FBI Physical Fitness Test Training: How to Prepare for the FBI PFT

 

Introduction: The 1811 Club

Preparing for the FBI Physical Fitness Test (PFT) and the Basic Field Training Course (BFTC) is challenging. The FBI is selective in its hiring processes and is looking for people who excel, not just meet minimum standards. This comprehensive guide will help you train for the PFT and BFTC, ensuring you are at your physical and mental best when applying for and training at the FBI Academy. 

Before we get to the details of the FBI physical fitness test training process, let’s discuss the overall process of applying for and training to become an FBI Special Agent, sometimes known as an 1811. Different job types are assigned numeric designators within the United States Government. The “1811” series refers to federal criminal investigators, known as “Special Agents.” 

Becoming a member of this organization is not easy. With an intelligent preparation process, it can be a manageable challenge that sets you up for a rewarding career. 

The Special Agent Selection System (SASS)

This process requires eleven steps:

Phase 1

1. Application and Screening. This includes submitting school transcripts, your DD214 if you’re a former military member, etc. 
2. Phase I test. This three-hour computerized test covers logical reasoning, figural reasoning, a personality assessment, preferences and interests, and situational judgment. 
3. Meet and Greet. An information session, typically conducted by your PFO (Processing Field Office), to discuss what to expect during the hiring process. 
4. FBI Physical Fitness Test (PFT). At this stage, you must pass with a minimum score of 9 points, at least one point in three events, and no failures (scores less than zero). This is your first opportunity to stand out physically. If you pass with a score of 12 or higher (with at least one point in each event), you do not have to retake the PFT before BFTC. 

Phase 2

5. Phase II Test. It typically takes about four months from phase 1 to phase 2. A three-person panel of special agents conducts this writing assessment and interview. 
6. Conditional Appointment Offer. Once you pass the FBI Physical Fitness Test and Phase 2 Test, you’ll be issued a Conditional Appointment Offer (CAO). 
7. Background Investigation. At this stage, you must complete a Top-Secret SCI Clearance investigation. 
8. Fitness-For-Duty Medical Exam. Here, you’re assessed for the physical and mental functioning necessary to work as a special agent. 
9. Pre-Quantico Physical Fitness Test. Here, you’ll take the same test you did in step 4, with the same scoring criteria (9 points minimum). You must pass a PFT within 120 days of your scheduled start date at Quantico/BFTC. 

The FI Academy: Basic Field Training Course (BFTC)

10. Basic Field Training Course (BFTC). During this 18-week course, you will gain the knowledge, skills, and abilities of a special agent. You must also pass the PFT here, but at a higher standard than before. You must score at least 12 points total, with a minimum of one point in each event. If you can’t pass the PFT, you will be dismissed. 

Career Placement

11. Career Placement. Upon graduation from the BFTC, you will officially join the FBI as a special agent. From here, you will be assigned to one of 55 field offices in the US. 

The FBI Physical Fitness Test (PFT)

The FBI PFT consists of four components, with an extra category (pull-ups) for those in the TRP (Tactical Recruitment Program). These are:

• Sit-ups: Maximum number of continuous sit-ups in one minute
• Sprint: Timed 300-meter sprint
• Push-ups: Maximum number of continuous push-ups (untimed)
• Run: Timed 1.5-mile run
• Pull-ups: Maximum number of continuous pull-ups (only TRP candidates complete this event)

The scoring system for the PFT varies by age and sex. Remember that it involves total points accumulated across each event. 

