"Do you have what it takes?" FBI releases fitness app for prospective agents
The FBI has released a new fitness app for people who want to train to be an agent — or just want to see if they could be, even if they don't want to join the intelligence agency.
"Do you have what it takes?" asks the FBI's website, where users can download the FBI FitTest.
Those who want to be FBI agents are required to pass the FBI Physical Fitness Test — a five-pronged exam that includes sit-ups, a 300-meter sprint, push-ups, a 1.5-mile run, and pull-ups. The app, like the real test, gives participants a score on each of those components, and participants must score at least 12 cumulative points to pass.
The fitness test, which the FBI hadn't had for 16 years, was re-instituted in 2015 by none other than then-FBI Director James Comey, the New York Times reported in April of that year.
"The lives of your colleagues and those you protect may well depend upon your ability to run, fight and shoot, no matter what job you hold," Comey, who has since been fired by President Trump, said in a memo obtained by the Times.
Here's how the scoring works. Points are assigned for how well a person performs in each segment of the test.
A woman hoping to achieve the maximum score of 50 would need to complete 57 sit-ups in one minute, sprint 300 meters in 49.9 seconds or under, finish 45 push-ups or more (untimed), run 1.5 miles in 10 minutes, 34 seconds or less, and complete 10 pull-ups or more, untimed.
A man hoping to achieve the maximum score of 50 would need to complete at least 58 sit-ups in one minute, run 300 meters in 40.9 seconds or less, finish 71 push-ups in an unlimited amount of time, run 1.5 miles in 8 minutes, 59 seconds or less, and finish 20 pull-ups or more in an unlimited amount of time.
But since applicants only need 12 points to pass, it's much easier than that to pass. (Check out the full scoring scale here.)
The app allows the user to enter his or her performance on each part of the test, and has two modes, practice mode and test mode.
"This app will help our aspiring agents learn more about the physical fitness requirements of the job, and the mobile aspect means users can easily take our fitness test with them to the gym or wherever they exercise," said Marc Savine, unit chief of the FBI's training division.
The app clearly points out it isn't the real test.
"This app provides only a simulation of the FBI's Physical Fitness Test to help inform and prepare individuals interested in applying to become a special agent. It is not the actual PFT, which must be taken several times by agent candidates...." the app says in a disclosure the user must agree to before starting.
To apply to be in the FBI, applicants must have a bachelor's degree and 3.0 GPA, among other requirements. Applicants who aspire to be FBI agents must be between 23 and 27 years old, unless they have waivers as veterans.