The U.S. Army has been using an evaluation system to assess soldiers' physical fitness as early as the 1940's. While parts of the Army Physical Fitness Test (APFT) have undergone several changes over time, the core principle of testing remains unaffected. The main reason for the APFT is still to aid the unit commander in assessing physical combat readiness of the troops. On a smaller scale, the APFT is also used to motivate soldiers and to promote competitive behavior among the troops. In contrast, due to the use of APFT scores for the Army Enlisted Promotion System, the APFT can be the source of discrimination for rewards, promotions, and evaluations.

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