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 test multiple times a year.. 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'd 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 eachThe rest between events is a minimum of five minutes and a maximum of 30 minutes, used to set up and brief the next event.:

• Push-ups (first) — maximum proper-form push-ups in two minutes. The count 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) — maximum proper-form sit-ups in two minutes. Arms stay folded across and touching the chest, shoulders, or upper arms; elbows come up to the thighs and the lower back returns to the floor each rep. You may rest in the down position — but the clock keeps running.
• 1.5-Mile Run (third) — a timed run on a track, outdoor course, or treadmillOn a treadmill the incline is set to 1 degree to offset the powered assistance, and the same time standards apply., measuring aerobic capacity.

How Scoring Works

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

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

So a brilliant run can't rescue a sub-Satisfactory push-up score — each event has to clear its own floor. The overall percentage the calculator shows is the average of your three event scores, a useful summary, but the pass/fail verdict depends on clearing the floor in each event individually.

Why It Adjusts for Age, Sex, and Elevation

The PRT is the only test in this collection graded on three dimensions. Age and sex are common enough — but the PRT adds test-site elevationAt elevations above 5,000 feet the thinner air reduces aerobic performance, so the run standards are made more lenient. The push-up and sit-up standards do not change with elevation.. Because DSS agents test at posts all over the world, a run at high altitude is physiologically harder, so the run standards are relaxed above 5,000 feet — while the strength events, which altitude doesn't meaningfully affect, 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 verdict is QUALIFIED or NOT QUALIFIED — the real outcome under the all-three rule — and the average percentage gives you a single number to track over time. 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 — DSS PRT Test Standards (careers.state.gov). The full Age/Gender PRT Standards tables for both elevation bands (below and above 5,000 ft), giving the 50–100% scoring scale for sit-ups, push-ups, and the 1.5-mile run by age and sex.
• DSS Physical Readiness Test Guide & FAQs (careers.state.gov). The three events and their order, the rest interval, the movement protocols and termination rules, the treadmill provision, the Satisfactory pass requirement, and the two-attempt rule with a 60-day wait.
• 12 FAM 040, DS Physical Readiness and Fitness for Duty Programs. That the run may be run outdoors or on a treadmill at 1-degree incline with the same time standards, and that standards apply by age, sex, and test-site altitude.

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. The only value it adds is the average of the three event scores; 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 1-degree 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.