Scoring Breakdown for the FBI Physical Fitness Test (PFT)

Here’s the scoring breakdown:

Sit-ups Scoring for the FBI PFT

Score	Female Range	Male Range
-2	29 and below	31 and below
0	30-34	32-37
1	35-36	38
2	37-40	39-42
3	41-42	43-44
4	43-46	45-47
5	47-48	48-49
6	49-50	50-51
7	51-52	52-53
8	53-54	54-55
9	55-56	56-57
10	57+	58+

 

300-Meter Sprint Scoring for the FBI PFT (in seconds)

Score	Female Range	Male Range
-2	67.5 and slower	55.1 and slower
0	67.4-65.0	55.0–52.5
1	64.9–62.5	52.4–51.1
2	62.4–60.0	0 51.0–49.5
3	59.9–57.5	49.4–48.0
4	57.4–56.0	47.9–46.1
5	55.9–54.0	46.0–45.0
6	53.9–53.0	44.9–44.0
7	52.9–52.0	43.9–43.0
8	51.9–51.0	42.9–42.0
9	50.9–50.0	41.9–41.0
10	49.9 and faster	40.9 and faster

Push-ups Scoring for the FBI PFT

Score	Female Range	Male Range
-2	4 or fewer	19 or fewer
0	5-13	20-29
1	14-18	30-32
2	19-21	33-39
3	22-26	40-43
4	27-29	44-49
5	30-32	50-53
6	33-35	54-56
7	36-38	57-60
8	39-41	61-64
9	42-44	65-70
10	45+	71+

 

1.5 Mile Run Scoring for the FBI PFT

Score	Female Range	Male Range
-2	15:00 and slower	13:30 and slower
0	14:59-14:00	13:29-12:25
1	13:59-13:35	12:24–12:15
2	13:34–13:00	12:14–11:35
3	12:59–12:30	11:34–11:10
4	12:29–11:57	11:09–10:35
5	11:56–11:35	10:34–10:15
6	11:34–11:15	10:14–9:55
7	11:14–11:06	9:54–9:35
8	11:05–10:45	9:34–9:20
9	10:44–10:35	9:19–9:00
10	10:34 and faster	8:59 and below

 

Pull-ups Scoring for the FBI PFT

Note that only TRP (Tactical Recruiting Program) candidates do this test. 

Score	Female Range	Male Range
0	0	0-1
1	1	2-3
2	2	4-5
3	3	6-7
4	4	8-9
5	5	10-11
6	6	12-13
7	7	14-15
8	8	16-17
9	9	18-19
10	10	20 and over

 

Wondering how to improve your scores? Check out our training programs for the FBI PFT. 

The FBI Tactical Recruitment Program (TRP)

The TRP is a pipeline for special agent applicants interested in applying for the Hostage Rescue Team (HRT). 

To qualify for the TRP, you must:

• • Have at least three years of tactical experience gained through positions in military combat arms, law enforcement SWAT or other government tactical teams.
  • Pass an interview with Hostage Rescue Team (HRT) personnel.
  • Pass the Special Agent PFT with 12 points or better.

If your goal is HRT selection, passing the PFT should be a foregone conclusion, as the physical standards for HRT selection are extremely high. For a detailed overview of how to prepare for HRT selection, read this article. 

What is a Good Score on the FBI Physical Fitness Test?

During your initial recruitment stages, you must attain a minimum score of 9 points, at least one point in three events, and no failures (scores less than zero). 

At BFTC, you must score a minimum of 12 points. 

Minimum FBI PFT Scores

Using the BFTC standards (assuming evenly-balanced scores across events), this means at least:

Males:
Sit-ups: 43
300-meter sprint: 49.4 or faster
Push-ups: 40
1.5-mile run: 11:34 or faster

Females:
Sit-ups: 41
300-meter sprint: 59.9 or faster
Push-ups: 22
1.5-mile run: 12:59 or faster

You will be scored strictly at each of these initial stages. Field offices do not want to send people at risk of failure, so they will score PFTs harshly to ensure that every applicant they send to Quantico can safely pass the PFT. 

At Quantico, the FBI course instructors work diligently to uphold a high standard and will not let sloppy reps or subpar numbers slide. Those who cannot meet the PFT standards will be dismissed. 

Ideal FBI Physical Fitness Test (PFT) Scores

 

Obviously, you want to score much higher than the minimum. This is for two main reasons:

1. 1. BFTC is a strenuous, challenging training course. You will likely need to do a PFT on a day when you’re tired, stressed, and not feeling your best. You’ll want some margin in your performance, so you still don’t have to worry about passing even on a bad day. 
   2. FBI instructors are looking for people who excel in their chosen occupation, not just meet the minimum requirements. Your physical fitness ties into your ranking in the class and can affect your choice of field office and ultimate career path. 

