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Military Training Points
Army Physical Fitness Test (APFT)
The APFT was never my personal favorite when I served in the Army, but this one never seems to go out of style or get replaced (except to the extent the ACFT sticks and the transition is fully completed with the impact to promotion points clearly understood and implemented).
I personally struggled to max out my APFT points, but knowing that it’s a fixture of promotion point system, it’s here to stay for now.
The APFT affords soldiers the opportunity to earn up to 180-points for SGT E-5 and 145-points for SSG E-6. These points represent about 18% and 23% of the total 800 available respectively. That’s a big flipping deal!
Typically, the APFT requires you to successfully pass three (3) standard events, including the push-up, sit-up, and 2-mile run. You must achieve a minimum score of 60 on each event to pass. For some perspective, here’s some example APFT point achievement levels compared to the combined scores in the three events:
For SGT E-5 Points
APFT Score = 300 | Promotion Points = 180 (max points available)
APFT Score = 250 | Promotion Points = 120
APFT Score = 225 | Promotion Points = 85
APFT Score = 200 | Promotion Points = 80
APFT Score = 180 | Promotion Points = 40 (bare bones minimum)
For SSG E-6 Points
APFT Score = 300 | Promotion Points = 145 (max points available)
APFT Score = 250 | Promotion Points = 70
APFT Score = 225 | Promotion Points = 36
APFT Score = 200 | Promotion Points = 23
APFT Score = 180 | Promotion Points = 15 (bare bones minimum)
You can see the large gap between the minimum and maximum promotion points. Your preparation and focus on Army APFT success will make a significant difference in getting promoted from E-4 to E-5 and E-5 to E-6. Don’t miss out on these promotion points that are right in front of your eyes. Short term pain for a maximum return on effort. Seize the opportunity!
Weapons Qualification
Range qualifying with your assigned weapon is not only required for every soldier but an important contributor to amassing your promotion point haul.
Qualifying with your weapon contributes up to 160-points, or 20% of all points available.
Don’t let these points pass you by, with a bit of focus, rest, and steady hands you can grab most of these and deposit them in your promotion point bank account!
With the most common M16A2/M4 assigned rifle, here is the min to max of what you can expect to add to your promotion point tally:
For SGT E-5 Points
Targets Hit = 40 | Promotion Points = 160 (max points available)
Targets Hit = 35 | Promotion Points = 123
Targets Hit = 30 | Promotion Points = 85
Targets Hit = 23 | Promotion Points = 33 (bare bones minimum)
For SSG E-6 Points
Targets Hit = 40 | Promotion Points = 110 (max points available)
Targets Hit = 35 | Promotion Points = 91
Targets Hit = 30 | Promotion Points = 56
Targets Hit = 23 | Promotion Points = 28 (bare bones minimum)
Register for the online promotion points calculator to make tracking your points easy, accurate, and automated.