Marine Corps Pft Score Chart 2018

So there I was, shivering in a thin t-shirt at 0500 on a California morning, my hands already numb and my stomach doing backflips. The gunnery sergeant, a man who seemed to be carved from old leather and pure caffeine, bellowed the countdown for the first pull-up. I remember thinking, “I should have looked at the chart more than once.” That moment of panic, staring at the bar, is exactly why we’re going to talk about the 2018 Marine Corps PFT Score Chart—the piece of paper that can make or break your morning.

Look, the PFT isn’t just a fitness test; it’s a brutal, beautiful ritual where you get to prove you’re not a total waste of government rations. The 2018 chart is your cheat sheet for that ritual, and it’s not as complicated as the Corps makes it seem. You just need to know where you stand, and more importantly, where the minimum bar is so you don’t trip over it.

The Big Three: Pull-ups, Crunches, and a Run That Never Ends

The test is a trilogy of suffering: pull-ups (or push-ups if you’re female in 2018, but let’s keep the rage for later), crunches for two minutes, and a 3-mile run. Each event is scored from 0 to 100 points, and the total is your PFT score. You need at least 135 points to pass, but here’s the kicker—you can’t score below 70 in any single event. Miss that, and you’re looking at a “failure” stamp on your record, which is basically a free ticket to Saturday PT.

For the men in 2018, the pull-up scoring was pure math: you got points based on your age group, and the reps required from a perfect 100 down to a bare minimum. A 20-year-old needed 23 pull-ups for a 100, but just 8 for the minimum 70 points. Honestly, if you can’t do 8, I’m not sure we can be friends, but that’s just me. Don’t worry, the chart breaks it down by age brackets (17-20, 21-25, and so on), so you don’t have to do algebra in your head before you’re even sweaty.

The Crunch Trap (and Why You Shouldn’t Cheat)

Crunches seem easy until you realize the form is strict: shoulders must touch the ground, fingers on your chest, and your elbows must touch your thighs. The 2018 chart asks for a max of 100 crunches in two minutes for a perfect score—which, let’s be honest, feels like a lifetime. The minimum varies by age, but a 25-year-old needed 70 crunches to avoid the failure zone.

Here’s a pro tip from someone who learned the hard way: don’t bounce your head off the deck to get momentum. The evaluator is a human with eyes, not a robot, and they will call you on the “fake rep” faster than you can say “motivation.” And yes, the score chart does not care about your feelings—a missed rep is a missed point.

The 3-Mile Run: Where Legends (and Quitters) Are Made

The run is the final boss, and the 2018 chart is unforgiving about time. For a 17-20 year old male, you had to run three miles in 18 minutes for a 100, and you had to be under 25 minutes just to get the passing 70 points. Let me tell you, that last lap is where you question every life choice that led you to this gravel path.

What’s funny is that the scoring isn’t linear—a few seconds can cost you five points. For instance, running 20:30 might give you 90, but 20:35 drops you to 88. It’s brutal, but it’s also a great excuse to buy a stopwatch and obsess over your splits like a lunatic. And if you’re in your 40s? The times get more forgiving (26 minutes for 70), but your knees will still hate you regardless.

But Wait, What About the Females in 2018?

Ah, the plot twist: in 2018, women did push-ups instead of pull-ups, and their run standards were adjusted (e.g., 21 minutes for a 100 in the 17-20 age group). The scoring chart is separate, and honestly, it’s a bit of a dinosaur because the Corps switched to pull-ups for everyone later. If you’re a female reading this, the 2018 chart is your historical artifact—use it to laugh at how far we’ve come.

Also, a quick side note: the total score chart includes a “Class” system—First Class (225+), Second Class (175-224), and Third Class (135-174). Aiming for Third is like aiming to barely pass high school; it’s possible, but you’ll feel a special kind of shame when your buddy brags about his First Class score while you’re coughing up a lung.

Why Bother with a 2018 Chart?

Because, my friend, the PFT scores change every year or two, but the 2018 chart is the baseline for a generation of Marines. It’s the benchmark that your sergeant still secretly uses in his head even if he pretends the new one is better. Knowing the old scores helps you understand the culture—like how a 23-minute run was “average” back then, but now it’s considered a miracle.

So, before your next PFT, pull up the 2018 chart on your phone, do the math, and set a realistic goal. Just remember: the chart is a guide, not a guarantee. On the day, your body will betray you, the wind will blow, and the 18-minute time will feel like a fantasy. But at least you’ll know exactly how many crunches you need to avoid the “needs improvement” email. Good luck, and please, don’t skip the warm-up.