The test was phased out under President Obama.
If you’re of a certain age, chances are that you had to participate in the Presidential Fitness Test while you were in school. However, if you attended school during or after President Obama’s administration, you may be completely unfamiliar with the physical test of endurance.
At least, that’s true of those who are no longer in school, since the test is making a comeback after Donald Trump made reviving the dated physical exam one of the priorities of his second presidency.
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And while it wasn’t officially rolled out to all schools, many people have still been wondering what the Presidential Physical Fitness Test standard would look like this time around, especially for the 100 plus schools who have already added this back into their physical education curriculum.
You can find out more about what to expect from the Presidential Physical Fitness Test, including which schools were the earliest adopters of the renewed interest in the program, below.
Source: The Tampa Bay Estuary Program/Unsplash
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What are the Presidential Physical Fitness Test standards?
According to one of the schools that has embraced the return of the test, the Presidential Physical Fitness Test standards is broken down by sex and age, highlighting what each student should be able to do in order to hit the 85th percentile when it comes to achievement, which is based on a standard set in 1985, and include the following activities:
Curl-upsPartial Curl-upsShuttle runV-sit reachSit and reachOne mile runDistance runsPull-upsRight angle push-ups
While the standards vary greatly for each depending on your sex and age — for example, a 6-year-old boy would need to complete two pull-ups to meet the standard, while a 17-year-old boy would need to be able to do 13 — these requirements are believed to only be achievable by some of the most athletic students who participate in the test.
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Meanwhile, those who fall into the 50th percentile of the test — which would involve a 6-year-old boy being able to do one push-up with a 17-year-old boy accomplishing eight — would be eligible to win the National Physical Fitness Award.
According to the Associated Press, the test has been made mandatory at 161 schools, all of which are located on military installations, with the hope that other schools will also adopt the revived fitness test.
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.@POTUS: “Today, I sign a Proclamation recognizing national youth sports and fitness and I’ll also sign the very first copy of the new, revitalized Presidential Fitness Test award — a certificate in recognition of achievement of the gold standard of physical fitness.” https://t.co/50HWB0QBHU pic.twitter.com/9qCXvZp2on
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) May 5, 2026
What is the Presidential Physical Fitness Test awards patch?
Back during the original iteration of the Presidential Physical Fitness Test, high-achieving student athletes were awarded a patch for their troubles. However, it looks like the patch was retired back in 2012, when the feats of endurance and strength were also phased out of schools.
It’s unclear whether Trump plans to bring the patch back as well, or if he has another prize in mind for those students who excel at this sort of testing.