The first test a soldier has to take to earn a Ranger tab just got harder — unless you really hate sit-ups.
The Army announced Thursday a completely revamped physical fitness test for Ranger School, which all candidates must pass before reporting and then again on the course’s first day. The test runs soldiers through a multitude of “functional fitness” events, all of which they must complete in a set time period, a major change from the individually graded repetitions of exercises in the old test.
One thing soldiers might be glad to see: no more sit-ups, and only 30 modified push-ups.
“Push-ups and sit-ups are no longer the Army standard,” said Brig. Gen. Phil Kiniery, commandant of the Army Infantry School, which is responsible for the Ranger course. The previous Ranger test, he said, was based on the now-defunct Army Physical Fitness Test, and required Ranger School candidates to be at the same level as the 70% percentile of 18-to-20-year-olds, regardless of age.
The new test is completed wearing combat uniforms and boots. In 14 minutes, soldiers must complete:
- An 800-meter run.
- 30 dead-stop push-ups.
- a 100-meter sprint.
- 16 lifts of 40-pound sandbags onto a 68-inch platform.
- 50-meter “farmers’ carry” of two 40-pound water cans.
- A 25-meter high crawl, 25-meter three-to-five second rush.
- A final 800-meter run.
After that, soldiers will change into their physical fitness uniform and run four miles within 32 minutes followed by six chin-ups.
The old Ranger course assessment consisted of 49 push-ups, 59 sit-ups, a 5-mile run within 40 minutes, and six chin-ups. The new version is a modified version of the Expert Infantry Badge Physical Fitness Assessment, another test that was updated to focus on functional movements.
Kiniery said that the test was re-designed to match the Army’s newer focus on functional fitness, a style of training focused on large, dynamic, full-body movements, akin to actions in combat. The test is meant to collectively challenge a soldier’s stamina, muscular strength, endurance, agility, and coordination, the Army said.
“Our new assessment is better aligned with the Army’s focus on training functional fitness and is tailored to help our cadre better assess student potential to successfully complete the Ranger Course safely,” he said.
Ranger School is considered one of the Army’s toughest training programs, combining leadership challenges and rigorous field training. Soldiers earn their black-and-yellow tab after completing the 61-day course’s three phases at Fort Benning, Georgia, in the mountains of North Georgia and in the swampy ranges of Eglin Air Force Base, Florida.
Beginning April 21, soldiers will have to take the new Ranger Physical Fitness Assessment, RPFA, on the school’s first day.
Army and Marine Corps fitness tests have evolved
The new Ranger test mirrors the evolution of the annual service-wide Army Combat Fitness Test. The ACFT — which includes eight functional fitness events — was adopted in 2022 with the goal of preparing soldiers for the physical demands of battle and reducing musculoskeletal injuries. Fitness injuries have long been among the more common injuries suffered by soldiers. In 2021, musculoskeletal injuries made up 81% of all soldier injuries recorded that year, according to the Defense Health Agency.
The Marine Corps’ Combat Fitness Test, which was introduced in 2008, was also designed as a functional fitness test aimed at testing Marines’ physical preparedness for combat operations. Taken every year by all Marines, the test is an 880-yard sprint, 30-pound ammo lift, and a 300-yard “Maneuver Under Fire” course consisting of a crawl, ammunition resupply, grenade throw, agility run, and a drag and fireman’s carry of a simulated casualty.
In 2015, the Army opened up Ranger school to women. Over the last decade, women on active duty, and in the National Guard and Reserve have earned their tabs by meeting the grueling fitness requirements — which are the same for all soldiers who go through the school. Former Army Secretary Christine Wormuth told Task & Purpose in December that more than 150 women had graduated from Ranger school.