So, the minimum scores are not nearly the same as good scores. 

To perform near the top of your class, you should aim for a score closer to 32 or higher combined points. Again, assuming balanced scores across each event, this means:

For a male:
Sit-ups: 54+
300-meter sprint: 42.9 or faster
Push-ups: 61+
1.5-mile run: 9:34 or faster 

For a female:
Sit-ups: 53+
300-meter sprint: 51.9 or faster
Push-ups: 39+
1.5-mile run: 11:05 or faster

Hitting these scores requires an intelligent training plan and a lot of preparation. 

BFTC Benchmarks: The Yellow Brick Road and the USMC Endurance Course

A solid performance on the PFT is just the entry stakes to start training at BFTC. As you progress through training at the academy, you’ll go through increasingly rigorous PT and longer runs. 

This culminates in two events: a 6-mile obstacle-filled course called The Yellow Brick Road and a 2.8-mile trail run through the USMC Endurance Course on MCB Quantico. 

Both of these require a very high level of physical fitness. Running through an obstacle course is much different physically than simply running slick down a road. It requires strength, work capacity, aerobic endurance, and good running technique. 

Keeping this in mind and factoring in that you should be prepared for everything at BFTC instead of just the initial PFT is a key part of performing well at the FBI Academy. 

How long should you train for the FBI PFT?

The most crucial factor for success in the FBI Physical Fitness Test and BFTC is the time dedicated to serious preparation. An FBI physical fitness test training program works best when it’s structured to develop key adaptations and layer them together over time. 

The PFT and the entire SASS process is not a tryout. It’s a job interview where you demonstrate that you’ve been preparing for this role for a long time because it’s important to you and you’re a professional. Depending on your athletic background and lifestyle factors like sleep, stress/time management, and nutrition, this could require anywhere from 4-6 months to several years of preparation. 

This is why it’s important to develop consistent training and lifestyle habits early and maintain them while in school or working another job. (Creating and maintaining sustainable habits can be hard to do unsupported. If you want help, check out our coaching app)

Building a resilient profile: Shifting from threat to challenge

By developing good training and lifestyle practices early and giving yourself adequate preparation time, you’re ensuring you’re never concerned about passing the minimum standards at each stage of the SASS process and throughout BFTC. Instead, you’re concerned with setting new personal records or hitting excellent performances near the top of the class. This produces a decisive shift in your stress response as you navigate the selection and training process. You move away from a threat-oriented profile in which you’re concerned about avoiding failure to a challenge-oriented stress response, in which you know you have what it takes to handle the task before you; it’s only a matter of how well. (for more on how stress responses work, how they affect our performance, and how they can be trained, check out our book)

If you’re going to become an FBI special agent, it will be stressful. You’ll worry about things. But what you worry about is up to you. When it comes to the PFT, your training runway determines whether you will be worried about passing or excelling. 

Physical Adaptations for PFT Success

The reason for the importance of a long training runway comes down to physiology. 

The physical adaptations required to string together back-to-back events like a 300-meter sprint, max-rep situps, max-rep pushups, and a fast 1.5-mile run require significant aerobic capacity. Essentially, this is how much oxygenated blood your heart can move per beat and how well you can distribute that blood to working muscles and bring it back. If you haven’t trained to make this a physical reality, no amount of “wanting it more” can help you. 

Want an intelligent plan created for you? Check out our training programs for the FBI Academy.

Effective Aerobic Training Strategies

Effective aerobic endurance training doesn’t just push the ceiling of your performance. It raises the floor. Well-trained people at a given level of effort (i.e., a given heart rate) can move more blood and, thus, do more work. A pace that a haphazardly-trained candidate can only hit with an average HR of 165 might be sustainable for a well-aerobically-trained agent at 130 bpm or less because each one of their heartbeats is more powerful. This means that any given effort is less costly and easier to recover from and opens up new performance levels at maximal effort. 

