The Army Combat Field Test (CFT): the 7 events, the 30-minute standard and who takes it

Published October 21, 2026

Quick answer: The Combat Field Test (CFT) is a pass-or-fail test for Soldiers in the Army’s 24 combat specialties: seven events done back to back in uniform and boots, from a 1-mile run to a second 1-mile run, finished in 30 minutes or less. It doesn’t replace the Army Fitness Test (AFT). Record CFTs start 17 April 2027; until then, a failed CFT alone brings no administrative action.

FPKT, a free app for iPhone, iPad and Mac, scores your AFT on the Combat standard and keeps the Army’s CFT order (EXORD 103-26), its Annex B testing guidance and DA Form 705-CFT on your device, even offline.

The Army Combat Field Test (CFT) is the second fitness test for Soldiers in combat specialties. Army Directive 2026-07 created it on 17 April 2026, and Headquarters, Department of the Army (HQDA) Execute Order (EXORD) 103-26 set out how it runs. It’s seven events in a row, done in your Army Combat Uniform and boots, and you pass by finishing all seven in 30 minutes or less. There are no points, and the standard is the same whatever your age or sex.

What are the 7 CFT events?

You do them in this order, back to back, on one running clock. The clock runs from the start of the first run to the end of the second, and you move to the next station only when your grader clears you.

1-mile run. At your own pace. Walking is allowed but strongly discouraged. If anyone pushes, pulls or carries you, or you cut the course, your test is terminated. Someone may pace you as long as they don’t touch you or get in other Soldiers’ way.
30 dead-stop push-ups. Lower your chest to the ground, lift both hands off it, then push back up with your knees off the ground and your body in a generally straight line. Any hand position is fine. A bad rep doesn’t count: the grader repeats your last good number. You can rest in any position, but you go back to the starting position before you continue.
100-meter sprint. Any pace, but you have to cross the finish line before moving on.
16 sandbag lifts. Sixteen 40-pound sandbags go from the ground onto a 65-inch platform, by any method. If one falls off, you put it back. Graders can’t help in any way.
50-meter water can carry. Two full 5-gallon Army water cans, 40 pounds each, carried any way you like. You can set them down as often as you need. Dragging or throwing them sends you back to the start of the carry, and pouring water out on purpose ends the test. You finish with both cans upright at the end point.
50-meter movement drill. A 25-meter high crawl, on your forearms and lower legs with your body off the ground (no bear or crab crawl), then 25 meters of 3–5 second rushes from the prone: three rushes of about 8 meters each, ending prone. Wrong technique sends you back to the start of that part.
Second 1-mile run. Same rules as the first.

What is the CFT standard?

30 minutes or less for all seven events, start to finish. No single event is timed.
Pass or fail. There are no points. The scorecard, DA Form 705-CFT, records your total time and a GO or NO-GO.
One standard for everyone. The CFT is age and sex neutral.
Finish every event. If you can’t complete an event, you’re terminated from the test and it counts as a failure.

The clock keeps running between stations, including the move from one to the next, so every transition counts against your 30 minutes.

What do you wear for the CFT?

The Army Combat Uniform top and bottoms with a belt, a brown T-shirt and combat boots that meet AR 670-1. No headgear.

Who has to take the CFT?

Soldiers in these combat specialties (military occupational specialty or area of concentration): 11A, 11B, 11C, 11Z, 12A, 12B, 12D, 13A, 13F, 18A, 180A, 18B, 18C, 18D, 18E, 18F, 18Z, 19A, 19C, 19D, 19K, 19Z, 89D and 89E. The same Soldiers are held to the AFT’s Combat standard; here’s how the AFT is scored.

You are	Record tests	Time between passing record tests
Regular Army, Active Guard Reserve (AGR), or Reserve Component on active-duty orders for 365 days or more	1 AFT and 1 CFT every year	At least 4 months
Other Reserve Component	1 a year, alternating: a record AFT one calendar year, a record CFT the next	At least 8 months (an extra record AFT is allowed for promotion or schooling)

For those other Reserve Component Soldiers, the record test in calendar year 2027 is the CFT. The CFT doesn’t replace the AFT, and neither test is a prerequisite for the other.

When does the CFT count for record?

17 April 2026: Army Directive 2026-07 made the CFT a requirement. The one-year implementation period began.
17 October 2026: every Soldier in a combat specialty was due to take one diagnostic CFT, with the scorecard entered in the Army Training Information System (ATIS), within six months of the directive. One paragraph of the order counts from its own 22 April date instead, which gives 22 October.
On or about 31 August and 1 December 2026: the Army Fitness Standards Working Group was set to review CFT pass rates and how many Soldiers can’t take the CFT because of AFT profiles. Those reviews were to inform decisions about how the CFT is put in place.
17 April 2027: record CFTs start, and a failure has consequences.
17 April 2028: a Soldier who still hasn’t taken a record CFT, 12 months after record testing starts, is flagged, unless a temporary profile prevents it.

Evaluation reports will show your CFT result (pass, fail or waiver), starting with reports whose “thru” date is 17 October 2027 or later, 18 months after the directive.

What happens if you fail the CFT?

Until 17 April 2027, no administrative action is taken solely because you failed a CFT. A failed diagnostic is still recorded: you get a code in the Army’s personnel system, IPPS-A, that marks you as not yet meeting the standard, and the Army says that code isn’t punitive. With that code, enlisted Soldiers from private through staff sergeant with under 18 years of service can ask to reclassify into up to three of the Army’s priority specialties. Officers and warrant officers who can’t meet the standard can request a transfer through the Voluntary Transfer Incentive Program (VTIP).

From 17 April 2027, a failed record CFT means a flag, reconditioning training and a retest within 90 days, or 180 days for Reserve Component Soldiers who aren’t AGR or on orders of 365 days or more. Failing the retest leads to reclassification or a new assignment unless you have a waiver. Enlisted Soldiers who fail two CFTs in a row can be separated if they won’t extend or reenlist to reclassify, or can’t reclassify. Officers who fail two in a row can be eliminated if they refuse, or aren’t eligible for, a branch transfer or new assignment. Our guide to what happens if you fail the AFT covers the flag and retest rules in more detail.

Profiles and the CFT

Temporary profile: you don’t take a record CFT. You follow your profile and the AFT guidance in Field Manual (FM) 7-22 until you can. The CFT has no modified events for profiles.
Permanent profile that limits the AFT: to take the CFT, you have to be able to do every AFT event without an alternate event. If you can’t, you can’t take the CFT and you’re considered for reclassification, unless the general court-martial convening authority or the first general officer in your chain of command grants a waiver.
Waivers: you request one in IPPS-A, it lasts 12 months, and you have to renew it before it ends. First requests are due by 31 January 2027. A Soldier with a waiver still takes two record AFTs a year (one for Reserve Component Soldiers who aren’t AGR or on orders of 365 days or more).