Diplomatic Security Service · U.S. Dept. of State

DSS Fitness Calculator

Physical Readiness Test (PRT) · scored by age, sex & test-site elevation

Push-ups
As many as you can in 2 minutes · first event · chest (men) or chin (women) to the proctor’s fist
Sit-ups
As many as you can in 2 minutes · second event · elbows to thighs
1.5-Mile Run
Timed · third event · lower is better
Two full minutes of push-ups and then sit-ups, followed by the run, is a long hard effort. Warm up first and stop if you feel chest pain or dizziness.
How to Perform It

Three Events, in Order

Push-ups, sit-ups, then a 1.5-mile run, with a five-minute rest between events. A proctor works with you in both strength events: in push-ups, the proctor’s fist sets how low you go, and in sit-ups, the proctor sits on your feet. The images below show the positions that decide whether a repetition counts, and one fault in each strength event.

The Test Day

The events run in this order.

  1. Push-ups

    As many as you can in 2 minutes

    Lower your body as one straight unit until your chest (men) or chin (women) touches the proctor’s fist, then push back up until your arms are fully extended.

  2. 5 minutes rest

  3. Sit-ups

    As many as you can in 2 minutes

    Curl up until your elbows touch your thighs, then lie back until the bottom edge of your shoulder blades touches the floor.

  4. 5 minutes rest

  5. 1.5-Mile Run

    For time · track, outdoor course, or treadmill

    Cover the distance as fast as you can. The same time standards apply on a treadmill.

    If you train on a track: 1.5 miles is 2,414 meters, which is six laps plus about 14 meters on a 400-meter track, or exactly six laps on a quarter-mile (440-yard) track.

To pass: reach Satisfactory (50%) or better in all three events, using the standards for your age, sex, and test-site elevation. Above 5,000 feet, only the run standards change.

Push-Ups

Palms or fists on the floor, no wider than your shoulders, and feet together. Shown from the side.

Side view illustration of the up position of a DSS Physical Readiness Test push-up: a man holds his body in a straight line from head to heels, with his arms fully extended and his hands flat on the floor below his shoulders.
1 · Up

Arms Fully Extended

Start with your arms straight and your body in one line from head to heels. A repetition counts each time your arms fully extend after touching the fist.

Side view illustration of the down position of a DSS Physical Readiness Test push-up for men: the man has lowered his straight body until his chest touches the upright fist of a proctor kneeling beside him. His body stays clear of the floor.
2 · Down · Men

Chest to the Fist

Lower your body as one unit until your chest touches the proctor’s fist, held at least 3 inches high, then push straight back up.

Side view illustration of the down position of a DSS Physical Readiness Test push-up for women: the woman has lowered her straight body until her chin touches the upright fist of a proctor kneeling beside her. Her chest stays clear of the fist.
2 · Down · Women

Chin to the Fist

Women lower until the chin touches the proctor’s fist. Everything else about the repetition is the same.

Side view illustration of a fault that ends the DSS Physical Readiness Test push-up event: the woman has dropped both knees to the floor. Touching the ground with anything other than the hands and feet ends the event.
Ends the event

Knees on the Ground

Touching the ground with anything other than your hands and feet ends the push-up event, not just the repetition.

Sit-Ups

Knees bent to 90 degrees, feet flat, and the proctor sitting on your feet. Shown from the side.

Side view illustration of the start position for the DSS Physical Readiness Test sit-up: a woman lies on her back with her knees bent and her arms folded across her chest, hands on her shoulders, while a proctor sits on her feet to anchor them.
1 · Start

Shoulder Blades Down

Lie back until the bottom edge of your shoulder blades touches the floor, with your arms folded across your chest and your hands on your chest or shoulders.

Side view illustration of the top of a DSS Physical Readiness Test sit-up: the woman has curled up with her arms folded and her hands on her shoulders until her elbows reach her thighs. Her buttocks stay on the floor, and the proctor sits on her feet.
2 · Top

Elbows to the Thighs

Curl up until your elbows touch your thighs, keeping your hands on your chest, shoulders, or upper arms. That counts as one repetition, as long as your lower back touched the floor on the way down.

Side view illustration of a DSS Physical Readiness Test sit-up that does not count: the woman has stopped partway up, with her torso at about 45 degrees and her elbows well short of her thighs. DSS counts a sit-up only when the elbows touch the thighs.
Doesn’t count

Stopping Short

If your elbows don’t reach your thighs, the repetition doesn’t count.

