IPPT Push-Ups: Reps Needed for Every Score, by Age Group
The push-up station is worth up to 25 points and runs for one continuous minute. This page gives the exact reps you need for every score at your age — and shows where the points are cheap, which is not where most people assume.
How the push-up station works
Push-ups and sit-ups are each conducted in one minute and are each worth a maximum of 25 points. The 2.4km run is worth up to 50, for a total of 100. The static stations are attempted first, the run last.
Servicewomen do bent-knee push-ups and are scored on a separate table.
There is no rep count that passes on its own. You pass on a total of 51 points across all three stations, with at least 1 point at every station — a zero on push-ups fails you regardless of everything else.
Push-up reps needed for each score
From the scoring tables the SAF implemented on 1 April 2015.
| Age group | 25 pts (max) | 20 pts | 15 pts | 10 pts | 5 pts | 1 pt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Below 22 | 60 | 40 | 26 | 21 | 18 | 15 |
| 22-24 | 59 | 39 | 25 | 20 | 17 | 14 |
| 25-27 | 58 | 38 | 24 | 19 | 16 | 13 |
| 28-30 | 57 | 37 | 23 | 18 | 15 | 12 |
| 31-33 | 56 | 36 | 22 | 17 | 14 | 11 |
| 34-36 | 55 | 35 | 21 | 16 | 13 | 10 |
| 37-39 | 54 | 34 | 20 | 15 | 12 | 9 |
| 40-42 | 53 | 33 | 19 | 14 | 11 | 8 |
| 43-45 | 51 | 32 | 18 | 13 | 10 | 7 |
| 46-48 | 49 | 31 | 17 | 12 | 9 | 6 |
| 49-51 | 47 | 30 | 16 | 11 | 8 | 5 |
| 52-54 | 45 | 29 | 15 | 10 | 7 | 4 |
| 55-57 | 42 | 28 | 14 | 9 | 6 | 3 |
| 58-60 | 40 | 27 | 13 | 8 | 5 | 2 |
Servicewomen, on bent-knee push-ups:
| Age group | 25 pts (max) | 20 pts | 15 pts | 10 pts | 5 pts | 1 pt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Below 22 | 50 | 28 | 18 | 17 | 16 | 15 |
| 22-24 | 48 | 27 | 17 | 16 | 15 | 14 |
| 25-27 | 46 | 26 | 16 | 15 | 14 | 13 |
| 28-30 | 44 | 25 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 12 |
| 31-33 | 42 | 24 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 11 |
| 34-36 | 40 | 23 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 10 |
| 37-39 | 38 | 22 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 9 |
| 40-42 | 36 | 21 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 8 |
| 43-45 | 34 | 19 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 |
| 46-48 | 32 | 17 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 |
| 49-51 | 29 | 16 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 |
| 52-54 | 25 | 15 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 |
| 55-57 | 24 | 14 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 |
| 58-60 | 23 | 13 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 |
Where the cheap points are
Read the servicemen’s row for age 25 to 27 as a progression:
| Reps | Score | Extra reps | Points gained |
|---|---|---|---|
| 13 | 1 | — | — |
| 19 | 10 | +6 | +9 |
| 24 | 15 | +5 | +5 |
| 38 | 20 | +14 | +5 |
| 58 | 25 | +20 | +5 |
Six extra reps at the bottom of the table are worth nine points. Twenty extra reps at the top are worth five. If you are stuck around 13 to 20 push-ups, this station is the single best return on training time anywhere in IPPT. If you are already at 38, it has almost nothing left to give.
Servicewomen: the three reps that are worth fourteen points
The female table has a much sharper cliff, and it is worth knowing about. For age group 25 to 27:
| Reps | Score |
|---|---|
| 13 | 1 |
| 14 | 5 |
| 15 | 10 |
| 16 | 15 |
| 26 | 20 |
| 46 | 25 |
Going from 13 to 16 bent-knee push-ups — three reps — is worth fourteen points. The next five points cost ten more reps. If you are sitting anywhere near the bottom of that table, three reps is the highest-value training target on the entire test.
Check your own age group with the female IPPT calculator.
What the station is scored on
Repetitions count only when the required form is met, and the conducting officer’s assessment on the day is final. MINDEF publishes the official push-up protocol as a demonstration video on the NS Portal. Watch it before your attempt rather than relying on memory from BMT.
We do not publish a rep-by-rep form description here on purpose — the only version that counts is the official one, and a paraphrase on a website is not it.
Training for more reps
- Practise the full minute. The test is a one-minute effort. Sets of ten with long rests train something else.
- Frequency beats intensity. Small sets most days moves the number faster than two hard sessions a week.
- Train from the bottom position if your sticking point is the push out of the low position rather than the lockout.
- Do them before sit-ups sometimes, and sometimes after, because on test day you will not choose the order.
The full six-week progression is in our push-up and sit-up training plan.
Fitting push-ups into your total
Push-ups alone cannot pass IPPT — a perfect 25 still leaves 26 points to find. Work out what the run needs to deliver with the IPPT calculator, see the timings in our 2.4km guide, or read the full score tables for all three stations. Our sit-up guide covers the other static station.
Frequently asked questions
How many push-ups for IPPT max points?
It depends on your age group. For servicemen it ranges from 60 reps in the youngest group down to 40 at 58 to 60. For servicewomen on bent-knee push-ups it ranges from 50 down to 23.
How many push-ups do I need to pass IPPT?
No rep count passes on its own. You pass on 51 total points across all three stations, with at least 1 point at each. For a serviceman aged 25 to 27, 13 push-ups is the 1-point minimum.
How long is the IPPT push-up station?
One continuous minute, the same as the sit-up station.
Do women do normal push-ups for IPPT?
No. Servicewomen do bent-knee push-ups and are scored on a separate table with different rep requirements.
How many points are push-ups worth?
Up to 25 points. Sit-ups are also worth 25 and the 2.4km run is worth 50.
What is the best rep range to train for?
If you are between roughly 13 and 24 reps, push-ups give the best return on training time in the whole test. Past about 38 reps the points get very expensive and the run is the better investment.
What happens if I score zero on push-ups?
You fail IPPT whatever your total, because at least 1 point is required at every station.
Is there a push-up machine at the FCC?
The stations at Fitness Conditioning Centres are scored with equipment, but MINDEF publishes no public specification of it, so we do not describe it here. What is published is that IPPT needs no specialised technique or equipment to train for.
Sources
Rep requirements are taken from the push-up scoring tables the SAF implemented on 1 April 2015, as published by MINDEF, and checked against the official IPPT calculator on the NS Portal. The one-minute duration and 25-point maximum are from MINDEF’s announcement of the IPPT format. Independent site, no connection to MINDEF, the SAF or CMPB — see our disclaimer.