50% of Air Force Special Warfare Candidates Make It?
According to data from this 2023 study, 50% of Air Force Special Warfare Candidates were selected.
Yes, it’s hard to believe, but that’s what the study shows. Here’s an overview:
Study Design
Between 2018 and 2022, 1,337 candidates attempted Air Force A&S. 77% of all candidates (PJ, CCT, and SR) participated in this study.
The researchers collected body composition, physical performance, and injury data, and whether they were selected or not.
Why Were Candidates Dropped?
The researchers found 49.8% were selected and the breakdown for drops are as follows:
| Selected | 49.8% |
| Voluntary Drop | 31% |
| Medical Drop | 12% |
| Performance Drop | 5.7% |
How Fit Were Air Force Special Warfare Candidates
In terms of physical fitness, here’s how Air Force candidates performed.
The first row shows the average and then the percentiles. The 5th represents what scores represented the bottom 5% of the class, the 50th represents the middle, and the 95th the top 5% of the class.
| Test | Mean (SD) | 5th | 25th | (50th) | 75th | 95th |
| Pull-ups | 14.2 (3.3) | 8.77 | 11.97 | 14.2 | 16.43 | 19.63 |
| Sit-ups | 67.7 (8.6) | 53.55 | 61.9 | 67.7 | 73.5 | 81.85 |
| Push-ups | 57.1 (10.0) | 40.65 | 50.36 | 57.1 | 63.84 | 73.55 |
| 500m Swim | 10:07 (1.27) | 12:12 | 10:59 | 10:07 | 9:16 | 8:03 |
| Run | 9:36 | 10:30 | 9:58 | 9:36 | 9:15 | 8:43 |
You can check out the full video breakdown here – https://youtu.be/xA8eUASuxCw
Related Articles:
4 Myths About Air Force Special Warfare
How Hard is Army Special Forces Assessment and Selection