Based on DSS’s Physical Readiness Test Guide (updated December 2025) and its PRT standards tables. Some requirements can’t be shown in a still image: in push-ups, lifting a hand or foot or rotating your body also ends the event, and you may rest only in the up position; in sit-ups, your buttocks stay on the ground, you may rest only in the down position while the clock keeps running, and lowering your legs or lifting your feet ends the event; and on a treadmill, DSS sources state the incline differently (one degree in 12 FAM 043, 1.0 percent in the applicant guide), so confirm the setting with your proctor.

Video Demonstration

The PRT, from the State Department

The U.S. Department of State’s own demonstration of proper form for the Diplomatic Security Service Physical Readiness Test, posted in October 2019.

Video is external and not produced by Amatal. It was posted in 2019, before DSS’s current applicant guide (updated December 2025), so use the calculator above for current standards. For DSS’s exact wording behind each rule, see the “How to Perform It” guide above — follow the written rules where the two differ.

Disclaimer

This tool scores your performance on the Diplomatic Security Service Physical Readiness Test (PRT) — the three-event fitness test DSS Special Agent applicants must pass and serving agents take throughout their careers — against the official standards for your age, sex, and test-site elevation. It is a training and self-assessment aid only: not affiliated with the DSS or the U.S. Department of State, not an official score, and not medical or training advice. The PRT pairs two minutes of maximum push-ups, two minutes of maximum sit-ups, and a hard 1.5-mile run, which is genuinely demanding. Warm up, use sound form, and stop if you feel chest pain, dizziness, or joint pain. If you have a heart condition, a recent injury, or any condition aggravated by intense exertion — or if you are at all unsure — check with a healthcare provider before testing.

How This Calculator Works

This calculator scores the Diplomatic Security Service Physical Readiness Test (PRT) — the fitness test that gates the DSS Special Agent application process and that active agents take throughout their careersThe same PRT is given to applicants, special agent candidates, serving special agents, and Clarke DS Fellowship alternates and fellows. Serving agents take it every four months for their entire career.. You enter your sex, age, test-site elevation, and your results in three events, and the tool converts each result into a score and tells you whether you pass.

Unlike a simple pass/fail or points test, the PRT scores each event on a percentage scale tied to performance categories, and applies a hard rule on top: you must score Satisfactory or better in every event. For the two repetition events, more reps score higher; for the run, a lower time scores higher.

The Three Events & Protocol

The events are performed in a fixed order with a rest period between eachDSS’s current guide gives a five-minute rest between events. Its earlier PRT guide allowed a five-minute minimum and up to 30 minutes, depending on test-site logistics.:

  • Push-ups (first) — as many proper-form push-ups as you can in two minutes, with your hands no wider than shoulder width, your feet together, and your body straight from head to heels. Each rep goes down until your chest (men) or chin (women) touches the proctor’s fist, held at least three inches off the ground, then back to straight elbows. You may rest only in the up position. The event ends if you touch the ground with anything other than your hands and feet, lift a hand or foot, or rotate your body.
  • Sit-ups (second) — as many proper-form sit-ups as you can in two minutes, with your knees bent to 90 degrees and the proctor sitting on your feet. Arms stay folded across and touching the chest, shoulders, or upper arms; elbows come up to touch the thighs and the lower back returns to the floor each rep, with your buttocks staying on the ground. You may rest in the down position, but the clock keeps running. The event ends if your legs are lowered or your feet lift off the floor.
  • 1.5-Mile Run (third) — a timed run on a track, outdoor course, or treadmillThe same time standards apply on a treadmill. DSS sources state the incline differently: 12 FAM 043 sets it to one degree uphill to offset the powered assistance, while the current applicant guide says 1.0 percent. Confirm the setting with your proctor., measuring aerobic capacity.

How Scoring Works

Each event earns a score from 50% up to 100%, and each score band has a name:

Outstanding (95–100%) · Excellent (85–90%) · Very Good (80%) · Good (70–75%) · Satisfactory (50–65%) · Unsatisfactory (below the 50% line).

The tool finds the highest score band your result reaches in each event. Then it applies the pass rule:

PRT pass rule: score Satisfactory (50%) or better in all three events. Falling below the Satisfactory line in any one event fails the whole test.

So a brilliant run can't rescue a sub-Satisfactory push-up score — each event has to clear its own floor. DSS does not combine the three event scores into one number, so the calculator shows how many of the three events you cleared rather than an overall score.

