What is considered an adequate score for the PFE?

[hopefulbear!]

I'm a senior in high school (18F) and am in the process of applying to the USCGA, all I have left is to get my letters of recommendation in and submit my PFE scores. I am planning on applying for regular admissions to give myself more time to improve my test scores over the next few months. My score is currently around 140. Not great I know. I was wondering what score I could realistically shoot for in the next 3 months that would give me a good chance of an appointment. I am very strong on the academic and leadership side and I know that my obstacles are physical. SAT overall 1380, math 640, reading 740. GPA 4.1 (and climbing). Lots of sports and extracurriculars like Sea Cadets, Choir, Musical Theatre, and lots of honor societies. I am a strong girl, around 170 pounds, 5 '7, and a weightlifter/wrestler. My muscle makes me heavier. I eat healthily and am not fat but I definitely will need to improve my run, and to do so I need to lose weight. My pushups are very good and I score the most points from them, but my situps and run are pretty bad. So basically I'm the opposite of most girls because I do primarily strength training. If anyone has any tips or tricks to help improve situps and run, please let me know! I'm working on pushups and situps every day, but the run is somewhat intimidating for me. I am incredibly motivated and have decided the USCGA is 100% what I want to do, I'm all in! TYIA.

 

[ekb1398]

Looking only at the PFE, you should be shooting for 220-225. That's a good average. Higher is obviously better.

 

[Mere2033]

My DD was accepted WITH A 226. I believe the max is 300? They told her when she went for a visit and took the test she needs to be above 200 if that helps.

 

[HCopter]

Let the PFE chart dictate how you approach preparing. There is strategy here, different from the CFA. CFA you could fail an element. But PFE there are points identified for each of the 3 elements, down to even just 1 point. My DD was and is not a runner, so that worked well with the max, max, relax strategy. Notice pushups you can get more than 1 point per pushup, about 1:1on situps, but it takes several seconds to increase just 1 point on the run. Cadence push ups are tricky; unlike the CFA where you can go at your own pace and down/up dog. You also have to keep your feet together. The only way to improve is by practicing under test conditions. If you miss a cadence count or don't go down all the way, you are done.

I agree you want a 200+ number. Look at Objee's EA stats that include the PFE average, which is in the 220+ range. My DD's 269 came from maxing 200 points on pushups/situps, and the rest from a modest run.

 

[Korab]

I'm a senior in high school (18F) and am in the process of applying to the USCGA, all I have left is to get my letters of recommendation in and submit my PFE scores. I am planning on applying for regular admissions to give myself more time to improve my test scores over the next few months. My score is currently around 140. Not great I know. I was wondering what score I could realistically shoot for in the next 3 months that would give me a good chance of an appointment. I am very strong on the academic and leadership side and I know that my obstacles are physical. SAT overall 1380, math 640, reading 740. GPA 4.1 (and climbing). Lots of sports and extracurriculars like Sea Cadets, Choir, Musical Theatre, and lots of honor societies. I am a strong girl, around 170 pounds, 5 '7, and a weightlifter/wrestler. My muscle makes me heavier. I eat healthily and am not fat but I definitely will need to improve my run, and to do so I need to lose weight. My pushups are very good and I score the most points from them, but my situps and run are pretty bad. So basically I'm the opposite of most girls because I do primarily strength training. If anyone has any tips or tricks to help improve situps and run, please let me know! I'm working on pushups and situps every day, but the run is somewhat intimidating for me. I am incredibly motivated and have decided the USCGA is 100% what I want to do, I'm all in! TYIA.

A 140 is failing, and may very well be a bar to admission. An admitted cadet who shows up to I day and scores a 130 or less may be immediately disenrolled. If you post a failing score on your application, you have to assume this will reflect very negatively on your application. Your goal should always be to max every event, but at a minimum, you should be shooting for an average, passing score of at least 200.

