Police Academy Fitness Test: What to Expect and How to Train

If you want to be a police officer, the academy fitness test is one of the first real gates. The exact events change from department to department, but most are built on the same core of running, strength, and power. Here is what to expect and how to train so you pass comfortably instead of squeaking by.

What is the police academy fitness test?

It is a physical assessment that screens whether you can handle the demands of the job and the academy itself. Many departments base their test on the Cooper Standards, which measure four areas of fitness: dynamic strength, cardiovascular endurance, anaerobic power, and explosive power. Standards are usually set to a percentile, often the 50th percentile to enter and the 70th to graduate.

Common events

• 1.5-mile run: the main cardio test, scored on time.
• Push-ups: max reps, often in one minute, testing upper body endurance.
• Sit-ups: max reps in one minute for core endurance.
• 300-meter sprint: an anaerobic burst that mimics a foot pursuit.
• Vertical jump: a measure of explosive lower-body power.

Some departments also add an agility run, a sit-and-reach flexibility test, or a job-specific obstacle course.

What counts as passing

Standards vary widely by department, age, and gender, so always check the specific numbers for the agency you are applying to. As a rough sense of the ballpark some departments use, you might see requirements like 18 to 25 push-ups, around 24 or more sit-ups in a minute, a 300-meter sprint near 80 seconds, a vertical jump around 11 to 16 inches, and a 1.5-mile run somewhere under roughly 15 to 20 minutes depending on age. Treat these as examples, not your target. Your department sets the real ones.

How to train for it

Build all four qualities. Run intervals plus one longer run each week to drop your 1.5-mile time, train push-ups and sit-ups with frequent submaximal sets to raise your max, sprint 300-meter repeats for the anaerobic event, and add jumps and lower-body power work for the vertical. Resistance bands are one of the most useful tools here, since they assist your push-up volume, add resistance to jumps and sprints, and travel anywhere.

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Police fitness test FAQ

What is on the police academy fitness test?

Most include a 1.5-mile run, push-ups, sit-ups, a 300-meter sprint, and a vertical jump, though the exact mix varies by department.

What are the Cooper Standards?

A widely used set of law enforcement fitness norms that score push-ups, sit-ups, the 1.5-mile run, the 300-meter sprint, and the vertical jump by percentile, age, and gender.

How hard is the police fitness test?

For a reasonably fit person who trains the specific events for a few weeks, it is very passable. The people who struggle are usually those who show up untrained.

Do the standards change by age and gender?

Yes. Most departments adjust the required scores by both.

Police fitness standards are set by individual departments and academies and vary by jurisdiction. Confirm the exact requirements with the agency you are applying to.