The forearm plank is one of the five events on the Army Fitness Test. It looks simple, since there is no equipment and no movement once the hold begins, but it is scored precisely and graded on position. This explainer covers the official hold times for the youngest age group, how the grader starts the event, and how the plank fits with the rest of the test.
The hold times for ages 17 to 21
Army plank standards for ages 17 to 21 are 1:30 at 60 points and 3:40 at 100 points. In seconds, that is 90 seconds for 60 points and 220 seconds for 100 points.
GoArmy's plank page lists one minimum and one maximum for ages 17 to 21, and it repeats that pair under both sex tabs. In other words, the same two times appear for men and for women in that age group on the GoArmy scale.
One point is worth knowing if you have read older material. An older page on the reference site said the pass was 2:00. The current figure for 60 points is 1:30. Older notes and screenshots that still show 2:00 should not be used as the target.
The page also does not print an 80 point plank time, so anyone looking for a middle target has to work from the scoring tables directly rather than from a single quoted number.
How the grader starts the hold
The start position is defined before the clock runs. On "GET READY" the hands are on the ground, either in fists with the pinky side down or flat with the palms down, no more than a fist width apart. From there the soldier moves into the forearm plank with the body in a straight line.
Because the event is graded on position, small details count. Hands too far apart at the start, are the kind of detail a grader checks before the clock starts. Practicing the exact hand placement from the start command removes one source of doubt on test day.
Sixty points is the floor
Sixty points on the plank is the event floor. That matches the general rule on the test: each event has a 60 point minimum. A long plank cannot make up for a failed event elsewhere, and a strong score elsewhere does not rescue a plank below 60.
Combat MOS soldiers still need the 350 point total on the combat standard. The plank times quoted here are the event points; the total required depends on whether the soldier is held to the general or the combat standard.
How the plank fits with the other events
The plank sits among the other four events: the deadlift, the hand release push up, the sprint drag carry and the two mile run. Each has its own scoring table. The deadlift weights for ages 17 to 21 and the sprint drag carry times are published separately, so a full picture of a score needs each event checked against its own table.
Turning a time into points
The practical workflow is short. Time the hold, convert the seconds to points, and record the result. The reference page puts it this way: grade the seconds in the AFT calculator, then copy the points onto a DA Form 705 score card.
For the full table, the grader start position and the positions that end the clock, see these Army plank standards for the AFT forearm plank, which list the 17 to 21 times and explain each rule in order.
Summary
For ages 17 to 21, the forearm plank earns 60 points at 1:30 and 100 points at 3:40, the same pair under both sex tabs on GoArmy. The hold starts with hands in fists or flat, no more than a fist width apart. Sixty points is the floor for the event, and the total needed depends on the general or combat standard. Older notes that list 2:00 as the pass are out of date.