This cardiovascular fitness requires structural adaptations within the cardiovascular system. You’re changing the size and thickness of your heart’s ventricles and the density of the networks of tiny capillaries that manage the final delivery stage of blood to your muscles. 

Just as rebuilding a house takes longer than slapping on a new coat of paint, cardiovascular remodeling takes a lot of time. 

The volume of time required is in two forms:

1. 1. Session duration. Many (though not all) aerobic training sessions require a relatively long training session.
   2. Training consistency. You must stack these sessions like bricks in a wall for weeks, months, and years. 

Behavioral Characteristics in the FBI Basic Field Training Course

If this sounds like a lot of work, it is. And that’s the point. 

Your effectiveness as a special agent aside, physical fitness is key in assessing and screening people for any law enforcement role. Physical testing during the PFT helps to indicate specific behavioral characteristics. FBI instructors seek individuals who demonstrate patience, resilience, and willingness to endure long-term challenges to achieve their goals. And they’re happy to send home the ones who don’t fit that profile. 

Strategy: Train for BFTC, not just the PFT

The 1.5-mile run and pushups are the most common failure points in the Physical Fitness Test. Training should focus not only on passing this test but also on developing the broader capacities needed for the entire training process at BFTC.

Many people who do well on the PFT struggle with the Yellow Brick Road and the USMC Endurance Course, but with an effective training strategy, this doesn’t have to be the case. Your goal should be to enter the academy with the fitness you need to excel throughout the course, not just on the entry test. 

Much of our discussion will revolve around how to do well on the 1.5-mile run and calisthenics, but you must stay focused on the big picture and the training you need to do well in BFTC as a whole, not just on the PFT. 

Physical fitness supports cognitive function and helps to regulate your mind and body. You’ll sleep better, have more neuroplasticity, and think more clearly if you’re physically fit. 

Your training for the 1.5-mile run helps to underscore your training for the rest of the PFT because the aerobic capacity you need for the run helps improve your endurance during the other events and improves your recovery between each event in the test. 

Rucking can support running performance

It’s critical that we not confuse the test for the training. 

The aerobic capacity needed to support efficient running requires significant training time with a heart rate around zone 2. It’s easier for most people to build this generalized fitness by rucking rather than running. Very few people, at first, can run at a zone 2 HR and a decent pace for the volumes needed to build substantial aerobic capacity. But anyone can walk around with a backpack for an hour or two. 

So, although you won’t need to ruck during BFTC, it can still be a valuable training tool. As time passes, you’ll transfer the general aerobic fitness you build while rucking into the more specific skill of running. 

Both running and rucking often require some work on movement patterns and gait mechanics before we can do them efficiently and without needless injury risk. So, while running is a way of displaying fitness, it may not be the most direct way to develop that fitness in the early stages of the training process. 

Remember:

We develop a skill and then display it. 

We practice, then perform. 

We raise the floor, then push the ceiling. 

Until you’re a pretty good runner, running is more of a display of your fitness than a means to develop it further. 

In a well-designed training progression, you’ll first develop the fitness, movement quality, and technical skills to run well. Over time, you’ll shift those foundational pieces increasingly into run-specific training. Developing these components sequentially will produce the best long-term results, help make training more sustainable, and save you needless injury, plateaus, and frustration. 

You don’t need to ruck run.

Running and rucking never need to be combined during FBI special agent prep. They each serve their purpose independently, and combining them by ruck-running just skyrockets your susceptibility to injury without garnering any benefits you couldn’t get more efficiently by rucking at a fast walk or running slick with good technique. 

There are many other great ways to get aerobic training volume.

Lastly, while rucking works well because of how directly the gait pattern carries over to running and other real-world load-bearing activities, you don’t have to ruck. In the more generalized stages of training, when you’re working on your aerobic capacity foundation, anything else that gets your heart pumping, like a bike, rower, hiking, etc., can also be effective. 

