Why do you have to turn around during the APFT?

I've felt that it was to protect the graders. With no one looking at the person doing the exercise, they cannot complain that they were distracted by another Soldier waiting to take their own.

Well, since I've been in the national guard we have yet to turn around. I agree with you all that standing in the same direction as those being graded provides extra motivation. One team one fight!

It is not regulation but just a courtesy, so the individual being tested won't feel crowded or rushed,

To my knowledge it is not in the Reg I it is only a courtesy to the soldier who is taking the APFT so he/she will not feel crowded.

THE REASON SOLDIERS ARE TOLD TO GET AWAY FROM THE GRADER IS BECAUSE EVERY PUSHUP OR SITUP COUNTS FOR THE SOLDIER WHO ARE BEING GRADED. CAN YOU IMAGINE IF YOU ARE THE ONE WHO ARE BEING GRADED AND THE GRADER LOOKS AT YOU AND TELL YOU THAT HE OR SHE DONT REMEMBER THE COUNT BECAUSE HE OR SHE WAS DISTRACTED BY A SOLDIER WHO WAS STANDING IN THEIR SIGHTS AND OR MAKING NOISE. I DONT THINK THAT YOU WOULD HAVE THAT THAT THEN. I THINK THAT YOU WOULD PROBABLY ANGRY ENOUGH TO SCREAM AT THAT SOLDIER WHO IS CAUSING YOUR GRADER TO BE DISTRAVTED.

Like many trends, someone started it (probably at a training site) so that (theoretically) the graders wouldn't be distracted by the observers, and the Soldiers doing the APFT could hear the graders. Then, as time went on, people started thinking that was how it was supposed to be done, because that's how they were trained. As someone with a little hearing loss from my days as a mortarman, I appreciate being able to hear the grader, but I appreciate the motivation of/for my battle buddies more. I believe it works best when the person in charge simply asks the observers to stay behind a particular line and keep the motivation to a dull roar so the participants can hear the graders. Win-win.

Good question. There are some dates being thrown around here so I had to think back and I do not recall a time when we were not told to turn away. Some places more relaxed than others but I can think of only a couple times since 1989 when/where it was not an issue. I have always assumed it was so there would not be a mommy/daddy debate on who did how many and to what standard (some lines get over, others have to bounce their chest off the ground and touch their nose to their feet, or the buddy drill for points). Could be an order (keep down heckling) thing but it seems to be a "because we have always done it that way" routine that has more negative impact than positive (no motivating others, people assume something hokey may be going on when junior pulls a 270 but has yet to make a company run). Some people are nuts about this and turning around can get some WWE going, diamond cutters form the top rope! Turn around!

There's no regulation. The reason it's done is just so the person being graded doesn't feel pressured or feel judged if he or she comes up short. If the soldier being graded decides to share their score wth their comrades, then it's up to them, but the NCOs just want to make sure there's no judgement being passed on an individual who came up short. That's for the NCO to fix and bring the soldier up to standard, not his fellow soldiers.

It was a fast way to determine between the last group and the 1st group.

It is a command thing. LOL!!! I remember doing this from time to time. Sometimes the command will have them face forward and cheer their battles on. I thought it was always stupid to do this (face the opposite direction). Maybe it throws the graders off if soldiers are too loud.