Air Force PAST vs Navy SEAL PST: Which Is Harder?

The AF PAST and Navy SEAL PST are the two most-searched special-warfare fitness tests in the U.S. military. They look similar at first glance — swim, pull-ups, sit-ups, push-ups, run. But the details, standards, and underwater demands make them very different tests.

Side-by-Side Comparison

Which Events Differ Most

Underwaters: PAST has them. PST doesn't. The underwater test at PAST is a pure psychological filter — you can be in top fitness and fail the test to panic.

Sit-ups/push-ups: SEAL PST requires more reps for minimum pass AND higher competitive marks. PST is the more brutal calisthenics test.

Swim distance: PAST is in meters (500m = ~547 yd). PST is 500 yd. PAST is ~10% further.

Run: PAST minimum is 10:20, competitive 9:30. PST minimum is 10:30, competitive 9:00. PST rewards the fast runners more.

Which Pipeline Is Harder Overall?

Both pipelines wash out 60-80% of candidates. But:

• BUD/S (Navy): 6 months of continuous assessment. Hell Week (week 4) is legendary. Extreme cold water exposure throughout. Notoriously brutal.
• AFSW pipelines (Air Force): Variable depending on AFSC. PJ is 2+ years. Combat Control is 2 years. SR is 1.5 years. All require advanced technical skills beyond fitness.

BUD/S is widely considered the most physically demanding. PJ is considered the most technically demanding. Both have elite failure rates.

Common Events Both Test

If you train both, you're essentially preparing for the same fitness base with slightly different weights on each event:

• Swim fitness
• Pull-up volume
• Core endurance
• Running economy

Differences are marginal for the aerobic and muscular endurance portions. The real differentiator is psychological demand (underwaters, cold water tolerance, selection environment).

How to Train for Either

Volume + technique + mental game:

• Swim 3x per week in a pool with technique focus
• Dry-land CO₂ tolerance work daily
• Pull-up greasing the groove daily
• High daily calisthenics volume (200+ push-ups, 200+ sit-ups)
• 4 runs per week with intervals + Zone 2 base

Score your SEAL PST →

Score your AF PAST →

Picking Your Path

Pick based on mission, not test difficulty. PJ work (saving lives in combat zones) is fundamentally different from SEAL work (direct action). The test is just the entry gate. The job is what matters.