170 lbs at 5'7" puts you well into the overweight category with a BMI of 27. You should look to lose 20 lbs to get to a healthy BMI, which should help your PFE permormance.

The quoted text beow is from the Class of '26 PFE manual (https://www.uscga.edu/pfe-manual/):

CADET PFE STANDARDS

All cadets at the Coast Guard Academy are required to pass the PFE at the beginning of each semester. The standard for graduation and commissioning is 200 points and cadets should always strive to achieve this score. Any cadet who scores below 165 points will be recommended for suspended disenrollment and may be recommended for immediate disenrollment based on previous PFE performance. There is not a prescribed minimum performance for each individual event on the PFE; only total scores are assessed.

Score Letter Grade Score Letter Grade
285-300 Max Club 200-221 C
258-284 A 165-199 D
222-257 B 0-164 F

New cadets take the PFE during the first week of Swab Summer. Cadets who score less than 130 points on this first test may be recommended for immediate disenrollment. By the end of Swab Summer, usually the third week in August, new cadets are expected to score at least 165 points. Cadets unable to achieve this score by the end of the first academic semester, usually the second week in December, are normally disenrolled. Consequently, an applicant who cannot attain a score of at least 130 points will not receive a full appointment. This standard may be raised based on the competitiveness of the applicant pool and the needs of the Coast Guard.

CLASS OF 2025 PERFORMANCE For your information and comparison, the following is a table of mean performances by the Class of 2025 from their initial Swab Summer Physical Fitness Examination in July 2021:

Event Men Women
Cadence Push-Ups 41 27
Two Minute Sit-Ups 74 74
1.5 Mile Run 10:37 11:45
Total Score 219 218

 

[Justin HELPmomStocksPosts]

I’m a male so the PFE is scored differently but I’ll give you my input. (I already took it and scored 270). As a swimmer that has a hatred of running, I struggled with that the most.

I highly suggest maxing our pushups and sit-ups if you don’t like running. It took me just over a month to max out pushups and sit-ups. Seems like you’re good on pushups but I’ll say what I did anyway.

I started with the ability to do 20 pushups and 93 timed sit-ups. I did 5 sets of however many pushups I could do each day until I was doing 5 sets of 60 pushups a day. Maybe it’s just because I swim but I felt like the sit-ups were really easy and I didn’t really practice much. I personally found myself using my legs instead of my abs on the sit-ups and it felt really easy when my legs were properly secured.


Now for the run
I ran for the first time in over a year and it took me just over 13 minutes to run 1.5 miles. After that I ran 2 miles about every other day for about a month until my test date. My final running time was 10:15 for the 1.5 miles.

 

[hopefulbear!]

I’m a male so the PFE is scored differently but I’ll give you my input. (I already took it and scored 270). As a swimmer that has a hatred of running, I struggled with that the most.

I highly suggest maxing our pushups and sit-ups if you don’t like running. It took me just over a month to max out pushups and sit-ups. Seems like you’re good on pushups but I’ll say what I did anyway.

I started with the ability to do 20 pushups and 93 timed sit-ups. I did 5 sets of however many pushups I could do each day until I was doing 5 sets of 60 pushups a day. Maybe it’s just because I swim but I felt like the sit-ups were really easy and I didn’t really practice much. I personally found myself using my legs instead of my abs on the sit-ups and it felt really easy when my legs were properly secured.


Now for the run
I ran for the first time in over a year and it took me just over 13 minutes to run 1.5 miles. After that I ran 2 miles about every other day for about a month until my test date. My final running time was 10:15 for the 1.5 miles.