Tailoring Training to Individual Profiles

There is no one-size-fits-all program for FBI PFT training. Each candidate requires a personalized approach to address their unique strengths and weaknesses (for more on this concept, read Average Fails Everyone).

FBI PFT training and BFTC itself require a wide range of capacities working together. Each individual will have a different combination of these characteristics. 

One person may have excellent strength (which generally contributes well to rucking under heavy loads after sufficient training) but weak conditioning. 

One person may be good at long-distance events, but their 2-mile running pace is barely faster than their pace for six miles. 

Another might be an excellent runner but get crushed under the weight of a heavy ruck. 

Somebody else may be able to move well under a ruck all day but blow themselves up on faster runs like the 1.5-mile run. 

Same destination, unique paths

You get the idea. The same destination requires a slightly different path for each person. Everybody is trying to get into the same room, but they need their own key to unlock their particular door. 

For more on individual characteristics of conditioning training, read Conditioning 101.

Because the details of any individual’s ideal program are variable, we don’t have a magical progression that accounts for every aspect of performance and how it evolves. 

Generally speaking, programs are highly divergent in the early stages (a year or more out from BFTC or the PFT) and gradually come together and become more similar as each trainee addresses their limiting factors and builds a more well-rounded physiological profile that fits the demands of their course. So, how you train initially will likely be more variable than how you finish once you bring everything together. 

How do you know how to design and adjust each part of your path?

We have dedicated articles for each physiological aspect of training for the Physical Fitness Test and BFTC. Rather than rewrite them all here into a 15,000-word mini-book, we will briefly summarize the key considerations and then direct you to the specific resource for each section. 

This is a lot of information to process. Check out our training app if you’d rather have us do it for you. 

Running Technique for the FBI PFT

As we’ve mentioned, the aerobic fitness you need to run a fast 1.5 mile in the Physical Fitness Test also supports your performance and recovery in the other PFT events. But it goes beyond that. 

Your aerobic fitness also influences your recovery during long days at the Academy, your baseline stress level, and your cognitive function under fatigue. If you’re more aerobically fit, you’ll be much better at understanding and remembering complicated instructions, working through technical scenarios, answering instructor questions, etc. This is a big part of what you’re being evaluated on during BFTC – FBI special agents aren’t just good exercisers. They’re also intelligent, adaptable, and good at quickly reading situations and learning new things. 

Becoming proficient at running while balancing all the other competing demands is difficult, so we focus on how you run first. 

Running is a technical skill. 

Not many people run well from a technical standpoint by accident. It’s a skill that requires deliberate practice and explicit mental models of what makes it effective and efficient or not. 

The biggest mistake people make when it comes to running training is thinking that all you need to improve is to go harder for longer. But without addressing your technique, you’ll significantly limit your progress and set yourself up for frustrating injuries like shin splints and knee issues. This is almost always avoidable and easily correctable with better running technique.

This means you have to think about running better, not just more. 

The article linked below provides information on the technical aspects of running. Our app also offers a course on running technique that is available as an on-demand resource and is threaded into the early weeks of our programs. 

The drawbacks of zone 2 running (for most people)

Zone 2 running, where you constrain your intensity to a specific heart rate range to target aerobic adaptations, is a popular concept but often misguided. While we need tons of zone 2 aerobic volume to develop our aerobic capacity, very few people can run a decent pace long enough to hit the volumes needed for zone 2 development. It usually becomes a slow, joint-pounding slog. So, we prefer having our clients get their zone 2 work from rucking (particularly earlier in their training progression) and spend their run training focused on technique and pacing. This produces better results in the long run and is much easier on joints. 

This does not mean, however, that you should do all of your runs at maximum effort. A good deal of your running should be spent building a foundation, with some individual focus on the side of the spectrum that you need more depending on whether you’re more limited on delivery or utilization. In other words, some people benefit more from dedicated speed work than others. 

Read here for a full explanation of run training and how to incorporate it into your program: Running Programming for Special Operations Selection.

