Your AFT Score Is Now on Your Eval — And Boards Can See It
Physical fitness stopped being a real discriminator on evaluation reports for a while. The ACFT rollout was messy enough that HRC kept the guardrails on adverse action, and Soldiers learned that passing was passing — the score didn’t follow you. That changed on 17 April 2026. Under MILPER 26-163, your AFT total score is now a mandatory entry on every NCOER and OER with a thru-date of 17 April 2026 or later. Boards see the number, not just the word PASS.
Effective 17 April 2026, AFT total score is mandatory on all evaluation reports. The format is AFT: PASS 20251025 SCORE: 450. Raters who omit the score are submitting incomplete evals. Combat MOS Soldiers scoring 300–349 receive a mandatory derogatory comment. PT is a board discriminator again.
What Changed — And When
The ACFT replaced the APFT, then the AFT replaced the ACFT on 1 June 2025. During the ACFT transition, HRC was cautious — failure wasn’t grounds for adverse action, and score visibility on evals was limited. That implementation period is over.
MILPER 26-163, issued 4 May 2026, consolidates the current requirements. For evaluation reports with a thru-date between 1 June 2025 and 16 April 2026, raters could enter either an ACFT or AFT status — PASS, FAIL, Profile, or No Test — but the score itself wasn’t mandatory. Starting with any report thru-dated 17 April 2026 or later, the score entry is required. There’s no grace period. Reports are coming due right now under that standard.
Physical fitness is back as a measurable data point on evals, not just a pass/fail checkbox.
The Mandatory Score Entry Format
The format is specific and must be followed exactly. Per paragraph 8 of MILPER 26-163, the score entry goes on the same line as the AFT status, two spaces after the date:
AFT: PASS 20251025 SCORE: 450
Status — Date (YYYYMMDD) — Score. All three elements on one line. Score is the Soldier’s total AFT points.
This entry goes in Part IV, Block a. on OERs; Part IV, Block b. on NCOERs; and the corresponding block on DA Form 1059 series AERs. Raters who enter only AFT: PASS 20251025 and stop there are submitting an incomplete evaluation report beginning with the 17 April 2026 thru-date.
Status Entry Rules (PASS / FAIL / Profile / No AFT)
The status entry rules haven’t changed, but they matter now more than ever because the score rides with them:
| Situation | Entry Format | Additional Action |
|---|---|---|
| Soldier passed the AFT | AFT: PASS YYYYMMDD SCORE: XXX | None required |
| Soldier failed the AFT | AFT: FAIL YYYYMMDD SCORE: XXX | Rater must address FAIL in narrative; referred report rules apply |
| Temporary profile, test not taken | AFT: Profile YYYYMMDD | Further comment only if duty performance affected; date = profile issue date |
| No test taken, no profile | AFT: No AFT – [explanation] | Detailed explanation required in narrative |
| Pregnant / Postpartum | Auto-populated in EES after selecting Pregnant/Postpartum | No separate score entry required |
Source: MILPER Message 26-163, HRC.
Combat MOS: The 300–349 Problem
This is where it gets career-relevant for a large portion of the force. For Soldiers in combat specialties, passing the AFT is no longer binary — there are two standards. The general standard is 300. The combat standard is 350.
Any combat MOS Soldier who scores between 300 and 349 passes the AFT but does not meet the combat standard. Per paragraph 9 of MILPER 26-163, the rater is required to add this statement to the eval: “Meets AFT general standard but not AFT combat standard.”
That Comment Goes in the Rater’s Block — Permanently
This isn’t a counseling statement or a verbal counseling. It’s a mandatory written entry on the eval itself, visible to every board that pulls the record. A combat MOS Soldier who passes at 320 walks away thinking they’re good — but their NCOER says otherwise, in plain language, for as long as that report is in their file.
For RA, AGR, and RC Soldiers on active-duty orders over 60 days, this requirement kicked in on 1 January 2026. For ARNG and USAR Soldiers (excluding AGR and RC on orders over 60 days), it applies beginning 1 June 2026. The implementation timeline is now, not coming.
Promotion and school selection boards now have a numeric score to compare — not just a pass/fail entry.
Why Boards Care About the Number
For years, a PASS on the APFT was visible but the score wasn’t always a hard discriminator in a competitive board packet — especially during the ACFT transition chaos. Now the score is back on the form, and boards can do what boards do: compare.
A Soldier with AFT: PASS 20251015 SCORE: 495 and a Soldier with AFT: PASS 20251015 SCORE: 302 are both carrying a PASS. But those two evals look nothing alike to a board member working through a stack of packets for E-7 or a school seat. The score is visible. It’s documented. It follows the record.
For combat MOS Soldiers specifically, scoring below 350 doesn’t just show a lower number — it generates a written comment calling out the shortfall. That’s a distinction the board doesn’t have to infer. It’s spelled out in the rater’s block.
What Raters Need to Do Right Now
Any evaluation report with a thru-date of 17 April 2026 or later requires the score entry. If you are currently writing or reviewing an NCOER or OER for a Soldier who took a record AFT, that score goes on the form. In EES, select “No APFT” from the APFT drop-down — that triggers the AFT pop-up windows. Follow the prompts, then manually add the SCORE entry in the narrative block in the correct format.
ACFT entries are not authorized on any report with a thru-date of 1 June 2026 or later, or once the Soldier has taken a record AFT — whichever comes first. If the Soldier hasn’t taken an AFT yet, a valid ACFT from within the prior 12 months can still be used, but that window is closing fast.
The BOLO List
Any NCOER or OER with a thru-date of 17 April 2026 or later that shows only AFT: PASS 20251015 — with no SCORE entry — is an incomplete eval. Raters need to go back and correct it before submission. HRC will not add the score for you.
Combat specialty Soldiers who score in this range are passing the test but picking up a mandatory derogatory comment on their eval. If you’re in a combat MOS and your score is sitting in that band, you have time to train up before your next record test. Don’t let a closeable gap become a permanent mark on your record.
Your 3 Action Items
- Check your thru-date — If any eval you’re writing or reviewing closes on or after 17 April 2026, the AFT score entry is mandatory. Confirm the Soldier’s total score and enter it in the correct format: AFT: PASS YYYYMMDD SCORE: XXX.
- Know your standard — If you’re in a combat MOS, your pass threshold for eval purposes is 350, not 300. Pull your most recent AFT score and know exactly where you stand before your next record test.
- Train to a competitive number — A 300 pass and a 480 pass both say PASS. Only one of them looks competitive in a board packet. Set a score goal, not just a pass goal.
Have questions about how the AFT score shows up on your eval, or how boards are weighing it? Post it in the Health & Fitness forum — this is exactly the kind of thing the formation needs to be talking about.