This is incredibly inspiring to me, I have about 3 months if I do regular admissions and was a bit freaked that it felt like I was the only one having to improve my scores this much. Knowing that it can and has been done is really encouraging. For me, situps are difficult for some reason. I have core strength but clearly not enough lol. I also use my legs, I've found that the positioning of my feet and the distance from my butt to my feet makes a big difference, as well as hand positioning. I can do much more with my arms touching each elbow than grasping my shoulders! I also have to work on not using my arms to "swing" myself up with momentum. I didn't realize I did this until my dad pointed it out. Not sure if it's that big of a deal but it's definitely affected my performance. Pushups I can get 25 easy but I am aiming to improve that to at least 40, hopefully, I'll eventually be able to max with a 48 for females. AND UGH THE RUN... idk what'll be of that. RN I run it in like around 15 min give or take, but I'm aiming for a sub 13 min score. My current plan is to run at least a mile everyday, with a goal of running longer (1.5-2 miles) at least 4 days a week. If I stick to this, do you think it's possible? Your improvement makes me feel a little more optimistic, I knew I was about to get brutalized on this forum lol. 140 don't fly for an official score, that's for sure.

 

[StPaulDad]

My DD is a 4c right now. Last year she applied with about a 200, mostly due to a slow run. By the end of swab summer she'd cut her run time down to just over 11 minutes and improved her score by quite a bit. The message is that the more you run, not far, not fast, but every day, the more the time will come off. It might have been best to begin months ago, but today is better than tomorrow so start now and be relentless. Good luck.

 

[HCopter]

Yes, it is not only possible but in your case probable! Great attitude!

Excellent you are internalizing 25 to 40, and then just a wee bit more to 48 max!

Great you are continuing to work on situps. Try slightly different technique and pay attention to the rules. They aren't long but after you read, and read, and read them again, you might start thinking about what shirt to wear, the grab your shirt portion, notice elbow to knee does not mean crush your body up with your elbow to your knee, shoulder blades does not mean splat your back and bonk your head, and there is no rule that you have to muscle only the upside of a sit up, you can actively press down and ricochet up (of course while keeping form)! Notice your situp helper has to use their HANDS, not knees, so as my DD told her helper, Smash my feet like pancakes because I will be MOVIN'! You can't move your legs, but that doesn't mean you can't USE your legs to help lever yourself. Run advice given to my DD was to press back on her feet when she got tired, and move FORWARD, so she wasn't just struggling like a bobble head jogging in place.

 

[hopefulbear!]

Yes, it is not only possible but in your case probable! Great attitude!

Excellent you are internalizing 25 to 40, and then just a wee bit more to 48 max!

Great you are continuing to work on situps. Try slightly different technique and pay attention to the rules. They aren't long but after you read, and read, and read them again, you might start thinking about what shirt to wear, the grab your shirt portion, notice elbow to knee does not mean crush your body up with your elbow to your knee, shoulder blades does not mean splat your back and bonk your head, and there is no rule that you have to muscle only the upside of a sit up, you can actively press down and ricochet up (of course while keeping form)! Notice your situp helper has to use their HANDS, not knees, so as my DD told her helper, Smash my feet like pancakes because I will be MOVIN'! You can't move your legs, but that doesn't mean you can't USE your legs to help lever yourself. Run advice given to my DD was to press back on her feet when she got tired, and move FORWARD, so she wasn't just struggling like a bobble head jogging in place.

Thank you so much! That's very encouraging. It's easy for me to have doubts about why I'm waking up every day at 4:30 to go run when I don't know if it's even possible to improve this much, but like I said an appointment is all I want. I visited earlier this month and loved it. The atmosphere, dedication, overall attitude, you can't get that anywhere else! (other than another service academy maybe) But what has made me so committed to getting into the USCGA is the family feel. The class size is about the same as my high school and I have found that that is what I want, to have a family away from home and people who share a similar mindset as me. I agree 100% about really reading the regulations, there are lots of little bits that are more relevant than you'd think. My Dad helps me do mock PFEs (we've just started doing a practice one every Sunday) and is the one who plays the cadence and holds my feet down and stuff. Very thankful to him and his help in this process. I'm self-motivated enough and it's never been him driving me to do this, but he is so supportive and has sort of taken on my dream.

 

[hopefulbear!]

