Air Force Pararescue (PJ) Requirements

The short answer. Pararescue (PJ) is an enlisted Air Force Special Warfare job. The Air Force Pararescue career page (read 2026-09-03) prints that you must be a U.S. citizen, at least 17 and have not reached age 42 on the date of enlistment, ASVAB SCORE REQUIREMENTS 49 General (G), and a minimum score of 60 on PJ selection model completed in Tailored Adaptive Personality Assessment System. That 60 is TAPAS, not the ASVAB General score. The page names a ten-step pipeline, including 39 weeks of the Modernized Pararescue Provider Program at Lackland (Nationally Registered EMTs and NRPs) and 22 weeks of Pararescue Apprentice at Kirtland AFB, NM. It does not print a two-year total or an attrition percent. The Initial Fitness Test is six named events with no times or repetition minimums on that page. Confirm the live career page and a Special Warfare recruiter before you sign.

Pararescue Airmen recover and treat isolated personnel. The career page says they are parachutists, scuba divers, and rock climbers, and that they are arctic-trained so they can reach someone who would otherwise be out of reach. Ready to Serve is not an Air Force partner and does not place you.

Eligibility

These lines are on the same career page (read 2026-09-03):

• U.S. citizen
• 17–42 years of age, and specifically: "Must be at least 17, but has not reached age 42 on the date of enlistment"
• High school students may start their application as early as the end of their junior year
• Qualifying ASVAB score, printed as 49 General (G)
• Successful completion of the Special Warfare Operator Enlistment IFT
• Minimum score of 60 on the PJ TAPAS selection model
• Physical qualification for aircrew, parachute, and marine-diving duty
• Normal color vision and depth perception
• National Agency Check, Local Agency Checks and Credit Check (NACLC)
• Completion of 7.5 weeks of Basic Military Training

The page does not print a height band, a Class III physical, an AFSC string, or a Secret clearance. A height-and-weight table in the footer is labeled sample content (it prints 20 / 200). That table is not a standard.

Initial Fitness Test

The career page calls it the Special Warfare Operator Enlistment IFT, six events, no times or reps:

1. Swim 25 meters underwater
2. Swim 500 meters (breaststroke, sidestroke, and freestyle)
3. Run 1.5 miles
4. Pull-ups in two minutes
5. Sit-ups in two minutes
6. Push-ups in two minutes

A linked Air Force fitness PDF sits on that page and was not opened for this article. The career page itself does not print 10:07, 10:10, 10 pull-ups, 54 sit-ups, or 52 push-ups.

Training pipeline

The career page prints ten blocks, in this order. Adding the printed weeks is 100.5. That sum is arithmetic, not an Air Force "2-year" total.

1. Basic Military Training: 7.5 weeks, Lackland AFB, TX
2. Special Warfare Candidate Course: seven weeks, Lackland AFB, TX
3. Special Warfare Assessment and Selection: four weeks, Lackland AFB, TX
4. Special Warfare Pre-Dive: four weeks, Lackland AFB, TX
5. Special Warfare Combat Dive: five weeks, Panama City, FL
6. Airborne School: five weeks, Fort Benning, GA (the career page uses that name)
7. Military Free-Fall: four weeks, Yuma, AZ and Jamul, CA
8. SERE: three weeks, Fairchild AFB, WA
9. Modernized Pararescue Provider Program (MP3): 39 weeks, Lackland AFB, TX. The page says this block trains candidates to become Nationally Registered Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) and Nationally Registered Paramedics (NRPs), plus combat medical skills.
10. Pararescue Apprentice Course: 22 weeks, Kirtland AFB, NM

SERE is inside that list, not a later add-on. EMT and paramedic sit in MP3 at Lackland, before the 22-week apprentice. The page does not print an attrition percent.

After the pipeline

The career page does not print a pay table. Open the live charts at militarypay.defense.gov if you need dollars. If the reason you are reading this is a fire or EMS job after the contract, keep how to become an EMT or paramedic and military vs civilian firefighter next to this page.

Next step

Read the live Air Force Pararescue page, then talk to a Special Warfare recruiter. Sister MOS pages: Army 68W and Navy Hospital Corpsman. The military pathway overview is /pathways/military.

Frequently Asked Questions

How old do I have to be to enlist as a PJ?

The Air Force Pararescue career page (read 2026-09-03) prints: "Must be at least 17, but has not reached age 42 on the date of enlistment." The same requirements block also prints "17–42 years of age." Those two lines agree. The measuring point is enlistment, not shipping day.

What ASVAB score do I need for Pararescue?

The career page prints "ASVAB SCORE REQUIREMENTS 49 General (G)." A 60 on that page is the "PJ selection model completed in Tailored Adaptive Personality Assessment System" (TAPAS), not the General composite. Those are two different tests.

What is the PAST / IFT for PJ?

The career page names the Special Warfare Operator Enlistment IFT. Six events, no times or repetition minimums on that page: 25-meter underwater swim; 500-meter swim (breaststroke, sidestroke, and freestyle); 1.5-mile run; pull-ups in two minutes; sit-ups in two minutes; push-ups in two minutes. A linked fitness PDF sits on the page and was not opened for this article.

How long is the Pararescue pipeline?

The page prints ten blocks, in this order: Basic Military Training 7.5 weeks at Lackland; Special Warfare Candidate Course seven weeks at Lackland; Assessment and Selection four weeks at Lackland; Pre-Dive four weeks at Lackland; Combat Dive five weeks at Panama City; Airborne five weeks at Fort Benning, GA (the page still uses that name); Military Free-Fall four weeks at Yuma and Jamul; SERE three weeks at Fairchild; MP3 39 weeks at Lackland; Pararescue Apprentice 22 weeks at Kirtland. Adding those printed weeks is 100.5. That sum is arithmetic from the printed blocks, not an Air Force two-year total. The page does not print an attrition percent.

Does PJ training include EMT and paramedic credentials?

Yes, on the MP3 block. The page prints that MP3 trains candidates to become "Nationally Registered Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs)" and "Nationally Registered Paramedics (NRPs)." That is step 9 at Lackland (39 weeks), before the 22-week apprentice at Kirtland.