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Fitness Report Card

Upper-body strength & endurance · Age 9–18

Push Up Test: Procedure and Norms for Boys and Girls

Push-ups measure upper-body strength and endurance. In the Fit India protocol boys aged 9–18 do standard push-ups and girls do modified push-ups from the knees. It is one of the tests in the SAI Khelo India Fitness Test battery for schools.

Score a studentJump to norms

What is the push up test?

The push up test measures the strength and endurance of the arms, shoulders and chest. Only push-ups with a straight body and elbows bent to 90° are counted.

Push Up Test diagram

Push up test diagram: boys on hands and toes, girls with knees on the ground, elbows lowered to 90°
Push up test diagram: boys on hands and toes, girls with knees on the ground, elbows lowered to 90°. Original illustration.

Who takes the push up test

Age 9–18 — Class 4 to 12.

Equipment

  • Mat or flat surface
  • A partner or teacher to count

Push Up Test procedure

  1. Boys: start with hands and toes on the floor, body and legs straight, feet slightly apart, and arms shoulder-width apart and extended.
  2. Girls (modified): same technique, but with the knees on the ground.
  3. Lower the body until the elbows are at 90°, then return to straight arms.
  4. There is no time limit. Continue until exhaustion, until the student can no longer keep the rhythm, or until the target number is reached.

Push Up Test scoring

  • Score is the number of correct push-ups — more is better.

Enter the score in the fitness calculator to get the level and points for one student, or use class analysis for a whole class.

Teacher tips

  • Watch for sagging hips — that rep does not count.
  • A steady rhythm usually gets a higher count than rushing.

How to improve

Activities suggested in the Fit India protocol:

  • Climbing stairs
  • Hill walk
  • Cycling
  • Dance
  • Push-ups
  • Sit-ups
  • Squats
  • Planks
  • Crunches
  • Naukasana
  • Shalabhasana
  • Akarna Dhanurasana

Push Up Test norms by age

Score ranges for each level L1–L7, for boys and girls, from the Fit India benchmarks. Points for each level are shown in the header.

Unit: count · Higher is better · Ranges below use the default PDF boundary rule. “—” means no score can reach that level for that age as printed in the PDF.

Boys

AgeL1Work Harder · 2 ptsL2Must Improve · 4 ptsL3Can Do Better · 6 ptsL4Good · 7 ptsL5Very Good · 8 ptsL6Athletic · 9 ptsL7Sports Fit · 10 pts
9≤ 5678910≥ 11
10≤ 67891011≥ 12
11≤ 789101112–13≥ 14
12≤ 89101112–1314–15≥ 16
13≤ 9101112–1314–1516≥ 17
14≤ 101112–1314–151617≥ 18
15≤ 1516–1718–1920–2122–2324–28≥ 29
16≤ 1718–1920–2122–2324–2829–33≥ 34
17≤ 1920–2122–2324–2829–3334–37≥ 38
18≤ 2122–2324–2829–3334–3738–43≥ 44

Girls

AgeL1Work Harder · 2 ptsL2Must Improve · 4 ptsL3Can Do Better · 6 ptsL4Good · 7 ptsL5Very Good · 8 ptsL6Athletic · 9 ptsL7Sports Fit · 10 pts
9*≤ 45–67—8—≥ 9
10*≤ 67—8—9≥ 10
11*≤ 7—8—910≥ 11
12*≤ 78—91011–12≥ 13
13*≤ 8—91011–1213–14≥ 15
14≤ 1112–1314–15161718–19≥ 20
15≤ 1314–15161718–1920–21≥ 22
16≤ 15161718–1920–2122≥ 23
17≤ 161718–1920–212223–24≥ 25
18≤ 1718–1920–212223–2425–27≥ 28
  • * PDF shows an empty range for one level ("from X to X").

Source: Fitness Protocols and Guidelines for Age 5-18 Years (v1), Fit India Mission, Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Section 7 Benchmarks, pages 48-57 (baseline reference for academic year 2020-21). Values verified against the PDF.

Push Up Test for Class 11 and 12 Physical Education

Students in Class 11 and 12 Physical Education often record this test in their practical file. A complete write-up ofthe push up test has the aim, the equipment, the procedure, a labelled diagram (you can redraw the one above), the scoring method and your own result with its level from the norms table.

For all the tests on one page, see the printable practical file summary on the SAI Khelo India Fitness Test page.

Frequently asked questions

Why are boys and girls tested differently?

The Fit India protocol specifies modified (knee) push-ups for girls, with separate norms for each.

Is the push-up test timed?

No. There is no time limit — the student continues until exhaustion, loss of rhythm, or the target number.

How do I write up the push up test in a Class 12 Physical Education practical file?

Write the aim (what the push up test measures), the equipment, the procedure step by step, a labelled diagram, how it is scored, and your own result with the level from the norms table. The SAI Khelo India Fitness Test page has a printable summary of every test.