Physical Screening Test (PST)
The Physical Screening Test (PST) is the standardized fitness assessment used by Naval Special Warfare to evaluate candidates for SEAL training. It measures performance across five events: 500-yard swim, push-ups, sit-ups, pull-ups, and a 1.5-mile run, each with minimum and competitive score thresholds.
The Five PST Events
The PST consists of a 500-yard swim (sidestroke or breaststroke), followed by a 10-minute rest, then 2 minutes of push-ups, 2 minutes of sit-ups, a maximum set of pull-ups, another 10-minute rest, and a 1.5-mile run. Events must be completed in order with the prescribed rest periods. Scores are recorded for each event individually.
Minimum vs. Competitive Scores
NSW publishes both minimum qualifying scores and competitive benchmarks. Meeting minimums qualifies a candidate to enter the pipeline, but competitive scores — significantly higher than the minimums — are what candidates should target. The gap between minimum and competitive represents the difference between barely qualifying and arriving prepared.
Role in Training Calibration
PST results serve a dual purpose: they qualify candidates for entry and calibrate ongoing training intensity. When a candidate's push-up count improves from 50 to 75, their daily calisthenics targets should increase proportionally. This feedback loop between testing and training is central to the NSW preparation methodology.
Take a full PST every 4-6 weeks during your preparation. Treat it as a max-effort event, not a casual workout.
Related Terms
The 500-yard swim is the first event of the Physical Screening Test (PST) and measures a candidate's aquatic endurance. Performed using either the combat sidestroke (CSS) or breaststroke, it tests the sustained swimming capacity required for BUD/S water-based evolutions.
The 1.5-mile run is the final event of the Physical Screening Test (PST) and measures a candidate's running speed and cardiovascular endurance. Performed after the swim and calisthenics events, it tests the ability to produce a fast run effort on fatigued legs — a skill directly relevant to BUD/S demands.
Push-ups are a foundational upper-body calisthenics exercise and one of the five scored events in the Physical Screening Test (PST). In BUD/S preparation, push-up training follows a progressive volume approach where daily targets scale based on the candidate's most recent PST max.
Sit-ups are a core calisthenics exercise and one of the five scored events in the Physical Screening Test (PST). In the NSW preparation program, sit-up training follows the same progressive volume model as push-ups — daily targets scale based on the candidate's most recent PST max to maintain consistent overload.
Pull-ups are an upper-body calisthenics exercise and one of the five scored events in the Physical Screening Test (PST). Unlike push-ups and sit-ups which are timed, PST pull-ups are performed as a single max-effort set with no time limit, testing absolute upper-body pulling strength and endurance.
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