns event scores, total, and classification instantly.
How to Improve Your PFT Score
Improvement strategy differs by event, since each one draws on a different physical quality:
- Pull-ups/push-ups: Progressive strength and muscular-endurance training, built up gradually rather than repeatedly maxing out the test itself, tends to produce more consistent long-term gains.
- Plank: Because plank score depends purely on time-under-tension, building duration incrementally in training — rather than jumping straight to test-length holds — reduces injury risk while increasing capacity.
- 3-mile run: Run improvement typically comes from a combination of steady aerobic base-building and some faster interval work, rather than training exclusively at or near race pace.
This is general guidance, not a substitute for a structured program suited to an individual's current fitness level. Marines preparing for an official test should follow guidance from their unit's fitness leadership.
Marine Corps PFT vs CFT
| PFT | CFT | |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | General physical fitness | Functional, combat-oriented fitness |
| Events | Pull-ups/push-ups, plank, 3-mile run | Movement to contact, ammunition can lift, maneuver-under-fire |
| Scoring | 0–300 total, 3 classifications (1st/2nd/3rd) | Scored and reported separately from the PFT |
| Frequency | Annually (Jan 1–Jun 30) | Annually, administered separately |
| 2026 policy note | Combat arms PMOS: 210-point sex-neutral minimum | Not directly affected by the 210-point PFT requirement |
The two tests are not interchangeable and are not averaged together. A Marine's fitness report reflects both scores independently, so a strong PFT score does not offset a weak CFT score, or vice versa.
Official Sources & References
- U.S. Marine Corps, Marine Corps announces updated physical fitness standards
- Headquarters Marine Corps, MARADMIN 066/26
- Headquarters Marine Corps, MARADMIN 073/26
- MCO 6100.13A W/ADMIN CH-5
- Marine Corps Human Performance Branch — Fitness Test Standards
- Fitness.Marines.mil
- Marine Corps Enlistment Requirements
Always confirm current requirements against fitness.marines.mil or the latest official MARADMIN, since this policy area can be amended.