Cadets in the Kent State Air Force ROTC find out Friday if months of training have prepared them for their physical fitness test.

Cadet Theodore Bertsch, Vice Wing Commander and senior Russian major, said cadets at Kent State must pass the test to advance in the ROTC program.

Bertsch said cadets are required to take the test once a semester.

“It is what it is and you know it’s coming up so you must prepare,” Bertsch said.

Cadets prepare by attending physical fitness training sessions at least twice a week at the Student Recreation and Wellness Center, Bertsch said.

“We recommend cadets attend PT [physical training] more than twice a week to make sure they get a good score,” Bertsch said.

Air Force ROTC hosts four weekly physical fitness sessions.

The physical fitness test consists of three parts: one minute of push-ups, one minute of sit-ups and a 1.5 mile run, Bertsch said.

Theodore Rask, recruiting services flight director and junior accounting major, said the physical fitness test is evaluated based on a composite score. The composite score is an average from all three events.

Rask said to pass the physical fitness test a cadet must earn a minimum composite score of 75.  

“If you are below [the composite score] on one part of the test then you fail the whole thing,” Rask said.

Even though the composite score to pass the physical fitness test is 75, the Kent State ROTC program urges cadets to score an 85 or higher for a good cadet ranking, Rask said. The physical fitness test is important because it is one factor in determining if a cadet will move on to summer officer training in Alabama.

A good cadet ranking gives cadets a better chance of being accepted into officer summer training, Rask said.

The minimum number of push-ups, sit-ups and running times needed to earn a composite score of 75 is separated into categories. The categories are determined by gender and age of cadets, Bertsch said.

If cadets fail the first physical fitness test, they have one chance to pass a makeup test.

Cadets practice individual training during physical fitness sessions if they fail the first test, Bertsch said.  

“Cadets will work on that part that needs most improvement,” Bertsch said.

During physical training, cadets motivate each other and work as a team, Rask said.

“We have to be a good example to the new freshmen and show them what we are about,” Rask said.

Contact Chelsea Kiko at [email protected].