Rucking Technique for FBI PFT Prep

Rucking is also underappreciated as a technical skill. Like running, our training app includes a course on improving rucking technique, and our programs include lessons from that course. 

The article at the bottom of this section offers advice on improving your rucking. It also includes a video with tips on improving your gait mechanics, breathing more efficiently, and taking strain off your shoulders during long rucks. 

Rucking is a valuable zone 2 aerobic training source for your PFT prep. We outline the progression and frequency guidelines below. 

The goal of most of your ruck training should be to move as fast as possible with a zone 2 heart rate (we discuss identifying heart rate zones in the rucking article linked below). The better you get at this, the greater your aerobic capacity and the more work you can do at a relatively low effort. Don’t rush this process. 

If you’re new to rucking, start with a pack weighing around 20-25 pounds and work up to about 40 pounds (at the most). 

Read here for a full breakdown of rucking training and how to incorporate it into your program: Rucking 101: A Guide for Special Operations Selection Training.

Strength Training for the FBI Academy

The FBI PFT and BFTC is not a powerlifting contest. Remember the goal of strength training: to support everything you do in the Basic Field Training Course and your operational life as a special agent afterward. A better deadlift only helps you to the extent that it helps you to be a more capable agent. 

In other words, don’t optimize the wrong thing. You need to be strong enough to handle the demands of BFTC and support your training, but fixating on becoming stronger than necessary involves inevitable tradeoffs. You only have so much time and recovery capacity, so unnecessary strength work can easily distract you from more important things. Nobody cares about your max squat if you can’t pass the 1.5-mile run on the PFT. 

The amount of strength training you need will depend on your physiological profile. We typically use one to three weekly strength sessions for clients, depending on their limiting factors. 

Read here for a full breakdown of strength training and how to incorporate it into your program: Strength Training for Special Operations Selection Prep.

The Importance of Breathing in FBI PFT Training

Breathing is an easily overlooked yet integral part of everything you’ll do in prep training, during your PFT, and during training at the academy. 

Like running and rucking, we can see major benefits from learning to do it better, not just more. How we breathe doesn’t just affect how we move oxygen and carbon dioxide in and out of our lungs. Respiration directly influences how we move blood in and out of the heart via changes in thoracic pressure gradients. It’s also a key driver of posture, how we distribute tension throughout our body, and how we regulate our stress response. 

It’s crucial during the PFT because it significantly affects how efficiently we move and how much tension and discomfort we accumulate while doing so. It can make the difference between a relentlessly locked-down lower back and steel cables for traps or manageable, minor discomfort after a long day. 

It also dramatically affects your ability to recover efficiently during and after stressful training events. If you can’t breathe effectively while continuing to work, you’ll slowly fall to pieces during tough sessions and the events that follow them. This could cause your fatigue and stress responses to compound and impact your cognitive performance and decision-making. 

Read here for a full breakdown of breathing mechanics and how to incorporate them into your program: Breathing and Performance.

Building Work Capacity

Pushups, pull-ups, sit-ups, and plenty of other calisthenic movements like burpees and lunges will be included in your physical training at BFTC. Doing well on these events in the PFT and handling them without excess fatigue during training at the academy requires focused training. 

Work capacity training should be incorporated into your program, anywhere from once to three times per week, depending on your personal limiting factors. 

Read here for a full breakdown of rucking training and how to incorporate it into your program: Building Work Capacity.

Movement and Injury Prevention During FBI PFT Training

What we do only matters as much as how well we do it. The training volumes required for FBI PFT training and BFTC itself mean minor movement issues can easily be magnified and quickly become career-ending injuries. 

Movement work isn’t glamorous or the most fun way to chase dopamine, but it’s a crucial part of long-term training. Over the years, we’ve learned that it separates professionals from amateurs. The pros get it done because it’s part of their job. The amateurs put it off until it’s too late.  

