Soldiers take part in the Army Combat Fitness Test during the Best Warrior Competition on April 21, 2025, in Columbia, S.C. Beginning in June, the ACFT will be replaced by the Army Fitness Test, implementing sex-neutral standards for combat arms and phasing out the standing power throw, the service said. (Duran Jones/U.S. Army)
Soldiers will once again have to get familiar with a different physical fitness test, as the Army moves toward a renamed one that drops an event and alters scoring standards, the service announced this week.
Beginning in June, a revised version called the Army Fitness Test will replace the 3-year-old Army Combat Fitness Test, according to an Army statement Monday.
The updated test will feature five events instead of the current six and introduce higher, sex-neutral, and age-normalized standards for soldiers in combat arms roles, the statement said.
It remains unclear how event scoring will differ from current standards, though the Army said additional guidance, including details on scoring, will be given in May.
“The change reflects the Army’s continued focus on building a physically ready force capable of meeting operational demands in austere environments,” the statement said.
The new test’s combat occupation standard will apply equally to men and women, with scores adjusted for age. The general standard, however, is based on performance expectations tailored by both sex and age groups, according to the statement.
One notable difference is the removal of the standing power throw. That event has proved broadly unpopular with soldiers, a number of whom say the event caters more toward technique than power and puts shorter soldiers at a disadvantage.
The most recent Army Combat Fitness Test was updated in 2022 after originally replacing the decades-old Army Physical Fitness Test in 2020. The ACFT differed significantly from its predecessor and was aimed at diminishing injury risk and assessing combat readiness.
Events retained in the Army Fitness Test from the 2022 update are the three-repetition deadlift, hand-release pushups, sprint-drag-carry, plank and 2-mile run.
Soldiers in combat arms roles will be required to score at least 60 points of a potential 100 per event, with a minimum overall score of 350.
Those in combat support specialties must also achieve a minimum of 60 points for each event, with a reduced minimum total score of 300.
The Army Fitness Test is based on Rand Corp. analysis and service data from nearly a million records, the statement said.
Announcement of the testing changes comes in the wake of a March 31 memo from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth calling for a review and enhancement of physical fitness standards in combat arms roles.
Soldiers will no longer take the ACFT after May 31, though all fitness testing prior to that date will remain valid, the Army secretary said in an April 17 memo.
The new test will begin phased implementation June 1 and will take full effect at the start of 2026 for active-duty personnel and on June 1, 2026, for Reserve and National Guard members, according to the statement.
