A descriptive study of the U.S. Marine Corps fitness tests (2000-2012)

This article describes the performance of active duty U.S. Marines on the Physical Fitness Test (PFT) and Combat Fitness Test (CFT) during calendar years 2000 through 2012. Our study sample included PFT composite scores (n = 543,185), PFT and CFT composite scores (n = 160,936), and PFT and CFT event scores (n = 135,926 and n = 201,953, respectively). In general, all Marines performed very well on each fitness test, with overall annual improvements. Interestingly, the majority of female Marines passed the minimum male standard on the CFT. Further studies will evaluate the relationship of fitness test performance and injury.