Adjusted for Age, Sex, and Elevation

Besides age and sex, the PRT standards depend on test-site elevationDSS publishes one set of standards for test sites below 5,000 feet and another for sites above 5,000 feet. Only the run times differ between the two.. DSS publishes separate standards for test sites below and above 5,000 feet, and only the 1.5-mile run times differ: they allow more time above 5,000 feet, while the push-up and sit-up standards stay the same. That is why this calculator asks for elevation, and why changing it moves only the run column.

Two more details fall straight out of the official tables and are worth knowing: the sit-up standards are identical for men and women (they vary by age alone), while the push-up and run standards differ by sex. The calculator mirrors that structure exactly rather than imposing a uniform pattern.

Reading Your Result

The breakdown shows each event's score and category, colored by band, with anything under 50% flagged in red as "< 50%." The headline shows how many of the three events reached Satisfactory and a PASS or FAIL verdict under the all-three rule. If you fall short, the result names exactly which events dropped below Satisfactory.

How to Read the Scoring Scale

The scale table shows your specific standards for the selected sex, age, and elevation, from the 50% Satisfactory floor up to 100%. A green line marks the minimum passing standard, and your achieved level in each event is shown in bold in its column — so you can see both where you landed and what the next band up requires.

A Note on Data Accuracy

The standards in this calculator are exact, reproduced verbatim from the official U.S. Department of State DSS PRT standards tables for both elevation bands — nothing is estimated or interpolated. The State Department notes the PRT and its standards are subject to revision at any time, so treat a result here as an accurate read of the published tables and confirm the current standards at careers.state.gov or with DS Recruitment before relying on it.

Why These Fitness Qualities Matter

The three events sample complementary capacities. Push-ups measure upper-body muscular endurance and sit-ups measure core endurance — both sustained over a full two minutes — while the 1.5-mile run measures aerobic capacity. DSS Special Agents protect personnel and facilities in high-threat environments worldwide, work that can demand strength, stamina, and the ability to act under stress, so the PRT checks a rounded base rather than a single quality.

The strengths of this kind of test are objectivity and repeatability with minimal equipment. Its limit is that it is a general fitness screen, not a simulation of the job — a strong score shows a solid physical base, not job competence by itself.

Data Sources and Methodology

  • U.S. Department of State — Age/Gender PRT Standards (PRT Test Standards PDF, careers.state.gov). The full tables for both elevation bands (below and above 5,000 ft), giving the 50–100% scoring scale and performance categories for sit-ups, push-ups, and the 1.5-mile run by age and sex. This is the file DSS’s PRT self-certification form points to.
  • DSS Physical Readiness Test Guide (careers.state.gov, updated December 9, 2025). The three events and their order, the five-minute rest, the movement protocols and termination rules, the treadmill provision, the minimum Satisfactory standards, the Satisfactory pass requirement, testing every four months for serving agents, and the two-attempt rule with a 60-day wait.
  • 12 FAM 043, DS Physical Readiness and Fitness for Duty Programs. That the run may be done outdoors or on a treadmill set to one degree uphill with the same time standards, and that standards apply by age, sex, and test-site altitude. The FAM calls the test the Physical Fitness Test (PFT).

A note on methodology: scores are read directly from the published tables — for each event the tool returns the highest band whose standard your result meets. It adds no combined score; the pass/fail verdict follows the official all-three-Satisfactory rule.

Limitations and Important Caveats

  • Not an official result. Only a DSS-proctored PRT produces an official score. This tool is for self-assessment and planning.
  • Standards can change. The Department of State may revise the PRT at any time; confirm the current tables at careers.state.gov.
  • Every event has a floor. A score below Satisfactory in any single event fails the test, regardless of how strong the others are.
  • Two attempts. Applicants who fail get one more try after a 60-day wait; a second failure ends the candidacy.
  • Fatigue is real. The events run in sequence; fresh, isolated attempts can overstate your true result.
  • Protocol fidelity. Strict push-up and sit-up form and an accurately measured run (or a treadmill at the specified incline) are what make your numbers comparable.

Disclaimer:
This calculator provides an estimate based on the publicly available U.S. Department of State Diplomatic Security Service Physical Readiness Test standards and is intended for general informational and training-reference purposes only. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or an official tool of the DSS or the U.S. Department of State, and it does not produce an official score. The PRT involves maximal-effort calisthenics and a timed 1.5-mile run; stop immediately if you experience chest pain, shortness of breath, dizziness, or joint pain. This tool is not medical, fitness, or training advice. Consult a healthcare provider before beginning a new exercise or testing program, especially if you have a heart condition, a recent injury, or any condition aggravated by intense exertion.