In our app, we have a movement assessment tool that walks you through a series of drills to assess your individual movement characteristics, which then provides you with a series of drills based on your results that you can integrate into your daily routine so that you can move better, recover faster, and be less prone to injury. For more targeted issues like knees or shoulders, we’ve also got a Bulletproof Joints series that will help you assess your needs and identify the most effective drills to help you move and feel better. 

Learn more: Movement Capacity, Fidelity, Variability

Social, Emotional, and Technical Skills

Being an effective FBI special agent requires interacting with and relating to an incredibly diverse range of people. This is one of the most challenging aspects of training at the academy and operational life, and many new agents struggle when interacting with new people from different backgrounds.

One of the most important supporting factors in this is simply life experience. Those who haven’t had much time in novel settings outside of high school and college often struggle because they don’t have as broad a vocabulary of past interactions to draw from while relating to people. 

Part of your educational path should include seeking a wide range of life experiences

If you’re a college student aiming for a career with the FBI, deliberately gaining diverse life experience will help you. This aspect of a special agent’s profile is as important as physical fitness. 

To do this, find jobs, hobbies, and forms of travel that put you among people you don’t at first glance feel like you have anything in common with. Get comfortable learning new things in public and mixing with people from different backgrounds. The ability to take the perspective of people with whom you don’t necessarily share the same point of view is a critical skill, so learn to understand where others are coming from and how they see the world. Practice finding common ground with new people. Put yourself through uncomfortable and unfamiliar experiences so you get used to feeling out of place and figuring things out anyway. 

FBI Special Agents must be skilled at interviewing, briefing, and public speaking

Your interviewing and briefing skills are also essential at the academy and throughout your career. You’ll need to be comfortable describing a plan or explaining why you’re here to a room full of skeptical people. You’ll need to be comfortable with public speaking and good at articulating your reasoning, from your decision-making process in a scenario to why you want to join the FBI. 

While some generalized components of autonomic and emotional regulation are covered in the mental skills exercises in our training app that apply here, public speaking is a unique skill set that is important enough to warrant specific practice if you’re not good at it. We often recommend that our clients join something like Toastmasters if they need specific work on public speaking. 

Writing is thinking.

Being good at articulating your reasoning and expressing yourself verbally is another distinct skill that stems from clarity of thought. 

Writing is an excellent way to practice this because it forces you to directly elucidate your thought process. As Leslie Lamport put it, “If you’re thinking without writing, you only think you’re thinking.” 

Incorporating a regular practice of journaling or writing can help improve your communication, particularly if you have a feedback loop.

Bringing it together: A big picture prep template for the FBI Academy

Given that your goal is to excel throughout the SASS process and show up prepared not just to pass the Physical Fitness Test but take on everything that the FBI Academy will throw at you, you should plan for a total training time of at least a year, depending on where you’re starting from. 

There is a lot of variability in FBI PFT training. If you’re an athlete, things may come together faster. You could be ready to go with a few months of specialized training. However, you may need two years or more if it’s been a while since you’ve worked out. This is why all training programs require a measure of individualization. Same destination, different paths. 

Remember that if you’re a college student applying to the FBI after graduation, you should start training while still in college to be ready as soon as possible. 

Here’s a sample layout:

4-12 months out: Build the foundation 

This far out, your training should be individualized and specific to your limiting factors. We always use a concurrent training approach to pull this off without neglecting anything.

Concurrent means “done at the same time.” In this model, all physiological qualities are targeted simultaneously, and one or two specific qualities are emphasized for three to six weeks. As the famous track coach Charlie Francis described it, “Everything is done, only the volume varies.”  

Your goal during this phase is to work up to the following capacities: 

• Dial in your running technique and build up to about 4-6 miles per week. By the end of the foundation phase (6 months out), you should be running at a 7:45 min/mile pace or faster for your short runs (1-2 miles) and around a 9 min/mile pace or faster for your long runs up to about 4 miles.
• Build an aerobic foundation via zone 2 rucking, working up to 60-90 minute rucks. By the end of this phase, you should be close to or at a 16:15 min/mile pace or faster without shuffling/ruck-running with your heart rate in zone 2. 
• Ensure your relative strength and movement capacity are sufficient to stay healthy as you add volume and transition to a more specific methodology. 