My DD is a 4c right now. Last year she applied with about a 200, mostly due to a slow run. By the end of swab summer she'd cut her run time down to just over 11 minutes and improved her score by quite a bit. The message is that the more you run, not far, not fast, but every day, the more the time will come off. It might have been best to begin months ago, but today is better than tomorrow so start now and be relentless. Good luck.

Thank you! I visited earlier this month and was lead by a 3c girl, but it's possible I may have seen your DD in the halls. Was really interesting to see 4cs squaring their corners in the halls and marching everywhere, along with other things. I really enjoyed it. Thank you for your advice, I not only want to get a good score to get in but also so I don't get murdered at swab summer, I've heard there's lots of running. But I have seen how much better you can get at running in a few months, so hopefully, that'll happen to me if I keep at it. I've been doing this on and off a couple of times a week, but since posting this I've consistently woken up at 4:30 and ran every morning. Highly motivated to just get out there and move, no matter what. I've found running in the rain is actually one of my new favorite things now. Who knew? XD

 

[hopefulbear!]

A 140 is failing, and may very well be a bar to admission. An admitted cadet who shows up to I day and scores a 130 or less may be immediately disenrolled. If you post a failing score on your application, you have to assume this will reflect very negatively on your application. Your goal should always be to max every event, but at a minimum, you should be shooting for an average, passing score of at least 200.

170 lbs at 5'7" puts you well into the overweight category with a BMI of 27. You should look to lose 20 lbs to get to a healthy BMI, which should help your PFE permormance.

The quoted text beow is from the Class of '26 PFE manual (https://www.uscga.edu/pfe-manual/):

CADET PFE STANDARDS

All cadets at the Coast Guard Academy are required to pass the PFE at the beginning of each semester. The standard for graduation and commissioning is 200 points and cadets should always strive to achieve this score. Any cadet who scores below 165 points will be recommended for suspended disenrollment and may be recommended for immediate disenrollment based on previous PFE performance. There is not a prescribed minimum performance for each individual event on the PFE; only total scores are assessed.

Score Letter Grade Score Letter Grade
285-300 Max Club 200-221 C
258-284 A 165-199 D
222-257 B 0-164 F

New cadets take the PFE during the first week of Swab Summer. Cadets who score less than 130 points on this first test may be recommended for immediate disenrollment. By the end of Swab Summer, usually the third week in August, new cadets are expected to score at least 165 points. Cadets unable to achieve this score by the end of the first academic semester, usually the second week in December, are normally disenrolled. Consequently, an applicant who cannot attain a score of at least 130 points will not receive a full appointment. This standard may be raised based on the competitiveness of the applicant pool and the needs of the Coast Guard.

CLASS OF 2025 PERFORMANCE For your information and comparison, the following is a table of mean performances by the Class of 2025 from their initial Swab Summer Physical Fitness Examination in July 2021:

Event Men Women
Cadence Push-Ups 41 27
Two Minute Sit-Ups 74 74
1.5 Mile Run 10:37 11:45
Total Score 219 218

Thank you! And yes I am actively trying to lose weight. I don't really go off of BMI much because of muscle mass, but I think my optimal weight is around 150 lbs. I'm hoping more cardio will cause that to happen naturally, along with continuing to track my food and nutrition. The 140 was an estimated score of where I'm at right now, I haven't taken an official test yet. I recognize that's not a good enough score for my application, and is my barring factor for is I wait until regular admissions or not. We'll see I guess, I doubt I can improve that much in less than a month.

 

[hopefulbear!]

Let the PFE chart dictate how you approach preparing. There is strategy here, different from the CFA. CFA you could fail an element. But PFE there are points identified for each of the 3 elements, down to even just 1 point. My DD was and is not a runner, so that worked well with the max, max, relax strategy. Notice pushups you can get more than 1 point per pushup, about 1:1on situps, but it takes several seconds to increase just 1 point on the run. Cadence push ups are tricky; unlike the CFA where you can go at your own pace and down/up dog. You also have to keep your feet together. The only way to improve is by practicing under test conditions. If you miss a cadence count or don't go down all the way, you are done.

