Air Force Special Warfare Initial Fitness Test Standards

The Air Force Special Warfare Initial Fitness Test standards require enlisted candidates to complete 8 pull-ups in 2 minutes, 50 sit-ups in 2 minutes, 40 push-ups in 2 minutes, a 1.5-mile run in 10:20 or faster, two 25-meter underwater swims on 3-minute cycles, and a 500-meter surface swim. Every event has a minimum, and failing any single event fails the whole test. The IFT (formerly the PAST) is the same screening for all four enlisted Special Warfare career fields: Pararescue, Combat Control, Special Reconnaissance, and Tactical Air Control Party.¹

Enlisted Minimum Scores

The same minimums apply to PJ, CCT, SR, and TACP enlisted applicants:¹

Pull-ups: 8 in 2 minutes
Sit-ups: 50 in 2 minutes
Push-ups: 40 in 2 minutes
1.5-mile run: 10 minutes, 20 seconds or faster
Two 25-meter underwater swims, each completed within a 3-minute cycle
500-meter surface swim (no posted time limit for enlisted)

These are floors, not targets. There is no partial credit, no way to offset a weak event with a strong one, and no averaging. Competitive scores well above the minimums improve your standing when selection boards review applications, and the pipeline that follows is harder than the screening.

Officer Minimum Scores

Special Tactics Officers, Combat Rescue Officers, and Tactical Air Control Party Officers face elevated standards. The pull-up window shrinks to one minute, and the run distance doubles to three miles. STO and CRO candidates swim 1,500 meters instead of 500.²

TACPO-specific minimums from the IFT worksheet include 12 pull-ups, 50 sit-ups, and 50 push-ups, higher than the enlisted TACP standards across the board.¹ Officer thresholds have shifted more frequently than enlisted ones, so confirm the current numbers with your recruiter or the IFAM application before you test.

Event Order and Rest Periods

Proctors administer the events in a fixed sequence:²

Pull-ups (2 minutes for enlisted, 1 minute for officers)
2-minute rest
Sit-ups (2 minutes)
2-minute rest
Push-ups (2 minutes)
10-minute rest
1.5-mile run (3 miles for officers)
30-minute rest
25-meter underwater swim #1
3-minute cycle
25-meter underwater swim #2
3-minute cycle
500-meter surface swim (1,500 meters for STO/CRO)

The 30-minute break after the run partly exists to let candidates travel from the running course to the pool. Use it to get your heart rate down. Anxiety, not fitness, is what fails most candidates on the underwater swims, and the surface swim comes when fatigue is already real. Conservative pacing on the first few hundred meters of the surface swim tends to matter more than most candidates expect.

How Each Event Is Judged

Pull-Ups

Reps run on the proctor’s cadence. Your chin must clear the bar at the top, and your arms must reach full extension at the bottom. Kipping is not permitted, and your body should stay rigid. If you drop from the bar, the event is over and your count at that point stands.¹

Sit-Ups

A partner holds your feet. Each rep must bring your shoulder blades off the ground and your elbows to or past your knees. The proctor starts a stopwatch and calls out time remaining in 30-second intervals.¹

Push-Ups

Each rep must reach full arm extension at the top and at least a 90-degree bend at the elbow at the bottom.¹

1.5-Mile Run

The run takes place on a measured course. The proctor gives the start command, records your finish time, and typically calls out lap times to help with pacing. Enlisted candidates run 1.5 miles; officers run 3 miles.

Underwater Swims

Each swim covers one length of a 25-meter pool completely below the surface. The second swim begins at the end of the first 3-minute cycle, so if your first swim takes 30 seconds, you wait the remainder of the cycle before starting again. Breaking the surface before the far wall ends the attempt.

500-Meter Surface Swim

The surface swim starts a 3-minute cycle after the second underwater swim. Authorized strokes are freestyle, breaststroke, and sidestroke.³ Proctors watch to confirm you don’t touch the bottom or the sides.

What to Bring

Gear is minimal. For calisthenics and the run, bring PT clothes and running shoes. For the swim events, bring a swimsuit and goggles or a scuba mask. A sports bra is authorized for female candidates. Fins, paddles, and other swim equipment are not permitted.¹ Bring valid government-issued identification so the proctor can verify who you are before the session begins.

Passing the IFT Doesn’t Send You to Selection

Clearing the IFT gets you into the development phase, not into the pipeline itself. Under the Special Warfare Operator Enlistment Vectoring (SWOE-V) program, enlisted candidates don’t pick a specific career field at the recruiting office. You enlist under a general Special Warfare code (9T500) and enter a development period with a Special Operations Developer, usually a recruiter or prior-service operator assigned to prepare you for what comes next.

Development typically lasts four to six months. Your developer runs structured workouts, tracks your progress, and has to recommend you as ready before you ship to Basic Military Training. After BMT, candidates attend an eight-week Special Warfare Preparatory Course at Lackland AFB, then a four-week Assessment and Selection course split between a field phase of roughly two and a half weeks of continuous training and a selection phase of about a week and a half of testing, interviews, and evaluations.⁴ Candidates are matched to a specific career field only after passing A&S.

Two boundaries worth knowing. TACP candidates take the full IFT including the swims, but they follow a separate pipeline after BMT and don’t attend the Guardian Angel/Special Tactics A&S. EOD and SERE candidates also take the IFT, but with different standards; EOD candidates skip the swim events and follow a modified rest schedule when testing alongside Special Warfare candidates.²

1
Military.com. Initial Fitness Test (IFT) Worksheet
2
Air Force Special Operations Command. Special Tactics Initial Familiarization Course Application FY2026
3
Air Force Accessions Center. TACP Brochure
4
Air Education and Training Command. Special Warfare Training Wing – What is Assessment and Selection