Training focus varies from person to person

The number of strength vs. running, rucking, and work capacity sessions depends on your specific limiting factors. For most people, your program will fall within the parameters below: 

• Strength workouts: 1-3 per week
• Running: 1-3 per week
• Rucking: 0-1 per week
• Work Capacity: 1-2 per week 

If you have a significant deficit in one area, say strength, you should move toward the higher end of the range and be on the lower end with running. For those who need improvement in all areas, you might have a balanced mix of strength, running, & work capacity. People who need to prioritize conditioning may only have one strength session, three runs, and a ruck. No one-size-fits-all template will work for anyone because your training history, ability to recover from training (life stress, sleep quality/quantity, and nutrition), and specific limiting factors matter. 

You’ll wrap up this phase once you’re ready to go through phase 1 of the SASS process and are confident, based on objective testing data, that you’ll be ready to hit excellent scores on the PST with 3-4 months of focused training. 

Remember that you may not need this stage if you’re already a well-rounded athlete.

3-4 months out: FBI PFT Training 

Since it takes about 3-4 months on average to go from phase 1 to phase 2 in the SASS process, this is where you’ll shift from general to specific training in your prep process after clearing phase 1. 

At this point, you should have no significant limiting factors. The most common one we see is running. If your 1.5-mile run is slower than 12 minutes here, it’d be best to push your timeline to give yourself more time to prepare. 

The second most common limiting factor we see is related to lifestyle. If you can’t handle 5-8 hours of weekly training volume, you might be capable of hitting all standards (passing the PFT), but you won’t be in good enough overall shape to make it through the daily grind of BFTC.

You must get 7+ hours of high-quality sleep most days of the week, eat a healthy diet, and have no significant disruptions in training for the next 3-6 months. This can be hard to do with personal and professional obligations, but it’s necessary. 

1-2 months out: BFTC Prep 

Once you can do well on the PFT and punch your ticket, we shift the emphasis of training to handling the broader demands of BFTC itself. This includes longer runs, greater work capacity, and the strength, movement quality, and aerobic capacity needed to handle long obstacle courses like the Yellow Brick Road and the USMC Endurance Course. 

You should have your highest volume training weeks during this phase and hammer any specific limiting factors to bring them up to speed while focusing on maintaining anything up to standard. The goal is to be well-rounded and capable of performing well over long days without breaking down. 

We also emphasize movement work and taking care of your body. Injuries are common in BFTC, so the more time you invest in taking care of yourself during this phase, the less likely you are to become a med drop or get performance dropped due to an injury.

1-month out: Deload & peaking 

At this point, you’ve done the work. It’s time to recover and put the finishing touches on your prep process as you taper your training volume. 

One of the biggest mistakes you could make is showing up to BFTC beat up and with residual fatigue. By tapering volume and strategically integrating high-intensity sessions over the final 4-6 weeks, you’ll show up to the academy ready to go, at a physical peak and feeling fresh. 

A general formula would look something like this:

• Week 1-3: Low-volume, moderate-intensity strength work 1-2x weekly to maintain your strength. Incorporate short but intense runs (1-2 milers and 3-4 milers), relatively short and easy rucks (3-5 miles), and max-rep testing for pushups, pull-ups, and situps. 4-5 sessions per week with volume tapering down each week. 
• Week 4: Drop nearly all training stress aside from easy maintenance sessions. You’ve done the work and applied all the training stressors you need. Lastly, your final task before BFTC is to support your body’s recovery as much as possible so you can fully realize the adaptations that will result from your training. 

Conclusion

Preparing for the FBI Physical Fitness Test is a demanding yet rewarding journey. With a focused approach to training, you can excel in every event, from sit-ups to the 1.5-mile run. Remember, success in the FBI PFT is not just about passing—it’s about demonstrating your readiness to thrive at the FBI Academy and beyond. Start training today and set yourself apart as an exceptional candidate.