I agree you want a 200+ number. Look at Objee's EA stats that include the PFE average, which is in the 220+ range. My DD's 269 came from maxing 200 points on pushups/situps, and the rest from a modest run.

Thank you! SO basically continue running and let my time go down naturally but get the most points from pushups/situps that I can because those points come easiest. Cadence pushups do suck, I prefer going at my own pace and being able to rest, but I am learning to adapt to the cadence. I've never heard of the max/max/relax strategy, but I think it could work well with my athleticism too. That 200 number seems kind of high considering that is the standard for graduation, but understandable I guess. I would hate to be turned away because my score wasn't high enough.

 

[mamabear2023]

Hopefulbear, you sound amazing! I love your attitude toward all this.
My son was the opposite, a borderline-underweight strong runner who really struggled with pushups. You have that down, of course. Might I suggest seeing whether your high school's cross-country coach, or maybe a strong runner friend on the team, would be willing to watch you run and give you tips? My son has watched people new to running and been able to offer suggestions on form and workout plans so they don't get so tired out and can avoid injury.
One of the most important elements of success at CGA is being willing to ask others for help, so if you're at all reluctant, consider it good practice. My own tip, as a non-runner but a parent, is to make sure you stretch! Also, good runners do crazy core workouts because that helps their speed and form. So as you're working on sit-ups, work on overall core strength with other exercises too. The coach and/or running pal could help with that as well. Good luck!
(Edit to add: Have you reached out to the wrestling coach at CGA? I wonder whether he'd have tips on how wrestlers there work on improving their running scores? It's worth a shot!)

 

[OHunts]

I'm a senior in high school (18F) and am in the process of applying to the USCGA, all I have left is to get my letters of recommendation in and submit my PFE scores. I am planning on applying for regular admissions to give myself more time to improve my test scores over the next few months. My score is currently around 140. Not great I know. I was wondering what score I could realistically shoot for in the next 3 months that would give me a good chance of an appointment. I am very strong on the academic and leadership side and I know that my obstacles are physical. SAT overall 1380, math 640, reading 740. GPA 4.1 (and climbing). Lots of sports and extracurriculars like Sea Cadets, Choir, Musical Theatre, and lots of honor societies. I am a strong girl, around 170 pounds, 5 '7, and a weightlifter/wrestler. My muscle makes me heavier. I eat healthily and am not fat but I definitely will need to improve my run, and to do so I need to lose weight. My pushups are very good and I score the most points from them, but my situps and run are pretty bad. So basically I'm the opposite of most girls because I do primarily strength training. If anyone has any tips or tricks to help improve situps and run, please let me know! I'm working on pushups and situps every day, but the run is somewhat intimidating for me. I am incredibly motivated and have decided the USCGA is 100% what I want to do, I'm all in! TYIA.

Your weight and height are fine. Ignore literally everyone telling you to lose weight or that you’ll be denied because of it. DODMERB would flag you as medically disqualified, and if you were outside of the CG’s weight standards, USCGA would ask you to send additional paperwork about it (i.e. take the tape test with your doctor). I had to do it for USMA and USMMA to prove that my weight was muscle and not fat/obesity(as the army put it, lol). On R-Day (this past June), I went in weighing 175 at 5’8 and was fine. I’m pretty sure the weight standard for 170 is either 175 or 180. Regardless, you’re not going to be turned away because you weigh a few extra pounds. They’d do a tape test on you, at most. And even then, they’d wait until after the first day. (Which, by the way, they do weigh you on the first day. So you’ll be weighed by DODMERB and then again the first day.)

Regarding the PFE, you need at least a 165 for the 4/c PFE standards. You should shoot for a 200, really. I don’t really have any tricks or tips to offer other than MAX, MAX, take it easy. (Lol I forgot the last phrase.) Others have said it here!

