Free Practice Questions for AF PFE

The Promotion Fitness Examination (PFE) is an 80-question test — 60 knowledge-based questions plus 20 situational judgment (SJT) questions. Although it was reduced from 100 to 80 questions, your PFE score is still worth up to 100 points, based on percentage correct to two decimal places — 100 of the 510-point WAPS composite (~19.6%). Your PFE score is combined with the Specialty Knowledge Test (SKT), your Enlisted Performance Brief / Promotion Recommendation Score (EPB/PRS), and decorations to form that composite. There are minimum scores: AFI 36-2502 Table 2.4 requires at least 40 points on the PFE and 40 on the SKT with a combined minimum of 90, so an Airman who scores exactly 40 on one must score at least 50 on the other. Airmen testing PFE only must score at least 45, which doubles to the combined 90. Missing the minimum renders the Airman a promotion non-select. (Time-in-Service and Time-in-Grade were removed as WAPS point factors in 2017; the EPR factor was replaced by EPB/PRS in 2022.)

Only the AFH 1 chapters listed on your grade's line in the WAPS Catalog are tested, and the two grades differ. The 2026 E-5 catalog lists AFH 1 chapters 1, 5, 7, 8, 9, 11, 12, 14, 15, 17, 18, 19, 20, 22, and 24; the 2026 E-6 catalog lists chapters 1, 5, 7, 8, 9, 11 through 20, 22, and 24, adding Developing Organizations (13) and Developing Ideas (16). That covers professionalism and core values, military organization and command, enlisted force development, assessments and promotions, personnel programs and finance, developing others and self, emergency management, security, standards of conduct, fitness, and customs and courtesies. Chapters on aviation history, Air Force heritage, air and cyberpower, doctrine and the joint force, assignments, military justice, and dress and appearance are not on the 26E5/26E6 PFE. The 20 situational judgment questions present workplace scenarios and ask you to identify the most and least effective responses. No career-field-specific material appears on the PFE — that is the SKT.

Yes. The 60 knowledge questions are drawn from Air Force Handbook 1 (AFH 1, Airman, 15 Feb 2025 edition), the current sole-source reference, and DAFMAN 36-2664 notes that AFH 1 is revised every odd year. AFH 1 was briefly rescinded on 29 Jan 2025 to remove DEI content and re-issued on 15 Feb 2025 (Professionalism moved to Chapter 1, chapters renumbered); it is not gone. Two documents govern what is actually tested: the WAPS Catalog lists the chapters for your grade, and AFH 1 Attachment 1 — the Airman Development and Testing Chart — assigns each sub-topic a required comprehension level per grade. Use the official Air Force study guides site (studyguides.af.mil) for AFH 1, the WAPS Catalog, and the SJT informational guide.

The PFE is administered annually as part of the WAPS promotion cycle for eligible E-4s testing for Staff Sergeant (E-5) and E-5s testing for Technical Sergeant (E-6). The windows are published in each grade's WAPS Catalog: the 2026 cycle runs 15 February to 15 April for TSgt and 1 May to 30 June for SSgt. Airmen test at their base education and testing center through eWAPS, and DAFMAN 36-2664 requires study references to be available at least 60 days before the test date — if they are not, you may request a testing delay.

No. The PFE is administered once per promotion cycle. If you are not selected for promotion, you can test again in the next annual cycle. There is no immediate retake option. However, because the PFE is only one factor in the WAPS composite, a lower PFE score can be offset by strong SKT performance, your EPB/PRS, and other factors.

Start by pulling your grade's WAPS Catalog line and marking only the AFH 1 chapters listed — studying untested chapters is the most common wasted effort. Then read AFH 1 Attachment 1, the Airman Development and Testing Chart, which assigns each sub-topic a comprehension level for your grade, and study the higher-level sub-topics for application rather than recall. Practice situational-judgment scenarios separately using the official SJT informational guide, since that component is not drawn from AFH 1. Use practice tests to identify weak areas, study in focused 45-60 minute sessions, and use flashcards for the enlisted tiers, promotion point maxima, and core values.