The Florida Physical Abilities Test is a timed obstacle course you must pass before you can start a basic recruit training program for law enforcement or corrections. It contains seven tasks run back-to-back, and the widely used passing time is seven minutes and thirty seconds. The Criminal Justice Standards and Training Commission (CJSTC) sets the course, and training centers around the state administer it.
The Seven Tasks, in Order
The PAT is continuous. The clock starts, and it does not stop until you cross the finish or run out of time. Every CJSTC-approved site uses the same layout, so the course you train for is the course you will face.1Southwest Florida Public Service Academy. Physical Abilities Test
- Vehicle exit. Hands off the wheel, unbuckle, open the glove compartment, take out a key, exit the vehicle, go to the trunk, unlock and open it with the key, remove a training handgun and baton, close the trunk, and move to a bench where you set the handgun down and keep the baton.
- A 220-yard run on a flat surface toward the obstacle course.
- Obstacle course forward. Climb a 40-inch wall, jump three hurdles (24, 12, and 18 inches) set five feet apart, weave through nine pylons in a serpentine, and low-crawl eight feet under a 27-inch barrier. Drop the baton beside the last low-crawl pylon. Knock over a hurdle or pylon and you stop, reset it, and redo that segment.
- Dummy drag. Sprint 50 feet to a 150-pound dummy and drag it 100 feet across grass.
- Obstacle course reverse. Sprint 50 feet back to the pylons, crawl under the barrier to grab the baton, and run the whole obstacle course in reverse.
- Another 220-yard run back toward the bench.
- Trigger pull. Set the baton down, pick up the training handgun, take a firing position, pull the trigger six times with your dominant hand, then six with your support hand.
The course tests cardiovascular endurance on the two 220-yard sprints, agility in the serpentine and hurdles, upper body strength on the wall and dummy drag, and fine motor control under fatigue on the trigger pull. The trigger pull catches more candidates than expected. After close to seven minutes of sprinting and crawling, grip strength drops, and the training handgun’s trigger takes more force than people anticipate.
Passing Time and Scoring
The PAT is strictly pass/fail. You either finish inside the time limit or you don’t, and results are given immediately after the run.2Miami Dade College. Physical Abilities Test Information Seven minutes and thirty seconds is the commonly cited cutoff. Confirm the exact number with the training center where you plan to test, since small variations can occur between sites.
If you fail, you can generally retake the test. Retake scheduling is set by the individual training center, and each attempt costs the testing fee again.
CJSTC Form 75: The Paperwork That Gets People Turned Away
Before you can attempt the PAT, you need a signed CJSTC Form 75 (the Physician’s Assessment). Missing, incomplete, or expired forms are the single most common reason candidates get sent home on test day. Handle this well in advance.
A licensed physician, physician assistant, or advanced practice registered nurse must perform the physical and sign the form, and the examiner must be licensed to practice in Florida. The form has to include the practitioner’s medical license number and the exact date of the examination. Missing either detail voids the form.3Florida Department of Law Enforcement. CJSTC-75 – Physician’s Assessment
The examination cannot be more than one year old at the time of your employment or appointment, and a Form 75 completed for one employing agency cannot be reused for another. You can download the form from the FDLE website or pick one up at a training center.
The form asks your examiner to flag conditions that could interfere with essential officer duties or with academy training, including exposure to chemical agents like OC spray during defensive tactics. Findings such as evidence of tuberculosis, heart disease, or hypertension on Section 13 are not automatic disqualifiers.3Florida Department of Law Enforcement. CJSTC-75 – Physician’s Assessment Discuss anything relevant with your examiner so the training center knows what to plan for.
Who Has to Take the PAT
Anyone entering a CJSTC-approved basic recruit training program for law enforcement or corrections must pass the PAT before classes start, whether the target job is with a city police department, a county sheriff’s office, the Florida Highway Patrol, or a state correctional facility. The requirement sits in Florida Administrative Code Rule 11B-35.001, which requires students to complete a physical examination and medical clearance before beginning basic recruit training.4Legal Information Institute. Florida Administrative Code Rule 11B-35.001 – General
Cross-over and auxiliary basic recruit programs are exempt from the physical fitness test requirement.4Legal Information Institute. Florida Administrative Code Rule 11B-35.001 – General Cross-over programs are for officers already certified in one discipline (say, corrections) who want to add another without repeating the full academy.
Don’t confuse the PAT with the Basic Abilities Test. The BAT (sometimes called the CJBAT) is a written exam covering reading, writing, and math, and it’s a separate prerequisite.5Florida Department of Law Enforcement. Basic Abilities Test Veterans and applicants holding an associate degree or higher from an accredited college are exempt from the BAT for law enforcement programs, but that exemption does not carry over to the PAT.6Legal Information Institute. Florida Administrative Code Rule 11B-35.0011 – Basic Abilities Test
Already certified in another state? The Equivalency of Training (EOT) process can exempt you from the full academy. Approved EOT candidates must demonstrate proficiency in high-liability areas and pass the state certification exam within one year of receiving their approved CJSTC Form 76.7Florida Department of Law Enforcement. Equivalency of Training The FDLE’s EOT information does not list the PAT as a separate EOT requirement, but hiring agencies can still impose their own physical abilities assessment. Ask the agency directly.
What Test Day Costs and Looks Like
At check-in, you’ll turn in your signed CJSTC Form 75, show valid photo identification, and pay the testing fee. Fees typically run around $30 for the PAT alone, and some facilities charge $45 when the fee includes a practice run of the course beforehand.8Miami Dade College. Physical Abilities Test Information Fees are non-refundable and non-transferable.9College of Central Florida. Law Enforcement Academy Physical Abilities Course
Staff will walk you through the course and explain the rules for each task. Listen carefully to the pylon and hurdle rules. Knocking one over means stopping, resetting it, and redoing the segment, and that clock does not pause. Once the briefing ends, you go straight into the test.
Your passing score becomes part of your certification file and is one of several prerequisites you need before starting a basic recruit program, alongside the BAT, a background check, and the other employment requirements under Section 943.13, Florida Statutes.4Legal Information Institute. Florida Administrative Code Rule 11B-35.001 – General
How to Prepare
Most candidates who fail don’t fail on a single task. They fail because they’ve run out of gas by the time they reach the trigger pull. The PAT is more endurance than strength, and training should match.
Running is the foundation. Between the two 220-yard sprints and all the movement between tasks, you cover well over a quarter mile at high intensity. If you can’t comfortably run a half mile at a solid pace, you’re not ready yet. Interval work maps better to the course than long, slow distance, because the PAT alternates between hard bursts and short recoveries.
For the dummy drag, practice pulling heavy objects across grass. Deadlifts build the right muscles but don’t teach you how to grip a smooth 150-pound dummy while backpedaling on uneven ground. A training dummy is ideal. If you can’t get one, load a duffel bag with 150 pounds of weight plates and drag it in a park.
The wall climb catches people who have plenty of upper body strength but no technique. You don’t muscle your way over a 40-inch wall. You plant a foot, push off, and swing over. Practice on any chest-height wall until you can clear it without pausing at the top.
For the trigger pull, use a grip strengthener. Squeeze it while watching TV. The training handgun’s trigger takes more force than people expect, and you’ll do twelve pulls on hands that are already shaking. Train grip separately so it doesn’t get lost behind your running and obstacle work.