 

[Korab]

Your weight and height are fine. Ignore literally everyone telling you to lose weight or that you’ll be denied because of it. DODMERB would flag you as medically disqualified, and if you were outside of the CG’s weight standards, USCGA would ask you to send additional paperwork about it (i.e. take the tape test with your doctor). I had to do it for USMA and USMMA to prove that my weight was muscle and not fat/obesity(as the army put it, lol). On R-Day (this past June), I went in weighing 175 at 5’8 and was fine. I’m pretty sure the weight standard for 170 is either 175 or 180. Regardless, you’re not going to be turned away because you weigh a few extra pounds. They’d do a tape test on you, at most. And even then, they’d wait until after the first day. (Which, by the way, they do weigh you on the first day. So you’ll be weighed by DODMERB and then again the first day.)

Regarding the PFE, you need at least a 165 for the 4/c PFE standards. You should shoot for a 200, really. I don’t really have any tricks or tips to offer other than MAX, MAX, take it easy. (Lol I forgot the last phrase.) Others have said it here!

Slow your roll. No one said she would be denied entry because of her weight. What was said, and what she said, is that losing weight would help her pass the PFT. She COULD be denied for failing the PFT.

 

[OHunts]

Slow your roll. No one said she would be denied entry because of her weight. What was said, and what she said, is that losing weight would help her pass the PFT. She COULD be denied for failing the PFT.

My mistake!! I read a few replies and didn’t want her to worry about that in particular. I don’t know if losing weight would help much if it’s muscle though, but that’s just speculation from someone who’s not a doctor/healthcare worker. She definitely could be denied for failing the PFT, and probably would be.

 

[hopefulbear!]

T

Hopefulbear, you sound amazing! I love your attitude toward all this.
My son was the opposite, a borderline-underweight strong runner who really struggled with pushups. You have that down, of course. Might I suggest seeing whether your high school's cross-country coach, or maybe a strong runner friend on the team, would be willing to watch you run and give you tips? My son has watched people new to running and been able to offer suggestions on form and workout plans so they don't get so tired out and can avoid injury.
One of the most important elements of success at CGA is being willing to ask others for help, so if you're at all reluctant, consider it good practice. My own tip, as a non-runner but a parent, is to make sure you stretch! Also, good runners do crazy core workouts because that helps their speed and form. So as you're working on sit-ups, work on overall core strength with other exercises too. The coach and/or running pal could help with that as well. Good luck!
(Edit to add: Have you reached out to the wrestling coach at CGA? I wonder whether he'd have tips on how wrestlers there work on improving their running scores? It's worth a shot!)

Thank you so much! I love the overall attitude of cadets and parents at the CGA. Just great people, I hope to one day be one. Hard to find that anywhere else. I wrestled my sophomore year (2019-2020, right before Covid) but got thrown off course from wrestling because our season got canceled along with other contact sports because of Covid. I turned to weightlifting because in a way it was sorta similar and it helped me get my strength back after being quarantined so long. My run time was pretty great while wrestling because of the crazy workouts we did but I've been trying to get back to that level of fitness. Fell off the wagon during Covid but hopefully, it'll make me more resilient in the long run.

 

[hopefulbear!]

My mistake!! I read a few replies and didn’t want her to worry about that in particular. I don’t know if losing weight would help much if it’s muscle though, but that’s just speculation from someone who’s not a doctor/healthcare worker. She definitely could be denied for failing the PFT, and probably would be.

It's all good lol all the advice is very helpful, I do think I have at least 15 pounds of fat I could lose, I'm not rock hard yet lol. When I wrestled I was 155ish and pretty lean, but like I said I hadn't been doing cardio as much since then and Covid threw me off. I think with my continued running almost every day I should trim up more. It'll definitely make running easier, and that's what I'm after. I don't want to be murdered at swab summer with all the running lol.