Navy PRT Standards: Events, Scoring, and What It Takes to Pass

The Navy Physical Readiness Test, or PRT, is the fitness half of the Navy's twice-a-year Physical Fitness Assessment. Your score does not just decide pass or fail. It feeds your record, affects advancement, and tells you a lot about your training. This guide breaks down the events, the cardio options, how scoring works, and what it actually takes to pass.

What is the Navy PRT?

The PRT measures muscular endurance and cardiorespiratory fitness through three events performed in the same session. It sits inside the larger Physical Fitness Assessment, or PFA, which also includes a body composition check. Sailors complete the PRT during each command's testing cycle, typically twice per year.

The three PRT events

The current PRT uses three events:

• Push-ups: a two-minute max-rep event that tests upper body endurance.
• Forearm plank: a timed hold that replaced curl-ups. You start face down with elbows under your shoulders and hold a straight line from head to heels for as long as you can.
• Cardio: a timed 1.5-mile run is the standard, with several approved alternatives.

Forearm plank form

Your elbows sit directly below your shoulders at about a 90 degree bend. Forearms can be parallel or angled in, but you cannot clasp your hands together. The body stays in one straight line, and sagging hips or a raised butt ends the event.

Cardio options on the PRT

The 1.5-mile run is primary, but commanding officers can authorize approved alternatives, which helps sailors with running restrictions or shipboard limits. The approved options are:

• 1.5-mile run or walk on a flat, measured course.
• 2,000-meter row on a Concept2 erg with the damper set between 3 and 5.
• 500-yard or 450-meter swim using any stroke.
• 12-minute stationary bike scored by calories on an approved machine.

How the PRT is scored

Each event is scored on a points scale, and your results map to performance categories. The Navy uses five: Outstanding, Excellent, Good, Satisfactory, and Probationary, with high, medium, and low levels inside most of them. Your overall PRT score is the average across the three events.

To pass, you need to reach at least the Satisfactory level in every single event. Just like other branches, one failed event fails the whole test, no matter how strong the other two are. Standards are set by age group in five-year bands and by gender, so the exact rep counts and run times you need shift as you get older.

What is a good PRT score?

Passing is the floor. Sailors who care about their record aim for Excellent or Outstanding, which require noticeably more reps, a longer plank, and a faster run. Hitting Outstanding on all three is the benchmark for top performers and looks strong on an evaluation. The cleanest way to see exactly where your numbers land by age and gender is to run them through our Navy PRT calculator.

How to train for each event

Treat the three events as three separate problems. For push-ups, build volume with frequent submaximal sets rather than grinding to failure every session. For the plank, train it directly and add anti-extension core work like dead bugs and hollow holds. For the run, build an aerobic base first, then layer in intervals and tempo work to bring your time down. Our PRT run workouts and plank progression give you a starting structure, and our complete PRT guide ties it together.

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Navy PRT FAQ

What score do you need to pass the Navy PRT?

You must reach at least the Satisfactory level in all three events. Falling below it in any one event is a failed PRT.

What happens if you fail the Navy PRT?

A PRT failure goes on your record and can affect advancement and eligibility for certain programs. Repeated failures carry more serious career consequences, so a failure is something to correct quickly.

Can you choose the row or bike instead of the run?

Only if your command authorizes it. The run is the default, and alternate cardio is approved at the discretion of your commanding officer, often for medical or facility reasons.

How often do sailors take the PRT?

Usually twice a year, during each command's PFA cycle.

Navy standards and scoring tables are set by the Navy and updated periodically. Confirm current requirements through official Navy sources.