Posted on Mar 10, 2020
Is the APFT still allowed to be given as a standard test?
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Back in November, my company took a company wide APFT. We were told at both company level and battalion level that it was our final test and that we were transferring to the ACFT and taking to the the diag tests. Now our PL and PSG are making us take diag APFT and taking one in June. Was there an end date for the test to be given or a reg, policy or memo that would say it’s allowed or not?
Posted 5 y ago
Responses: 5
There is no end to the APFT yet. The ACFT start has been pushed right several years in a row now. Even the guidance to stop focusing on the APFT only means commands need to include ACFT focused PT into their workout plans. Soldier are still expected to pass an APFT and still required to pass it for NCOES and promotion points
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SFC (Join to see)
CPT Gabe Snell I've been in since 1998 and they were discussing a new APFT back then as well lol.
While I don't think the ACFT will get pushed back again, it won't replace the APFT as it stands now. If it did, the Army will have painted itself into an impossible corner. If the ACFT replaces the APFT with its current gender neutral grading and those points are used in consideration for promotion, the Army will have disadvantaged all the females in the Army and set themselves up for a lawsuit. The argument will be that promotions are based on physical strength, that women score consistently lower on the ACFT because it's not scaled for gender, and that women will now be passed over for promotion. It would be a sexist policy, and very easy to challenge in court.
That leaves the Army with a few options:
1. Remove scoring from the ACFT and make it pass fail.
2. Keep scoring but remove all connections to promotion, thereby making scoring all but worthless.
3. Follow the Marines example and use both, the ACFT for a pass/fail and the APFT for promotion. This is the one I foresee the Army going with
While I don't think the ACFT will get pushed back again, it won't replace the APFT as it stands now. If it did, the Army will have painted itself into an impossible corner. If the ACFT replaces the APFT with its current gender neutral grading and those points are used in consideration for promotion, the Army will have disadvantaged all the females in the Army and set themselves up for a lawsuit. The argument will be that promotions are based on physical strength, that women score consistently lower on the ACFT because it's not scaled for gender, and that women will now be passed over for promotion. It would be a sexist policy, and very easy to challenge in court.
That leaves the Army with a few options:
1. Remove scoring from the ACFT and make it pass fail.
2. Keep scoring but remove all connections to promotion, thereby making scoring all but worthless.
3. Follow the Marines example and use both, the ACFT for a pass/fail and the APFT for promotion. This is the one I foresee the Army going with
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If it's diagnostic then it is no different than doing PT. So, yes it is still allowed.
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LTC (Join to see)
SSG (Join to see) - not to be barracks lawyer, but there is a difference between should not and will not. so if the verbiage in FRAGO 8 is "should not", then technically you still could administer a record APFT after 15 March.
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CPT (Join to see)
The issue I foresee is with soldiers that fail the APFT in this period and command wants to take administrative action. Are they going to chapter a soldier with two failures when the ACFT is on the cusp of implementation? Are current APFT failure flags removed when the ACFT becomes the test for record, or do they stay even though they were in place due to an antiquated test? SSG (Join to see) LTC (Join to see)
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LTC (Join to see)
SSG (Join to see) - we're going to give it a shot an give everyone a record APFT at September battle assembly and see if it flies. The worst that can happen is they tell us it doesn't count and make us do an ACFT in October.
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Suspended Profile
The ACFT is not the test of record until 1 October 2020. So yes, until any PT test that you take for record will have to be the APFT until that date.
SPC (Join to see)
Thank you. As SFC and SSG points out below that there were Frago pushed out telling us when we need to stop focusing on APFT. Thank you for your response and input though.
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MAJ (Join to see)
Schools still require a valid APFT on file within the last 6 months to attend or one must be given when the soldier shows up to the schoolhouse so I am guessing most units will still do an APFT up until the end of the summer. SPC (Join to see)
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Suspended Profile
“Until then”*... I really need to stop responding from my phone...
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