Physical Fitness and Medical Standards
What is assessed
Medical screening usually covers height, weight, chest, blood pressure, vision (including colour vision), hearing, dental health, and a general physical examination. Fitness testing commonly includes an endurance run, push-ups, sit-ups, chin-ups, and a shuttle run. Exact standards vary by age, gender, and the current official notification, so confirm the published figures rather than relying on hearsay.
Training principles
- Progressive overload: increase distance or repetitions gradually, not suddenly.
- Specificity: practise the actual test items, not only general sport.
- Build an aerobic base with three or four easy runs weekly, adding at most one interval session.
- Strength work: push-ups, squats, planks, and chin-ups, with rest days between hard sessions.
- Sleep, hydration, and regular meals matter more than supplements.
Worked example
BMI = weight in kg ÷ (height in m)². For 60 kg and 1.70 m: 1.70² = 2.89, and 60 ÷ 2.89 ≈ 20.8, which lies in the common normal range. The trap is using height in centimetres, which produces an absurdly small figure. Always convert to metres.
Traps
Crash dieting before the test, training through injury, hiding a medical condition, and ignoring correctable vision. A disclosed, correctable issue is handled differently from a concealed one.